Flight control system
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorPeter R. Venuti, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flight control system is provided for a helicopter furnishing safety feres, and providing back up control in the event of failure of controls of the rotary head swashplate of a helicopter. The swashplate is regulated by a series of actuators which are angularly positioned at particular settings around the swashplate. In the event of a control system failure, a supplemental system controls the selected settings for the swashplate, rotary head, and spar root and blade assemblies of the helicopter.
Claims3
A helicopter swashplate drive mechanism comprising a first and second series of swashplate actuators spaced around the periphery of a swashplate to effect the control thereof, servo amplifier means including a computer for electronically actuating the first series of actuators to control swashplate operation, the first series thus being primary control swashplate actuators, said servo amplifier means also operating the second series of actuators in a tracking mode, the second series thus being supplemental actuators which track the operational status of the primary actuators, the primary swashplate and the supplemental swashplate actuators being alternately positioned around said swashplate periphery at approximately 60.degree., said computer separately energizing the two series of actuators for controlling, and for monitoring, swashplate operation whereby the supplemental actuator series assumes operation of the swashplate upon failure of the primary series of actuators.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.