US 6,926,233 B1Granted

Automatic formation flight control system (AFFCS)—a system for automatic formation flight control of vehicles not limited to aircraft, helicopters, or space platforms

OwnerJames John Corcoran, IIIinventor

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Abstract

A totally integrated system for automatic formation flight control of multiple vehicles not limited to aircraft, helicopters, or space platforms. For instance, the system may be used to control any number of aircraft in a pre-determined flight formation and provide “positive” identification, control and discrete communications between any number of vehicles. Thus the invention prevents mid-air collisions between vehicles in formation flight. The system generally includes a processor located on the vehicles to enable communications, unique position computations and control messaging between any number of aircraft in formation flight, a communications transceiver located on the vehicle that provides discrete communication links to any number of aircraft in formation flight an autopilot and a display. The processor may take into consideration velocity, direction, winds aloft, wing tip clearance of any number of vehicles. On aircraft, the system will display the current formation and vehicles relative position under control by this invention. The system may be overridden in flight.

Claims2

Dependent claims

A totally integrated system for automatic formation of flight control for vehicles, said system comprising:

an automatic flight control system having a processor located on the vehicle to enable communications and control of any number of aircraft in a formation,
a communications transceiver located on the vehicle that provides discrete communication links to the number of aircraft in formation,
an aircraft communications bus protocol and message packet structure that provides an exchange of information between the number of aircraft in formation,
a means for encrypting communications exchange between any number of aircraft in formation,
a means for providing a computed formation zone that provides elemental positional information for the number of aircraft in formation;
a means for selecting both formation flight pattern and spatial clearance between the number of aircraft in formation flight,
a means for providing real-time display of aircraft and positions of the number of aircraft in formation,
a means for providing a buffer zone with a relative formation point for any number of aircraft in formation,
a means for polling the number of aircraft in formation for positional information,
a means for providing flight guidance including an autopilot inputs to the number of aircraft in formation;
a means for providing a dampening of the flight profile to the number of aircraft in formation, and
an autopilot located on the vehicle, capable of receiving and transmitting inputs or outputs from the vehicle communications bus.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.