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US 7,395,705 B2Granted
System for measuring an airflow angle at the wingtip of an aircraft
OwnerLeonard M. Greeneinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vortex angle system includes one or more vortex angle sensors disposed on one or more wingtips of an aircraft. A summing circuit and computer compare signals from each sensor to provide a signal, which is indicative of the average vortex angle of the aircraft.
Claims4
A vortex angle system comprising
- a wing of an aircraft having a first wingtip and a second wingtip at an opposite end of said wing;
- a vortex angle sensor for generating a signal which represents an aircraft's vortex angle;
- said vortex angle sensor including a pair of angle of attack sensors indicative of the lift of an aircraft with one of said angle of attack vanes disposed on each of said wingtips and forwardly thereof;
- and
- means for averaging the signals from each of said sensors and means for indicating the vortex angle of the aircraft based on the signals from said sensors.
2 more elements
A method for determining the vortex angle of an aircraft, the method comprising:
- providing two vortex angle sensors including two angle of attack vanes indicative of the lift characteristic of an aircraft;
- disposing one of said angle of attack vanes on each wingtip of an aircraft and forwardly thereof;
- measuring the vortex angle of the aircraft at each wingtip;
- producing a signal indicative of the aircraft's vortex angle at each wingtip;
- and
- averaging the signals from the sensors and producing a signal indicative of the aircraft's vortex angle.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.