Back to results
US 7,438,259 B1Granted
Compound aircraft control system and method
AssigneePiasecki Aircraft Corporation
InventorsFrank N. Piasecki, Andrew S. Greenjack, Joseph F. Horn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The Invention is a control system for a compound aircraft. A compound aircraft has features of both a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft and provides redundant control options. The control system allows an authorized person to select any of plurality of control biases each which is designed to achieve an overall operational objective. The control system applies the selected control bias in allocating the control function among the redundant control options.
Claims12
A compound aircraft, said compound aircraft comprising:
- a. a fuselage;
- b. a main rotor rotatably connected to said fuselage, said main rotor being configured to exert a main rotor lifting force to said fuselage;
- c. a wing connected to said fuselage, said wing being configured to exert a wing lifting force to said fuselage, said main rotor and said wing in combination being configured to exert a total lifting force to said fuselage;
- d. means to select an operational objective by a user of the compound aircraft from among a plurality of operational objectives;
- e. an inceptor, said inceptor being configured to receive a command for a trimmed flight;
- f. a microprocessor, said microprocessor being operably connected to said main rotor and to said wing, said microprocessor being operably connected to said means to select said operational objective and to said inceptor, said microprocessor being configured to receive said selected operational objective from said means to select said operational objective, said microprocessor being configured to receive said command for said trimmed flight from said inceptor;
- g. a computer memory operably connected to said microprocessor, said computer memory storing a database accessible to said microprocessor, said database including a plurality of combinations of trim settings, each of said plurality of combinations of trim settings being configured to achieve said command for said trimmed flight when applied by said microprocessor, a one of said plurality of combinations of trim settings corresponding to said selected operational objective, said microprocessor being configured to select said one of said plurality of combinations of trim settings corresponding to said selected operational objective, said microprocessor being programmed to allocate said total lifting force between said rotor lifting force and said wing lifting force for said trimmed flight, said microprocessor being programmed to base said allocation of said total lifting force for said trimmed flight upon said selected one of said plurality of combinations of trim settings.
4 more elements
A compound aircraft, said compound aircraft comprising:
- a. a fuselage;
- b. a main rotor rotatably connected to said fuselage, said main rotor being configured to exert a main rotor lifting force to said fuselage;
- c. a wing connected to said fuselage, said wing being configured to exert a wing lifting force to said fuselage, said main rotor and said wing in combination being configured to exert a total lifting force to said fuselage;
- d. means to select an operational objective by a user of the compound aircraft from among a plurality of operational objectives;
- e. an inceptor, said inceptor being configured to receive a command for a maneuvering flight;
- f. a microprocessor, said microprocessor being operably connected to said main rotor and to said wing, said microprocessor being operably connected to said means to select said operational objective and to said inceptor, said microprocessor being configured to receive said selected operational objective from said means to select said operational objective, said microprocessor being configured to receive said command for said maneuvering flight from said inceptor;
- g. a computer memory operably connected to said microprocessor, said computer memory storing a database accessible to said microprocessor, said database including a plurality of combinations of weighting factors, each of said plurality of combinations of weighting factors being configured to achieve said command for said maneuvering flight when applied by said microprocessor, a one of said plurality of combinations of weighting factors corresponding to said selected operational objective, said microprocessor being configured to select said one of said plurality of combinations of weighting factors corresponding to said selected operational objective, said microprocessor being programmed to allocate said total lifting force between said rotor lifting force and said wing lifting force for said maneuvering flight, said microprocessor being programmed to base said allocation of said total lifting force for said maneuvering flight upon said selected one of said plurality of combinations of weighting factors.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.