Surface contact override landing scheme for a FBW rotary-wing aircraft
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorsTodd M. Fanciullo, Paul Morphy, Lorren Stiles, Alex Faynberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of transitioning from a complex response flight state to a ground operation control state. Pilot intent is determined through collective position information to control the transition. An independent cockpit switch activates an emergency surface contact transition function for use with a fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system. Once the surface contact transition function is active, FBW control laws transition from a fully augmented flight state, through an augmentation deactivation state and into the surface contact state.
Claims19
A method of transitioning a Fly-By-Wire flight control system to a ground state comprising the steps of:
- (A) reducing a flight control augmentation in response to a reduction in a collective pitch position;
- and
- (B) identifying a first collective position which is less than a collective position at said step (a);
- and
- (C) disabling a trim follow-up flight control law function in response to said step (b).
A method of transitioning a Fly-By-Wire flight control system to a ground state comprising the steps of:
- (A) identifying a pilot input which initiates a surface contact transition function;
- (B) monitoring a collective pitch position;
- and
- (C) reducing a flight control augmentation in a lagged manner in response to a reduction in the collective pitch position,
- (D) identifying a first collective position which is less than a collective position at said step (c);
- and
- (E) disabling a trim follow-up flight control law function in response to said step (D).
A method of transitioning a Fly-By-Wire flight control system to a ground state comprising the steps of:
- (A) initiating a surface contact transition function;
- (B) identifying a first collective position which is less than a collective position at said step (A);
- (C) reducing a trim follow-up function of a control law in response to said step (B);
- (D) identifying a second collective pitch position less than the first collective pitch position;
- (E) reducing a rate feedback of the control law in response to said step (D)
- (F) identifying a third collective pitch position less than the second collective pitch position;
- and
- (G) transitioning the flight control law to a neutral state in response to said step (F).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.