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US 9,058,040 B2Granted
Automatic pilot pitch angle compensation
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorFrederick Charles Henry Blechen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are present for operating an aircraft. Responsive to a command to hold an altitude of the aircraft, an adjustment to a pitch angle of the aircraft needed to substantially maintain the altitude of the aircraft is identified using a lift for the aircraft to form an identified adjustment to the pitch angle to reduce altitude deviations from at least one of a change in configuration of a number of flight surfaces and changes in wind. The pitch angle of the aircraft is adjusted using the identified adjustment during flight.
Claims23
A method for operating an aircraft, the method comprising:
- determining an output from a roll in logic based upon an OR gate processing outputs from dual AND gates processing logic unit outputs based upon inputs comprising:
- a roll rate, and a limited roll angle, for the aircraft;
- selecting, using the output from the roll in logic, at least one of:
- a roll in gain and a roll out gain;
- deriving a current lift for the aircraft, using a pitch angle adjustment system comprising at least one of:
- the roll in gain, and the roll out gain;
- responsive to a turning of the aircraft when holding an altitude, identifying, using the current lift for the aircraft, an identified adjustment to a pitch angle of the aircraft needed to substantially maintain the altitude of the aircraft during the turning of the aircraft;
- and
- performing the turning of the aircraft using the identified adjustment.
6 more elements
A method for operating an aircraft, the method comprising:
- responsive to a command to hold an altitude of the aircraft, reducing an altitude deviation of the aircraft by identifying an adjustment to a pitch angle of the aircraft,-using a pitch roll compensation for the aircraft;
- deriving, using a pitch angle adjustment system, a corrected coefficient of lift from inputs comprising a roll rate and a limited roll angle processed through a roll in logic selecting at least one of:
- a roll in gain, and a roll out gain, such that the roll in logic comprises an OR gate processing outputs from dual AND gates;
- deriving the pitch roll compensation, from inputs comprising:
- the corrected coefficient of lift, and at least one of:
- a configuration of a flap, a slat, a spoiler, a landing gear, and a landing gear door, of the aircraft;
- and
- adjusting the pitch angle of the aircraft using the adjustment during flight.
5 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- processor unit configured to:
- identify, in response to a command to hold an altitude of an aircraft, an identified adjustment to a pitch angle of the aircraft;
- generate a limited roll angle;
- select at least one of:
- a roll in gain, and a roll out gain, based upon a roll rate and the limited roll angle processed through a roll in logic comprising an OR gate configured to process outputs from dual AND gates configured to process outputs from logic units configured to receive the roll rate and limited roll angle;
- derive a corrected coefficient of lift from inputs comprising:
- the roll rate, and the limited roll angle;
- form the identified adjustment based upon the corrected coefficient of lift for the aircraft;
- reduce altitude deviations caused by at least one of:
- a change in configuration of at least one of:
- a flap, a slat, a spoiler, a landing gear, and a landing gear door, of the aircraft;
- and change in a wind;
- and
- adjust, using the identified adjustment during flight, the pitch angle of the aircraft;
- and
- a computer configured to store and execute instructions for software on the processor unit.
13 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a processor unit configured to identify an adjustment, to a pitch angle during a turning of an aircraft, needed to substantially maintain an altitude of the aircraft, using a change in a current lift for the aircraft, such that the current lift is derived, in a pitch angle adjustment system, from inputs comprising:
- a roll rate, and a limited roll angle, to from an identified adjustment, such that the identified adjustment is identified, by the processor unit during the turning of the aircraft, from inputs comprising a pitch roll compensation, and such that the processor comprises a roll in logic configured to generate an output configured to select at least one of:
- a roll in gain, and a roll out gain based upon the roll rate and the limited roll angle, such that the roll in logic comprises logic units connected to AND gates connected to an OR gate;
- and
- a processor unit configured to perform the turning of the aircraft using the adjustment to the pitch angle of the aircraft.
2 more elements
A computer program product for operating an aircraft, the computer program product comprising:
- a non-transitory computer recordable storage medium;
- a program code, stored on the non-transitory computer recordable storage medium, configured to identify an adjustment, to a pitch angle of the aircraft needed to substantially maintain an altitude of the aircraft during a turning of the aircraft, using a current lift for the aircraft, such that the current lift is derived by the computer program product from inputs comprising:
- a roll rate, and a limited roll angle, to form, from inputs comprising a pitch roll compensation, the adjustment to the pitch angle, in response to the turning of the aircraft when holding the altitude such that the program code comprises a roll in logic configured to generate an output configured to select at least one of:
- a roll in gain, and a roll out gain based upon the roll rate and the limited roll angle, such that the roll in logic comprises logic units connected to AND gates connected to an OR gate;
- and
- program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for performing the turning of the aircraft using the adjustment to the pitch angle of the aircraft.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.