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公开(公告)号:US11208205B2
公开(公告)日:2021-12-28
申请号:US16892020
申请日:2020-06-03
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Inventor: Luke Dafydd Gillett
Abstract: A rotorcraft including a main rotor, flight controls connected to the main rotor the main rotor, a plurality of engines connected to the main rotor and operable to drive the main rotor, a main rotor revolutions per minute (RPM) sensor, and a monitoring system operable to determine an engine failure of the plurality of engines. The monitoring system is further operable to engage an automated autorotation entry assist process in response to at least determining the engine failure and according to the measured main rotor RPM, where the automated autorotation entry assist process comprises the monitoring system generating one or more rotor RPM related commands according to at least a target main rotor RPM and the measured main rotor RPM, where the automated autorotation entry assist process further comprises controlling the one or more flight controls according to the one or more rotor RPM related commands.
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公开(公告)号:US11136136B2
公开(公告)日:2021-10-05
申请号:US15978646
申请日:2018-05-14
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Inventor: Robert Earl Worsham, II , Morganne Cody Klein , Christopher M. Bothwell , Luke Dafydd Gillett , Jillian Samantha Alfred , Sung Kyun Kim , Stephanie Baynham , Troy Caudill
Abstract: In an embodiment, a method of indicating flight modes of a rotorcraft includes: detecting a change in flight mode of the rotorcraft from a previous flight mode to an active flight mode, the active flight mode and the previous flight mode each being from one of a first subset or a second subset of a plurality of flight modes; determining whether the active flight mode and the previous flight mode are from different subsets of the plurality of flight modes; and updating one or more flight mode indicators on an instrument panel of the rotorcraft in response to the active flight mode and the previous flight mode being from different subsets of the plurality of flight modes.
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公开(公告)号:US10816999B2
公开(公告)日:2020-10-27
申请号:US15996132
申请日:2018-06-01
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Inventor: Luke Dafydd Gillett , Sung Kyun Kim , Robert Earl Worsham, II
Abstract: In an embodiment, a rotorcraft includes: a flight control computer configured to: receive a first sensor signal from a first aircraft sensor of the rotorcraft; receive a second sensor signal from a second aircraft sensor of the rotorcraft, the second aircraft sensor being different from the first aircraft sensor; combine the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal with a complementary filter to determine an estimated vertical speed of the rotorcraft; adjust flight control devices of the rotorcraft according to the estimated vertical speed of the rotorcraft, thereby changing flight characteristics of the rotorcraft; and reset the complementary filter in response to detecting the rotorcraft is grounded.
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公开(公告)号:US10647414B2
公开(公告)日:2020-05-12
申请号:US15443826
申请日:2017-02-27
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Abstract: A fly-by-wire system for a rotorcraft includes a computing device having control laws. The control laws are operable to engage a roll command or a yaw command in response to deflection of a beep switch of a pilot control assembly, wherein a roll angle for the roll command or a yaw rate for the yaw command is determined based on forward airspeed of the rotorcraft. The beep switch may be disposed on a collective control of the pilot control assembly. The control laws are further operable to disengage the roll command or the yaw command in response to the beep switch being returned from a deflected position to a neutral position. In representative aspects, the roll angle or the yaw rate may correspond to a standard rate turn (e.g., 3° per second).
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公开(公告)号:US11186357B2
公开(公告)日:2021-11-30
申请号:US16238889
申请日:2019-01-03
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
IPC: G05D1/08 , B64C13/16 , B64C13/04 , B64C27/605 , B64C27/57
Abstract: In an embodiment, a method includes: obtaining a first signal from a first sensor of a rotorcraft, the first signal indicating measured angular velocity around a first axis of the rotorcraft; filtering the first signal with a lag compensator to estimate angular position around the first axis of the rotorcraft; and adjusting flight control devices of the rotorcraft according to the estimated angular position and the measured angular velocity around the first axis of the rotorcraft, thereby changing flight characteristics of the rotorcraft around the first axis of the rotorcraft.
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公开(公告)号:US10926871B2
公开(公告)日:2021-02-23
申请号:US15962889
申请日:2018-04-25
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Inventor: Jillian Samantha Alfred , Luke Dafydd Gillett , Bradley Don Linton , Robert Earl Worsham, II
Abstract: A rotorcraft including a control element, a control sensor connected to the control element, where the control sensor is operable to generate trim data indicating a displacement of the control element in relation to a trim position of the control element, and a flight control computer (FCC) operable to monitor the trim data and determine an active detent state of the control element. The active detent state is one of an in-detent state, an out-of-detent state, and an in-transition state. The FCC is operable to buffer a transition of the active detent state from the in-detent state to the out-of-detent state using the in-transition state. The FCC provides a first flight management function when the active detent state is the in-detent state or the in-transition state, and provides a second flight management function when the active detent state is the out-of-detent state.
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公开(公告)号:US10890924B2
公开(公告)日:2021-01-12
申请号:US15961439
申请日:2018-04-24
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Inventor: Robert Earl Worsham, II , Troy Caudill , Luke Dafydd Gillett
Abstract: An embodiment rotorcraft includes a rotor system including a plurality of blades; a control assembly operable to receive commands from a pilot; a flight control system (FCS), the flight control system operable to control flight of the rotorcraft by changing an operating condition of the rotor system; and a flight management system (FMS) in signal communication with the control assembly and the FCS. The FMS is operable to receive a target location and a plurality of approach parameters from the control assembly; generate a plurality waypoints between a current location of the rotorcraft and a missed approach point (MAP) based on the target location and the plurality of approach parameters; receive a command to engage in an approach maneuver from the control assembly; and in response to the command to engage in the approach maneuver, instruct the FCS to fly to the MAP.
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公开(公告)号:US10860038B2
公开(公告)日:2020-12-08
申请号:US15905349
申请日:2018-02-26
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Inventor: Luke Dafydd Gillett
Abstract: An embodiment rotorcraft includes a main rotor, one or more flight controls connected to the main rotor and operational to control flight characteristics of the main rotor by pitching a nose of the rotorcraft upward, and a flight control computer (FCC) operable to determine an attitude command and to generate an adjusted attitude command by adjusting a magnitude of the attitude command according to an above ground level (AGL) altitude of the rotorcraft. The FCC is further operable to control a flight characteristic of the rotorcraft by sending the adjusted attitude command to one or more flight controls.
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公开(公告)号:US10654561B2
公开(公告)日:2020-05-19
申请号:US15422886
申请日:2017-02-02
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Inventor: Robert Worsham , Luke Dafydd Gillett
Abstract: A fly-by-wire system for a rotorcraft includes a computing device having control laws. The control laws are operable to engage a level-and-climb command in response to a switch of a pilot control assembly being selected. The level-and-climb command establishes a roll-neutral (“wings level”) attitude with the rotorcraft increasing altitude. The switch may be disposed on a collective control of the pilot control assembly (e.g., a button on a grip of the collective control). Selection of the switch may correspond to a button depress. The level-and-climb command may include a roll command and a collective pitch command. One or more control laws may be further operable to increase or decrease forward airspeed in response to pilot engagement of the level-and-climb command. The level-and-climb command may correspond to a go-around maneuver, an abort maneuver, or an extreme-attitude-recovery maneuver to be performed by the rotorcraft.
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公开(公告)号:US20200023955A1
公开(公告)日:2020-01-23
申请号:US16042767
申请日:2018-07-23
Applicant: Textron Innovations Inc.
Abstract: A rotorcraft including a fly-by-wire control system also includes a flight control computer (FCC) operable to control flight of the rotorcraft by sending control signals to flight control elements of the rotorcraft. The rotorcraft includes a flight director system coupled to the FCC and configured to send a target signal to the FCC. The target signal indicates a desired flight characteristic of the rotorcraft. The FCC is configured to receive the target signal from the flight director system, determine control signals based on the target signal, and send the control signals to the flight control elements of the rotorcraft to control the flight of the rotorcraft based on the target signal.
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