Method for automatic piloting of a rotary wing aircraft having at least one thruster propeller, associated automatic autopilot device, and aircraft
First Claim
1. A method for a rotary wing aircraft having at least one propulsion propeller provided with a plurality of propulsion propeller blades configured to contribute to propulsion of the aircraft, a rotary wing having a main rotor provided with a plurality of main rotor blades, an adjustment mechanism having a servo-control arrangement configured to adjust pitch of the main rotor blades, and a collective control system connected to the adjustment mechanism and configured to control a collective pitch of the main rotor blades via the adjustment mechanism, the method comprising:
- during an assisted piloting mode, automatically controlling, by a processor, the collective control system to control the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to maintain an aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft equal to a reference angle of attack (a*); and
wherein automatically controlling the collective control system to control the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to maintain the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft equal to the reference angle of attack (a*) includes servo-controlling the collective pitch of the main rotor blades via the servo-control arrangement of the adjustment mechanism so that the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft either tends toward the reference angle of attack (a*) or is equal to the reference angle of attack (a*), whereby when the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft is no longer equal to the reference angle of attack (a*) action is taken on the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to cause the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft to become equal to the reference angle of attack (a*).
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Abstract
An autopilot device and method for automatically piloting a rotary wing aircraft, having at least one propulsion propeller, the rotary wing including at least one rotor with blades, the device including a processor co-operating with at least one collective control system for controlling the collective pitch of the blades. The device includes engagement means connected to the processor for engaging an assisted mode of piloting for maintaining an angle of attack, the processor automatically controlling the collective pitch of the blades when the assisted mode of piloting for maintaining an angle of attack is engaged by controlling the collective control system to maintain an aerodynamic angle of attack (α) of the aircraft at a reference angle of attack (α*).
74 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for a rotary wing aircraft having at least one propulsion propeller provided with a plurality of propulsion propeller blades configured to contribute to propulsion of the aircraft, a rotary wing having a main rotor provided with a plurality of main rotor blades, an adjustment mechanism having a servo-control arrangement configured to adjust pitch of the main rotor blades, and a collective control system connected to the adjustment mechanism and configured to control a collective pitch of the main rotor blades via the adjustment mechanism, the method comprising:
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during an assisted piloting mode, automatically controlling, by a processor, the collective control system to control the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to maintain an aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft equal to a reference angle of attack (a*); and wherein automatically controlling the collective control system to control the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to maintain the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft equal to the reference angle of attack (a*) includes servo-controlling the collective pitch of the main rotor blades via the servo-control arrangement of the adjustment mechanism so that the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft either tends toward the reference angle of attack (a*) or is equal to the reference angle of attack (a*), whereby when the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft is no longer equal to the reference angle of attack (a*) action is taken on the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to cause the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft to become equal to the reference angle of attack (a*). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An autopilot device for automatically piloting a rotary wing aircraft having at least one propulsion propeller provided with a plurality of propulsion propeller blades configured to contribute to propulsion of the aircraft, a rotary wing having a main rotor provided with a plurality of main rotor blades, an adjustment mechanism having a servo-control arrangement configured to adjust pitch of the main rotor blades, and a collective control system connected to the adjustment mechanism and configured to control a collective pitch of the main rotor blades via the adjustment mechanism, the autopilot device comprising:
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a processor configured to, during an assisted mode of piloting, automatically control the collective control system to control a collective pitch of the main rotor blades to maintain an aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft equal to a reference angle of attack (a*); and wherein the processor automatically controls the collective control system to control the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to maintain the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft equal to the reference angle of attack (a*) by servo-controlling the collective pitch of the main rotor blades via the servo-control arrangement of the adjustment mechanism so that the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft either tends toward the reference angle of attack (a*) or is equal to the reference angle of attack (a*), whereby when the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft is no longer equal to the reference angle of attack (a*) action is taken on the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to cause the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft to become equal to the reference angle of attack (a*). - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An aircraft comprising:
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at least one propulsion propeller provided with a plurality of propulsion propeller blades configured to contribute to propulsion of the aircraft; a rotary wing having a main rotor provided with a plurality of main rotor blades; an adjustment mechanism having a servo-control arrangement configured to adjust pitch of the main rotor blades; a collective control system connected to the adjustment mechanism and configured to control a collective pitch of the main rotor blades via the adjustment mechanism; an autopilot device for automatically piloting the aircraft, the autopilot device including a processor configured to, during an assisted mode of piloting, automatically control the collective control system to control a collective pitch of the main rotor blades to maintain an aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft equal to a reference angle of attack (a*); and wherein the processor automatically controls the collective control system to control the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to maintain the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft equal to the reference angle of attack (a*) by servo-controlling the collective pitch of the main rotor blades via the servo-control arrangement of the adjustment mechanism so that the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft either tends toward the reference angle of attack (a*) or is equal to the reference angle of attack (a*), whereby when the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft is no longer equal to the reference angle of attack (a*) action is taken on the collective pitch of the main rotor blades to cause the aerodynamic angle of attack (a) of the aircraft to become equal to the reference angle of attack (a*). - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification