FLIGHT ASSISTANCE APPARATUS

• US 20100181431A1
• Filed: 01/11/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: ISHIBA, Masatsugu
• Granted Patent: US 8,505,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/175
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/10 comprising warning devices

Abstract

A flight assistance apparatus for providing assistance in flying an aircraft, including: a yoke operated by a pilot of the aircraft; and a flight instruction section that instructs, with an aid of the yoke, the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid a critical flight range when the aircraft approaches the critical flight range.

Claims

1. A flight assistance apparatus for providing assistance in flying an aircraft, comprising:

a yoke operated by a pilot of the aircraft; and

a flight instruction section that instructs, with an aid of the yoke, the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid a critical flight range when the aircraft approaches the critical flight range.

2. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the critical flight range is a collision range of a fuselage of the aircraft, and

the flight instruction section instructs the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid the critical flight range on a basis of a direction corresponding to the critical flight range.

3. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the flight instruction section instructs the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid the critical flight range by operating that side of the yoke which is located opposite the direction corresponding to the critical flight range.

4. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the flight instruction section holds the yoke in operation until the yoke is operated oppositely to the direction corresponding to the critical flight range.

5. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flight instruction section instructs the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid the critical flight range by operating the yoke by an angle corresponding to a target aileron operation amount for flying the aircraft.

6. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stall sensor that detects a stall state of a fuselage of the aircraft, wherein

the critical flight range is a speed range in which the fuselage falls into the stall state, and

the flight instruction section instructs the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid the critical flight range when the fuselage approaches the stall state.

7. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the yoke has a column body, and a pair of right and left grip portions turnably mounted to the column body to be gripped by the pilot, and

the flight instruction section instructs the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid the critical flight range by turning the grip portions with respect to the column body.

8. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the critical flight range is a collision range of a fuselage of the aircraft, and

the flight instruction section holds that one of the grip portions which is located opposite a direction corresponding to the critical flight range turned from a normal state thereof with respect to the column body.

9. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the critical flight range is a collision range of a fuselage of the aircraft, and

the flight instruction section holds downside that one of the grip portions which is located opposite a direction corresponding to the critical flight range.

10. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the critical flight range is a collision range of a fuselage of the aircraft, and

the flight instruction section holds the grip portions turned from normal states thereof with respect to the column body until the yoke is operated oppositely to a direction corresponding to the critical flight range.

11. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the yoke has a column body provided with a pair of right and left handles, and a pair of right and left grip portions movably mounted along the handles respectively to be gripped by the pilot, and

the flight instruction section instructs the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid the critical flight range by moving the grip portions along the handles respectively.

12. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the critical flight range is a collision range of a fuselage of the aircraft, and

the flight instruction section holds in a moved state that one of the grip portions which is located opposite the direction corresponding to the critical flight range.

13. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the critical flight range is a collision range of a fuselage of the aircraft, and

the flight instruction section moves downward that one of the grip portions which is located opposite the direction corresponding to the critical flight range.

14. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the critical flight range is a collision range of a fuselage of the aircraft, and

the flight instruction section holds the grip portions moved from normal positions thereof with respect to the handles respectively until the yoke is operated oppositely to the direction corresponding to the critical flight range.

15. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the yoke has a column body, and a pair of right and left grip portions longitudinally turnably mounted to the column body to be gripped by the pilot, and

the flight instruction section instructs the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid the critical flight range by turning the grip portions toward a near side with respect to the column body.

16. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a stall sensor that detects a stall state of a fuselage of the aircraft, wherein

the critical flight range is a speed range in which the fuselage falls into the stall state, and

the flight instruction section turns the grip portions toward the near side with respect to the column body when the fuselage approaches the stall state.

17. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the critical flight range is a speed range in which a fuselage of the aircraft falls into the stall state, and

the flight instruction section holds the grip portions turned from normal states thereof with respect to the column body until the fuselage gets out of the critical flight range.

18. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a mechanism that guides, in a longitudinal direction of a fuselage of the aircraft, a seat in which the pilot operating the yoke sits, wherein

the flight instruction section instructs the pilot to fly the aircraft in such a manner as to avoid the critical flight range by moving the seat in the longitudinal direction of the fuselage to change a distance between the seat and the yoke.

19. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the critical flight range is a speed range in which the fuselage falls into the stall state, and

the flight instruction section holds the seat in a moved state until the fuselage gets out of the critical flight range.

20. The flight assistance apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a stall sensor that detects a stall state of the fuselage, wherein

the critical flight range is a speed range in which the fuselage falls into the stall state, and

the flight instruction section moves the seat forward with respect to the fuselage when the fuselage approaches the stall state.