Regulator Device for Helicopters

• US 20110192932A1
• Filed: 08/25/2010
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fuer Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Original Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fuer Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Inventors: Kessler, Christoph, Brenner, Hanno
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/17.13
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/04 Helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/22 Taking-up articles from earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft

Abstract

A regulator device used on helicopters carrying an external load suspended from the helicopter by a supporting cable aids in controlling the flight of the helicopter by measuring the oscillating the movement of the external load, converting the detected variables for the oscillating movement to a geodetic coordinate system, generating a closed loop control signals as a function of the variables, and applying the closed loop control signals to open loop control signals which control the flight of the helicopter.

Claims

1. A regulator device for helicopters (1) which are carrying an external load (2) suspended from the helicopter (1) in the direction of the ground on at least one supporting cable, wherein the regulator device is designed to produce closed-loop control signals, which can be applied to open-loop control signals for controlling the flight of the helicopter (1), and has at least one load oscillation recording unit for recording the oscillating movement of the external load (2) in the lateral and longitudinal directions with respect to the longitudinal axis of the helicopter (1), wherein the regulator device is designed to convert the detected variables for the oscillating movement to the geodetic coordinate system, and to generate the closed-loop control signals as a function of the variables, converted to the geodetic coordinate system, for the oscillating movement and as a function of the mass (m_L) of the external load (2) and the supporting cable:

length (I_s) as parameters for the regulator.

2. The regulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein detected variables for the oscillating movement are the changes in the oscillation angles between the connecting line from the external load (2) to the suspension point on the helicopter (1) and a vertical ({dot over (φ

)}_P, {dot over (θ

)}_P) which points vertically downward from the suspension point of the helicopter (1) parallel to the vertical axis of the helicopter (1).

3. The regulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the load oscillation recording unit has at least one image recording unit, which can be fitted to the underneath of the helicopter (1) in order to record images or image sequences with the oscillating external load (2), and an image evaluation unit which is designed to determine the oscillating movement of the external load (2) from the recorded images.

4. The regulator device, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the regulator device has a regulator part which corrects the phase response of the closed-loop control system, and a regulator part which corrects the amplitude response of the closed-loop control system.

5. The regulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the regulator device has mutually independent regulators for the generation of closed-loop control signals relating to the lateral direction on the one hand and relating to the longitudinal direction on the other hand.

6. The regulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the regulator device is designed to damp the oscillating movement of the external load (2).

7. The regulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the regulator device is designed to assist the positioning of the external load (2) at an intended location.

8. The regulator device as claimed in claim 7, wherein detected variables for the oscillating movement are the oscillation angles (φ

_P, θ

_P) and/or the discrepancy between the position of the external load (2) and the position of the intended location.

9. The regulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current speed of the helicopter (1) over the ground is passed to the regulator device, as a parameter for the regulator.