CONTROL SYSTEM FOR AN AIRCRAFT
First Claim
1. An aircraft control system, comprising:
- a vertical thrust system having a plurality of vertical thrust rotors, each of the plurality of vertical thrust rotors having an axis of rotation that is substantially perpendicular to a horizontal direction of flight;
a horizontal thrust system having at least one horizontal thrust rotor, the at least one horizontal thrust rotor having an axis of rotation that is substantially parallel to the horizontal direction of flight;
an aerodynamic system having a plurality of movable aerodynamic surfaces; and
a controller in at least indirect communication with the vertical thrust system, the horizontal thrust system, and the aerodynamic system, wherein the controller is configured to;
substantially simultaneously control, based on at least one of a single yaw input, a single pitch input, and a single roll input, the aerodynamic system and a differential thrust generated by the plurality of vertical thrust rotors of the vertical thrust system to adjust at least one of pitch, yaw, and roll of a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in at least one of a plurality of flight stages of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, andindependently and substantially simultaneously control the vertical thrust system and the horizontal thrust system to generate vertical and horizontal thrust in at least one of the plurality of flight stages.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An aircraft control system includes a vertical thrust system, a horizontal thrust system, and an aerodynamic system. The system further includes a controller in at least indirect communication with the vertical thrust system, the horizontal thrust system, and the aerodynamic system. The controller is configured to substantially simultaneously control, based on at least one of a single yaw input, a single pitch input, and a single roll input, the aerodynamic system and a differential thrust generated by the plurality of vertical thrust rotors of the vertical thrust system to adjust at least one of pitch, yaw, and roll of a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in at least one of a plurality of flight stages. The controller is further configured to independently and substantially simultaneously control the vertical and horizontal thrust systems to generate vertical and horizontal thrust in at least one of the plurality of flight stages.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An aircraft control system, comprising:
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a vertical thrust system having a plurality of vertical thrust rotors, each of the plurality of vertical thrust rotors having an axis of rotation that is substantially perpendicular to a horizontal direction of flight; a horizontal thrust system having at least one horizontal thrust rotor, the at least one horizontal thrust rotor having an axis of rotation that is substantially parallel to the horizontal direction of flight; an aerodynamic system having a plurality of movable aerodynamic surfaces; and a controller in at least indirect communication with the vertical thrust system, the horizontal thrust system, and the aerodynamic system, wherein the controller is configured to; substantially simultaneously control, based on at least one of a single yaw input, a single pitch input, and a single roll input, the aerodynamic system and a differential thrust generated by the plurality of vertical thrust rotors of the vertical thrust system to adjust at least one of pitch, yaw, and roll of a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in at least one of a plurality of flight stages of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and independently and substantially simultaneously control the vertical thrust system and the horizontal thrust system to generate vertical and horizontal thrust in at least one of the plurality of flight stages. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for controlling flight of a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, comprising:
receiving, at a controller located on the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, input signals comprising a horizontal thrust input, a vertical thrust input, and at least one of a single yaw input, a single pitch input, and a single roll input from a pilot interface, wherein the input signals cause the controller to perform steps comprising; substantially simultaneously controlling, based on the at least one of the single yaw input, the single pitch input, and the single roll input, an aerodynamic system and a differential thrust generated by a plurality of vertical thrust rotors of a vertical thrust system, wherein the controlling the differential thrust and the aerodynamic system adjusts at least one of pitch, yaw, and roll of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in at least one of a plurality of flight stages of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft; and independently and substantially simultaneously controlling, based on the horizontal thrust input and the vertical thrust input, the vertical thrust system and a horizontal thrust system to generate vertical and horizontal thrust in at least one of the plurality of flight stages, wherein; the vertical thrust system comprises the plurality of vertical thrust rotors, wherein each of the plurality of vertical thrust rotors has an axis of rotation that is substantially perpendicular to a horizontal direction of flight, the horizontal thrust system comprises at least one horizontal thrust rotor, wherein the at least one horizontal thrust rotor has an axis of rotation that is substantially parallel to the horizontal direction of flight, and the aerodynamic system comprises a plurality of movable aerodynamic surfaces. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A control system to control flight of a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, comprising:
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a receiver located on the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the receiver configured to receive input signals input by a pilot into a pilot interface; a vertical thrust system having a plurality of vertical thrust rotors, each of the plurality of vertical thrust rotors having an axis of rotation that is substantially perpendicular to a horizontal direction of flight; a horizontal thrust system having at least one horizontal thrust rotor, the at least one horizontal thrust rotor having an axis of rotation that is substantially parallel to the horizontal direction of flight; an aerodynamic system having a plurality of movable aerodynamic surfaces; and a controller configured to receive the input signals from the pilot interface via the receiver, wherein the controller is in at least indirect communication with the vertical thrust system, the horizontal thrust system, and the aerodynamic system, wherein the pilot interface is configured to receive the input signals comprising a horizontal thrust input, a vertical thrust input, a single yaw input, a single pitch input, and a single roll input, the controller is configured to, based on the input signals, simultaneously control the vertical thrust system and the aerodynamic system to control an attitude of the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and the controller is further configured to, based on the input signals and substantially simultaneously with the control of the attitude, substantially simultaneously adjust the vertical thrust system and the horizontal thrust system, wherein the horizontal thrust input and the vertical thrust input are configured to be input into the pilot interface independently. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification