DYNAMIC FLIGHT COMMAND CROSS-FEED FOR ROTOR SPEED DROOP REDUCTION

• US 20180135535A1
• Filed: 08/23/2017
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Wulff, Ole, Geiger, Derek
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/28 Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/329 in helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/024 to keep rotational speed constant
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/07 to improve fuel economy
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft

Abstract

An aircraft and method of flying an aircraft are disclosed. The aircraft includes a cross-feed unit that receives a flight command for the aircraft and determines an amount of fuel for a motor of the aircraft in order to reduce a droop in the aircraft when executing the flight command at the aircraft. A fuel injector or fuel supplier provides the determined amount of fuel to the motor when the flight command is executed at the aircraft.

Claims

1. A method of flying an aircraft, comprising:

receiving a control input at the aircraft;

determining a flight command indicated by the control input;

determining an amount of fuel required at a motor of the aircraft in order to reduce a rotor droop when executing the flight command at the aircraft; and

providing the determined amount of fuel to the motor of the aircraft to execute the flight command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a cross-feed unit of the aircraft receives the flight command and determines the amount of fuel required at the motor of the aircraft for executing the flight command.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cross-feed unit runs a model of a dynamic interaction between the aircraft and the motor of the aircraft.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the model determines the amount of fuel required at the motor of the aircraft based on the flight command and a flight parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the flight parameter includes at least one of:

(i) aircraft air speed;

(ii) air density;

(iii) aircraft altitude;

(iv) air temperature;

(v) rotor speed.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the model determines a torque response of the aircraft for executing the flight command and determines the amount of fuel from the determined the torque response.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control input includes at least one of (i) a pitch command;

(ii) a roll command;

(iii) a collective command; and

(iv) a propeller pitch command.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of fuel required at the motor to reduce a rotor droop is added to a fuel requirement determined from a motor controller to obtain a total fuel flow and the total fuel flow is provided to the motor of the aircraft.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the motor includes at least one of:

(i) an engine; and

(ii) an electrical motor.

10. An aircraft, comprising:

a cross-feed unit that receives a flight command for the aircraft and determines an amount of fuel for a motor of the aircraft to reduce rotor speed droop when executing the flight command at the aircraft; and

a fuel supplier that provides the determined amount of fuel to the motor when the flight command is executed at the aircraft.

11. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein the cross-feed unit runs a model of a dynamic interaction between the aircraft and the motor of the aircraft to determine the amount of fuel.

12. The aircraft of claim 11, wherein the model determines the amount of fuel based on the flight command and a flight parameter.

13. The aircraft of claim 11, wherein the model determines a torque response required to execute the flight command and determines the amount of fuel from the determined the torque response.

14. The aircraft of claim 10, wherein the inceptor provides a flight command that is at least one of (i) a pitch command;

(ii) a roll command;

(iii) a collective command; and

(iv) a propeller pitch command.

15. The aircraft of claim 14, further comprising an engine controller for determining a fuel requirement for maintaining a flight state of the aircraft, wherein the fuel supplier provides a total fuel flow to the aircraft that is a sum of the fuel requirement determined by the engine controller and the amount of fuel for reducing rotor speed droop determined by the cross-feed unit.