Helicopter integrated fire and flight control having constraint limiting control
First Claim
1. An aircraft flight control system for providing control surface command signals to the aircraft control surfaces thereby controlling the yaw, pitch, roll and lift attitude axes of the aircraft in flight, comprising:
- means for providing a constraint limit in a given attitude axis with respect to an aircraft reference axis, said constraint limit being indicative of a limit relative to said reference axis for a given aircraft subsystem;
means for providing a signal for constraint limiting for said given attitude axis, said signal for constraint limiting being indicative of a current operating position of said given aircraft subsystem in said given attitude axis relative to said reference axis;
means responsive to said signals for constraint limiting and said constraint limit for providing constraint limiting axis command signals indicative of an amount the magnitude of said signal for constraint limiting exceeds said constraint limit for said given attitude axis;
constraint limiting mode indicating means for providing a constraint limiting signal in response to activation of a flight control system constraint limiting mode; and
signal processing means responsive to the presence of said constraint limiting signal for providing control surface command signal for driving the magnitude of said constraint limiting axis command signals to zero.
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Accused Products
Abstract
During operation of an integrated fire and flight control (IFFC) system in a coupled aiming mode, the occurrence of a weapon (172), weapon mount (145) or sensor (146) reaching a constraint limit (210) indices a fade-in of a constraint limiting axis command signal (140) for a respective attitude axis as the aircraft attitude reference, replacing the flight control system attitude feedback error signal (111) for the respective attitude axis. The constraint limiting axis command signals provide the aircraft attitude reference only while the pilot manually depresses and holds an enable switch (920). The pilot command stick input (90) remains the primary input to the IFFC system to thereby provide override capability for pilot command maneuvers.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An aircraft flight control system for providing control surface command signals to the aircraft control surfaces thereby controlling the yaw, pitch, roll and lift attitude axes of the aircraft in flight, comprising:
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means for providing a constraint limit in a given attitude axis with respect to an aircraft reference axis, said constraint limit being indicative of a limit relative to said reference axis for a given aircraft subsystem; means for providing a signal for constraint limiting for said given attitude axis, said signal for constraint limiting being indicative of a current operating position of said given aircraft subsystem in said given attitude axis relative to said reference axis; means responsive to said signals for constraint limiting and said constraint limit for providing constraint limiting axis command signals indicative of an amount the magnitude of said signal for constraint limiting exceeds said constraint limit for said given attitude axis; constraint limiting mode indicating means for providing a constraint limiting signal in response to activation of a flight control system constraint limiting mode; and signal processing means responsive to the presence of said constraint limiting signal for providing control surface command signal for driving the magnitude of said constraint limiting axis command signals to zero. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A helicopter integrated fire and flight control system for providing control surface command signals to the helicopter control surfaces thereby controlling the yaw, pitch, roll and lift attitude axes of the helicopter in flight, comprising:
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control means operable by a pilot to provide axis command signals for controlling a given attitude axis of the helicopter; means responsive to said axis command signals for providing a desired attitude signal indicative of a desired helicopter attitude in said given attitude axis; means for sensing the attitude of the helicopter in said given attitude axis and for providing an actual attitude signal indicative thereof; means responsive to said desired attitude signal and to said actual attitude signal for providing an attitude feedback error signal as a function of the difference between said desired attitude signal and said actual attitude signal; and attitude feedback means for providing control surface command signals to drive the magnitude of said attitude feedback error signal to zero for said given attitude axis; characterized by; means for providing a constraint limit in a given attitude axis with respect to an aircraft reference axis, said constraint limit being indicative of a limit relative to said reference axis for a given aircraft subsystem; means for providing a signal for constraint limiting for said given attitude axis, said signal for constraint limiting being indicative of a current operating position of said given aircraft subsystem in said given attitude axis relative to said reference axis; means responsive to said signal for constraint limiting and said constraint limit for providing constraint limiting axis command signals indicative of an amount the magnitude of said signal for constraint limiting exceeds said constraint limit for said given attitude axis; constraint limiting mode indicating means for providing a constraint limiting signal in response to activation of said flight control system constraint limiting mode; and said attitude feedback means being responsive to the presence of said constraint limiting signal for replacing said attitude feedback error signal with said constraint limiting axis command signals for said given attitude axis. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification