Supervisory control system for aircraft flight management during pilot command errors or equipment malfunction

• US 6,526,337 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conrad O Gardner
• Original Assignee: Conrad O Gardner
• Inventors: Gardner, Conrad O.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/538,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20020035415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/9, 701/14, 701/15, 701/24, 701/25, 701/63, 244/75.R, 244/158.R, 244/189, 340/500, 340/945
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0031 means for overriding or restricting access to flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0059 by communicating emergency situations to ground control or between crew members

Abstract

A system and method for intervention control of an aircraft in the event of pilot command error whether voluntary or involuntary. Impending detection of a chaotic condition associated with a maneuvering aircraft enable early prediction and control of the aircraft where solutions based upon performance prediction are available. A further feature of the present intervention control of the aircraft enables an equipment malfunction detection signal substitution of a satisfactory equipment signal.

Claims

1. A supervisory control system for aircraft flight management comprising in combination:

an aircraft having a flight control system and an instrument panel;

a comparator circuit aboard said aircraft, said comparator circuit responsive to said flight control system for generating an error signal in response to a pilot command error;

a ground station;

a data link between said aircraft and said ground station for exchanging data between said aircraft and said ground station;

said ground station having a simulated cockpit and flight control system corresponding to the flight control system aboard said aircraft;

said ground station having an instrument panel corresponding to the instrument panel aboard said aircraft;

said error signal enabling said data link for transmitting the information displayed on the instrument panel aboard said aircraft to the ground station instrument panel; and

said error signal further decoupling the flight control system aboard said aircraft and coupling the flight control system in the simulated cockpit in said ground station to control the flight of said aircraft through said data link.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said comparator circuit is responsive to the positioning of engine control levers in a twin engine aircraft to the cut off position and an aircraft speed signal exceeding 0.86 mach.

3. An aircraft equipment signal substitution system comprising in combination:

a plurality of control systems aboard an aircraft;

a ground station having a plurality of control systems corresponding to said plurality of control systems aboard said aircraft;

a data link between said aircraft and said ground station for exchanging data between said aircraft and said ground station;

said plurality of control systems at said ground station responsive to the inputs of said plurality of control systems aboard said aircraft for providing output control system data for each of said plurality of control systems at said ground station;

said ground station having a comparator circuit for comparing said output system control data for each of said plurality of control systems at said ground station with the output system control data for each of said plurality of control systems aboard said aircraft and generating an equipment substitution signal when the output system control data of any of said plurality of control systems aboard said aircraft differs from the output system control data from the corresponding one of said plurality of control systems at said ground station; and

,

disconnecting the output system control data from the control system aboard said aircraft which differs from the output control system control data from the corresponding of one said plurality of control systems at said ground station in response to said equipment substitution signal and inserting the output system control data from the corresponding one of said plurality of control systems at said ground station.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein a corresponding one of said plurality of control systems comprises an autopilot.

5. A method for intervention control of an aircraft in the event of a pilot command error whether voluntary or involuntary comprising the steps of:

generating an alert signal representative of a pilot command error; and

,

transferring flight control management from said aircraft to a remote ground station in response to said alert signal representative of a pilot command error thereby providing instant remote control by the remote ground station to avoid a potentially. catastrophic incident.

6. A method of detecting an equipment malfunction aboard an aircraft in flight and substituting valid output signals for the malfunctioning equipment comprising the steps of:

transmitting equipment input signals aboard the aircraft to a ground station;

transmitting equipment output signals aboard the aircraft to said ground station;

coupling the equipment input signals from aboard the aircraft to the inputs of an equipment at the ground station corresponding to the equipment aboard the aircraft;

comparing the output signals from the-equipment aboard the aircraft with the corresponding equipment output signals at the ground station and providing an equipment substitution signal when the output signals from the equipment aboard the aircraft differ with the output signals of the corresponding equipment at the ground station; and

,

substituting the output signals of the corresponding equipment at the ground station for the output signals of the equipment aboard the aircraft.

7. A method for controlling an aircraft under maneuvering conditions in emergency situations including loss of a functioning control surface comprising the steps of:

acquiring flight performance data from an aircraft in flight at altitudes above glide slope capture during a maneuvering condition; and

, then

utilizing non-linear aerodynamics to process the flight performance data for providing aircraft control for recoveries at higher altitudes.

8. A system for ground control of an aircraft comprising:

a pilot activated switch for providing a remote control transfer signal representative of pilot selection of ground control of the aircraft;

a transmitter-receiver responsive to said remote control transfer signal representative of pilot selection of ground control of the aircraft;

said transmitter-receiver providing data transfer through a data link to and from a ground station transmitter-receiver for ground station control of the aircraft; and

,

a cockpit camera couopled to said transmitter-receiver.