Autopilot system for a helicopter

• US 7,558,653 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter
• Inventors: Salesse-Lavergne, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dager; Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US11/246,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20060100751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 244/17.11, 244/17.13, 244/17.25, 244/76, 244/234, 244/236, 701/1, 701/4, 701/5, 701/11
• US Class Current: 701/11
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft

Abstract

The present invention relates to an autopilot system for a rotary wing aircraft operating relative to at least two pilot axes, which system comprises, for each of the two axes, at least one servo-control relationship providing a respective initial control instruction, with the two relationships having a common target; the system includes combination means (36) for providing a series of control instructions by combining the two initial control instructions (UCV, UTV).

Claims

1. An autopilot for a helicopter having at least two pilot axes, the autopilot comprising:

for each of the two axes at least one servo-control module for applying a control relationship to supply a respective initial control instruction,

the two control relationships having a common target,

the autopilot including a calculator module configured for calculating control instructions from the two initial control instructions to output four coefficients a, b, c, and d, wherein

based upon said coefficients, said calculator module outputs intermediate instructions UICOLL=a*UTILT+b and UTMIN=c*UCP+d, where UICOLL is an intermediate collective control instruction, UTILT is an intermediate tilt control instruction, UTMIN is an intermediate instruction with a minimum value for controlling tilt and UCP is an initial control instruction calculated by one of the servo control modules from a relationship having a target different from said common target,

wherein a servo-control module is configured for applying a relationship for maintaining an absorbed power for driving the rotor at a value below a setpoint value.

2. The autopilot according to claim 1, in which the two control relationships have a common vertical target, and the different target is linked to a predetermined main rotor power value.

3. The autopilot according to claim 1, in which the relationship for maintaining an absorbed power for driving the rotor takes priority over other servo-control relationships of the autopilot system.

4. The autopilot according to claim 1, in which a selector means comprise a servo-control module configured for applying a relationship for maintaining aircraft forward speed of the aircraft above a setpoint value.

5. The system according to claim 1, in which a selector means comprise a servo-control module configured for applying a relationship for maintaining aircraft air speed above a predetermined value corresponding to an optimum speed for climbing.