Torque estimation apparatus for vertical take-off and landing aircraft, vertical take-off and landing aircraft, torque estimation program for vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and torque estimation method for vertical take-off and landing aircraft

• US 9,334,064 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takasaki, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US14/374,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20140379177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/04 Helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/00 Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft rotorcraft B64C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 31/06 actuated automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/00 Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/329 in helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/90 in vehicles adapted for vertical or short take off and landing (v/stol vehicles)
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/133 for measuring thrust of propulsive devices, e.g. of propellers aeroplanes B64C; marine propulsion B63H; jet-engines F02K

Abstract

A torque estimation apparatus (12) of a helicopter (10) stores in a storage apparatus (14) a measurement point that is a measured value of the torque of an engine (28) with respect to a measured value of an engine performance parameter that relates to performance of the engine that rotates a rotor (26) together with a time at which the measurement point is measured, generates an approximate expression based on the measurement point that is stored in the storage apparatus (14), and estimates the amount of a utilizable torque based on the generated approximate expression.

Claims

1. A torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, comprising:

a storage apparatus that stores a measurement point that is a measured value of a torque being generated by an engine with respect to a measured value of a parameter relating to performance of the engine that rotates a rotor, together with a time at which the measurement point is measured;

a generation portion that generates an approximate expression which represents a change in performance of the engine based on the measurement point that is stored in the storage apparatus; and

an estimation portion that estimates the maximum value of a torque which the engine can generate, based on the approximate expression that is generated by the generation portion.

2. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the measurement point with respect to which a measured value of the parameter is high relative to the approximate expression is newly obtained, the generation portion parallelly shifts the approximate expression based on the measurement point that is newly obtained.

3. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the measurement point with respect to which a measured value of the parameter is low relative to the approximate expression is newly obtained consecutively for a predetermined number of times or more or for a predetermined time period or more, the generation portion parallelly shifts the approximate expression based on the measurement point that is newly obtained.

4. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where a predetermined number of the measurement points that are in accordance with the torque that is greater than the torque when the engine is in an idling state are obtained, the generation portion generates the approximate expression based on the measurement points.

5. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 4, wherein, in a case where the predetermined number of the measurement points are not obtained, the generation portion parallelly shifts a predetermined approximate expression to the measurement point that is obtained.

6. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, for each of a plurality of segments of a divided range of the measurement point, the generation portion calculates an average value of a plurality of the measurement points for each predetermined time interval, and uses a largest average value among the average values calculated by the predetermined time interval as a measurement point for generating the approximate expression in each of the plurality of the segments.

7. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1, further comprising a load apparatus provided in the engine and different to the rotor of the engine, wherein the generation portion generates the approximate expression for each usage state of the load apparatus.

8. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 7, wherein, in a case where the approximate expression that corresponds to a usage state of the load apparatus is updated, the generation portion also similarly updates the approximate expression that corresponds to another usage state of the load apparatus.

9. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the torque that increases to a higher level than in an idle state decreases to a level thereof in the idle state again, the generation portion resets the measurement point that is used to generate the approximate expression, and thereafter parallelly shifts the approximate expression based on the measurement point that is newly obtained.

10. The torque estimation apparatus for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft according to claim 1, comprising a notification portion that notifies information based on the maximum value that is estimated by the estimation portion to a pilot.

11. A computer-readable recording medium in which a torque estimation program for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft is stored, the torque estimation program causing a computer to function as:

a reading portion that reads out a measurement point that is a measured value of a torque being generated by an engine with respect to a measured value of a parameter relating to performance of the engine that rotates a rotor from a storage apparatus in which the measurement point is stored together with a time at which the measurement point is measured;

a generation portion that generates an approximate expression which represents a change in performance of the engine based on the measurement point that is read out; and

an estimation portion that estimates the maximum value of a torque which the engine can generate, based on the approximate expression that is generated by the generation portion.

12. A torque estimation method for a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, including:

storing a measurement point that is a measured value of a torque being generated by an engine with respect to a measured value of a parameter relating to performance of the engine that rotates a rotor in a storage apparatus together with a time at which the measurement point is measured;

generating an approximate expression which represents a change in performance of the engine based on the measurement point that is stored in the storage apparatus; and

estimating the maximum value of a torque which the engine can generate, based on the approximate expression that is generated.