Aircraft flight control

• US 9,555,896 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Textron Innovations Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Original Assignee: Textron Innovations Incorporated (Textron Inc)
• Inventors: Kneuper, Jeremy Joseph, Lanier, John Robert, Decker, Jason Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US14/643,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20160176541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/14, 701/29.7, 715/700
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 5/10 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0005 Devices specially adapted to indicate the position of a movable element of the aircraft, e.g. landing gear
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0065 for taking-off
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

The invention described herein provides a flight crew with an easier and more intuitive way to control and monitor flight-control surfaces. Specifically, the invention displays all flight-control surfaces on a touch-screen display device located in an aircraft cockpit. The invention includes graphical and numerical position indicators to continuously display actual position information for flight-control surfaces. Additionally, the invention allows a flight crew to make flight-control surface adjustments through the touch-screen device. The invention further includes an engine performance indicator and a mode controller configured to display autopilot modes and to receive autopilot mode selections. A method is presented for controlling an aircraft flight-control surface via a touch screen device. The method includes receiving an indication of a flight-control surface and enabling selection of a position change. Based on the position change selection, the method includes verifying a corresponding movement and displaying an actual position of the flight-control surface.

Claims

1. A flight-control system for navigation of an aircraft, comprising:

a storage component having one or more instructions stored thereon;

a touch screen display device;

a processor coupled to the display device and a memory, the processor configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the storage component; and

a manager configured to provide flight-control surface representations via the touch screen display device in an aircraft cockpit, the manager comprising;

a graphical image of the aircraft for displaying flight-control surface representations; and

one or more position indicators for indicating one or more positions of the aircraft flight-control surfaces,

wherein the graphical image and the position indicators are configured to receive indications for controlling positions of the aircraft flight-control surfaces and to continuously display actual aircraft flight-control surface positions via sensor measurements.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft flight-control surface includes an elevator and its position indicator indicates a nose-down or nose-up pitch of the elevator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft flight-control surface includes a rudder and its position indicator indicates a left or right angle of the rudder.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a graphical representation of aircraft wings for displaying wing flight-control surfaces; and

a second set of position indicators for indicating positions of the wing flight-control surfaces,

wherein the wing graphical representation and the second set of position indicators are configured to receive indications for controlling positions of the wing flight-control surfaces and to continuously display actual wing flight-control surface positions via sensor measurements.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the wing flight-control surface includes one or more ailerons and their respective position indicators indicate an up or down angle of the one or more ailerons.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the wing flight-control surface includes flaps and their respective position indicators indicate flap angles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the position indicators include numerical and graphical indicators.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more warning signals displayed by the graphical representation and position indicators.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the graphical representation and position indicators are configured to receive selections of options for responding to the one or more warning signals.

10. A flight-control system for navigation of an aircraft, comprising:

a storage component having one or more instructions stored thereon;

a touch screen display device;

a processor coupled to the display device and a memory, the processor configured to execute the one or more instructions stored in the storage component; and

a manager configured to provide autopilot controls and engine indicators via the touch screen display device in an aircraft cockpit, the manager comprising;

a cross-sectional representation of the aircraft fuselage for displaying a mode controller, wherein the mode controller is configured to display autopilot modes and to receive autopilot mode selections; and

the cross-sectional representation further including one or more engine cowls attached to the fuselage for continuously displaying performance indicators for the one or more engines.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mode controller includes display options for receiving selections of autopilot, altitude, flight director, vertical navigation, vertical speed, and flight level change.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the cross-sectional representation of the aircraft fuselage with one or more engine cowls is located near a middle of the touch-screen instrument panel for receiving selections from either a pilot or a co-pilot.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the performance indicators include interstage turbine temperature for each of the one or more engines.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the performance indicators include fan speed for each of the one or more engines.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the indicators of engine performance display warnings of anomalous performance.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the indicators of engine performance are configured to receive selections of options for alleviating the anomalous performance.

17. A method for controlling an aircraft flight-control surface via a touch screen device comprising:

presenting a list of menu options on a touch screen mounted in an aircraft cockpit, said list including a flight-control function;

receiving a selection of the flight-control function;

upon selection of the flight-control function, receiving an indication of a flight-control surface to control;

upon identifying the flight-control surface, enabling selection of a position change; and

based on the position change selection, verifying a corresponding movement of the flight-control surface to the selected position.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the flight-control surface identified is one of a horizontal stabilizer, an elevator, a rudder, an aileron, a speed brake, a slat, or a flap.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying a warning signal to indicate if the selected position of the control surface deviates from the actual position of the control surface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the displayed warning signal presents a list of possible responses to the warning signal and receives an indication of a selected response to the warning signal.