ELECTRONIC FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR AN AIRCRAFT CAPABLE OF HOVERING

• US 20120153074A1
• Filed: 06/10/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leonardo S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Agustawestland N.V. (Finmeccanica SPA)
• Inventors: Nannoni, Fabio, Abdel Nour, Pierre, Cicale, Marco
• Granted Patent: US 8,989,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/17.13
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/57 automatic or condition responsive, e.g. responsive to rotor speed, torque or thrust
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft

Abstract

An electronic flight control system for an aircraft capable of hovering and having at least one rotor. The flight control system is configured to operate in a manual flight control mode, in which the flight control system controls rotor speed in response to direct commands from the pilot; and in at least two automatic flight control modes corresponding to respective flight modes of the aircraft, and in which the flight control system controls rotor speed automatically on the basis of flight conditions. The flight control system is also configured to memorize, for each automatic flight control mode, a respective flight table relating different speed values of the rotor to different values of at least one flight quantity; and to automatically control rotor speed in the automatic flight control modes on the basis of the respective flight tables.

Claims

1. An electronic flight control system (1) for an aircraft (100) capable of hovering and comprising at least one rotor (102;

104);

the flight control system (1) being configured to operate in;

a manual flight control mode, in which the flight control system (1) controls rotor speed in response to direct commands from the pilot; and

at least two automatic flight control modes corresponding to respective flight modes of the aircraft, and in which the flight control system (1) controls rotor speed automatically on the basis of flight conditions;

the flight control system (1) being characterized by also being configured to;

memorize, for each of said automatic flight control modes, a respective flight table relating different speed values of said rotor to different values of at least one flight quantity; and

automatically control rotor speed in said automatic flight control modes on the basis of the respective flight tables.

2. The flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the values of said at least one flight quantity in each flight table are divided into ranges, each associated with a corresponding rotor speed value.

3. ) A flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 1, and also configured to control switching between different rotor speed values in the same automatic flight control mode automatically and in stair-step profiles.

4. ) A flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the size of the steps in the stair-step profiles ranges between 1% and 10% of the range spanned by the values between which switching is performed.

5. ) A flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 1, and wherein said automatic flight control modes are such that the aircraft flies in:

a low-noise and/or low-fuel-consumption flight mode; and

a high-performance flight mode.

6. ) A flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 5, wherein said high-performance flight mode is such as to maximize the flight envelope.

7. ) A flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flight table relates different speed values of said rotor to different values of at least two different flight quantities;

and the values of the at least two different flight quantities in each flight table are divided into areas, each associated with a corresponding rotor speed value.

8. ) A flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 7, wherein said at least two different flight quantities are selected from quantities indicating aircraft flying speed, density altitude, pressure altitude, height above ground level, aircraft weight, orientation, flying direction, air temperature, atmospheric pressure, weather conditions, and wind force and direction.

9. ) A flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 1, and also configured to automatically control switching between the two automatic flight control modes in response to pilot command.

10. ) A flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 9, and also configured to enable or disable switching between the two automatic flight control modes on the basis of the in-flight weight of the aircraft.

11. ) Software loadable onto an electronic flight control system (1) for an aircraft (100) capable of hovering and comprising a main rotor (102) and a tail rotor (104);

the software being designed so that, when executed, the electronic flight control system (1) is configured as claimed in claim 1.

12. ) An aircraft (100) capable of hovering, and comprising at least one rotor (102;

104), and an electronic flight control system (1) as claimed in claim 1.