SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, VEHICLE CONTROL, AND/OR CONTINGENCY PLANNING
First Claim
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1. A method of aircraft operation, comprising:
- flying an aircraft in a normal flight mode, comprising;
at a first sensor of the aircraft, sampling a first set of flight data; and
at a processor of the aircraft, autonomously controlling the aircraft to fly based on the first set of flight data;
while flying the aircraft in the normal flight mode, sampling a dataset at a second sensor of the aircraft, the dataset indicative of an undesired condition associated with a flight control element of the aircraft;
determining that the first set of flight data is consistent with the undesired condition;
based on the dataset, determining that the flight control element is in the undesired condition; and
in response to determining that the flight control element is in the undesired condition and determining that the first set of flight data is consistent with the undesired condition, landing the aircraft, comprising;
determining an emergency landing location;
at the first sensor, sampling a second set of flight data; and
at the processor, autonomously controlling the aircraft to land at the emergency landing location based on the second set of flight data.
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Abstract
A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining aircraft conditions, and/or acting based on the aircraft conditions. A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining input reliability, determining guidance, and/or controlling aircraft operation. A method, preferably including: operating the vehicle, planning for contingencies, detecting undesired flight conditions, and/or reacting to undesired flight conditions. A system, preferably an aircraft such as a rotorcraft, configured to implement the method.
4 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of aircraft operation, comprising:
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flying an aircraft in a normal flight mode, comprising; at a first sensor of the aircraft, sampling a first set of flight data; and at a processor of the aircraft, autonomously controlling the aircraft to fly based on the first set of flight data; while flying the aircraft in the normal flight mode, sampling a dataset at a second sensor of the aircraft, the dataset indicative of an undesired condition associated with a flight control element of the aircraft; determining that the first set of flight data is consistent with the undesired condition; based on the dataset, determining that the flight control element is in the undesired condition; and in response to determining that the flight control element is in the undesired condition and determining that the first set of flight data is consistent with the undesired condition, landing the aircraft, comprising; determining an emergency landing location; at the first sensor, sampling a second set of flight data; and at the processor, autonomously controlling the aircraft to land at the emergency landing location based on the second set of flight data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of aircraft operation, comprising:
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autonomously flying an aircraft in a normal flight mode; while autonomously flying the aircraft in the normal flight mode; sampling a first dataset at a first sensor of a first sensor type, the first dataset indicative of an undesired condition associated with a flight control element of the aircraft; and sampling a second dataset at a second sensor of a second sensor type different than the first sensor type, the second dataset indicative of the undesired condition; based on the first and second datasets, determining that the flight control element is in the undesired condition; and in response to determining that the flight control element is in the undesired condition, flying the aircraft in a modified mode, comprising; sampling a set of flight data; at a processor of the aircraft, determining a modified flight plan based on the undesired condition; and at the processor, autonomously controlling the aircraft to fly based on the modified flight plan and the set of flight data. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification