Aircraft control system
First Claim
1. A flight control system for an aircraft comprising means for continually determining the geographical position of the aircraft and processing means within the aircraft that compare the geographical position of the aircraft with predetermined excluded geographical locations that represent excluded zones;
- said excluded zones being defined around man-made structure;
said processing means, when appropriate, activating control means to prevent the aircraft being piloted within said excluded zones.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A flight control system for preventing an aircraft colliding with designated man-made structures in which the geographical position of the aircraft is determined and then compared with predetermined geographical boundaries that represent excluded zones; these zones being defined around the man-made structures; where the system, as appropriate, overrides a normal flight control system (such as a fly-by-wire flight system) to alter the course of the aircraft to avoid all excluded zones, irrespective of any pilot commands.
50 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A flight control system for an aircraft comprising means for continually determining the geographical position of the aircraft and processing means within the aircraft that compare the geographical position of the aircraft with predetermined excluded geographical locations that represent excluded zones;
- said excluded zones being defined around man-made structure;
said processing means, when appropriate, activating control means to prevent the aircraft being piloted within said excluded zones. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
- said excluded zones being defined around man-made structure;
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12. A flight control system for preventing an aircraft colliding with designated man-made structures, comprising;
- means for determining the geographical position of the aircraft;
means for storing excluded zone data relating to excluded zones, said excluded zones being defined as space around man-made structures to be protected;
comparator means for comparing said determined geographical position of the aircraft with said excluded zones;
revised flight path calculator means that calculates a flight path that avoids said excluded zones when the aircraft is proximal and approaching an excluded zone; and
an interface facility that alters the course of the aircraft to the said flight path that avoids said excluded zones, irrespective of any pilot commands. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
- means for determining the geographical position of the aircraft;
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16. A flight control system for an aircraft comprising means for determining the position of the aircraft and means for comparing said position with predetermined excluded zones, said excluded zones being defined as space around man-made structures to be protected;
- said excluded zones falling in the near term flight path of the aircraft, and control means to prevent the aircraft being piloted within said excluded zones, wherein the system takes action to avoid an excluded zone before entering the proximity of that excluded zone, in such a way as not to be immediately detected by a pilot.
- View Dependent Claims (17)
Specification