Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft control – Automatic
Patent
1996-10-28
2000-02-08
Jordan, Charles T.
Aeronautics and astronautics
Aircraft control
Automatic
244189, 244196, 244194, 244195, 35613903, B64C 1320
Patent
active
060219807
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to stabilisation of the attitude of a radio controlled aircraft in pitch and roll.
Flying radio controlled model aircraft requires training and the acquisition of skill. Special easy to fly training aircraft are used for novices in order to reduce the risks of a crash. Especially during early training there is a risk that the novice pilot will create a situation which s/he has insufficient skill to recover from. Even training models will merely continue at the existing attitude if the controls are neutralised so positive action needs to be taken to recover. Radio failure, or interference will, or can, lead to a neutral setting of the controls so that the model just continues as it was before the interference. Even training models can be expensive to replace and a crash always carries an element of risk to personnel.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,828,930 describes a system for stabilising the attitude of an aircraft. If the system were applied to a radio controlled aircraft, however, the stabilisation system would continually resist attempts by the pilot to control the aircraft's attitude to perform manoeuvres.
Against this background, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a radio controlled aircraft, including a radio receiver for receiving an elevator position demand signal for specifying a required position for the elevator and at least one aileron position demand signal for specifying required positions for the or one of the ailerons; stabiliser means for generating pitch and roll stabilisation signals dependent on differences in the aircraft's attitude from level in pitch and roll respectively, mixer means for combining the stabilisation pitch and roll signals with the elevator and aileron position demand signals in a sense to stabilise the aircraft in accordance with a function which reduces the effect of the stabilisation signals in dependence on increasing values of elevator and aileron position demand signals respectively; and control means for controlling the positions of the elevator and ailerons in accordance with respective combined signals.
Importantly, if the pilot removes all input by neutralising the position of the stick, the stabilising signals will bring the aircraft into level flight. Small stick inputs will still be resisted by the stabilisation signals. However, large stick inputs will be less affected.
In one form, the values of the modified pitch and roll stabilisation signals are proportional to those of the (unmodified) pitch and roll stabilisation signals below respective thresholds and equal to zero above said thresholds.
More preferably, the values of the pitch and roll stabilisation signals are reduced in proportion to any increase in the respective elevator and aileron position demand signals from a maximum when the respective position demand signal is zero, to zero when the respective position demand signal has a predetermined value larger than zero, e.g. corresponding to maximum deflection of the elevator or ailerons.
Most preferably, the radio receiver is adapted for receiving a gain setting signal to which the means for modifying the pitch and roll stabilisation signals is responsive to provide a level of gain dependent on the gain setting signal.
In one convenient form, two pairs of directional light sensors are provided, the sensors of each pair being responsive to light input from two different directions on opposite sides of a respective axis to provide respective light level signals indicative of the level of light sensed said stabiliser means being responsive to difference between the light level difference signals to provide difference signals.
The signal from each sensor will vary in value dependent on whether it is directed above or below the horizon. When the aircraft is level and the two sensors are directed at the horizon, the difference should be zero.
The light sensors are preferably photo conductive light sensors connected in series across a reference voltage. The light sensors may be aligned approximately normal to respective pitch a
REFERENCES:
patent: 2393892 (1946-01-01), De Ganahl
patent: 2769601 (1956-11-01), Hagopian et al.
patent: 2979289 (1961-04-01), Abzug
patent: 3658427 (1972-04-01), DeCou
patent: 4109886 (1978-08-01), Tribken et al.
patent: 4236685 (1980-12-01), Kissel
patent: 5507455 (1996-04-01), Yang
Tsibizov Igor E.
Wright Elliot
Dinh Tien
Jordan Charles T.
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