Communications: electrical – Aircraft alarm or indicating systems – Flight alarm
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-01
2001-02-13
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Aircraft alarm or indicating systems
Flight alarm
C340S963000, C342S02600R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188330
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Improved techniques for detecting windshear are necessary to improve air safety. An aircraft encountering windshear during take-off or landing is in great danger. However, the danger may be substantially reduced if the pilot immediately takes remedial action when windshear is experienced, e.g., by initiating a rapid climb on take off or aborting a landing and making a go around.
Systems for detecting windshear experienced by an airplane exist, e.g., a windshear detection system which is integrated into the GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) Mk V and Mk VII and the Enhanced GPWS Mk V and Mk VII manufactured by the assignee of the present application. However, these and other existing on-board windshear detection systems require input of aircraft normal acceleration (an) and longitudinal acceleration (ax). On many types of aircraft, these acceleration signals can only be provided by installing two high quality (and relatively expensive) precision accelerometers on the aircraft.
Since windshear presents a danger to all aircraft it is important to provide on-board windshear detection systems which are available to aircraft which do not have high quality accelerometers on board.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention describes a windshear detection system and method that does not require aircraft acceleration signals. According to one aspect of the invention, data available from standard on-board instruments is utilized to compute a close approximation of the windshear experienced by the aircraft.
According to another aspect of the invention, true aircraft speed, aircraft inertial ground speed, aircraft attack speed, aircraft angle of attack, and aircraft pitch and roll attitude magnitudes are input as parameters and utilized to compute a close approximation of altitude.
According to another aspect of the invention, the difference between the inertial ground speed and true airspeed is input to a high pass filter and then subtracted from the output of the high pass filter to approximate the rate of change of the difference.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and appended drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4725811 (1988-02-01), Muller et al.
patent: 4853861 (1989-08-01), Ford et al.
patent: 4891642 (1990-01-01), Muller
patent: 5053767 (1991-10-01), Zweifel et al.
Allied-Signal Inc.
Swarthout Brent A.
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