Aircraft system monitoring air humidity to locate updrafts

Aeronautics and astronautics – Aircraft – heavier-than-air – Airplane sustained

Patent

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

244 76R, 244194, B64C 3102, B64C 318, G05D 100

Patent

active

060126752

ABSTRACT:
An aircraft system intended for gliders and low power-to-weight aircraft, to aid the pilot in locating updrafts associated with the buoyancy of humid air in the convective layer of the atmosphere, namely moist thermals. The system comprises a pair of laterally spaced hygrometers, generally at the wingtips. Four types of hygrometer units are described; resistive, piezoelectric, spectrometric, and capacitive. Humidity data is transmitted to the cockpit by telemetry links, of which four types are also described; by dedicated wiring, by carrier current using wingtip position lights wiring, by modulated infrared beams, and by low-power radio waves. The system monitors the difference of humidity between left and right sensors, and also the rate of change of humidity of one or both sensors as a function of time. This lateral and eventually axial differential humidity information is presented to the pilot via a visual interface such as bargraph displays and computer monitors, or via an audio interface producing sounds of variable pitch or beat in one or more cockpit loudspeakers, or via both interfaces simultaneously. For humidity measurements inherently sensitive to temperature, such as relative humidity, either the hygrometers are heated, or their temperature is also measured so that temperature effects can be subsequently removed by computation. This system enables the pilot to get a better understanding of the thermodynamics of the convective layer of the atmosphere.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3498108 (1970-03-01), Ruskin et al.
patent: 3798971 (1974-03-01), Lowrance
patent: 4506847 (1985-03-01), Norman
patent: 4526034 (1985-07-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 4591111 (1986-05-01), Laughter
patent: 4793181 (1988-12-01), Djorup
patent: 4793182 (1988-12-01), Djorup
patent: 4799376 (1989-01-01), Siedlecki, Jr. et al.
patent: 5050109 (1991-09-01), Ladd
patent: 5460450 (1995-10-01), Buck
patent: 5668542 (1997-09-01), Wright
patent: 5796612 (1998-08-01), Palmer
Carr J.J. (1982) 104 Weekend Electronics Projects. Blue Ridge Summit:Tab Books. pp. 42-47.
Crum TD et al. (1987) Coincident Lidar and aircraft observations of entrainment into themals and mixed layers. J. Clim. and Appl. Meteor. 26:774-788.
Figaro USA, Inc. (1997), Wilmette, IL 60091. Series 2000 Gas Sensors catalog.
King, Jr. WH (1965) The piexoelectric sorption hygrometer, in RE Ruskin (Ed.), Humidity and Moisture, vol. 1, Principles and methods of Measuring Humidity in Gases. New York: Reinhold. pp. 578-583.
Linx Technologies (1997), Medford, OR 97504. Ultra-compact Low-cost RF Data Modules data sheet.
Long D.D. (1969) Low-humidity test measurements. ISA Trans. 8:71-78.
Nowak, E (Oct. 1996) Moisture measurement with capacitive polymer humidity sensors. Sensors 13:(10)86-91.
Panametrics, Inc. (1997), Waltham, MA 02154. Minicap 2 RH Sensors catalog.
Reichmann H (1993) Cross-Country Soaring (7th Ed.) Hobbs, NM:Soaring Soc. of America. p.5.
Wilson AC et al. (Dec. 1995) A low-cost, high-spped, near-infrared hygrometer. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 66:(12)5618-5624.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Aircraft system monitoring air humidity to locate updrafts does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Aircraft system monitoring air humidity to locate updrafts, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Aircraft system monitoring air humidity to locate updrafts will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1456224

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.