System for integrated pitch and thrust control of any aircraft

Details System for integrated pitch and thrust control of any aircraft System for integrated pitch and thrust control of any aircraft

1992-01-24

1994-11-15

Chin, Gary

Boots, shoes, and leggings

244181, 244182, G05D 108

Patent

active

053654463

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system for integrated pitch and thrust control of an aircraft.
At present, aircraft carry both a pitch control system under the control of the joystick made available to the pilot and acting on the pitch control surfaces and/or the optional adjustable horizontal tail plane of the aircraft, and also a thrust control system for controlling the speed of the aircraft, said thrust control system being controlled by an automatic or manual throttle acting on the engine(s) of the aircraft.
Thus, when the pilot seeks to change the longitudinal trim of the aircraft, he moves the joystick of the pitch control system accordingly such that the pitch control surfaces and/or the adjustable horizontal tail plane are tilted in the desired direction. However, such a change in trim also changes the speed of the aircraft: if its nose goes up, its speed goes down, whereas if its nose goes down its speed goes up. As a result, after a pilot has acted on the pitch control system, he must act on the thrust control system to bring the aircraft speed back to the desired value.
Conversely, when the pilot desires to change the speed of the aircraft, he operates the throttle of the engine thrust control system. However, such a change in the speed setting gives rise to a pitching movement such that after acting on the speed control system, the pilot needs to act on the pitch control system to return the aircraft to the desired trim, if the longitudinal motion of the said aircraft is to be controlled.
It can thus be seen that a change in the speed or the trim setting of an aircraft obliges the pilot to act on two control systems: pitch and speed.


BROAD DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to remedy this drawback. It reduces the workload on the pilot while providing greater safety and improving the comfort of passengers in the aircraft.
To this end, the pitch and thrust control system of the invention for an aircraft comprises:


BACKGROUND ART

first airfoils for pitch control actuated from a first actuator member associated with a first transducer delivering a first electrical signal representative of a longitudinal parameter setting;
at least one engine controlled from a second actuator member associated with a second transducer delivering a second electrical signal representative of a speed setting for said aircraft;
a plurality of second airfoils capable of taking up different relative positions as a function of each stage of flight of the aircraft, defining particular aerodynamic configurations, with one or other of said aerodynamic configurations being selected by actuating a third actuator member associated with a third transducer delivering a third electrical signal representative of the selected configuration;
means suitable for delivering a fourth electrical signal representative of the mass of said aircraft;
means suitable for delivering a fifth electrical signal representative of the distance along the longitudinal axis of said aircraft between the center of gravity of said aircraft and an origin;
means suitable for delivering sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth electrical signals respectively representative of the instantaneous flight altitude, aerodynamic angle of incidence, pitching rate, longitudinal trim, and speed of said aircraft;
a first calculation device receiving said first to sixth electrical signals, together with said tenth electrical signal and delivering first and second linear combinations of said first and second electrical signals, with the coefficients given to said first and second electrical signals respectively in said first and second linear combinations depending on said third to sixth and tenth electrical signals;
a second calculation device receiving said third to tenth electrical signals and generating third and fourth linear combinations of said seventh to tenth electrical signals, the coefficients given to said seventh to tenth electrical signals respectively in said third and fourth linear combi

REFERENCES:
patent: 3512737 (1970-05-01), Platt et al.
patent: 4093158 (1978-06-01), Clews et al.
patent: 4266743 (1981-05-01), Kelley
patent: 4277041 (1981-07-01), Marrs et al.
patent: 4357663 (1982-11-01), Robbins et al.
patent: 4589616 (1986-05-01), Zweifel
patent: 4764872 (1988-08-01), Miller
patent: 4964599 (1990-10-01), Farineau
patent: 5031102 (1991-07-01), Robbins et al.
patent: 5079711 (1992-01-01), Lambregts et al.
R. A. Hess et al., Journal of Guidance And Control And Dynamics, vol. 9, No. 6, (Nov. 1986), pp. 614 to 619.

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