Aeronautics and astronautics – Miscellaneous
Patent
1983-05-25
1985-03-26
Blix, Trygve M.
Aeronautics and astronautics
Miscellaneous
244 16, 73802, B64C 3102, G01M 5100
Patent
active
045068470
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a instrument for indicating the direction to turn in order to move into a thermal when gliding.
BACKGROUND ART
In gliding, a pilot seeks to take advantage of thermals, or up-currents of air, and conversely to avoid sinks, or down-draughts. By skilful utilisation of thermals, the gliding time may be greatly prolonged.
On approaching one side of a thermal, the wing on the thermal side should bend more than the other wing, even if only for a short time. To detect this strain gauges might be cemented to the wing spar stubs of a glider.
A difficulty with this approach is that when the strain gauges are applied to the surface of the wing spar stubs and this surface consists of fibreglass (or other) rovings that have a protective as well as a structural function, the strain recorded is not always directly related to wing bending. To overcome this the strain gauge could be set in the material at manufacture. Another practical difficulty with this approach is that since the wings are removable from the fuselage and the strain gauges are attached to the wings, a tedious system of electrical pin type connectors must be coupled for rigging and uncoupled for de-rigging.
OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal indicator for a glider which will react sensitively to, and give the pilot clear indication of, the effect of a thermal on one wing of his glider, so that the pilot can promptly turn the glider towards the thermal. Up-currents of air may also be organized in streams or streets and the invention may also give indications that will allow the pilot to turn toward and thus fly in such up-currents. Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become apparent.
The present invention achieves its objects by provision of a thermal indicator for indicating the entry of either wing of an aircraft into a thermal and/or the direction of turn required in order to obtain lift off said thermal characterised in that it comprises a sensor for detecting bending moments applied to said wing upon entry of said wing into said thermal, processing means for receiving an output of said sensor, processing said sensor output and providing an appropriate output to a display means, said processing means being operably coupled to said sensor, and display means for providing a visual and/or audio indication of either of or both of the presence of a thermal and the direction to turn in order to enter said thermal, said display means being operably coupled to said processing means.
In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof and wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the instrument applied to the wing stubs of a glider,
FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line 2--2 in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an electrical diagram which may be used in carrying out the invention.
METHOD OF PERFORMANCE
The two wings of a glider, the inner end portions of which are indicated at 10 and 11, are demountable from the fuselage, being inserted in the fuselage from opposite sides and centrally interengaged within the fuselage, a wing stub 12 formed integrally with and extending from the wing 10 engaging closely between a pair of wing stubs 13 formed integrally with and extending from the other wing, 11, a pin 14 on the wing stub 12 being movably socketed in the wing 11 and pins 15 on the wing stubs 13 being likewise movably socketed in the wing 10, pins 14 and 15 being socketed in wings 11 and 10 respectively without bending restraint on the wing stubs 12 and 13. A retaining pin 16 passed transversely through registering holes in the two wing stubs 13 and the interposed wing stub 12 releasably couples the two wings in their engaged or operative positions. The pin coupling position determines the extent of bending movement of the wing stubs and ensures that the wing stubs will
REFERENCES:
patent: 3136154 (1964-06-01), Christensen
patent: 3798971 (1974-03-01), Lowrance
patent: 3842509 (1974-10-01), Wyman et al.
patent: 3991618 (1976-11-01), Stampfer et al.
Blix Trygve M.
Corl Rodney
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