Patent EP0036771A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0036771A2
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EP
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Aircraft flight path control apparatus
Assignee: Unisys Corp
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Filing: 1981-03-23
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2001-03-23
Abstract
Abstract Flight path transition control apparatus provides a roll attitude command to control the aircraft to execute an exponential transition path to a predetermined course in accordance with the exponential control law Y + KY where Y is the lateral displacement of the aircraft from the predetermined course, Y is the rate of change of the lateral displacement and K is a time constant of the system. A predictive roll command 0 P is generated in accordance with where V 9 is the aircraft ground speed, TAE is the track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course, TAE O is the track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course at capture manoeuvre initiation, g is the gravitational constant, and t is the elapsed time following capture initiation. The predictive roll command Ø P derived in a signal computer 18 is combined in summing junction 15 with the exponential control law signal Y + KY to provide the aircraft roll attitude command Ø c Ø p + Y + KY which is fed to an automatic pilot or flight director rll channel 16 to control the aircraft to execute the exponential transition path in capturing the predetermined course, without the deviations experienced in prior apparatus.
Inventors
- 👤 Edmond Earl Olive
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 16:38
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/0202
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
91 words
Apparatus for controlling an aircraft to execute a capture manoeuvre of a predetermined course along an exponential transition curve, characterised by comprising means (10,11,12) for generating a control law signal representative of the exponential transition curve, means (18) for generating a predictive roll attitude signal representative of aircraft roll attitude for maintaining the aircraft on the exponential transition curve, and means (15) for combining the control law signal and the predictive roll attitude signal to provide a roll attitude command signal for controlling the aircraft to execute the exponential transition curve.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
91 words
Apparatus for controlling an aircraft to execute a capture manoeuvre of a predetermined course along an exponential transition curve, characterised by comprising means (10,11,12) for generating a control law signal representative of the exponential transition curve, means (18) for generating a predictive roll attitude signal representative of aircraft roll attitude for maintaining the aircraft on the exponential transition curve, and means (15) for combining the control law signal and the predictive roll attitude signal to provide a roll attitude command signal for controlling the aircraft to execute the exponential transition curve.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the means for generating a control law signal comprises means (10) for providing a displacement signal representative of the displacement of the aircraft from the predetermined course, means (11) for providing a displacement rate signal representative of the rate of change-of the displacement of the aircraft from the predetermined course, and means (12) for combining the displacement signal and the displacement rate signal to provide the control law signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
74 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the means for generating a control law signal comprises means (10,11,12,13,14) for generating the control law signal in accordance with a control law equivalent to Y + KY, where Y is the displacement of the aircraft from the predetermined course, Y is the time rate of change of the displacement of the aircraft from the predetermined course and K is a time constant of the apparatus.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
62 words
Apparatus according to claim 3, characterised in that the means for combining the control law signal and the predictive roll attitude signal comprises means (15) for providing the roll attitude command signal in accordance with Ø c = gp + Y + KY, where Ø c is the roll attitude command signal and Ø p is the predictive roll roll attitude signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
63 words
Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the means for generating a predictive roll attitude signal comprises means (18) for generating the predictive roll attitude signal in accordance with a function of the track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course and of a function of the time elapsed following initiation of the capture manoeuvre.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
62 words
Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the means for generating a predictive roll attitude signal comprises means (18) for generating the predictive roll attitude signal in accordance with a function of the track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course and of an exponential function of the time elapsed following the initiation of the capture manoeuvre.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that the means for generating a predictive roll attitude signal comprises means (18) for generating the predictive roll attitude signal further in accordance with a function of the ground speed of the aircraft.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
55 words
Apparatus according to claim 7, characterised in that the means for generating a predictive roll attitude signal comprises means (18) for generating the predictive roll attitude signal further in accordance with a function of the extant track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course at the initiation of the capture manoeuvre.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
96 words
Apparatus according to claim 4, characterised in that the means for generating a predictive roll attitude signal comprises means (18) for generating the predictive roll attitude signal in accordance with where V is the ground speed of the aircraft, TAE is the track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course, TAE 0 is the extant track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course at the initiation of the capture manoeuvre, g is the gravitational constant and t is the time elapsed following the initiation of the capture manoeuvre.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
68 words
Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterised by further including transition detector means (25) for providing a capture manoeuvre initiation signal in accordance with the control law signal going to null, and means (38) for switchably coupling the predictive roll attitude signal to the means (15) for combining the control law signal and the predictive roll attitude signal in accordance with the capture manoeuvre initiation signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus according to claim 4, characterised by further including transition detector means (25) for providing a capture manoeuvre initiation signal when Y = KY, and means (38) for switchably coupling the predictive roll attitude signal to the means for combining the control law signal and the predictive roll attitude signal in accordance with the capture manoeuvre initiation signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
66 words
Apparatus according to claim 10, characterised in that the means (18) for generating a predictive roll attitude signal,comprises means responsive to the capture manoeuvre initiation signal for generating the predictive roll attitude signal in accordance with a function of the track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course and of a function of the time elapsed following the capture manoeuvre initiation signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
71 words
Apparatus according to claim 10, characterised in that the means (18) for generating a predictive roll attitude signal comprises means responsive to the capture manoeuvre initiation signal for generating the predictive roll attitude signal in accordance with a function of the track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course and of an exponential function of the time elapsed following the occurrence of the capture manoeuvre initiation signal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
64 words
Apparatus according to claim 13, characterised in that the means (18) for generating a predictive roll attitude signal comprises means responsive to the capture manoeuvre initiation signal for generating the predictive roll attitude signal further in accordance with a function of the extant track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course at the occurrence of the capture manoeuvre initiation signal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus according to claim 14, characterised by further including memory means (28) for storing the function of the extant track angle error in response to the capture manoeuvre initiation signal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
108 words
Apparatus according to claim 11, characterised in that the means for generating a predictive roll attitude signal comprises means (18) responsive to the capture manoeuvre initiation signal for generating the predictive roll attitude signal in accordance with where V 9 is the ground speed of the aircraft, TAE is the track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course, TAE 0 is the extant track angle error of the aircraft with respect to the predetermined course at the occurrence of the capture manoeuvre initiation signal, g is the gravitational constant and t is the time elapsed following the occurrence of the capture manoeuvre initiation signal.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus according to claim 16, characterised in that the means for generating a predictive roll attitude signal further comprises memory means (28) for storing sin TAE 0 in response to the capture manoeuvre initiation signal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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