Patent US2220085A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US3552687A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3552687A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Aircraft alignment systems
Assignee: Allard Way Holdings Ltd
•
Filing: 1967-11-14
•
Granted: 1971-01-05
•
Expires: 1987-11-14
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is directed to providing at the output of a control integrator by the use of a yaw-rate gyro, a course deviation indicator (course deviation being the difference between runway heading and aircraft heading) and a feedback arrangement, a signal at the start of a terminal stage of landing, which accurately represents the course deviation, if any, then existing, and thereafter with the feedback arrangement inoperative, varying the output signal of the control integrator according to the output signal of the yaw rate gyro until a suitable kickoff or decrab altitude is reached. The feedback arrangement may be between the output and the input of the control gyro or between the output and the input of a means for synchronizing the control integrator to eliminate from the output signal thereof any component due to rate-gyro offset. In the first case, the feedback arrangement consists of a circuit providing a differentiator receiving an output signal from the course deviation indicator and the output signal of the control integrator, a feedback integrator receiving the differentiator output signal via a switch by means of which the feedback circuit can be disabled, and feeding its output signal to the control integrator which also receives the output signal of the yaw-rate gyro. When the feedback circuit is operative i.e. up to the start of the terminal stage, the differentiator serves to produce a differential signal if any undue variation occurs between the course deviation signal and the output signal of the control integrator, which differential signal is fed to the input of the control integrator so that the output signal thereof is slaved to the course deviation signal. In the second case, the synchronising means comprises an amplifier receiving the output signal of the yaw-rate gyro and producing a signal which is fed to the input of the control integrator which also receives the output signal of the course deviation indicator. The feedback arrangement comprises a feedback integrator and a switch by means of which the feedback arrangement can be disabled at the start of the terminal stage of the landing phase.
Inventors
- 👤 Ronald W Howard
- 👤 Geoffrey S Bishop
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 19:40
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/02; G05D1/0202; G05D1/0204; G05D1/04; G05D1/06; G05D1/0607; G05D1/0653; G05D1/0676
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
An aircraft control system comprising: means operable to produce a signal indicative of aircraft yaw rate; circuitry operable in response to signals representing aircraft heading and runway heading so as to develop a signal representing course deviation; a control integrator having an input to which is applied the signal indicative of aircraft yaw rate; and means operable to interconnect the control integrator and the said circuitry and, when so interconnected, to slave the control integrator so that its output follows the course deviation signal and, at the commencement of the terminal stage of an aircraft landing maneuver, to disconnect the control integrator and the said circuitry so that, at such disconnection, the signal from the control integrator represents course deviation then existing, and, thereafter, varies only with the yaw rate signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
131 words
An aircraft control system comprising: means operable to produce a signal indicative of aircraft yaw rate; circuitry operable in response to signals representing aircraft heading and runway heading so as to develop a signal representing course deviation; a control integrator having an input to which is applied the signal indicative of aircraft yaw rate; and means operable to interconnect the control integrator and the said circuitry and, when so interconnected, to slave the control integrator so that its output follows the course deviation signal and, at the commencement of the terminal stage of an aircraft landing maneuver, to disconnect the control integrator and the said circuitry so that, at such disconnection, the signal from the control integrator represents course deviation then existing, and, thereafter, varies only with the yaw rate signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein the first-mentioned means comprise a yaw-rate gyro.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
is adapted to receive an input signal indicative of the deviation, if any, from the given heading, and operative to slave the output of the control integrator so as to cause the output signal of the control integrator to follow any variation in said input signal; and
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
is adapted to receive an input signal indicative of the deviation, if any, from the given heading, and operative to slave the output of the control integrator so as to cause the output signal of the control integrator to follow any variation in said input signal; and
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
includes switch means to disable the feedback circuit at the commencement of the terminal stage of the landing phase so that after said commencement the control integrator derives said output signal solely from the signal indicative of aircraft yaw rate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
includes switch means to disable the feedback circuit at the commencement of the terminal stage of the landing phase so that after said commencement the control integrator derives said output signal solely from the signal indicative of aircraft yaw rate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
87 words
A system according to claim 2, wherein the last means comprises means operable prior to the commencement of the terminal stage of the landing phase to synchronize the control integrator so as to eliminate from the output signal thereof any signal due to rate gyro offset, so that when any signal representing deviation of the aircraft from the given heading is fed to the control integrator at the commencement of the terminal stage of landing, the output signal from the control integrator represents the deviation then existiNg.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
69 words
A system according to claim 3, wherein said means to synchronize the control output signal comprise amplifier means connected between the rate gyro and the control integrator, and a feedback circuit connected between the output and the input of the amplifier means, comprising an integrator and a switch means operable so that the feedback circuit may be opened at the commencement of the terminal stage of the landing phase.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
132 words
A system according to claim 4, wherein monitoring means are provided for monitoring the operation of the control integrator, comprising amplifier means with a feedback circuit as provided between the control integrator and the yaw-rate gyro in the system according to claim 4, a further integrator receiving as one input signal, an output signal from the monitoring amplifier means and as a further input signal, a signal indicative of deviation, if any, of the aircraft from the given heading, from said course deviation means, and a comparator receiving as one input signal, the output signal of the control integrator and as a further input signal, the output signal of the further integrator so that when the two input signals differ by more than a predetermined amount, the comparator produces an alarm signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
A system according to claim 3, wherein means are provided for monitoring the operation of the control integrator.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
49 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein a circuit is provided responsive to the output signal of the control integrator and to a signal indicating the attainment of a given altitude to effect the control movement of the aircraft to bring the aircraft into alignment with the given heading.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein the last means comprise a feedback circuit which:
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
116 words
A system according to claim 8, wherein the feedback circuit comprises differential means to receive said input signal and the output signal of the control integrator to produce a signal indicative of any difference between the two signals received, and a feedback integrator connected on closure of said switch means, between the output of said differential means and the input of the control integrator so that with the feedback integrator so connected any difference signal produced by said differential means is fed via the feedback integrator to the input of the control integrator to cause the output signal thereof to be slaved to said input signal indicative of the deviation, if any, from the given heading.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system according to claim 9, wherein the feedback circuit comprises amplifier means connected in parallel with the feedback integrator to ensure that the output of the control integrator is nonoscillatory.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
49 words
A system according to claim 9, wherein the system is provided in duplicate and wherein the output signal of each feedback integrator is also fed to a comparator so that the comparator produces an alarm signal when the two input signals thereto differ by more than a predetermined amount.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
46 words
A system according to claim 9, wherein means are provided for applying a bias voltage to the feedback integrator so that when no input signal is received thereby, the bias voltage appears at the output of the feedback integrator and is fed to the control integrator.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein there are provided means for monitoring the operation of the control integrator.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
135 words
A system according to claim 13, wherein the monitoring means comprise a further integrator receiving an input signal from said means operable to produce a signal indicative of aircraft yaw rate and from the control integrator to slave the output signal of the monitoring integrator to the output signal of the control integrator through means such that the output signal of the monitoring integrator is slaved only up to the commencement of the terminal stage of the landing phase, and a comparator receiving as one input signal, the output signal of the control integrator and as a further input signal, the output signal of the monitoring integrator so that the comparator produces an alarm signal if the two input signals thereto differ by more than a predetermined amount after the commencement of said terminal phase.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
143 words
In an aircraft control system for producing a high integrity aircraft relative heading signal during the terminal stage of landing so as to allow accurate decrab movement of the aircraft just prior to touchdown, comprising in combination: yaw-sensitive means having an output proportional to aircraft yaw rate; a control integrator connected to the output of said yaw-sensitive means; reference means having an output proportional to the difference between aircraft heading and runway heading; and means operable only prior to the beginning of said terminal stage for forcing the output of said control integrator at the beginning of said terminal stage into conformity with a datum which is the output of said reference means at said beginning of the terminal stage whereby the instantaneous output of said control integrator during said terminal stage is the integral of aircraft yaw rate superimposed on said datum.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
143 words
In an aircraft control system for producing a high integrity aircraft relative heading signal during the terminal stage of landing so as to allow accurate decrab movement of the aircraft just prior to touchdown, comprising in combination: yaw-sensitive means having an output proportional to aircraft yaw rate; a control integrator connected to the output of said yaw-sensitive means; reference means having an output proportional to the difference between aircraft heading and runway heading; and means operable only prior to the beginning of said terminal stage for forcing the output of said control integrator at the beginning of said terminal stage into conformity with a datum which is the output of said reference means at said beginning of the terminal stage whereby the instantaneous output of said control integrator during said terminal stage is the integral of aircraft yaw rate superimposed on said datum.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
74 words
In the control system as defined in claim 15 wherein the last means comprises a feedback circuit in checking a difference amplifier having the outputs of said control integrator and said reference means as inputs thereto, a feedback integrator connected to the output of said difference amplifier and having its output connected as an input to said control integrator, and switch means for disabling said feedback circuit at the beginning of said terminal stage.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
82 words
In the control system as defined in claim 15 wherein the last means includes amplifier means connected between said yaw-sensitive means and said control integrator, a feedback circuit connected between the output and input of said amplifier means and including an integrator and switch means for disabling said feedback circuit at the beginning of said terminal stage, and means for setting the output of said control integrator to the datum output of said reference means at the beginning of said terminal stage.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-01-04 | 1974-07-06 | 1975-01-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-01-04 | 1978-07-06 | 1979-01-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-01-04 | 1982-07-06 | 1983-01-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |