US3618878A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Aircraft throttle control
Assignee: Lear Siegler Inc
•
Filing: 1969-06-23
•
Granted: 1971-11-09
•
Expires: 1989-06-23
Abstract
Abstract An aircraft controlled in part during descent or ascent by spoilers in the vertical direction, uses a throttle control signal that is derived from the outputs of an angle of attack sensor and a spoiler position sensor. As a result, the changes in the angle of attack occasioned by the movement of the spoilers are compensated. When the aircraft is held on a predetermined flight path and also controlled in part by an elevator in the vertical direction, the output of an elevator position sensor also contributes to the resultant throttle control signal as a long-period anticipatory term.
Inventors
- 👤 James A Klein
- 👤 Lowell O Lykken
- 👤 Naren M Shah
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:54
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05D; G05D1/00; G05D1/04; G05D1/06; G05D1/0607; G05D1/0615; G05D1/0638
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
153 words
Throttle control apparatus for an aircraft that exercises automatic direct lift control for the vertical direction by means of a control surface located near the center of gravity of the aircraft, the apparatus comprising: at least one sensor for generating a signal representative of the actual flight of the aircraft in the vertical direction; means responsive to the sensor signal for generating a command signal representative of the deviation of the actual flight in the vertical direction from a desired flight plan; means responsive to the command signal for moving the control surface so as to reduce the deviation; means for producing a first signal indicative of the movement of the control surface; means for producing a second signal indicative of the angle of attack of the aircraft; and means for combining the first and second signals to produce a third signal that is indicative of the desired throttle activity of the aircraft.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
153 words
Throttle control apparatus for an aircraft that exercises automatic direct lift control for the vertical direction by means of a control surface located near the center of gravity of the aircraft, the apparatus comprising: at least one sensor for generating a signal representative of the actual flight of the aircraft in the vertical direction; means responsive to the sensor signal for generating a command signal representative of the deviation of the actual flight in the vertical direction from a desired flight plan; means responsive to the command signal for moving the control surface so as to reduce the deviation; means for producing a first signal indicative of the movement of the control surface; means for producing a second signal indicative of the angle of attack of the aircraft; and means for combining the first and second signals to produce a third signal that is indicative of the desired throttle activity of the aircraft.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
147 words
Throttle control apparatus for an aircraft that has a control surface near its center of gravity for controlling flight in a vertical direction by direct lift, the apparatus comprising: an aircraft throttle: means responsive to the position of the control surface for generating a short period damping signal that reflects the activity of the control surface; means for generating a control signal that reflects the deviations of the angle of attack of the aircraft from a predetermined value; means for generating a long-period damping signal anticipatory of the activity of the throttle; means responsive to the long-period damping signal and the short-period damping signal for modifying the control signal to reflect changes in the lift of the aircraft brought about by the activity of the control surface and to anticipate the activity of the throttle; and a throttle control device operating responsive to the modified control signal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
147 words
Throttle control apparatus for an aircraft that has a control surface near its center of gravity for controlling flight in a vertical direction by direct lift, the apparatus comprising: an aircraft throttle: means responsive to the position of the control surface for generating a short period damping signal that reflects the activity of the control surface; means for generating a control signal that reflects the deviations of the angle of attack of the aircraft from a predetermined value; means for generating a long-period damping signal anticipatory of the activity of the throttle; means responsive to the long-period damping signal and the short-period damping signal for modifying the control signal to reflect changes in the lift of the aircraft brought about by the activity of the control surface and to anticipate the activity of the throttle; and a throttle control device operating responsive to the modified control signal.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
169 words
A throttle control system for an aircraft having near its center of gravity a control surface that controls flight of the aircraft in a vertical direction, the system comprising: first means for actuating the control surface, the first means comprising at least one sensor on board the aircraft indicative of the actual aircraft flight path, means responsive to the sensor for generating a command signal representative of the deviation between the actual aircraft flight path and a desired flight path in the vertical direction, and means responsive to the control signal for moving the control surface to reduce the deviation between the actual and the desired flight path; second means for sensing the movement of the control surface; third means for sensing the angle of attack of the aircraft; fourth means for producing an indication of a preselected angle of attack for the aircraft; a utilization device for throttle control of the aircraft; and fifth means responsive to the second, third and fourth means for controlling the utilization device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
169 words
A throttle control system for an aircraft having near its center of gravity a control surface that controls flight of the aircraft in a vertical direction, the system comprising: first means for actuating the control surface, the first means comprising at least one sensor on board the aircraft indicative of the actual aircraft flight path, means responsive to the sensor for generating a command signal representative of the deviation between the actual aircraft flight path and a desired flight path in the vertical direction, and means responsive to the control signal for moving the control surface to reduce the deviation between the actual and the desired flight path; second means for sensing the movement of the control surface; third means for sensing the angle of attack of the aircraft; fourth means for producing an indication of a preselected angle of attack for the aircraft; a utilization device for throttle control of the aircraft; and fifth means responsive to the second, third and fourth means for controlling the utilization device.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 3, in which the sensor on board the aircraft comprises a glide slope receiver and the means for moving the control surface maintains the aircraft on a glide slope path.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 4, in which the control surface comprises the spoilers on the wings of the aircraft.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The throttle control system of claim 5, in which the utilization device comprises the throttle of the aircraft and a servo actuator that positions the throttle responsive to the fifth means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The throttle control system of claim 5, in which the utilization device comprises an instrument that provides the pilot of the aircraft with a sensory indication of desired throttle activity.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
54 words
The throttle control system of claim 5, in which sixth means are provided for representing the normal acceleration of the aircraft, seventh means are provided for representing the pitch attitude of the aircraft, and the fifth means is responsive to the sixth and seventh means in addition to the second, third, and fourth means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
66 words
The throttle control system of claim 4, in which the aircraft has substantially displaced from its center of gravity an additional control surface that controls the flight of the aircraft in a vertical direction, eighth means are provided for sensing the movement of the additional control surface, and the fifth means is responsive to the eighth means in addition to the second, third, and fourth means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The throttle control system of claim 9, in which the additional control surface comprises an elevator at the tail of the aircraft.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
134 words
A method of controlling an aircraft throttle during an ascent or descent maneuver comprising the steps of: controlling a control surface for the vertical direction near the center of gravity of the aircraft to maintain the aircraft on a flight path by direct lift control; generating a first signal representative of the difference between the desired value of an aircraft parameter that influences proper throttle position of the aircraft during the maneuver and the actual value of the aircraft parameter; generating a second, short-period damping signal representative of the movement of the control surface of the aircraft; generating a third, long-period damping signal anticipatory of the throttle activity; combining the first, second, and third signals to produce a fourth signal; and adjusting the position of the aircraft throttle in accordance with the fourth signal.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
134 words
A method of controlling an aircraft throttle during an ascent or descent maneuver comprising the steps of: controlling a control surface for the vertical direction near the center of gravity of the aircraft to maintain the aircraft on a flight path by direct lift control; generating a first signal representative of the difference between the desired value of an aircraft parameter that influences proper throttle position of the aircraft during the maneuver and the actual value of the aircraft parameter; generating a second, short-period damping signal representative of the movement of the control surface of the aircraft; generating a third, long-period damping signal anticipatory of the throttle activity; combining the first, second, and third signals to produce a fourth signal; and adjusting the position of the aircraft throttle in accordance with the fourth signal.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method claim 11, in which the first signal is generated by generating a fifth signal representative of the desired value of the aircraft parameter, generating a sixth signal representative of the actual value of the aircraft parameter, and differentially combining the fifth and sixth signals.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 12, in which the desired parameter is the angle of attack of the aircraft.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 11, in which the control surface is controlled to maintain the aircraft on a glide slope beam transmitted from the ground.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of controlling an aircraft throttle during an ascent or descent maneuver executed in part by direct lift control exercised by a control surface, the method comprising the steps of: generating a first signal representative of the angle of attack of the aircraft; generating a command signal representative of the deviation between the actual flight path during the maneuver and a desired flight path; controlling the aircraft in the vertical direction by moving the control surface responsive to the control signal; generating a second signal representative of the movement of the control surface; and combining the first and second signals to produce a throttle control signal representative of the optimum angle of attack.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of controlling an aircraft throttle during an ascent or descent maneuver executed in part by direct lift control exercised by a control surface, the method comprising the steps of: generating a first signal representative of the angle of attack of the aircraft; generating a command signal representative of the deviation between the actual flight path during the maneuver and a desired flight path; controlling the aircraft in the vertical direction by moving the control surface responsive to the control signal; generating a second signal representative of the movement of the control surface; and combining the first and second signals to produce a throttle control signal representative of the optimum angle of attack.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-11-08 | 1975-05-10 | 1975-11-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-11-08 | 1979-05-10 | 1979-11-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-11-08 | 1983-05-10 | 1983-11-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |