Aircraft flight command and display system

Claim 2

An aircraft flight command system comprising: wind shear detecting and indicating means for producing a warning signal in response to detecting that the aircraft is flying in a wind shear condition; thrust command means; operable during an aircraft approach maneuver responsive to aircraft altitude and altitude loss, for producing a thrust command signal for controlling aircraft thrust to compensate for aircraft deviations due to a detected wind shear condition from both a horizontal and a vertial predetermined approach profile; and pitch command means, operable in aircraft go-around and takeoff maneuvers responsive to aircraft altitude and altitude loss, for producing a pitch command signal for predeterminedly minimizing aircraft altitude loss in a detected wind shear condition.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 wherein the thrust command means comprises: horizontal axis compensating means including: (a) means for receiving a signal V G representative of aircraft groundspeed; (b) means for receiving a signal V air representative of aircraft airspeed; (c) means for receiving a signal V bug representative of a pilot selected speed; (d) means for producing a signal V.sub.εG =V.sub.bug -V.sub.G ; (e) means for producing a signal V.sub.εA =V.sub.bug -V.sub.air ; (f) means for selecting said V.sub.εF if V G <V air , said means otherwise selecting said V.sub.εA signal; (g) means for producing a signal V.sub.εmin representative of minimum acceptable aircraft speed independent of wind effect; and (h) means for outputting as the hoizontal thrust command signal δT H the greater of the selected V.sub.εG or V.sub.εA signal and the V.sub.εmin signal.

Claim 4

The system of claim 2 further including: means for producing a phugoid damping signal; and means for summing said phugoid damping signal with said horizontal thrust command output signal, to thereby produce a compensated horizontal command signal δT HC .

Claim 6

The system of claim 4 further comprising a summer means for producing a total thrust command signal δ T , where δT=δT.sub.HC +δT.sub.V.

Claim 7

The system of claim 1 wherein the wind shear detecting and indicating means comprises: means for producing a signal V L representative of the longitudinal wind acceleration component in accordance with: V.sub.L =V.sub.air -V.sub.ground, where V air =airspeed rate and V ground =groundspeed rate; means for producing a signal V V representative of the vertical wind component in accordance with: ##EQU2## where: Θ=pitch angle, α=angle of attack, h=altitude rate, and V air =airspeed; and means for summing said V L and V V signals to produce a total wind shear signal V WS .

Claim 8

The system of claim 6 wherein the wind shear detecting and indicating means further comprise: means for processing wind shear signal V WS and producing a signal V WS ,.sbsb.descent representative of the rate of change of V WS in the descent direction; and means for summing said V WS and V WS ,.sbsb.descent signals to produce a wind shear warning signal.

Claim 9

The system of claim 7 wherein the wind shear detecting and indicating means further comprise: warning logic means for processing said wind shear warning signal and producing: a first level warning indication responsive to said wind shear warning signal exceeding a first predetermined level, said first predetermined level being selected to correspond to a high but acceptable-for-landing wind shear level; and a second level warning indication responsive to said wind shear warning signal exceeding a second predetermined level, said second predetermined level being selected to correspond to a wind shear level dictating an aircraft go-around maneuver.

Claim 10

The system of claim 1 wherein the pitch command means comprises: means for producing an angle of attack command signal α 0 as a predetermined function of flap position; means for comparing said α 0 signal with a signal α representing actual angle of attack to produce a signal α ERROR ; means for predeterminedly processing a signal h representative of altitude and producing a signal h SCH representing a predetermined scheduled altitude loss limit; means for producing a signal h LOSS representing altitude loss; means responsive to flap position for producing a signal Δα representing an increased angle of attack required to bring the aircraft within a predetermined margin of stick shaker; means for multiplying said Δα signal by a factor (h LOSS /h SCH ) to produce a signal Δα'; and means for summing said α ERROR and Δα' to produce a pitch command signal.

Claim 11

The system of claim 9 further comprising means for producing phugoid and short term damping signals and summing said signals with said pitch command signal.

Claim 12

An aircraft flight command system for producing a command signal to control engine thrust for maintaining an aircraft on an approach profile, the system comprising: horizontal axis compensating means including: (a) means for receiving a signal V G representative of aircraft groundspeed; (b) means for receiving a signal V air representative of aircraft airspeed; (c) means for receiving a signal V bug representative of a pilot selected speed; (d) means for producing a signal V.sub.εG =V.sub.bug -V.sub.G ; (e) means for producing a signal V.sub.εA =V.sub.bug -V.sub.air ; (f) means for selecting said V.sub.εG if V G <V air , said means otherwise selecting said V.sub.εA signal; (g) means for producing a signal V.sub.εmin representative of minimum acceptable aircraft speed independent of wind effect; (h) means for outputting as the horizontal thrust command signal δT H the greater of the selected V.sub.εG or V.sub.εA signal and the V.sub.εmin signal; and (i) thrust control means for controlling thrust in response to an output horizontal command signal.

Claim 13

An aircraft flight command system for producing a command signal to control engine thrust for maintaining an aircraft on an approach profile, the system comprising: horizontal axis compensating means including: (a) means for receiving a signal V G representative of aircraft groundspeed; (b) means for receiving a signal V air representative of aircraft airspeed; (c) means for receiving a signal V bug representative of a pilot selected speed; (d) means for producing a signal V.sub.εG =V.sub.bug -V.sub.G ; (e) means for producing a signal V.sub.εA =V.sub.bug -V.sub.air ; (f) means for selecting said V.sub.εG if V G <V air , said means otherwise selecting said V.sub.εA signal; (g) means for producing a signal V.sub.εmin representative of minimum acceptable aircraft speed independent of wind effect; (h) means for outputting as the horizontal thrust command signal δT H the greater of the selected V.sub.εG or V.sub.εA signal and the V.sub.εmin signal; and (i) thrust control means for controlling thrust in response to an output horizontal command signal.

Claim 14

The system of claim 11 further including: means for producing a phugoid damping signal; and means for summing said phugoid damping signal with said horizontal thrust command output signal, to thereby produce a compensated horizontal command signal δT HC .

Claim 16

The system of claim 12 further comprising a summer means for producing a total thrust command signal δT, where δT=δT.sub.HC +δT.sub.V.

Claim 19

The system of claim 15 wherein the warning logic means further comprises: means for producing a signal V WS ,.sbsb.descent representative of the rate of change of V WS in the descent direction; and means for summing said V WS and V WS ,.sbsb.descent signals to produce said wind shear warning signal.

Claim 20

The system of claim 16 wheein the warning logic means further comprises means for producing: a first level warning indication responsive to said wind shear warning signal exceeding a first predetermined level, said first predetermined level being selected to correspond to a high but acceptable for landing wind whear level; and a second warning indication responsive to said wind shear warning signal exceeding a second predetermined level, said second predetermined level being selected to correspond to a wind shear level dictating an aircraft go-around maneuver.

Claim 21

An aircraft pitch command system operable in aircraft go-around and takeoff maneuvers comprising: means for producing an angle of attack command signal α 0 as a predetermined function of flap position; means for comparing said α 0 signal with a signal α representing actual angle of attack to produce a signal α ERROR ; means for predeterminedly processing a signal h representative of altitude and producing a signal h SCH representing a predetermined scheduled altitude loss limit; means for producing a signal h LOSS representing altitude loss; means responsive to flap position for producing a signal representing an increased angle of attack required to bring the aircraft within a predetermined margin of stick shaker; means for multiplying said Δα signal by a factor (h LOSS /h SCH ) to produce a signal Δα; means for summing said α ERROR and Δα to produce a pitch command signal and pitch control means for controlling aircraft pitch in response to a produced pitch command signal.

Claim 22

An aircraft pitch command system operable in aircraft go-around and takeoff maneuvers comprising: means for producing an angle of attack command signal α 0 as a predetermined function of flap position; means for comparing said α 0 signal with a signal α representing actual angle of attack to produce a signal α ERROR ; means for predeterminedly processing a signal h representative of altitude and producing a signal h SCH representing a predetermined scheduled altitude loss limit; means for producing a signal h LOSS representing altitude loss; means responsive to flap position for producing a signal representing an increased angle of attack required to bring the aircraft within a predetermined margin of stick shaker; means for multiplying said Δα signal by a factor (h LOSS /h SCH ) to produce a signal Δα; means for summing said α ERROR and Δα to produce a pitch command signal and pitch control means for controlling aircraft pitch in response to a produced pitch command signal.

Claim 23

The system of claim 18 further comprising means for producing phugoid and short term damping signals and summing said signals with said pitch command signal.