Patent classifications
G05D1/854
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, VEHICLE CONTROL, AND/OR CONTINGENCY PLANNING
A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining aircraft conditions, and/or acting based on the aircraft conditions. A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining input reliability, determining guidance, and/or controlling aircraft operation. A method, preferably including: operating the vehicle, planning for contingencies, detecting undesired flight conditions, and/or reacting to undesired flight conditions. A system, preferably an aircraft such as a rotorcraft, configured to implement the method.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, VEHICLE CONTROL, AND/OR CONTINGENCY PLANNING
A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining aircraft conditions, and/or acting based on the aircraft conditions. A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining input reliability, determining guidance, and/or controlling aircraft operation. A method, preferably including: operating the vehicle, planning for contingencies, detecting undesired flight conditions, and/or reacting to undesired flight conditions. A system, preferably an aircraft such as a rotorcraft, configured to implement the method.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, VEHICLE CONTROL, AND/OR CONTINGENCY PLANNING
A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining aircraft conditions, and/or acting based on the aircraft conditions. A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining input reliability, determining guidance, and/or controlling aircraft operation. A method, preferably including: operating the vehicle, planning for contingencies, detecting undesired flight conditions, and/or reacting to undesired flight conditions. A system, preferably an aircraft such as a rotorcraft, configured to implement the method.
PROPULSION SYSTEM FOR AN AIRCRAFT
A hybrid-electric propulsion system includes a propulsor, a turbomachine, and an electrical system having an electric machine coupled to the turbomachine. A method for operating the propulsion system includes operating, by one or more computing devices, the turbomachine to rotate the propulsor and generate thrust for the aircraft; receiving, by the one or more computing devices, data indicative of an un-commanded loss of the thrust generated from the turbomachine rotating the propulsor; and providing, by the one or more computing devices, electrical power to the electric machine to add power to the turbomachine, the propulsor, or both in response to receiving the data indicative of the un-commanded loss of thrust.
CONTROL DEVICE FOR VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT
A flight control device performs flight control processing for causing a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to fly. When a drive device abnormal occurs during vertical takeoff, the flight control device performs a takeoff processing in flight control processing. The flight control device performs an abnormal stop processing in the takeoff processing. In the abnormal stop processing, a processing for stopping the driving of the abnormal drive device is performed. The flight control device performs a correction increase processing. In the correction increase processing, the output of at least one normal drive device is increased. In the correction increase processing, for example, the output of an adjacent drive device among a plurality of normal drive devices is increased. The adjacent drive device is a normal drive device adjacent to the abnormal drive device in a circumferential direction of a yaw axis.
CONTROL DEVICE, AIRCRAFT, AND CONTROL METHOD
When any one of a plurality of first rotors (VTOL rotors) fails, a rotor controller (a VTOL rotor controller) executes thrust increase control for increasing the thrust generated by an adjacent first rotor that is the first rotor adjacent to the failed first rotor, without making the adjacent first rotor cause the thrust variation for vibration suppression control, and executes the vibration suppression control in a manner so that one or more second rotors (VTOL rotors) bear the burden of the thrust variation that has been borne by the adjacent first rotor.
Variable Condition Motor Controller
A controller system of an aerial vehicle may receive environmental data from one or more sensors of the aerial vehicle and adjusts limits of the aerial vehicle given the environmental conditions. When the aerial vehicle receives an input, such as a flight input from a remote controller or an environmental input such as a gust of wind, the controller system calculates appropriate motor inputs that are provided to the thrust motors of the aerial vehicle such that the adjusted limits of the aerial vehicle are not exceeded. In calculating the appropriate input to the thrust motors, the controller system performs an iterative process. For example, for a given maximum torque that can be applied to the thrust motors, the controller system iteratively allocates the torque such that torque components that are important for the stability of the aerial are first fulfilled, whereas subsequent torque components may be fulfilled or scaled back.
Aircraft Emergency Descent System and Method
An aircraft emergency descent method includes setting a pre-set maximum collective blade pitch and a pre-set altitude as part of a failure procedure; monitoring rotor assemblies through an aircraft control system and a failure detection module; determining when a rotor assembly has failed; and activating the failure procedure. The failure procedure includes commanding a maximum torque to a motor of each rotor assembly such that the rotational velocity of functioning rotors increases; detecting the increase in rotational velocity; adjusting either motor torque or a collective blade pitch to regulate rotational velocity; monitoring altitude of the aircraft; and upon determining when the aircraft reaches the pre-set altitude, adjusting the collective blade pitch to the pre-set maximum collective blade pitch via the at least one governor such that momentum is conserved, causing a descent rate of the aircraft to decrease as the aircraft approaches a ground surface.
VARIABLE CONDITION MOTOR CONTROLLER
An aerial vehicle, comprising: one or more motors, one or more sensors, and a flight sub-system. The one or more sensors configured to detect data. The flight sub-system includes an attitude controller module; a rate controller module; and a compensator module. The compensator module is configured to: determine a maximum RPM of the one or more motors or a maximum torque of the one or more motors; receive a torque vector from the rate controller module; determine a rotational speed of the one or more motors to generate a desired flight orientation based upon the torque vector; and consider sensor data from the one or more sensors to adjust the rotational speed of the one or more motors.
RECEPTION DEVICE
Provided is a reception device comprising: a reception part configured to receive the control signal from a transmission device; and a controller configured to performs a process of outputting a motor driving instruction value corresponding to the control signal received by the reception part as a motor driving instruction value for controlling a driving amount of a motor, wherein the controller performs: a hold process for holding and outputting a value corresponding to the control signal during a reception period as the motor driving instruction value when the control signal is not receivable; and a failsafe gradual change process for gradually changing the motor driving instruction value from the value during the hold process toward a failsafe value determined for failsafe when a period of the hold process reaches a certain period.