Rotor speed control using a feed-forward rotor speed command

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189559-B2
Application number	US-201615358700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2016
Priority date	Nov 22, 2016
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

Examples of rotor speed reduction using a feed-forward rotor speed control command are provided. In one example, a computer-implemented method includes: receiving, by a processing device, flight command indicative of a change in a flight characteristic of an aircraft comprising a rotor; generating, by the processing device, a change in load factor based on the flight command; generating, by the processing device, a change in rotor speed based on the change in load factor; generating, by the processing device, a rotor speed command based on the change in rotor speed to a flight controller to cause the aircraft to change a rotor speed of the rotor; and changing, by the processing device, the rotor speed of the rotor responsive to the rotor speed command.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for feed-forward rotor speed control, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processing device, a first flight command indicative of a flight characteristic change of an aircraft comprising a rotor;
generating, by the processing device, a load factor change based on the flight command;
generating, by the processing device, a rotor speed change based on the load factor change;
generating, by the processing device, a rotor speed command based on the rotor speed change to a flight controller to cause the aircraft to change a rotor speed of the rotor; and
changing, by the processing device, the rotor speed of the rotor responsive to the rotor speed command,
wherein the first flight command is responsive to a first pilot command from a pilot of the aircraft, and the second flight command is responsive to a second pilot command from the pilot of the aircraft.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the change of the rotor speed represents an increase to the rotor speed responsive to an increase in the load factor.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the change of the rotor speed represents a decrease to the rotor speed responsive to a decrease in the load factor.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first pilot command and the second pilot command are commands to maneuver the aircraft.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the load factor change is further based on flight information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the flight information is a velocity.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the flight characteristics are selected from the group consisting of a pitch rate, a vertical rate, a pitch attitude, a roll attitude, and a velocity.

8. A processing system for feed-forward rotor speed control using a feed-forward rotor speed reduction command, the system comprising:
a memory having computer readable instructions; and
a processing device for executing the computer readable instructions to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving, by the processing device, a first flight command indicative of a first flight characteristic change of an aircraft comprising a rotor;
generating, by the processing device, a first load factor change based on the first flight command;
generating, by the processing device, a first rotor speed change based on the first load factor change;
generating, by the processing device, a first rotor speed command based on the first rotor speed change to a flight controller to cause the aircraft to change a rotor speed of the rotor to a first rotor speed; and
increasing, by the processing device, the rotor speed of the rotor responsive to the rotor speed command,
wherein the first flight command is responsive to a first pilot command from a pilot of the aircraft, and a second flight command is responsive to a second pilot command from the pilot of the aircraft.

9. The processing system of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises receiving, by the processing device, the second flight command indicative of a second flight characteristic change of the aircraft.

10. The processing system of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises generating, by the processing device, a second load factor change based on the second flight command.

11. The processing system of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises generating, by the processing device, a second rotor speed change based on the second load factor change.

12. The processing system of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises generating, by the processing device, a second rotor speed command based on the second rotor speed change to the flight controller to cause the aircraft to change the rotor speed of the rotor to a second rotor speed.

13. The processing system of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises decreasing, by the processing device, the rotor speed of the rotor responsive to the rotor speed command.

Assignees

• Sikorsky Aircraft Corp
• Sikorsky Aircraft Corp

Inventors

• Geiger Derek
• Wulff Ole
• Litwin Jonathan Aaron
• Greenfield Aaron L

Classifications

• B64C27/06

  with single rotor · CPC title

• G05D1/0858

  specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft · CPC title

• B64C13/04

  actuated personally · CPC title

• B64C13/16 Primary

  actuated automatically, e.g. responsive to gust detectors · CPC title

• B64D31/06

  actuated automatically · CPC title