Methods and apparatus to control thrust ramping of an aircraft engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10279918-B2
Application number	US-201615253306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2016
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to control thrust ramping of an aircraft engine are disclosed. An example thrust control system includes a sensor to measure a crosswind speed and a thrust manager to compare the measured crosswind speed to a crosswind threshold range. The thrust manager activates a partial thrust ramping schedule during takeoff when the measured crosswind speed is within the crosswind threshold range. The partial thrust ramping schedule is selected from a plurality of thrust ramping schedules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thrust control system for use with aircraft comprising:
a sensor to measure a crosswind speed; and
a thrust manager to compare a vector of the measured crosswind speed to a crosswind threshold range, the thrust manager to activate a partial thrust ramping schedule during takeoff when the measured crosswind speed is within the crosswind threshold range, the partial thrust ramping schedule being selected from a plurality of thrust ramping schedules.

2. The system of claim 1 , further including a data input device to receive a reference crosswind speed.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the thrust manager compares the reference crosswind speed and the measured crosswind speed.

4. The system of claim 3 , further including an alarm controller to initiate an alarm when the reference crosswind speed is less than the measured crosswind speed.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thrust manager is to activate a full thrust ramping schedule during takeoff when the measured crosswind speed is greater than an upper limit of the crosswind threshold range.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the thrust controller is to deactivate thrust ramping when the measured crosswind speed is less than a lower limit of the crosswind threshold range.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vector is an orthogonal vector component of a measured airflow velocity.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the orthogonal vector of the measured airflow velocity is measured when the aircraft is stationary.

9. A method for controlling thrust of an aircraft, the method comprising:
measuring a crosswind vector when the aircraft is taxiing;
comparing the measured crosswind vector to an crosswind threshold range; and
activating a partial thrust ramping schedule during takeoff based on the measured crosswind vector when the measured crosswind vector is within the crosswind threshold range.

10. The method of claim 9 , further including applying a full thrust ramping schedule during takeoff when the measured crosswind vector is greater than an upper limit of the crosswind threshold range.

11. The method of claim 10 , further including deactivating thrust ramping during takeoff when the measured crosswind vector is less than a lower limit of the crosswind threshold range.

12. The method of claim 9 , further including comparing a reference crosswind vector and the measured crosswind vector, and initiating an alarm when the reference crosswind vector is less than the measured crosswind vector.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein providing the partial thrust ramping schedule includes retrieving the partial thrust ramping schedule from a look-up table.

14. The method of claim 9 , further including measuring an airspeed of the aircraft during takeoff, and varying a thrust output limit as a function of the measured airspeed.

15. The method of claim 14 , further including decreasing the thrust output limit as the measured airspeed increases.

16. A tangible computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:
measure a crosswind vector;
compare the measured crosswind vector to a crosswind threshold range; and
activate a partial thrust ramping schedule during takeoff based on the measured crosswind vector when the measured crosswind vector is within the crosswind threshold range.

17. The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 16 further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to apply a full thrust ramping schedule during takeoff when the measured crosswind vector is greater than an upper limit of the crosswind threshold range.

18. The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 17 further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to deactivate thrust ramping during takeoff when the measured crosswind vector is less than a lower limit of the crosswind threshold range.

19. The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 16 further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to compare a reference crosswind vector and the measured crosswind vector, and initiate an alarm when the reference crosswind vector is less than the measured crosswind vector.

20. The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 16 further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to retrieve the partial thrust ramping schedule corresponding to the measured crosswind vector from a predetermined look-up table.

21. The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 16 further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to measure an airspeed of an aircraft during takeoff, and vary a thrust output limit as a function of the measured airspeed.

22. The computer-readable medium as defined in claim 21 further including instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to decrease the thrust output limit as the measured airspeed increases.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Jackowski Jason J
• Karnofski Kent E

Classifications

• F05D2270/051

  Thrust · CPC title

• B64D43/00

  Arrangements or adaptations of instruments · CPC title

• F02C9/00 Primary

  Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants (controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05) · CPC title

• F02C9/28

  Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed (F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence) · CPC title

• B64D31/06 Primary

  actuated automatically · CPC title