Rotor moment control system for a rotary wing aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10809744-B2
Application number	US-201715425634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2017
Priority date	Feb 19, 2016
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

A method of controlling rotor moments includes receiving, in a flight control computer (FCC) a rotor moment reference value based on pilot inceptor inputs, sensing rotor moment from one or more sensors, receiving, in the FCC, a rotary wing aircraft condition parameter, and establishing, through the FCC, a rotor blade pitch angle for one or more of a plurality of rotor blades that counteracts external forces acting upon the rotary wing aircraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling rotor moments comprising:
receiving, in a flight control computer (FCC), a rotor moment reference value based on pilot inceptor inputs;
sensing rotor moment from one or more sensors;
detecting, in the FCC, transition between a proportional ground control mode to a model following controls mode by receiving signals from one or more weight-on-wheels sensors; and
establishing, through the FCC, a rotor blade pitch angle for one or more of a plurality of rotor blades that counteracts external forces acting upon the rotary wing aircraft during the transition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the rotor moment reference value includes receiving a cyclic inceptor position.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving signals from one or more weight-on-wheels sensors includes detecting a transition from the proportional ground control mode to the model following controls mode.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein sensing rotor moment includes receiving signals from at least one sensor mounted to one of a rotor shaft, a rotor hub arm, and along a span of a rotor blade.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing, through the FCC, the rotor blade pitch angle includes comparing rotor moment inputs from at least two flight control computers.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing, through the FCC, the rotor blade pitch angle includes determining a rotor moment error and providing rotor moment feedback commands to one or more rotor blades.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing, through the FCC, the rotor blade pitch angle includes determining a rotor moment error and providing rotor moment feed forward commands to one or more rotor blades.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing, through the FCC, the rotor blade pitch angle includes combining rotor moment feedback commands and rotor moment feed forward commands to one or more rotor blades.

9. A control system for a rotary wing aircraft comprising:
a flight control computer (FCC);
a rotor moment control system configured to analyze rotor moments and reduce rotary wing aircraft transients during a transition from a proportional ground control mode and a model following controls mode, the rotor moment control system including computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code, when executed by the FCC, causes the FCC to:
receive a rotor moment reference value based on pilot inceptor inputs;
sense rotor moment from one or more sensors;
detect a transition between a proportional ground control mode to a model following controls mode by receiving signals from one or more weight-on-wheels sensors; and
establish a rotor blade pitch angle for one or more of a plurality of rotor blades that counteracts external forces acting upon the rotary wing aircraft.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computer readable program code, when executed by the FCC, causes the FCC to: receive a cyclic position when receiving the rotor moment reference value includes receiving a cyclic inceptor position.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein establishing, through the processor, the rotor blade pitch angle includes comparing rotor moment inputs from at least two flight control computers.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computer readable program code, when executed by the FCC, causes the FCC to: determine a rotor moment error and provide rotor moment feedback commands to one or more rotor blades when establishing the rotor blade pitch angle.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computer readable program code, when executed by the FCC, causes the FCC to: combining rotor moment feedback commands and rotor moment feed forward commands to one or more rotor blades when establishing the rotor blade pitch angle.

Assignees

• Sikorsky Aircraft Corp

Inventors

• White Matthew A

Classifications

• B64C13/18 Primary

  using automatic pilot · CPC title

• G05D1/0858 Primary

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

• B64C27/57

  automatic or condition responsive, e.g. responsive to rotor speed, torque or thrust · CPC title

• B64C13/503

  Fly-by-Wire · CPC title