Pitch and thrust control for compound aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10877487-B2
Application number	US-201815986581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2018
Priority date	Apr 25, 2018
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A control circuitry includes a propulsor trim prediction circuitry configured to generate a predicted propulsor collective blade pitch trim value for a target state of an aircraft based on an aircraft velocity and a pitch attitude deviation from a reference. The control circuitry further includes an output circuitry configured to output a propulsor collective blade pitch angle command based on the predicted propulsor collective blade pitch trim value. The propulsor collective blade pitch angle command is configured to cause an adjustment in a blade pitch angle of a propulsor of the aircraft. Additionally or alternatively, the control circuitry includes a pitch attitude trim prediction circuitry configured to generate a predicted pitch attitude trim value. The output circuitry is configured to output an aircraft pitch attitude trim command, configured to cause an adjustment in a pitch angle of the aircraft, based on the predicted pitch attitude trim value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control circuitry comprising:
a switch;
a propulsor trim prediction circuitry configured to:
receive a selected pitch attitude trim value from the switch;
generate a pitch attitude deviation from a reference based on the selected pitch attitude trim value; and
generate a predicted propulsor trim value for a target state of an aircraft based on an aircraft velocity and the pitch attitude deviation from the reference; and
an output circuitry configured to output a propulsor command based on the predicted propulsor trim value, wherein the propulsor command is configured to cause an adjustment in an angle of a propulsor of the aircraft.

2. The control circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the predicted propulsor trim value is an estimated value of a collective blade pitch angle setting of the propulsor that produces a magnitude of thrust for an airspeed hold state or an acceleration hold state of the aircraft.

3. The control circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the output circuitry comprises a combiner, a propulsor limiting circuitry, or a combination thereof, wherein the propulsor command is configured to adjust a magnitude of thrust generated by the propulsor, and wherein the propulsor command is configured to cause the aircraft to operate in an airspeed hold state or an acceleration hold state of the aircraft.

4. The control circuitry of claim 1 , further comprising a pitch attitude trim prediction circuitry configured to generate a predicted pitch attitude trim value for a target vertical state of the aircraft based on the aircraft velocity and a pitch attitude of the aircraft, wherein the pitch attitude deviation from the reference is generated based on the predicted pitch attitude trim value.

5. The control circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the propulsor trim prediction circuitry is configured to generate the predicted propulsor trim value based on one or more pilot inputs, and wherein the one or more pilot inputs comprise a pitch trim inceptor input, a pitch control inceptor input, or both.

6. The control circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the switch is configured to output a predicted pitch attitude trim value or a commanded pitch attitude trim value as the selected pitch attitude trim value based on a regime signal.

7. A method for controlling an aircraft, the method comprising:
receiving, at control circuitry from a switch, a selected pitch attitude trim value;
generating, at the control circuitry, a pitch attitude deviation from a reference based on the selected pitch attitude trim value;
generating, at the control circuitry of the aircraft, a predicted propulsor trim value for a target state of the aircraft based on an aircraft velocity and the pitch attitude deviation from the reference; and
sending a command, from the control circuitry to a propulsor actuator, to adjust an angle of a propulsor of the aircraft based on the predicted propulsor trim value.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising generating a gravity amplified longitudinal acceleration command based on a sine value of a selected aircraft trim pitch attitude value and a sine value of a commanded pitch attitude, wherein the predicted propulsor trim value is generated based on the gravity amplified longitudinal acceleration command.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising operating in a speed select mode based on a regime signal, wherein operating in the speed select mode comprises:
generating a pitch independent speed command based on a pitch independent acceleration command, wherein the pitch independent acceleration command is generated based on one or more pilot inputs;
generating a speed error signal based on subtracting the aircraft velocity from the pitch independent speed command;
applying a gain function to the speed error signal to generate a speed select mode acceleration command; and
generating a propulsor command based on the speed select mode acceleration command and the predicted propulsor trim value, wherein the angle of the propulsor is adjusted based on the propulsor command.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising operating in an acceleration command mode based on a regime signal, wherein operating in the acceleration command mode comprises:
generating an acceleration command mode acceleration command based on a pitch independent acceleration command and a gravity amplified longitudinal acceleration command, wherein the pitch independent acceleration command is generated based on one or more pilot inputs; and
generating a propulsor command based on the acceleration command mode acceleration command and the predicted propulsor trim value, wherein the angle of the propulsor is adjusted based on the propulsor command.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the aircraft is a compound helicopter, a multi-rotor aircraft, a high speed vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, or a combination thereof.

12. A control circuitry comprising:
a pitch attitude trim prediction circuitry configured to generate a predicted pitch attitude trim value for a target state of an aircraft based on an aircraft velocity and a pitch attitude of the aircraft;
an output circuitry configured to output an aircraft pitch attitude command based on the predicted pitch attitude trim value and a pilot input signal from a pitch control inceptor, wherein the aircraft pitch attitude command is configured to cause an adjustment in a pitch angle of the aircraft; and
a switch configured to output the predicted pitch attitude trim value or a commanded pitch attitude trim value as a selected pitch attitude trim value based on a regime signal.

13. The control circuitry of claim 12 , wherein the pitch attitude trim command is generated based on the selected pitch attitude trim value.

14. The control circuitry of claim 13 , wherein the commanded pitch attitude trim value is generated based on one or more pilot inputs and is generated independent of the aircraft velocity.

15. The control circuitry of claim 12 , wherein the output circuitry comprises a pitch command model, a pitch attitude controller, or a combination thereof, and wherein the predicted pitch attitude trim value is an estimated pitch attitude of the aircraft for an altitude hold state or a vertical velocity hold state of the aircraft.

16. The control circuitry of claim 12 , further comprising a pitch attitude controller configured to:
generate an aircraft pitch control surface aircraft pitch attitude command configured to cause the aircraft to operate in an altitude hold state or a vertical velocity hold state based on the aircraft pitch attitude command; and
send the aircraft pitch control surface aircraft pitch attitude command to pitch moment control actuators.

17. A method for controlling an aircraft, the method comprising:
generating, at control circuitry of the aircraft, a predicted pitch attitude trim value for a target state of the aircraft based on an aircraft velocity and a pitch attitude of the aircraft;
sending a command, from the control circuitry to a control surface actuator, to adjust aircraft pitch based on the predicted pitch attitude trim value and a pilot input signal from a pitch control inceptor; and
outputting the predicted pitch attitude trim value or a commanded pitch attitude trim value as a selected pitch attitude trim value based on a regime signal to a propulsor trim prediction circuitry.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising generating the command at the control circuitry, wherein the command comprises an aircraft pitch attitude command, and wherein the generating

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Irwin Iii Joseph G
• Miller David G
• Morgan Nathaniel T

Classifications

• B64C27/10 Primary

  arranged coaxially · CPC title

• G05D1/0816

  to ensure stability · CPC title

• G05D1/042

  specially adapted for aircraft · CPC title

• G05D1/0858

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

• G05D1/085

  to ensure coordination between different movements · CPC title