Method of assisting piloting a hybrid rotorcraft provided with a lift rotor and with at least one propeller propulsive rotor that generates thrust

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11449057-B2
Application number	US-202016868647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2020
Priority date	Jun 20, 2019
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A method of facilitating piloting a hybrid rotorcraft having at least one propulsive rotor provided with a plurality of first blades and a lift rotor provided with a plurality of second blades, the hybrid rotorcraft having a power plant. The method includes a step of displaying on a single indicator a first pointer, the position of which along a movement path varies as a function of a first power from the power plant that is consumed by the propulsive system, and of displaying a second pointer, the position of which varies as a function of a second power of the power plant that is consumed by the lift rotor, a variable space between the first pointer and the second pointer representing a power margin from the power plant that is not used so long as the first pointer is situated between the first end and the second pointer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of facilitating piloting a hybrid rotorcraft, the hybrid rotorcraft having a propulsive system comprising at least one propulsive rotor provided with a plurality of first blades having a first variable pitch at least for participating in providing forward propulsion for the hybrid rotorcraft, the hybrid rotorcraft further including a lift rotor provided with a plurality of second blades having a second variable pitch at least for participating in providing lift for the hybrid rotorcraft, the hybrid rotorcraft having a power plant provided with at least one engine operating at at least one rating for driving the lift rotor in rotation and driving each propulsive rotor of the at least one propulsive rotor in rotation;
wherein the method includes the following step: displaying on a single indicator a first pointer and a second pointer, a position of the first pointer along a movement path varies as a function of a first power from the power plant that is consumed by the propulsive system, a position of the second pointer along the movement path varies as a function of a second power from the power plant that is consumed by the lift rotor, the movement path extending from a first end to a second end, the first pointer moving towards the second end on condition that the first power increases, and the second pointer moving towards the first end on condition that the second power increases, a variable space between the first pointer and the second pointer representing a power margin from the power plant that is not used at the rating so long as the first pointer is situated between the first end and the second pointer.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first pointer is movable from the first end ( 69 ) towards the second end in a first direction when the first power increases, the second pointer being movable from the second end towards the first end in a second direction when the second power increases, a first distance between the first end and the first pointer being the image of the first power and a second distance between the second end and the second pointer being the image of the second power.

3. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the method includes a step of determining with an on-board computer the first power and the second power, and a step of determining a target position on the indicator for the first pointer as a function of the first power, and a step of determining a target location on the indicator for the second pointer as a function of the second power.

4. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the method includes a step of determining with an on-board computer a first current collective pitch of the first blades and a second current collective pitch of the second blades, a step of determining a target position on the indicator for the first pointer as a function of the first current collective pitch, and a step of determining a target location on the indicator for the second pointer as a function of the second current collective pitch.

5. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first pointer points to an air speed scale for the air speed of the hybrid rotorcraft ( 1 ).

6. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the movement path is in the shape of a first circular arc.

7. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein with the first pointer pointing to an air speed scale for the air speed of the hybrid rotorcraft, and with the movement path ( 68 ) being in the shape of a first circular arc, the air speed scale is positioned on a second circular arc adjoining the first circular arc.

8. The method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first circular arc is situated above an artificial horizon.

9. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first pointer and the second pointer are movable linearly along a direction superposed on an air speed scale for the air speed of the hybrid rotorcraft.

10. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the method includes a step of determining at least one first pitch limit for the pitch of the first blades and a step of displaying the at least one first pitch limit facing the movement path.

11. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the method includes a step of determining at least one second pitch limit for the pitch of the second blades, and a step of displaying the at least one second pitch limit facing the movement path.

12. A hybrid rotorcraft, the hybrid rotorcraft having a propulsive system comprising at least one propulsive rotor provided with a plurality of first blades having a first variable pitch at least for participating in providing forward propulsion for the hybrid rotorcraft, the hybrid rotorcraft further including a lift rotor provided with a plurality of second blades having a second variable pitch at least for participating in providing lift for the hybrid rotorcraft, the hybrid rotorcraft having a power plant provided with at least one engine operating at at least one rating for driving the lift rotor in rotation and for driving each propulsive rotor of the propulsive rotor(s) in rotation;
wherein the hybrid rotorcraft includes an on-board computer and an indicator that are configured to apply the method according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters

Inventors

• Abdelli Kamel

Classifications

• G05D1/0202 Primary

  specially adapted to aircraft · CPC title

• B64D43/00

  Arrangements or adaptations of instruments · CPC title

• G01D2207/10

  Displays which are primarily used in aircraft or display aircraft-specific information · CPC title

• B64C27/26

  characterised by provision of fixed wings · CPC title

• B64C27/22 Primary

  Compound rotorcraft, i.e. aircraft using in flight the features of both aeroplane and rotorcraft · CPC title