Landing a vertical landing vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12416929-B2
Application number	US-202117456834-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2021
Priority date	Dec 18, 2020
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product for controlling landing of a vertical landing vehicle. In one illustrative example, a method controls landing of a vertical landing vehicle. A landing profile for landing the vertical landing vehicle is determined by the computer system using a third derivative of a position equation, an initial position, an initial speed, a final speed, and a touchdown point for the vertical landing vehicle. Landing of the vertical landing vehicle is controlled using the landing profile.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vertical landing system that comprises:
a computer system that comprises a landing manager; and
an electromechanical sensing device, an ultrasonic sensor, and an additional sensor, each configured to detect a landing of a vertical landing vehicle, and responsive thereto generate and send a landing signal to the computer system, wherein the landing manager is configured to:
receive inputs that comprise: a desired final speed, a desired final position, an initial position, an initial speed, and an initial acceleration;
determine, based upon periodic updates in real-time, a landing profile for the vertical landing vehicle that minimizes a jerk that acts on the vertical landing vehicle in a descend and deceleration phase prior to a touchdown point that is derived from a gain adjusted velocity and a gain adjusted acceleration in a real-time open-loop, wherein the landing profile is derived from: a third derivative of a position equation, the initial position, the initial speed, the desired final speed, and the desired final position for the vertical landing vehicle;
determine that the vertical landing vehicle is located at the touchdown point of the landing profile; and
responsive to a reception of the landing signal from all of: the electromechanical sensing device, the ultrasonic sensor, and the additional sensor, and the determination that the vertical landing vehicle is located at the touchdown point of the landing profile, indicate that the vertical landing vehicle has landed and turn off a propulsion system of the vertical landing vehicle.

2. The vertical landing system of claim 1 , wherein:
the additional sensor is not located on the vertical landing vehicle; and
the landing manager is configured to control the landing of the vertical landing vehicle using the landing profile.

3. The vertical landing system of claim 2 , wherein the landing manager is further configured to:
send a set of commands based upon the landing profile to a controller for the vertical landing vehicle such that the set of commands causes the controller to control the vertical landing vehicle to follow the landing profile to land the vertical landing vehicle at the touchdown point.

4. The vertical landing system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to provide an estimate, based upon the landing profile, of a tilt angle required to decelerate the vertical landing vehicle into a hover.

5. The vertical landing system of claim 1 , wherein the landing manager is further configured to determine at least one of: a position trajectory, a speed trajectory, or an acceleration trajectory using at least one of the following:
x ( t )= a 0 +a 1 Δ t +a 2 Δ t 2 +a 3 Δ t 3 +a 4 Δ t 4 +a 5 Δ t 5

{dot over (x)} ( t )= a 1 +2 a 2 Δ t ++3 a 3 Δ t 2 +4 a 4 Δ t 3 +5 a 5 Δ t 4

{umlaut over (x)} ( t )=2 a 2 +6 a 3 Δ t +12 a 4 Δ t 24 +20 a 5 Δ t 3

{umlaut over ( {dot over (x)} )}( t )=6 a 3 +24 a 4 Δ t +60 a 5 Δ t 2

where x(t) is position, Δ t ≙t−t 0 is a time span since an initial condition and where t is time, t 0 is initial time, a 0 is initial position, a 1 is initial speed, a 2 is initial acceleration times ½, and a 3 , a 4 , and as are determined by final conditions at touchdown.

6. The vertical landing system of claim 1 , wherein the landing manager is further configured to repeatedly determine the landing profile for landing the vertical landing vehicle using the third derivative of the position equation, the initial position, the initial speed, the desired final speed, and the touchdown point for the vertical landing vehicle, wherein the initial position is a current position of the vertical landing vehicle and the initial speed is a current speed of the vertical landing vehicle.

7. The vertical landing system of claim 1 , further comprising a touchdown point sensor configured to sense when the vertical landing vehicle is at the touchdown point, wherein the vertical landing vehicle is selected from one of a tiltrotor vehicle, a rotorcraft, a helicopter, a gyrodyne, a gyroplane, a tilt jet vertical landing aircraft, a direct-lift thrust vectoring aircraft, and a tilt wing aircraft.

8. The vertical landing system of claim 1 , wherein the additional sensor system comprises a light detection and ranging system.

9. A vertical landing system that comprises:
a computer system that comprises a landing manager; and
an electromechanical sensing device, an ultrasonic sensor, and an additional sensor, each configured to detect a landing of a vertical landing vehicle, and responsive thereto generate and send a landing signal to the computer system, wherein the landing manager is configured to:
determine, based on periodic updates in real-time, a landing profile for landing a vertical landing vehicle that minimizes a jerk that acts on the vertical landing vehicle in a descend and deceleration phase prior to a touchdown point that is derived from a gain adjusted velocity and a gain adjusted acceleration in a real-time open-loop, wherein the landing profile is based upon: a third derivative of a position equation, an initial position, an initial speed, a desired final speed, and a desired final position for the vertical landing vehicle;
communicate with a controller to land the vertical landing vehicle at the touchdown point of the landing profile based upon the landing profile; and
responsive to a reception of the landing signal from all of: the electromechanical sensing device, the ultrasonic sensor, and the additional sensor and a determination in the landing manager that the vertical landing vehicle is located at the touchdown point of the landing profile, indicate that the vertical landing vehicle has landed and turn off a propulsion system of the vertical landing vehicle.

10. The vertical landing system of claim 9 , wherein the landing manager is configured to:
control a landing of the vertical landing vehicle at the touchdown point based upon the landing profile.

11. The vertical landing system of claim 10 , wherein the landing manager is configured to send a set of commands based upon the landing profile to the controller for the vertical landing vehicle such that the set of commands cause the controller to control the vertical landing vehicle to follow the landing profile to land the vertical landing vehicle at the touchdown point.

12. The vertical landing system of claim 9 , wherein in determining the landing profile for landing the vertical landing vehicle using the third derivative of the position equation, the initial position, the initial speed, the desired final speed, and the touchdown point for the vertical landing vehicle, the landing manager is configured to determine at least one: of a position trajectory, a speed trajectory, or an acceleration trajectory using at least one of the following:
x ( t )= a 0 +a 1 ( t−t 0 )+ a 2 ( t−t 0 ) 2 +a 3 ( t−t 0 ) 3 + a ( t−t 0 ) 4 +a 5 ( t−t 0 ) 5
{dot over (x)} ( t )= a 1 +2 a 2 ( t−t 0 )+3 a 3 ( t−t 0 ) 2 +4 a 4 ( t−t 0 ) 3 +5 a 5 ( t−t 0 ) 4
{umlaut over (x)} ( t )=2 a 2 +6 a 3 ( t−t 0 )+12 a 4 ( t−t 0 ) 2 +20 a 5 ( t−t 0 ) 3
{umlaut over ( {dot over (x)} )}( t )=6 a 3 +24 a 4 ( t−t 0 )+60 a 5 ( t−t 0 ) 2

where x(t) is position, {dot over (x)}(t) is velocity, {umlaut over (x)}(t) is acceleration, {umlaut over ({dot over (x)})}(t) is jerk, t is time, t 0 is initial time, a 0 is initial position, a 1 is initial speed, and a 2 is initial acceleration times ½, and a 3 , a 4 , and a 5 are determined by final con

Assignees

• Insitu Inc
• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Rysdyk Rolf
• Jackson Joseph
• Decker Jeffrey

Classifications

• G05D2109/25

  Rotorcrafts · CPC title

• G05D1/6545

  during descent or approach phase · CPC title

• G05D1/485 Primary

  Control of rate of change of altitude or depth · CPC title

• G05D1/0676 Primary

  specially adapted for landing · CPC title