Apparatus for detecting turbulence

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023351905-A1
Application number	US-202318310026-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 1, 2023
Priority date	May 2, 2022
Publication date	Nov 2, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting and evaluating turbulence for an aircraft. The apparatus contains a measuring device for acquiring a value, which indicates a movement of the aircraft relative to the earth, and a second measuring device for acquiring a second value, which indicates a movement of the aircraft relative to the air. The apparatus contains a computing system which receives the two values and determines a difference between the first value and the second value and, on the basis of the difference, a turbulence intensity. The computing system compares the second value with a predefined value range and classifies turbulence as classified turbulence if the second value departs from the predefined value range. The computing system determines the frequency of occurrence of such classified turbulences and detects a turbulent flight state on the basis of the determined turbulence intensity and the frequency of occurrence of the classified turbulences.

First claim

Claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for detecting turbulence for an aircraft, the apparatus comprising:
a first measuring device configured for acquiring and outputting a first measured value, which is indicative of a movement of the aircraft relative to the earth; a second measuring device configured for acquiring and outputting a second measured value, which is indicative of a movement of the aircraft relative to the air; a computing system which is in communicative connection with the first measuring device and with the second measuring device and which is configured to receive the first measured value and the second measured value; wherein the computing system is further configured to:
determine a difference between the first measured value and the second measured value and, on the basis of the difference, to determine a turbulence intensity;
compare the second measured value with a predefined value range for the second measured value and to class turbulence as classified turbulence wherein the second measured value lies outside the predefined value range and to determine a frequency of occurrence of such classified turbulences; and
detect a turbulent flight state on a basis of the determined turbulence intensity and the frequency of occurrence of the classified turbulences and to transmit information indicative of the turbulent flight state to an operating unit.

2 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the computing system is further configured to determine a change over time of the difference between the first measured value and the second measured value so as to determine the turbulence intensity on the basis of the change over time.

3 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the computing system is further configured to determine the frequency of occurrence of the classified turbulences for different units of time.

4 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the computing system is configured to detect of a turbulent flight state throughout an entire operating time of the aircraft.

5 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the computing system has a plurality of computing units, and
wherein each computing unit is configured to perform one or more functions of the computing system.

6 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein at least two computing units from the plurality of computing units are spatially and structurally separate from one another.

7 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a first computing unit is connected to the first measuring device and is configured to determine the turbulence intensity, and
wherein a second computing unit is connected to the second measuring device and is configured to determine the frequency of occurrence of the classified turbulences.

8 . An aircraft having the apparatus as claimed in claim 1 .

9 . The aircraft as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the apparatus is coupled with a drive unit of the aircraft, and
wherein the computing system is configured to generate and output a control command for the drive unit when a turbulent flight state has been detected and to change a speed of the aircraft with the control command.

10 . The aircraft as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the aircraft is an unmanned aircraft which is configured to be connected by way of a wireless data transmission channel to an operating station so as to be remotely piloted by an operator.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Hanel Martin
• Rath Tobias

Classifications

• G08G5/76

  for monitoring atmospheric conditions · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G05D1/0022

  characterised by the communication link (data switching networks in general H04L12/00) · CPC title

• G08G5/55 Primary

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/0069 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic