Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Alex Faynberg

Vineet Sahasrabudhe

Stephen T Kubik

John Rucci

Lorren Stiles

Aaron L Greenfield

Anthony Litwinowicz

John Knag

Stephen C McCulley

Christiaan Corry

John H Judge

Steven E Spoldi

Glen A Knaust

Margaret A Macisaac

Todd M Fanciullo

Edward Pavelka

Donald T Ream

Paul Morphy

Christiaan P Corry

John P Rucci

Stephen Kunik

Todd Fanciullo

A method for position hold override control of an aircraft includes determining, by a processor, that a position hold mode is enabled to hold the aircraft at a substantially fixed position with respect to a target. The processor receives a control input indicative of a commanded change in acceleration of the aircraft as an override of the position hold mode. The processor determines an acceleration command based on the commanded change in acceleration. The acceleration command is adjusted as an adjusted acceleration command responsive to a non-linear scheduled translational rate command based on feedback of a commanded velocity of the aircraft. An update to the commanded velocity of the aircraft is generated based on the adjusted acceleration command.

Position hold override control

A system and method for controlling a deceleration profile of an aircraft, includes a processor and memory that receives a signal indicative of a deceleration command; receives signals indicative of a sensed velocity and a commanded heading rate; determines a commanded velocity in response to the receiving of the deceleration command and the commanded heading rate; determines an estimated deceleration command as a function of the commanded velocity; and determines an actual deceleration command in response to the determining of the estimated deceleration command.

Deceleration to hover modulation

A method of controlling the flight of a rotorcraft in a feed-forward/feedback architecture includes utilizing an aircraft plant model to control the rotorcraft performance; determining when an external load is coupled to the rotorcraft; and modifying an inverse plant when the external load is present.

External load inverse plant

A torque based power limit cueing system is provided and includes an engine computer to compile data relating to torque and additional information of each of one or more engines, an active stick by which tactile cueing are provided to a pilot and by which the pilot inputs control commands, a multi-function display (MFD) by which visible cues are provided to the pilot and a flight control computer (FCC) operably coupled to the engine computer, the active stick and the multi-function display, the FCC being configured to receive the data from the engine computer and to output tactile cue commands and visible commands in accordance with the torque and the additional information of each of the one or more engines to the active stick and the MFD, respectively.

Torque based power limit cueing system and method

A flight control system includes a fly by wire system operable to provide predictive termination point symbology overlaid on a synthetic imagery displayed by a display system in response to a control system and a sensor system. A method to facilitate a VTOL aircraft approach to a terminal point includes integrating a flight director mode with a control system to provide a stabilized approach path to a termination point.

Stabilized approach to a point in degraded visual environment

A flight control system includes a model-based sensor system which estimates angular accelerations to control rotor system moment such that loads on the aircraft structure are reduced to thereby allow an aircraft structural envelope to more closely follow an aircraft service flight envelope.

Model based sensor system for loads aware control laws

A method of transitioning from a complex response flight state to a ground operation control state. Pilot intent is determined through collective position information to control the transition. An independent cockpit switch activates an emergency surface contact transition function for use with a fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system. Once the surface contact transition function is active, FBW control laws transition from a fully augmented flight state, through an augmentation deactivation state and into the surface contact state.

Surface contact override landing scheme for a FBW rotary-wing aircraft

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Cheshire, CT, United States of America

Alex Faynberg