Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Anthony Litwinowicz

Vineet Sahasrabudhe

Jonathan K Garhart

Kenneth Stephen Wittmer

John Knag

Preston R Bates

Mark Winfield Scott

Matthew T Luszcz

Stephen T Kubik

Cody Fegely

William P Fell

Alex Faynberg

Charles W Clarke

James Rigsby

Stella Hyowon Litwinowicz

Kwok Cheng

Steven W Hong

The Hair Length Hand Guide allows for the user to easily measure and cut hair at uniform lengths. The guide is mounted between any two fingers on either hand such that the guide support extends perpendicular to the bottom of the hand when the user's fingers are extended straight and the hand is flat. To measure hair, the user can run their fingers at an angle in a combing motion through the hair grasping any that needs to be cut at its base. The curvature on the bottom of the guide support then allows the user to rock their hand back, pulling the hair grasped between their fingers straight while bringing the hand parallel to the cutting surface. The user can then cut any hair that extends beyond the top of their fingers for a uniform cut.

Hair length hand guide

Hair cutting guide

A flight control system includes a flight control computer operable in a flight state and a ground state. A high demand trim relief logic is operable by the flight control computer in the ground state. The high demand trim relief logic is configured to automatically modify the neutral position of a rotor when a command input to the flight control computer to control the rotor is near an allowable limit.

High trim demand relief

Embodiments are directed to obtaining data from at least one sensor, processing, by a processor, the data to determine an independent rotor phase lag for each of a plurality of axes associated with a rotorcraft, and issuing, by the processor, at least one command to provide for on-axis moments in accordance with the independent rotor phase lag for each of the axes.

Rotor phase control

A rotary wing aircraft control system includes an airframe, a main rotor assembly supported by the airframe, and a control system arranged in the airframe and operatively connected to the main rotor assembly. The control system includes a flight control computer (FCC), at least one control inceptor device and a touchdown orientation control system. The touchdown orientation control system includes a computer readable program code an FCC to: sense, by a sensor operatively connected to the flight control computer (FCC), an altitude of the rotary wing aircraft relative to a landing surface, determine one of a landing state rearward velocity reference limit value and a landing state lateral velocity reference limit value associated with the altitude, and selectively limit a landing state flight envelope of the rotary wing aircraft to the one of the landing state rearward velocity reference limit value and the landing state lateral velocity reference limit value.

Touchdown orientation control system for a rotary wing aircraft and method

An impact mitigation system for an aircraft and method of deploying the impact mitigation system is disclosed. A state parameter of the aircraft is obtained. The state parameter is used with an aircraft performance model to determine an acceleration capability of the aircraft. A trajectory of the aircraft is predicted using the state parameter of the aircraft and the acceleration capability of the aircraft. A location of an object with respect to the aircraft is determined and the impact mitigation system is deployed when the predicted trajectory indicates a contact with the object at a predicted contact velocity higher than a threshold velocity at a future time.

Model based contact predictor

Controlling rotor blades of a rotor assembly includes determining an azimuthal position of a rotor assembly and identifying a lateral control command value, a longitudinal control command value and a collective control command value of a rotor assembly control system. A sine value and a cosine value of the azimuthal position are calculated and separate blade commands signals are generated for each separate blade of the rotor assembly to control a position of each blade independent of each other blade. The blade command signals are generated based on combining the sine and cosine values of the azimuthal position with the lateral control command value, the longitudinal control command value and the collective control command value.

Controlling rotor blades of a swashplateless rotor

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to measuring, via at least one sensor, at least one of a damage and a compromise associated with a vehicle, determining at least one of a region and a location of the at least one of a damage and a compromise and a level of the at least one of a damage and a compromise, and adapting an operational envelope for the vehicle based on the determined at least one of a region and a location of the at least one of a damage and a compromise and the level of the at least one of a damage and a compromise.

Damage adaptive control

A helicopter is provided and includes an air frame formed to accommodate a pilot, flight control elements disposed on the airframe to generate lift and thrust in accordance with control commands issued by the pilot and a current control mode, a sensor disposed on the airframe to sense helicopter proximity to terrain and obstacles and a flight computer configured to change the current control mode based on sensed helicopter proximity to the terrain and the obstacles.

Terrain adaptive flight control

Embodiments are directed to causing, by a computing device comprising a processor, a rotating tail rotor to operate in a tail rotor mode when an aircraft is operating at a speed less than a rudder control power threshold, receiving, by the computing device, a command that indicates a request to transition the aircraft, determining, by the computing device, that a rudder of the aircraft has control power in an amount greater than a second threshold based on receiving the command, and causing, by the computing device, the rotating tail rotor to operate in a pusher propeller mode based on determining that the rudder has control power in the amount greater than the second threshold.

Automated rotating tail rotor control

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to obtaining, by a device, data associated with an aircraft, processing, by the device, the data, determining, by the device, that the aircraft is likely to impact an object with a probability greater than a threshold within a second threshold amount of time based on the processed data, and causing, by the device, a change in an orientation of the aircraft based on the determination.

Hard landing detection and orientation control

Embodiments are directed to receiving, by a computing device comprising a processor, at least one control input associated with an aircraft, obtaining, by the computing device, a predicted response to the at least one control input by filtering on a trim position, wherein the predicted response is based on a model of the aircraft, obtaining, by the computing device, an actual response of the aircraft to the at least one control input, comparing, by the computing device, the predicted response and the actual response, and determining, by the computing device, at least one attribute based on the comparison.

Aircraft weight identification using filtered trim estimation

A method for velocity profile based approach to point control for an aircraft includes determining a distance from the aircraft to a target point; determining a velocity command based on the distance to the target point and a desired acceleration; and issuing the velocity command. A velocity profile based approach to point control module for an aircraft and a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium containing computer code that, when executed by a computer, implements a method for velocity profile based approach to point control are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Derby, CT, United States of America

Anthony Litwinowicz