Flight Dynamics, Inc.

Other

Douglas W Ford

Kenneth A Zimmerman

Michael E Fossey

John P Desmond

Shahram Daneshmandi

Michael Stanbro

Walter A Johnson

The present invention comprises a system for detecting windshear and associated downdraft effects when they are encountered in flight by an aircraft. The system includes an input unit (12), a first processing unit (14), a second processing unit (16), an output unit (18), and a pilot warning device (20). The input unit receives aircraft performance data from the instruments and/or flight systems on the aircraft and preconditions this data to produce a set of signals corresponding to various aerodynamic and inertial input parameters. The first processing unit differences signals representing the aerodynamically derived and inertially derived accelerations of the aircraft in order to generate windshear signals. These windshear signals are then corrected for pitch rate induced coriolis acceleration effects. The corrected signals are used to form a signals representing longitudinal windshear along the horizontal heading axis of the aircraft and the change in aircraft climb gradient due to longitudinal windshear. The second processing unit difference aerodynamically derived and inertially derived flight path signals to generate a windshear type change in climb gradient signal corresponding to the effects of downdrafts. The output unit sums the change in climb gradient signals to produce an overall aircraft loss of performance signal which it then conditions for threshold detection purposes. This final conditioned signal is furnished to the pilot warning device which provides a visible or audible warning in order to advise the aircraft pilot of potentially hazardous flight conditions. In an alternate embodiment, coriolis acceleration effects are eliminated by forming a signal representing aerodynamically derived acceleration in the horizontal plane. The longitudinal windshear signal is then generated by forming an inertial acceleration signal in the horizontal plane and differencing the respective aerodynamic and inertial acceleration signals.

Windshear measurement system

The present invention constitutes a system for generating an elevator command signal for directing a pilot in guiding his aircraft along a path effective for recovering from hazardous windshear conditions. The system includes a descending mode guidance subsystem (10), an ascending mode guidance subsystem (12) and a switching mechanism (14) for shifting between the two subsystems. The descending mode subsystem includes an acceleration generator (20), a flight path command generator (22), a flight path error generator (24), a descending mode pitch error generator (26), an airspeed control device (28) and a descending mode signal controller (30). These components are connected serially together and operate to form an elevator command signal corresponding to the acceleration required to halt the descent of the aircraft by a fixed altitude level. They also function to control and condition this signal with respect to important flight parameters such as the aircraft's maximum safe angle of attack and the response capabilities of the pilot and aircraft.

Windshear flight recovery command system

A digital-based control data processing system detects during system operation the occurrence of data processing errors. Data processing accuracy is verified by receiving output information developed from system input information in accordance with a first operational function, computing a derived version of the system input information in accordance with a second operational function, and comparing the derived version of the system input information to the actual system input information to determine whether they differ by a predetermined operational tolerance. This method for verifying processing accuracy is especially advantageous for detecting latent software errors which are unique to a particular computer program. The processing system includes display apparatus which develops from the output information a set of display symbols that convey the information on a monitor screen to the pilot. Assigned to each display symbol is an identifying tag which identifies in real time a display symbol that conveys erroneous information.

Method and apparatus for detecting control system data processing errors

Growing community of inventors

Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Douglas W Ford