Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

Other

Joseph T Driscoll

Igor Cherepinsky

Mark R Alber

Timothy Fred Lauder

John Manley McDonald

Harshad S Sane

John G McDonald

Phillip J Gold

Derek H Geiger

Ole Wulff

Christopher A Thornberg

Cody Fegely

David H Sweet

Frederick J Ebert

Byron Graham, Jr

Stella Jang

William Douglas Kinkead

Leonard M Wengler, Jr

Frank P D'anna

Stephen Kubik

Harshard S Sane

Leonard M Wengler

An electrical and receptacle and fixture system that provides a simple, safe and quick mechanical electrical connection for mounting electrical fixtures to a receptacle box and connecting electrical equipment. The connection system has dedicated fixture and receptacle as well as conversion adapters for existing electrical connections. An LED integral light and switch assembly is adaptable to connect system providing self-contained point of use switchable LED lighting as required.

Easy mount lighting fixture and electrical receptacle system

A rotary-wing aircraft and system for flying a rotary-wing aircraft. The aircraft includes a servo system for actuating a rotor of the aircraft. A hydraulic system provides hydraulic power to the servo system, and a sensor measures a parameter of the hydraulic system. A processor determines a condition of the hydraulic system from the parameter and enforces an effective flight envelop based on the condition of the hydraulic system in order to fly the aircraft within the effective flight envelope.

Automatic envelope limiting based on detected hydraulic failures

An electrical and receptacle and fixture system that provides a simple, safe and quick mechanical electrical connection for mounting electrical fixtures to a receptacle box and connecting electrical equipment. The connection system has dedicated fixture and receptacle as well as conversion adapters for existing electrical connections.

According to one aspect, a method of initial rotor state compensation for a rotorcraft includes determining a vehicle attitude of the rotorcraft prior to takeoff of the rotorcraft. A rotor state compensation is computed based on the vehicle attitude. A plurality of rotor servos is commanded to an initial rotor state based on a nominal rotor neutral position value in combination with the rotor state compensation to establish a predetermined takeoff trajectory of the rotorcraft.

Initial rotor state compensation for a rotorcraft

An aircraft is provided and includes an airframe. The airframe includes first and second rotor apparatuses at upper and tail portions of the aircraft, respectively, to provide for control and navigational drive. The aircraft further includes a stabilizer component disposed at the tail portion in a position displaced from downwash of the first and second rotor apparatuses at airspeed ranges and a control system configured to apply a dither actuation signal to the stabilizer component at the airspeed ranges by which an aircraft response to a stabilizer component input is measurable for airspeed estimation purposes.

Rotorcraft flight parameter estimation

A flight control system which detects a failure of a flight control surface and performs at least one action in response to the detected failure.

Control surface failure detection for fly-by-wire aircraft

A flight control system and method which determines an expected power required data in response to a flight control command of the at least one model following control law and utilizes the expected power required data to perform at least one action to control an engine speed.

Engine anticipation for rotary-wing aircraft

A control system for small unmanned rotorcraft compensates for vehicle pitch control saturation caused by the need for sudden vehicle pitch attitude correction, in turn often caused by wind gusts. The rotorcraft has a pitch-variable rotor system responsive to a vehicle pitch servo command for cyclically controlling rotor pitch and responsive to a collective servo command for collectively controlling rotor pitch. A compensating signal derived from the unlimited vehicle pitch servo command signal is cross-connected to the unlimited collective servo command signal to compensate for pitch control saturation, typically by reducing the magnitude of the resulting collective servo command signal. The compensating signal is derived by passing the unlimited vehicle pitch servo command signal through a dead band which responds as the signal approaches saturation and by preferably also then providing high and low frequency shaping to that signal.

Compensation for rotorcraft pitch axis control saturation

A helicopter engine fuel control anticipates changes in main rotor torque in response to lateral cyclic pitch commands, to thereby minimize engine and main rotor speed droop and overspeed during left and right roll maneuvers. A fuel compensation signal (100,101) is summed with a helicopter fuel control (52) fuel command signal (67) in response both to a lateral cyclic pitch command signal (LCP) (107) from a pilot operated cyclic pitch control exceeding a left or right threshold magnitude (201,210) and a total lateral cyclic pitch command signal (TCP) (108) from a lateral cyclic pitch control system exceeding a left or right threshold magnitude (202,207,215,220). The magnitude of the fuel compensation signal is dependant upon the direction of TCP and LCP, e.g., left or right, and helicopter roll acceleration (115). Alternatively, the magnitude and duration of the fuel compensation signal is dependant upon the rate of change in commanded lateral cyclic pitch (107,400,407). A limiter (120) limits the magnitude of the fuel compensation signal. The fuel compensation signal is overridden (127,125,103) when it is increasing fuel flow ( 303) during rotor overspeed (128,301), and when it is decreasing fuel flow (311) if rotor acceleration (130,133) is negative (310) during rotor droop (128,301).

Helicopter engine control having lateral cyclic pitch anticipation

A helicopter engine fuel control anticipates sudden changes in engine power demand during yaw inputs to thereby minimize engine and main rotor speed droop and overspeed during yaw maneuvers. The rate (121,123) of yaw control (107) position change generates (110) a yaw component (104) of a helicopter fuel control (52) fuel command signal (70). The magnitude of the yaw component is also dependant upon the rate of yaw control position change (703). The fuel command signal yaw component (104) is overridden (113,115) when rotor decay rate (209,217) has been arrested during a sharp left hover turn (216); when the yaw component is removing fuel (239) during rotor droop (238); and when the yaw component is adding fuel (228) during rotor overspeed (227).

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Prospect, CT, United States of America

Joseph T Driscoll