Airbus Helicopters

Eurocopter

Airbus Helicopters Deutschland Gmbh

Marc Salesse-Lavergne

Paul Gerard Eglin

Boris Grohmann

Jean-Romain Bihel

Serge Alexandre Germanetti

Francois-Xavier Filias

Jean-Paul Petillon

Kamel Abdelli

Nicolas Queiras

Stephane Bailly

Nicolas Belanger

Christophe Tempier

Olivier Sellier

François-Xavier Filias

Pierre Zoppitelli

William Lagrevol

Nicholas Queiras

Stéphane Bailly

Serge Germanetti

A method that recommends capturing a stream of images of the landing zone, using a first imaging system to calculate position information for the landing zone on the basis of at least one real image of the stream, using an autopilot system to determine a current position of the landing zone at the current calculation instant, using a second imaging system to verify the presence of a landing zone at the current position in the real image, and generating an alarm if the presence is not found.

System and a method for assisting landing an aircraft, and a corresponding aircraft

A method and a device for determining and displaying a flyaway distance for a rotorcraft in the event of an engine of the rotorcraft failing, and while taking account of the height of waves being overflown by the rotorcraft. The method includes a first determination for determining a flyaway distance of the rotorcraft in the event of a failure of an engine and under current flying conditions, a second determination for determining a maximum altitude of the waves being overflown by the rotorcraft and displaying the flyaway distance and the maximum altitude on a display instrument of the rotorcraft indicating the relative height of the rotorcraft or else its altitude. A safety margin is preferably added to the maximum altitude of the waves, or else to the flyaway distance of the rotorcraft.

Method and a device for determining and displaying a flyaway distance for a rotorcraft while taking account of the height of waves

A haptic alert mechanism. The mechanism includes an actuator. At least one arm of a movable stopping piece is connected to the actuator. A spring box is provided with an enclosure containing a pre-stressed torsion spring, said spring box being mounted to be movable in rotation about the axis of rotation. The enclosure includes at least one lug that is mounted to be movable in rotation about said axis of rotation. A finger of the torsion spring passes through an elongate orifice in a front flank of the enclosure to form a movable, resilient stop that is overridable.

Haptic alert mechanism for alerting an aircraft pilot, and an aircraft

A directional lighting system fitted to an aircraft and comprising firstly a light source mounted on a motor-driven support and secondly a control device serving to control the motor-driven support. According to the invention, such a directional lighting system comprises a selector member for selecting a pointing target that is to be pointed to, a camera for acquiring a plurality of images of the surroundings outside the aircraft, image processor means for identifying the selected pointing target, a calculation unit configured to calculate the current coordinates of the pointing target, and a servocontrol member of the control device for servocontrolling the position of the motor-driven support to occupy an angular orientation as determined by the calculation unit.

Directional lighting fitted to an aircraft, and an associated lighting method

A method and a device for avoiding an object by detecting its approach to an aircraft. After detecting an object in the vicinity of an aircraft and detecting its approach, a first track for the object and a second track for the aircraft are estimated from successive first states for the object and successive second states for the aircraft. Thereafter, a minimum distance (d) between the first track and the second track is estimated and a warning is triggered as soon as the minimum distance is less than a first threshold so as to warn a crew of the aircraft of a risk of collision. Finally, if the minimum distance is less than a second threshold, an avoidance maneuver is performed automatically by the aircraft in order to move away from the first track, and thereby avoid any risk of collision with the object.

Method and a device for avoiding an object by detecting its approach to an aircraft

An electric control device having manipulation means. The electric control device has a first measurement system and a second measurement system respectively taking a first measurement and a second measurement of the current position of the manipulation means. A processor unit compares the first and second measurements in order to generate a control signal as a function of said current position, said processor unit considering that the manipulation means are in a neutral position when the first and second measurements do not correspond to the same position for the manipulation means.

Electric control member, a rotary wing aircraft, and a method

A device for assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft in order to pilot a rotorcraft during an approach stage preceding a stage of landing on a rotorcraft landing area. Such a device includes in particular a camera for taking a plurality of images of the environment of the rotorcraft along a line of sight, looking at least along a forward direction Dx of the rotorcraft, and processor for identifying in at least one image from among said plurality of images at least one looked-for landing area.

Device for assisting the piloting of a rotorcraft, associated display, and a corresponding method of assisting piloting

A method of determining the longitudinal air speed Vand the longitudinal ground speed Vof a rotary wing aircraft depending on the exposure of the aircraft to the wind, the aircraft flying at a speed of advance Va. The method making it possible to determine characteristic speed curves for the aircraft depending on the longitudinal speed of the relative wind to which the aircraft is subjected, and then during a flight and depending on the actions of the pilot of the aircraft, to deduce the longitudinal ground speed Vand the longitudinal air speed Vto be applied to the aircraft depending on variations in the longitudinal speed of the relative wind to which the aircraft is subjected.

Method of determining the longitudinal air speed and the longitudinal ground speed of a rotary wing aircraft depending on its exposure to the wind

A flight control method and system for a rotary wing aircraft. When the longitudinal speed Uof the aircraft is greater than a first threshold speed V, a first mode of operation of the method enables flight to be performed while maintaining track relative to the ground, the flight setpoints of an autopilot being a ground course angle TK, a forward speed Va, a flight path angle P, and a heading &#x3a8;. When the longitudinal speed Uis less than a second threshold speed V, a second mode of operation enables flight to be performed while maintaining heading, the flight setpoints being the longitudinal speed U, a lateral speed V, a vertical speed W, and the heading &#x3a8;.

Flight control system and method for a rotary wing aircraft, enabling it to maintain either track or heading depending on its forward speed

A flight control system for a rotary wing aircraft, the aircraft following a track T, relative to the ground with a ground course angle TK, a forward speed Va, a flight path angle P, and a heading &#x3a8;, the aircraft having one or more rotary wings provided with blades of collective pitch and of cyclic pitch that are variable about respective pitch axes and that are capable of performing movements in rotation and in translation. The flight control system has two control members each provided respectively with at least one movement axis A, B, C, D, and an autopilot for generating control signals. An action on one of the control members relative to one of the movement axes A, B, C, D gives rise independently to a modification to the forward speed Va, to the ground course angle TK, or indeed to the flight path angle P by means of the autopilot.

Flight control system and method with track maintenance for a rotary wing aircraft

A method and a system for engaging hovering flight for a rotary wing aircraft. A first mode of operation makes it possible, while the longitudinal speed Uof the aircraft is greater than a first threshold speed Vto approach a stop position S while maintaining track relative to the ground, the flight setpoints of an autopilot being a ground course angle TK, a deceleration rate Ga for the forward speed Va of the aircraft, a flight path angle P, and a heading &#x3a8;. A second mode of operation makes it possible, when the longitudinal speed Uis less than a second threshold speed V, to engage hovering flight at the stop position S while maintaining heading, the flight setpoints being the longitudinal speed U, a lateral speed V, a vertical speed W, and the heading &#x3a8;, the speeds U, V, and Wbeing reduced progressively to zero speed.

Method and system for engaging hovering flight for a rotary wing aircraft, enabling it to maintain either track or heading depending on its forward speed

A method and a system for determining an angular velocity in turning for a rotary wing aircraft in order to make turns that are coordinated relative to the ground or else relative to the air and in order to manage the transition between ground coordination and air coordination while taking account of the wind to which the aircraft is subjected. The method serving to determine an angular velocity in yaw using an anticipation value and a correction value on the basis in particular of speeds of advance of the aircraft relative to the ground and relative to the air of its lateral acceleration and of its lateral load factor.

Method and a system for determining an angular velocity in turning for a rotary wing aircraft

A standby instrument () for an aircraft, the instrument comprising at least one inertial sensor (), at least one pressure sensor (), calculation means () connected to said inertial and pressure sensors (), a display unit (). Said calculation means () are suitable for determining critical flight information for said aircraft, and for displaying said critical flight information on the display unit () in the event of a main information system of said aircraft failing. In addition, said standby instrument () also incorporates stabilization relationships enabling said calculation means () to determine control relationships in order to control the actuators () of an autopilot of said aircraft in the event of said autopilot failing. Finally, said calculation means () are connected to at least one engine operation computer () enabling said instrument () to display information about a first limit of the engine on said display unit ().

Standby instrument for an aircraft, the instrument providing flight information, power margin information, and assistance in piloting

A device () for assisted piloting of an aircraft having a rotary wing with a plurality of second blades (') and a propulsion unit with a plurality of first blades (&#x2032;). The device includes control means () for delivering a movement order (O) for moving in a direction, said device () having a processor unit () for transforming said order (O) into an acceleration setpoint (C) along said direction, and then for transforming said acceleration setpoint (C) into at least one required longitudinal attitude setpoint (&#x3b8;*) that is transmitted to a first automatic system () for maintaining longitudinal attitude by controlling a longitudinal cyclic pitch of the second blades (&#x2032;), and into a first required load factor setpoint (Nx*) in a longitudinal direction that is transmitted to a second automatic system () for maintaining load factor by controlling the collective pitch of the first blades.

Method of assisted piloting of a rotary wing aircraft having at least one propulsion propeller, an assisted piloting device, and an aircraft

A method of determining an angular velocity of an aircraft includes measuring the angular velocity using at least one gyro delivering a measured angular velocity signal affected by stochastic noise; measuring the angular acceleration of the aircraft using at least one accelerometer delivering a signal representing the angular acceleration of the aircraft; and using a filtering complementary in a frequency domain to combine a sum of the measured angular velocity signal and the angular acceleration signal so as to obtain a hybrid estimated angular velocity signal with reduced stochastic noise.

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Allauch, France

Marc Salesse-Lavergne