The Boeing Company

Rolf Hansen

Antonius A Lambregts

Douglas S Ormiston

Susan C Kim

A wind shear detection and alert system, compensated for the calibrated airspeed of the aircraft to minimize nuisance wind shear alerts. The wind shear detection and alert system (10) determines a reference airspeed as a function of flap position, with respect to a minimum maneuver airspeed signal (60) provided by a stall warning computer on the aircraft. The reference airspeed is subtracted from a calibrated airspeed signal (76) that has been filtered to remove minor variations in the signal using a Laplace filter (68). The differential airspeed is further filtered by another Laplace filter (78), producing a filtered differential airspeed signal (70), which the system uses to determine a delta threshold (48) to be applied in compensation for the aircraft airspeed to a wind shear alert reference signal. As the filtered differential airspeed increases, the delta threshold signal increases the absolute level of the wind shear alert threshold, reducing the likelihood of unnecessary wind shear alerts.

Method and apparatus for reducing false wind shear alerts

An improved inner loop control is disclosed for use in an aircraft pitch axis control system. Signals representative of vertical acceleration and pitch rate are complementary filtered and summed to produce an 'inner loop' damping signal which is combined with 'outer loop' command signals to produce an elevator control signal. The improved approach provides higher outer loop control law gains and better system stability, resulting in higher control bandwidth and tighter command tracking, especially in turbulence.

Method and apparatus for an aircraft inner loop elevator control system

Upon aircraft landing approach, flare path command signals of altitude, vertical velocity and vertical acceleration are generated as functions of aircraft position and velocity with respect to the ground. The command signals are compared with corresponding actual values to generate error signals which are used to control the flight path.

Aircraft landing control system

Aircraft altitude, ground velocity, and altitude rate signals are input to a computer which, using a unique control law, generates a pitch control surface command signal suitable for guiding an aircraft on its flare path to a specified runway touchdown point despite varying wind conditions.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Rolf Hansen