| Entries |
| Document | Title | Date |
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| 20080208399 | ELECTRONIC FLIGHT BAG SYSTEM AND METHOD - An electronic flight bag (EFB) system for use on a mobile platform, for example, a commercial or military aircraft. The EFB system includes first and second independent processors that run first and second independent software applications. The first software application may be a Type C application requiring a high level of governmental agency certification for use on an aircraft while the second application may be a commercially available, off-the-shelf software application that requires no certification. The two processors share a common display, although the first processor is provided with control over the display so that use of the display by the second processor can be inhibited or limited by the first processor as may be needed to display more critical flight or aircraft related information. The first processor is also provided with control over a switching subsystem that can interrupt the flow of information from external I/O devices to and from the second processor, if needed. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080208400 | Method and System for Assisting Flight Control of a Low-Flying Aircraft - The system ( | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080262664 | Synthetic vision system and methods - The present invention is directed to a system and methods, embodiments of which provide increased situation awareness information in an improved Synthetic Vision System (SVS). According to the present invention, a Primary Flight Display (PFD), a top-down view Multi-Function Display (MFD), and side-view Vertical Profile Display (VPD) are presented on one user interface with an input device, such as a transparent touch screen for quick and easy data entry. The present invention also provides color shading, such as red, to communicate areas where the aircraft may be in conflict with terrain or obstacles at a point in time in the future. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20080269963 | Systems and Methods for Estimating Position, Attitude, and/or Heading of a Vehicle - A system for estimating at least one of position, attitude, and heading of a vehicle is disclosed. The system includes at least three gyroscopes configured to output a signal indicative of inertial angular rates around three mutually orthogonal axes of the vehicle and at least three accelerometers configured to output a signal indicative of accelerations along three mutually orthogonal axes of the vehicle. The system further includes a triaxial magnetometer configured to output a signal indicative of a projection of ambient magnetic field on three mutually orthogonal axes of the vehicle. The system also includes a sensor configured to output a signal indicative of vehicle altitude and a differential pressure sensor configured to output a signal indicative of airspeed of the vehicle. The system further includes a device configured to receive the signals and estimate at least of one of position, attitude, and heading of the vehicle. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20090024259 | Stores dependent angle of attack feedback - A method for adjusting angle of attack feedback gain based characteristics and position of mounted stores, and a control system using the method. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090076669 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING MULTI-BODY VEHICLES WITH FUEL SLOSH - Methods and systems for controlling multi-body vehicles with fuel slosh are provided. In a method for stabilizing a vehicle with fuel slosh, a controller for a multi-body assembly is formed by selecting vehicle configuration and velocity as states of a rigid body. Equations of motion are written for the multi-body assembly, and velocity states are determined that are unactuated. A decoupling transformation is defined from the unactuated velocity states. The equations of motion are transformed using the decoupling transformation such that unactuated states are decoupled from actuated states. A slosh state estimator is coupled to the controller such that it is in operative communication with an input to the controller and an output from the controller. | 03-19-2009 |
| 20090088911 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANEUVERING AN AIRCRAFT BY SHIFTING ITS CENTER OF GRAVITY - A method to maneuver an aircraft in flight, in which the center of gravity of the aircraft is shifted by transferring fuel from at least one first fuel tank to at least one second fuel tank of the aircraft. A system implementing this method, the system including: at least one first fuel tank and at least one second fuel tank, a flight control unit capable of sending out a maneuver command upon being handled. A computer capable, as a function of this command, of determining a quantity of fuel to be transferred from the first tank to the second tank, at least one means of transfer connecting the first and second tanks and being controlled by the computer, to transfer the fuel from the first tank to the second tank | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090138142 | Motion-resolving hover display - An integrated flight instrument which provides unambiguous information regarding the motion of a hovering aircraft. The instrument accurately depicts motion in six degrees of freedom (roll, pitch, yaw, forward translation, lateral translation, and vertical translation), as well as aircraft power requirements and utilization. | 05-28-2009 |
| 20090138143 | VIRTUAL CONTROL PANEL FOR AERONAUTICS ATTITUDE REFERENCE UNITS - The general field of the invention relates to devices for controlling the two attitude reference units of the AHRS type for aircraft, each AHRS comprising at least a first set of magnetometer measurements and at least a second set of gyroscopic measurements, each AHRS having two modes of operation, the first mode, called slave mode supplying the flight system with the information coming from the first set, the second mode, called DG mode supplying the flight system with the information coming from the second set. The device according to the invention comprises a display and means for displaying within this display a control window for these two attitude reference units, said window comprising three regions, the first region dedicated to the first AHRS unit, the second region dedicated to the second AHRS unit, the third region dedicated to the simultaneous control of the two AHRS units. | 05-28-2009 |
| 20090157238 | DEVICE FOR SAFELY OPERATING A FLIGHT CONTROL ACTUATOR OF AN AIRCRAFT - The field of the invention is that of safe devices for operating the actuators of aircraft and more specifically the flight control actuators of a helicopter. The invention consists of a safe control device for commanding an actuator ( | 06-18-2009 |
| 20090171517 | Shooshoo - According to a preferred embodiment of present invention, a method and apparatus for Computer Controlled tail-rotor anti-torque system, utilizing stored momentum of rotating body as well as power change (speed and torque) with changing pitch is provided. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20090177340 | VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING AIRCRAFT - A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft according to the invention includes multiple thrust producing devices that produce thrusts applied in the substantially vertically upward direction; a target attitude setting portion that sets a target attitude used in attitude control of the aircraft; an inertia moment deriving portion that derives an inertia moment applied around a predetermined rotational axis of the aircraft; and a thrust adjustment portion that adjusts, during the attitude control of the aircraft, the thrusts to be produced by the respective thrust producing devices based on the target attitude set by the target attitude setting portion and the inertia moment during the attitude control, which is derived by the inertia moment deriving portion. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090187292 | INTEGRATED PITCH, ROLL, AND YAW INCEPTOR - A method and apparatus for a control system for an aircraft. The control system comprises a grip, a set of feedback components connected to the grip, and a set of sensors. The set of feedback components transmit a restoring force opposite to a movement of the grip. The set of sensors are capable of detecting pitch input, roll input, and yaw input in response to the movement of the grip. | 07-23-2009 |
| 20090292408 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING INTENT OF AIRCRAFT - A method of an aircraft communicating a current position status, a current movement status, a current intent, and/or an intended future path, position, or intent of the aircraft may include the aircraft generating explicit first ownship information related to the current position status and/or the current movement status of the aircraft, and/or a flight management or other aircraft system of the aircraft generating information related to the intended future path, position, or intent of the aircraft. The aircraft may transmit the explicit first ownship information and/or the second information using an automatic dependent surveillance broadcast system transmitter. An airborne and/or ground receiver may receive the transmitted information related to the explicit first ownship information and/or the second information. | 11-26-2009 |
| 20090319100 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DEFINING AND RENDERING A TRAJECTORY - Embodiments of systems and methods for defining and rendering a trajectory of an aircraft include a processing system that causes a three dimensional trajectory depiction to be rendered on a display device. The trajectory depiction includes at least one trajectory element indicator that corresponds to at least one trajectory element of a flight plan. The processing system also receives one or more user interface commands that indicate selection by a user of a selected trajectory element indicator and user-initiated movement of the selected trajectory element indicator from a first display position to a second display position. The processing system determines one or more modified characteristics of a trajectory element corresponding to the selected trajectory element indicator in response to the user-initiated movement, and causes a modified trajectory depiction to be rendered. The modified trajectory depiction includes the selected trajectory element indicator rendered at the second display position. | 12-24-2009 |
| 20090326741 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR EXTRACTING TERRAIN ALTITUDES - The present invention relates to a method and a device for extracting terrain altitudes notably for a display of a sectional view of a terrain overflown by an aircraft. The device for extracting terrain altitudes along a trajectory ( | 12-31-2009 |
| 20090326742 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR VERTICAL MOTION DETECTOR IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL - Methods and apparatus for vertical motion detection of objects, such as aircraft. In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving altitude data for an object, determining a residual of a lag function, wherein the lag function comprises a moving average of the altitude data for the object, and wherein the residual corresponds to a difference between a value for the lag function and the object altitude data at a given time such that the residual grows in magnitude over time in response to the object transitioning from level flight to vertical motion, detecting vertical motion of the object by comparing a sum of data derived from the residuals against a threshold value, and outputting a vertical motion indicator after detecting the vertical motion of the object. | 12-31-2009 |
| 20100036548 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A DISPLAY DEVICE ON-BOARD AN AIRCRAFT - Methods and systems for operating a display device that is viewable by a user of an aircraft are provided. A first image is caused to be displayed on the display device. The first image is at least representative of a field of view from on-board the aircraft of an actual terrain. A second image is rendered over the first image on the display device. The second image includes a vertical position indicator indicating a vertical position of the aircraft relative to a selected flight path. The vertical position indicator is moved in a pitch direction on the display device in response to the aircraft moving relative to the actual terrain. The pitch direction corresponds to a change in the pitch of the aircraft. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100042270 | ACTIVE PITCH CONTROL METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AN AIRCRAFT - The device ( | 02-18-2010 |
| 20100042271 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MOVEABLE TAIL TRIMMING IN AN AIRCRAFT - The invention relates to a method for actuating an adjusting drive for adjusting an elevator ( | 02-18-2010 |
| 20100070113 | DEVICE FOR SERVOING GRAPHIC REPRESENTATIONS OF THE AIR ENVIRONMENT - Device for servoing graphical representations of the aerial environment for aircraft, an avionics the device including a display, a computer and memory in communication with the computer, the memory storing means for generating images of environmental data, said data being servoed by the first calculation resource and periodically refreshed in a first time interval. The device comprises a calculation resource providing an angle of heading of the aircraft relative to North and its geo-referenced current position, these data being servoed, periodically, in real time in a second time interval. The representation of a part of the environmental data on the viewing screen of the device is servoed and refreshed during the second time interval and positioned and oriented graphically, by the display, according to the last current angle of the position of the aircraft calculated and of the last geo-referenced current position. | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100076624 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ACTIVE WING AND LIFT SURFACE CONTROL USING INTEGRATED AEROELASTICITY MEASUREMENTS - An active wing and lift surface control system for an aircraft is described. The wing and lift surface control system includes an aeroelasticity measurement system configured to provide at least one of real time wing twist measurements and real time measurements of aircraft body bending, at least one actuator mechanically coupled to a control surface of the aircraft, and a control system communicatively coupled to the aeroelasticity measurement system and to the at least one actuator. The control system is operable to receive the measurements from the aeroelasticity measurement system and generate control signals, based on the real time measurements, to operate the at least one actuator to adjust a drag associated with one or more of the wing and the aircraft body. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100076625 | FLIGHT CONTROL COCKPIT MODES IN DUCTED FAN VTOL VEHICLES - A flight control system for aircraft, such as for a vehicle with a ducted fan propulsion system which also produces rotary moments and side forces for control purposes. The flight control system of the present invention is designed in a manner that will ensure the safety of the vehicle in event of a malfunction in any one of its channels and enable the flight to continue down to a safe landing. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100152929 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF REDUNDANCY FOR AIRCRAFT INERTIAL SIGNAL DATA - An aircraft inertial system comprises at least two inertial reference units (IRU) that provide a first set of inertial signal data for an aircraft and at least two attitude heading reference systems (AHRS) that provide a second set of the inertial signal data for the aircraft. At least one primary flight display receives the first and the second sets of the inertial signal data, and a standby flight display receives at least the second set of the inertial signal data from at least one of the AHRS. When a single fault condition occurs, the primary flight display continues to operate with fail-operational redundancy from at least three independent sources of the inertial signal data comprising one or more IRU and AHRS combinations. The standby flight display will operate using a different source of the inertial signal data than the source of the inertial signal data for the primary flight display. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20100161158 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ENHANCING TERRAIN ELEVATION AWARENESS - A display system for an aircraft is provided. The display includes a processing unit configured to receive terrain data and navigation data and to supply display commands with symbology based on the terrain data and navigation data; and a display device coupled the processing unit and configured to receive the display commands and operable to render a three-dimensional view with the symbology. The symbology includes terrain, a zero pitch line, and elevation symbology indicating a relative elevation between the zero pitch line and a position in the view. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100161159 | AUTOMATIC STRATEGIC OFFSET FUNCTION - A system may generate a modified flight plan for an aircraft based on an original flight plan. The system may provide an automatic strategic offset function that includes an autoflight system; a sensor system including at least one of a global positioning system, an inertial reference unit, or an air data computer; and a flight management computer. The flight management computer may be operably coupled with the autoflight system and/or the sensor system. The flight management computer may process a flight plan of the vehicle and generate a non-uniform offset value in the vertical and/or lateral orientation between the flight plan and a boundary. The offset value may be used to create an offset flight plan for navigating an aircraft. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100185344 | SURFACE CONTROL SYSTEM - A method, apparatus, and computer program product are present for controlling a control surface. A load is identified on the control surface to form an identified load. A direction of movement of the control surface is identified from the identified load to form an identified movement. A brake associated with the control surface is engaged if the identified movement is away from a desired position for the control surface. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100185345 | METHOD OF ESTIMATING AN ANGLE OF ATTACK AND AN ANGLE OF SIDESLIP OF AN AIRCRAFT - A method for estimating an angle of attack and an angle of sideslip of an aircraft has a plurality of control surfaces each adjustable with respect to an associated reference surface. The method includes measuring quantities representative of the angle formed by each control surface with respect to the associated reference surface; measuring the effective rolling speed, the effective pitching speed, and effective yawing speed of the aircraft. A linearized model of a state observer is defined according to the following equations: | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100185346 | AERIAL PAYLOAD DEPLOYMENT METHOD - The present invention provides a method, comprising: providing an aerial platform having an outer shell; disposing a gas containment system within the outer shell; attaching the aerial platform to an object using a tether system; and inflating the aerial platform and lifting a payload; wherein the aerial platform is configured such that it may be completely collapsed when deployed. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100204852 | PROGNOSTIC AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT ACCURACY MAINTENANCE SYSTEM AND METHOD - A prognostic and health accuracy maintenance system and method for a system following on-site replacement of a component in the system is provided. A system characterization model of at least portions of the system is generated and embedded within a controller in the system. The system characterization model is adapted to receive a plurality of signals that are each representative of an operational parameter within the system and is responsive to each of the signals to generate simulation response data and determine system health based, at least in part, on the simulation response data. When a component within the system is replaced, a determination is made as to whether the replacement component exhibits one or more operational performance characteristics that differ from the component it replaced. If so, the embedded system characterization model is updated in-situ. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100204853 | FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM AND AIRCRAFT COMPRISING IT - The flight control system comprises:
| 08-12-2010 |
| 20100222943 | FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM AND AIRCRAFT COMPRISING IT - The flight control system comprises:
| 09-02-2010 |
| 20100241293 | TUNABLE ARCHITECTURE FOR AIRCRAFT FAULT DETECTION - A method for detecting faults in an aircraft is disclosed. The method involves predicting at least one state of the aircraft and tuning at least one threshold value to tightly upper bound the size of a mismatch between the at least one predicted state and a corresponding actual state of the non-faulted aircraft. If the mismatch between the at least one predicted state and the corresponding actual state is greater than or equal to the at least one threshold value, the method indicates that at least one fault has been detected. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20100250029 | DIGITAL SMART SERVO CONTROLLER FOR SAFETY CRITICAL VEHICLE CONTROL - A smart servo controller that is operable to control a redundant configuration of servo motors corresponding to mechanical control surfaces of an aerial vehicle is described. The controller (i) outputs the necessary electrical signals that control the servo motors corresponding to each control surface, (ii) monitors those signals, (iii) monitors the positions of the servo motor shafts, and (iv) provides notification to a flight control computer upon detecting a servo malfunction. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100274419 | Method and Device for Adjusting the Trajectory of an Aircraft in a Climb Circuit - A method of adjusting the trajectory of an aircraft flying a climb circuit, of substantially helical form corresponding to a succession of racetracks, denoted HOLD, the last HOLD, called the exit HOLD, having predefined geometric characteristics and comprising a lock-on point, allowing the aircraft to enter and to exit in the HOLD, the aircraft attaining the setpoint altitude of the climb circuit during the flight of the exit HOLD, comprises at least three steps, including: a step of computing the prediction of the position of the aircraft when the setpoint altitude will be attained; a step of computing the remaining distance to be traveled, between the position of the aircraft when the setpoint altitude will be attained and the lock-on point; and a step making it possible to carry out an adaptation of the form of the exit HOLD so as to minimize the remaining distance to be traveled DELTA. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100286849 | Systems and Methods for Controlling Aircraft Flaps and Spoilers - Systems and methods for controlling aircraft flaps and spoilers are disclosed. Systems in accordance with some embodiments include a wing having a trailing edge, and a flap positioned at least partially aft of the wing trailing edge and being deployable relative to the wing between a first flap position and a second flap position by operation of a first actuator. A spoiler can be positioned at least proximate to the trailing edge and can be movable among at least three positions, including a first spoiler position in which the spoiler forms a generally continuous contour with an upper surface of the wing, a second spoiler position deflected downwardly from the first, and a third spoiler position deflected upwardly from the first. A second actuator can be operatively coupled to the spoiler to move the spoiler among the first, second and third spoiler positions in a manner that is mechanically independent of the motion of the flap. | 11-11-2010 |
| 20100299003 | REAL-TIME COMPENSATION OF INERTIAL SENSOR BIAS ERRORS UNDER HIGH SPIN RATE CONDITIONS - A method of estimating bias errors for an air vehicle in flight under high spin conditions is provided. The method comprises collecting a first set of data samples at a first time and collecting a second set of data samples at a second time. The first time and the second time occur after deployment of the air vehicle and before canard shock. The first and second sets of data samples comprise roll rate data from at least a first gyroscope and acceleration data from at least a first accelerometer. At least a first estimated accelerometer bias from the first and second sets of data samples is calculated. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20100305783 | ENHANCED VERTICAL SITUATION DISPLAY - A vertical situation display system for use in a vehicle such as, for example, an aircraft, is provided. A side view of an intended route of flight may be shown with altitude restrictions, airspace and instrument approach information, a projected flight path and range to airspeed symbol. The system may show terrain, weather, and traffic information along the intended route of flight. The system may be used in conjunction with a navigational display to enhance situational awareness. The system includes a computer, an electronic display device, an electronic entry device, a memory and a database. The database may contain terrain, airspace and flight planning data and may be updatable. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20110029160 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR A TANDEM DIVERT AND ATTITUDE CONTROL SYSTEM - An aeronautical vehicle includes at least one set of tandem divert thrusters incorporated into the body. Each set of tandem divert thrusters includes a first divert thruster and a second divert thruster, each configured to provide substantially equal thrust forces at substantially the same time and in substantially opposite directions such that the moment reference point lies between the first and second divert thrusters. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110029161 | VISUAL AUTOPILOT FOR NEAR-OBSTACLE FLIGHT - This present invention describes a novel vision-based control strategy for autonomous cruise flight in possibly cluttered environments such as—but not limited to—cities, forests, valleys, or mountains. The present invention is to provide an autopilot that relies exclusively on visual and gyroscopic information, with no requirement for explicit state estimation nor additional stabilisation mechanisms. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110046823 | PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR OPTIMISING THE PERFORMANCE OF AN AIRCRAFT IN THE PRESENCE OF A LATERAL DISSYMETRY - A process and device for optimising the performance of an aircraft in the presence of a lateral dissymmetry is disclosed. The device ( | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110046824 | Device for piloting a vehicle and method for the motorised assistance and control of such a piloting device - The invention relates to a piloting device comprising a piloting component ( | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110054719 | METHOD FOR DRAMATICALLY REDUCING THE TAKE-OFF RUN OF AN AIRCRAFT - According to the invention, during take-off, the aircraft (AC) is given an attitude (θ | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110082604 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DIVERT AND ATTITUDE CONTROL IN FLIGHT VEHICLES - A system and method is provided for thruster control in a flight vehicle. The system and method uses a proportional derivative matrix control technique to determine thrust commands in a Divert and Attitude control (DAC) system. The proportional derivative matrix control system is configured to receive pitch, roll and yaw commands as inputs, and generate thrust commands as outputs. The performance of the proportional derivative matrix controller is such that the thrust commands can achieve the desired attitude angles quickly and with reduced fuel consumption. The matrix control system can efficiently control a variety of thrusters, including asymmetric thrusters having different moment arms. The matrix control system is particularly suitable to the control of DAC systems with asymmetric thrusters that are configured for attitude control. | 04-07-2011 |
| 20110130895 | METHOD OF OBTAINING A LOCAL TERRAIN ELEVATION DATABASE FROM DETECTOR MEANS ON BOARD A VEHICLE - A method essentially comprising a step of storing each plot mesh. Each plot mesh receiving plots sent thereto by detector means and retaining in memory at least the altitude of the highest plot and the number of plots neighboring said highest plot in said mesh. The altitude and the number of plots neighboring are updated each time a new plot is sent to the plot mesh. A step of rejecting plot meshes is presenting a number of neighboring plots that is less than a predetermined rejection threshold value. The rejection threshold value is a function of the position of the mesh relative to the detector means. A step is preparing the local terrain elevation database from the plot meshes (M(i,j)) that are not rejected. | 06-02-2011 |
| 20110137498 | UNMANNED AIRCRAFT AND AERIAL SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT - An unmanned aircraft includes a camera, a laser ranging system and a driving unit. The laser ranging system measures a distance to an object in the field of view of the camera. The driving unit rotates the field of view. Thus, it is possible to acquire relative position data of the object around the unmanned aircraft with a small and light-weight unit. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110166722 | ALTITUDE MEASUREMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD - Provided is an altitude measurement apparatus and method that may measure an altitude of an aircraft without using a separate altimeter. The altitude measurement apparatus may include a camera unit being provided to a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft to collect an image of a circular mark formed on the ground, and a calculation unit to calculate an altitude of the VTOL aircraft based on the collected image. Accordingly, the altitude measurement apparatus may measure the altitude using a simple structure such as the circular mark formed on the ground, and be configured at inexpensive costs. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20110172854 | System and method for effecting vehicle maneuver to compensate for IMU error - The effects of IMU gyro and accelerometer bias errors are significantly reduced in accordance with the present teachings by a system or method for commanding an IMU or vehicle through a series of preprogrammed maneuvers. The maneuvers can be designed to minimize the effects of other gyro errors including scale factor errors, nonlinearities, cross coupling/misalignment, and scale factor asymmetries. A sample maneuver is provided which demonstrates performance based on a sequence of roll and yaw maneuvers resulting in zero build up of error at the end of a maneuver cycle period as a result of these errors. Modification of the system involves the addition of control logic to determine the maneuver period, maneuver rate, and vehicle orientation. No additional hardware beyond possible fuel required to perform the maneuver is required. | 07-14-2011 |
| 20110224847 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RENDERING AN ONBOARD AIRCRAFT DISPLAY FOR USE WITH IN-TRAIL PROCEDURES - A system and method for displaying aircraft traffic information on an onboard display element of a host aircraft are provided. The system obtains current flight status data of the host aircraft and current flight status data of a second aircraft that is near the host aircraft, and processes the current flight status data of the host aircraft and the current flight status data of the second aircraft to determine an in-trail procedure (ITP) opportunity region for the host aircraft. The ITP opportunity region is associated with conditions that satisfy ITP criteria for the host aircraft. The system renders, on the onboard display element, an ITP display comprising graphical representations of the host aircraft and the second aircraft positioned in accordance with the current flight status data of the host aircraft and the current flight status data of the second aircraft. The ITP display further includes a graphical representation of the ITP opportunity region. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110224848 | APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR DISPLAYING AND RECEIVING TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC FLIGHT GUIDANCE INFORMATION - Methods and apparatuses for displaying and receiving tactical and strategic flight guidance information are disclosed. A method in accordance with one aspect of the invention includes displaying at least one first indicator to an operator of the aircraft, with a first indicator corresponding to a first instruction input by the operator for directing a first aircraft behavior and implemented upon receiving an activation instruction from the operator. At least one second indicator corresponding to a second instruction for directing a second aircraft behavior at least proximately the same as the first aircraft behavior is displayed, with the at least one second instruction to be automatically implemented at a future time. The at least one second indicator is at least approximately the same as the at least one first indicator. Indicators can be hierarchically organized to simplify presentation and reduce pilot training time. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110270472 | Distance Separation Criteria Indicator - Methods, systems, and computer-readable media described herein provide for the display of aircraft traffic and climb/descent information on an aircraft display. Flight data is received from a traffic aircraft in the vicinity of an ownship aircraft. Similar flight data is determined for the ownship aircraft. The flight data for the traffic aircraft and the ownship aircraft is used to determine a criteria indicator that is associated with at least the longitudinal separation and closure rate between the two aircraft. According to various embodiments, a number of altitude indication lines are displayed and an aircraft traffic indicator and ownship indicator corresponding with the traffic aircraft and ownship aircraft are displayed on the appropriate altitude indication lines. The criteria indicator is displayed so that the position of the criteria indicator with respect to the aircraft traffic indicator and ownship indicator informs a pilot as to whether an altitude change is possible. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110282522 | GRAPHIC DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR ASSISTING VEHICLE OPERATORS - A system for converting audible air traffic control instructions for pilots operating from an air facility to textual format. The system may comprise a processor connected to a jack of the standard pilot headset and a separate portable display screen connected to the processor. The processor may have a language converting functionality which can recognize traffic control nomenclature and display messages accordingly. Displayed text may be limited to information intended for a specific aircraft. The display may show hazardous discrepancies between authorized altitudes and headings and actual altitudes and headings. The display may be capable of correction by the user, and may utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) to obtain appropriate corrections. The system may date and time stamp communications and hold the same in memory. The system may have computer style user functions such as scrollability and operating prompts. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110295449 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR REDUCING ANGULAR VELOCITY USING A GYROSCOPE ARRAY - Methods and systems are provided for reducing angular velocity of a vehicle using a gyroscope array. A method comprises dithering a gyroscope of the gyroscope array, obtaining current through a gimbal motor of the gyroscope while dithering the gyroscope, determining a gimbal rate command to reduce angular velocity of the vehicle based on the current through the gimbal motor obtained while dithering the gyroscope, and operating the gimbal motor of the gyroscope based on the gimbal rate command. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20120022723 | Method And Device For Determining And Updating A Target Altitude For An Emergency Descent Of An Aircraft - Method and device for determining and updating a target altitude for an emergency descent of an aircraft | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120095623 | DEVICE FOR ASSISTING AIRCRAFT CREW WHEN PERFORMING FLIGHT LEVEL CHANGES - This device providing assistance to aircraft crew for a flight level change of the aircraft in air traffic, comprising means for viewing the position of the aircraft in the vertical plane, is wherein the viewing means comprise: display means capable of displaying an image comprising at least one zone corresponding to a target altitude (FL) for the aircraft, and in that it comprises: selection means for selecting said zone in the image. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120158219 | TRAJECTORY BASED SENSE AND AVOID - A trajectory-based sense-and-avoid system for use on an aircraft is provided that utilizes 4-D constructs, such as 4-D trajectories or 4-D polytopes, to maintain separation from other aircraft and/or to avoid collisions with other aircraft. In certain embodiments the trajectory-based sense-and-avoid system utilizes 4-D trajectories provided from an external source and/or 4-D trajectories estimated based on a variety of data sources during operation. | 06-21-2012 |
| 20120173053 | Flight Control System For Flying Object - A flight control system for a flying object comprises a flying object, a navigating means provided in the flying object, a position measuring unit | 07-05-2012 |
| 20120226395 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING THE ATTITUDE OF AN AIRCRAFT BY MULTI-AXIS ACCELEROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS - An inertial system measures the attitude of an aircraft consisting at least in determining the angle of pitch and/or the angle of heading and/or the angle of roll of the aircraft, each of the said angles of attitude being determined by successive double integration of their second derivative. A pair of accelerometers to determine the angle of pitch being are disposed on either side of the centre of gravity along an axis substantially merged with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. A pair of accelerometers to determine the angle of heading are disposed on either side of the centre of gravity along an axis substantially merged with the transverse axis of the aircraft. A pair of accelerometers to determine the angle of roll are disposed on either side of the centre of gravity along a vertical axis perpendicular to the plane formed by the other axes. | 09-06-2012 |
| 20120253562 | Method And Device For Automatically Managing The Vertical Profile Of The Flight Plan Of An Aircraft - The device includes means for determining a plurality of successive standard flight sections (S | 10-04-2012 |
| 20120265373 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DIFFERENTIAL ALTITUDE ESTIMATION UTILIZING SPATIAL INTERPOLATION OF PRESSURE SENSOR DATA - Systems and methods for differential altitude estimation utilizing spatial interpolation of pressure sensor data are provided. In one embodiment, a method for mobile navigation comprises: measuring a horizontal location of a mobile navigation unit to generate two-dimensional horizontal coordinate data; measuring a barometric pressure at the mobile navigation unit with a sensor to obtain local pressure data; processing information representative of pressure data derived from a network of a plurality reference stations to obtain a correction factor; performing a calculation using the two-dimensional horizontal coordinate data, the local pressure data, and the correction factor to calculate an altitude coordinate; and determining an altitude of the mobile navigation unit from the altitude coordinate. | 10-18-2012 |
| 20130024052 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING A COMMAND TRAJECTORY - A system for use in generating a command trajectory for an aircraft is provided. The system includes a natural frequency determining module configured to determine a closure rate of the aircraft to a selected flight path, compare the closure rate of the aircraft to a threshold closure rate, and calculate a natural frequency based on whether the closure rate is below the threshold closure rate. The system further includes a command processor coupled to the natural frequency determining module and configured to receive the calculated natural frequency from the natural frequency determining module, and generate a command trajectory using the calculated natural frequency. | 01-24-2013 |
| 20130060406 | Flight Control Laws for Vertical Flight Path - A flight control system and method for controlling the vertical flight path of an aircraft, the flight control system includes a stable decoupled model having a decoupled lateral equation of motion and a decoupled longitudinal equation of motion and a feedback command loop operably associated with the stable decoupled model. The feedback command loop includes a vertical flight path angle control law; an altitude control law; and a vertical speed control law. | 03-07-2013 |
| 20130090788 | FLIGHT CONTROL LAWS FOR FULL ENVELOPE BANKED TURNS - A flight control system and method for controlling full envelope banked turns of an aircraft, the flight control system including one or more of a control law architectures having one or more control laws adapted for controlling the flight of an aircraft for full envelope banked turns. | 04-11-2013 |
| 20130151040 | LOW-ALTITUDE ALTIMETER AND METHOD - A low-altitude altimeter ( | 06-13-2013 |
| 20130179010 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INDICATING A PERSPECTIVE COCKPIT FIELD-OF-VIEW ON A VERTICAL SITUATION DISPLAY - An aircraft display system is provided and configured to render a cockpit display having a field-of-view. The system comprises a monitor and a processor coupled to the monitor and configured to generate a vertical situation display on the monitor. The vertical situation display includes at least one graphic indicative of a region of the terrain encompassed by the field-of-view. | 07-11-2013 |
| 20130190951 | PRESSURE ALTITUDE STABILIZATION - A method and apparatus is provided for determining the altitude of an aircraft. In accordance with the method, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) data is received from a plurality of GPS satellites and a GPS altitude value is determined from the GPS data. In addition, a pressure altitude value is determined. An altitude difference is determined between the GPS altitude value and the pressure altitude value. At least one of the GPS altitude value and the pressure altitude value is adjusted using the altitude difference. | 07-25-2013 |
| 20130325217 | ALTITUDE ESTIMATOR FOR A ROTARY-WING DRONE WITH MULTIPLE ROTORS - The drone comprises altitude determination means ( | 12-05-2013 |
| 20130345908 | FUNCTION-MONITORED GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR ADJUSTING AT LEAST ONE SYSTEM COMPONENT AND METHOD FOR MONITORING THE FUNCTION OF SUCH A GUIDANCE SYSTEM - A function-monitored guidance system for adjusting at least one system component, the guidance system including a guiding mechanism having at least one adjustment component for guiding adjustment movements of the system component to be adjusted, of which at least one adjustment component includes a sensor device for detecting a load state of the adjustment component, and a monitoring device connected functionally to the adjustment component. The monitoring device provides detection time periods for detecting sensor signals of the at least sensor device, provides a threshold value, with which the number of overshoots thereof by the sensor signals within detection time periods is determined, and determines, from the number of overshoots in each case within the detection time periods, a value for the operating state. A method for monitoring the function of a guidance system for adjusting at least one system component is also disclosed. | 12-26-2013 |
| 20130345909 | AIRCRAFT HOVER SYSTEM AND METHOD - An aircraft hover system for enabling an aircraft to hover at a target spatial location represented by GPS location coordinates. The hover system includes a display screen rendering a display including live video feed of the terrain below the airborne aircraft, a first mark overlaying the video feed, the first mark representing the current position of the aircraft relative to the terrain, and a perimeter surrounding the first mark, the portion of the terrain within the perimeter being substantially magnified compared to that of the terrain outside of the perimeter. The hover system is configured such that, as the aircraft approaches the target spatial location, the distance between the first mark and a second mark on the display gradually decreases until and finally the first and second marks coincide; the second mark representing the target spatial location. | 12-26-2013 |
| 20140058593 | LOW-ALTITUDE ALTIMETER AND METHOD - A low-altitude altimeter ( | 02-27-2014 |
| 20140100720 | Airplane Position Assurance Monitor - An onboard monitor that ensures the accuracy of data representing the calculated position of an airplane during final approach to a runway. This airplane position assurance monitor is a software function that uses dissimilar sources of airplane position and runway data to ensure the accuracy of the respective data from those dissimilar sources. ILS data and GPS or GPS/Baro data are the dissimilar sources of airplane position data used by this function. This function will calculate the airplane's angular deviations from the runway centerline and from the glide slope with onboard equipment and then compare those angular deviations to the ILS angular deviation information. | 04-10-2014 |
| 20140129056 | UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE - The present disclosure relates to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) able to harvest energy from updrafts and a method of enhancing operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle with a gliding capability comprises a generator arranged to be driven by a rotor, and a battery, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle can operate in an energy harvesting mode in which the motion of the unmanned aerial vehicle drives the rotor to rotate, the rotor drives the generator, and the generator charges the battery. In the energy harvesting mode regenerative braking of the generator reduces the forward speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle to generate electricity and prevent the unmanned aerial vehicle from flying above a predetermined altitude. | 05-08-2014 |
| 20140172202 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SAFELY LANDING AN AIRCRAFT - A system for safely landing an aircraft including a low range radio altimeter, a barometric altimeter, and an autothrottle control. The low range radio altimeter calculates a first height of the aircraft above ground-level, the barometric altimeter calculates a second height of the aircraft above ground-level, and the autothrottle control determines if the first height and the second height do not correlate. If the first and second heights are determined to lack correlation, then automatic thrust-control of the aircraft is stopped. In some embodiments, the second height is partially calculated by accessing a ground elevation database to obtain an elevation of the ground above sea level and determining a difference between the elevation of the ground above sea level and an elevation of the aircraft above sea level. | 06-19-2014 |
| 20140172203 | ACTUATOR CONTROL SYSTEM - An actuator control system for coupling to one or more flight control computers (FCCs); comprising: apparatus for controlling an aerodynamic control surface in response to commands received from one or more FCCs, and, integrated with the controlling apparatus, a failure protection system comprising apparatus arranged to provide at least one of the following functionalities: a servo monitor functionality, a command monitor functionality, and a loop closure functionality. Thus, in the overall flight control system, some or all of the elements of the failure protection system are located in the actuator control stage. | 06-19-2014 |
| 20140236398 | Vision-Based Aircraft Landing Aid - The present invention discloses a vision-based aircraft landing aid. During landing, it acquires a sequence of raw runway images. The raw runway image is first corrected for the roll angle (γ). The altitude (A) can be calculated based on the runway width (W) and the properties related to both extended runway edges on the rotated (γ-rotated) runway images. Smart-phone is most suitable for vision-based landing aid. | 08-21-2014 |
| 20140236399 | Method and device for estimating an unwanted pitch moment of an aircraft, and applications to the pitch control of the aircraft - A method and device for estimating an unwanted pitch moment of an aircraft, and applications to the pitch control of the aircraft. The device estimates an unwanted pitch moment, which can be used to form a compensation command which is added to a standard deflection command with the aim of producing an automatic, active compensation, in real time, for the unwanted pitch moment of the aircraft. | 08-21-2014 |
| 20140244077 | METHOD FOR CREATING A VERTICAL TRAJECTORY PROFILE COMPRISING MULTIPLE ALTITUDE LEVELS - A method for creating a vertical trajectory profile of an aircraft by optimization of a criterion representative of a flight cost, comprises: performing a first iterative computation of a profile free of altitude constraints as long as a condition dependent on the criterion is not reached, replacing each free level of the constraint-free profile with a permitted level so as to generate an initial constrained profile comprising a plurality of permitted levels, and, for each level, an altitude change point and a plurality of speeds, and performing a second iterative computation of a profile in which the altitude levels to be reached remain constant, equal to the initial permitted levels of the initial constrained profile, as long as a condition dependent on the criterion is not reached. | 08-28-2014 |
| 20140277856 | AVIONICS DEVICE, SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF DISPLAY - The present general inventive concept relates to methods and systems to select and display information on an avionics display screen. The systems and methods allow for the selection and display of information using knobs to highlight and select the desired information for display, eliminating the need for a cursor function. The systems and methods also provide for multiple pages and/or multiple windows or “tiles” within these pages and/or windows simultaneously on a single screen of a display, with each window, page, and/or tile being fully controlled independently when selected. The present general inventive concept also relates to systems and methods to provide multiple cues on an electronic display system altitude tape to a pilot in advance and impending approach to a predefined altitude. The present general inventive concept also relates to systems and methods to employ variable resolution topographical data based on display range for an avionics navigation display. | 09-18-2014 |
| 20140297067 | VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM - A vehicle control system may include a vehicle frame, a mount secured to the vehicle frame and configured for rigidly securing a smartphone therein such that motions experienced by the vehicle frame are correspondingly experienced by the smartphone, and system electronics arranged on the frame and in communication with the smartphone and vehicle controllers, the system electronics configured to receive signals from the smartphone and control directional devices of the vehicle based on the signals via the vehicle controllers. A system for preparing signals for transmission to the vehicle to control navigation may also be provided. | 10-02-2014 |
| 20140324254 | MULTI-AXIS SERIALLY REDUNDANT SINGLE CHANNEL, MULTI-PATH FLY-BY WIRE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM - A multi-axis serially redundant, single channel, multi-path fly-by-wire control system comprising: serially redundant flight control computers in a single channel where only one “primary” flight control computer is active and controlling at any given time; a matrix of parallel flight control surface controllers including stabilizer motor control units (SMCU) and actuator electronics control modules (AECM) define multiple control paths within the single channel, each implemented with dissimilar hardware and which each control the movement of a distributed set of flight control surfaces on the aircraft in response to flight control surface commands of the primary flight control computer; and a set of (pilot and co-pilot) controls and aircraft surface/reference/navigation sensors and systems which provide input to a primary flight control computer and are used to generate the flight control surface commands to control the aircraft in flight in accordance with the control law algorithms implemented in the flight control computers. | 10-30-2014 |
| 20140336849 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING RATE-OF-CLIMB ON AN AVIONICS VERTICAL SPEED INDICATOR - A system and method are providing for providing an aircraft with adequate clearance over an obstacle in the aircraft's takeoff departure path. The correct rate-of-climb to clear the obstacle is determined in a processor; for example a TOLD system. The result is then rendered on a display for viewing prior to takeoff. | 11-13-2014 |
| 20140343760 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINING AN OPTIMIZED APPROACH AND/OR DESCENT PROFILE - A method and device for automatically determining an optimised approach and/or descent profile for an aircraft are provided. The device comprises means for optimising an approach and/or descent profile of an aircraft avoiding long and steep geometric segments, the device to this end inserting an idle segment, if it satisfies the restrictions, in the profile relating to the descent phase and/or to the approach phase, wherein said idle segment can be followed by a geometric segment. | 11-20-2014 |
| 20140365041 | METHOD FOR MANAGING A VERTICAL FLIGHT PLAN - A method for managing a vertical flight plan comprises: a first step of breaking down an initial flight plan into a succession of contiguous segments, each segment comprising a change of altitude and/or of speed; a second step of calculating a lateral flight path of the flight plan based on the contiguous segments; a third step of calculating a vertical profile and a speed profile based on the calculated lateral flight path; a fourth step is a step of determining an active segment during the flight of the aircraft, by longitudinal distance sequencing of the contiguous segments. The method is notably suitable for the integration of tactical flight segments into a flight plan. | 12-11-2014 |
| 20150012154 | AIRCRAFT - A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft ( | 01-08-2015 |
| 20150019048 | DISPLAY SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING DISPLAYS HAVING AN ADAPTIVE COMBINED VISION SYSTEM - A method for providing a display to a flight crew of an aircraft includes the steps of providing a synthetic image comprising a first field of view forward of a direction of travel of the aircraft and providing a sensory image overlaying at least a first portion of the synthetic image. The sensory image includes a second field of view forward of the direction of travel of the aircraft. At least a portion of the first field of view and a portion of the second field of view overlap one another. The sensory image is centered within the synthetic image with respect to a horizontal axis. The method further includes moving the sensory image so as to overlay at least a second portion of the synthetic image such that the sensory image is no longer centered with respect to the horizontal axis within the synthetic image. | 01-15-2015 |
| 20150032298 | AIRCRAFT FLIGHT DECK DISPLAYS AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISPLAYING INTEGRATED MINIMUM SAFE ALTITUDE AND MINIMUM VECTORING ALTITUDE INFORMATION ON A DISPLAY DEVICE IN AN AIRCRAFT - A method is provided for displaying integrated minimum vectoring and safe altitude information on a display device in an aircraft. The method comprises displaying a graphical representation of a safe altitude sector and a vectoring altitude sector on the display device, and displaying a graphical representation of the aircraft on the display device to indicate the current location of the aircraft and a minimum altitude value associated therewith. The safe altitude sector corresponds to a first geographic area having a designated minimum safe altitude value associated therewith. The vectoring altitude sector corresponds to a second geographic area having a designated minimum vectoring altitude value associated therewith that is below the designated minimum safe altitude value. The graphical representation of the aircraft is displayed within at least one of the graphical representation of the safe altitude sector and the graphical representation of the vectoring altitude sector. | 01-29-2015 |
| 20150142223 | EVALUATING AILERON DEFLECTION WHILE AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE IS IN FLIGHT - A technique is directed to operating a UAV. The technique involves launching (or guiding) the UAV into flight. The technique further involves performing a series of aileron (or other control surface) deflection evaluations while the UAV is in flight. The technique further involves performing a UAV remedial operation in response to the series of aileron deflection evaluations indicating abnormal aileron behavior, e.g., the UAV can send a warning message to a ground control station (GCS), land the UAV at a target location, deploy a chute, and so on. Such operation enables detection of an unexpected change in the UAV's center of gravity, e.g., due to a blocked fuel bladder connection, icing on one side of the UAV, mechanical failure of an aileron, etc. | 05-21-2015 |
| 20150307207 | Device for monitoring the stabilisation of the approach phase of an aircraft to a landing runway, associated method and computer program - This monitoring device for monitoring the stabilisation of the final approach phase of an aircraft to a landing runway includes:
| 10-29-2015 |
| 20150308832 | METHOD FOR MANAGING THE AIR DATA OF AN AIRCRAFT - The invention relates to a method for managing altitude data of an aircraft in which a main baro-inertial computation loop is used that uses signals originating from an inertial unit and a standard altitude information item supplied by a main air data reference, and at least one standard altitude information item supplied by a secondary baro-inertial deviation loop respectively using signals from said inertial unit of the main loop and a to standard altitude information item originating from the second air data reference, and a baro-inertial altitude deviation, a vertical speed deviation and accelerometric bias deviation visible on the vertical between the main loop and at least one of said secondary baro-inertial loops are computed. | 10-29-2015 |
| 20150317905 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING A LINEAR TERRAIN PROFILE ALONG A LATERAL APPROACH TRAJECTORY OF AN AIRPORT - A device comprising a computation unit for computing, for each of a plurality of different distances relative to a threshold of a landing runway along a lateral approach trajectory, a geometric altitude, using a measured and stored barometric altitude, a computation unit for computing a terrain height, by subtracting, from the computed geometric altitude, a measured and stored height, and a computation unit for determining a terrain profile from the set of terrain heights computed for the set of different distances. | 11-05-2015 |
| 20150323648 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING INFORMATION RELATED TO A VEHICLE PITCH AND/OR ROLL ANGLE - The present disclosure relates to a method ( | 11-12-2015 |
| 20150323933 | OPTIMIZATION OF THE TRAJECTORY OF AN AIRCRAFT - A method implemented by computer for optimizing the cruising trajectory of an aircraft comprises the steps consisting in receiving the parameters of a reference trajectory, the trajectory comprising one or more plateaus and the transitions between these plateaus, the transitions being ascending or descending; and determining, in response to a request received in the course of the flight, at least one candidate alternative trajectory; and determining one or more indicators associated with the candidate alternative trajectory such as determined. Developments comprise the optional display of at least one indicator, indicators associated with the fuel consumption, with a difference in flight time or with the operational cost of the flight of the aircraft, the use of ratios of indicators, the inhibition of descending transitions, particular plateau length transitions as well as economical modes of transition. System aspects are described, comprising avionic or non-avionic means. | 11-12-2015 |
| 20150331426 | ASSISTED TAKEOFF - Systems, methods, and devices are provided for assisted takeoff of an aerial vehicle. The aerial vehicle may takeoff using a first control scheme and switch to a second control scheme for normal flight when a takeoff threshold is met. The first control scheme optionally does not use integral control while the second control scheme may use integral control. The aerial vehicle may determine that a takeoff threshold is met, based on an output to a motor of the aerial vehicle and/or an acceleration of the aerial vehicle. | 11-19-2015 |
| 20150336683 | METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE POSITION OF A COMPONENT IN A HIGH LIFT SYSTEM OF AN AIRCRAFT, HIGH LIFT SYSTEM OF AN AIRCRAFT AND AIRCRAFT - A method for determining the position of a component in a high lift system of an aircraft, the high lift system comprising a central power control unit for providing rotational power by means of a transmission shaft; and actuator drive stations coupled with the power control unit and movable high lift surfaces. The method comprises the steps of acquiring a first rotational position of a first position pick-off unit mechanically coupled with the power control unit by means of a first gear having a first gear ratio, acquiring at least one second rotational position of at least one second position pick-off unit mechanically coupled with a driven element in at least one drive station, and determining the number of full rotations the first position pick-off unit has already accomplished between a neutral position and an intended maximum number of rotations. | 11-26-2015 |
| 20150362332 | Display of Aircraft Altitude - A method for displaying an attitude of an aircraft includes receiving a roll angle, a pitch angle and a yaw angle of the aircraft, generating a display image indicating the roll angle, the pitch angle and the yaw angle, and displaying the display image on a display device. The display image includes a spherical shell with a track angle scale projected onto the spherical shell along a latitude line of the spherical shell and with a pitch angle scale projected onto the spherical shell along a longitude line of the spherical shell. Furthermore, the display image includes a graphical aircraft attitude indicator inside the spherical shell rotated with respect to the spherical shell such that the graphical aircraft attitude indicator indicates the roll angle, the pitch angle and the yaw angle of the aircraft with respect to the spherical shell. | 12-17-2015 |
| 20150367937 | INDEPENDENT SPEED AND ATTITUDE CONTROL FOR A ROTARY WING AIRCRAFT - One aspect is a flight control system for independent speed and attitude control of a rotary wing aircraft that includes a main rotor system and a translational thrust system. The flight control system includes a flight control computer configured to interface with the main rotor system and the translational thrust system. The flight control computer includes processing circuitry configured to execute control logic. A pitch attitude reference generator provides a pitch attitude reference to a main rotor controller to command the main rotor system based on pilot input. A longitudinal reference generator produces a longitudinal reference as a longitudinal position or longitudinal velocity based on pilot input. An attitude-to-propulsor crossfeed converts the pitch attitude reference into a propulsor trim adjustment. A propeller pitch controller combines the longitudinal reference and the propulsor trim adjustment into a propeller command, and provides the propeller command to the translational thrust system. | 12-24-2015 |
| 20150369607 | System and Method for Mitigating an Occurrence of a Dry Spot in a Field of View of a Star Tracker - A system and method for mitigating an occurrence of a dry spot, the method may include: (1) predicting the occurrence of the dry spot by at least one of determining a location of the occurrence of the dry spot, determining a date of the occurrence of the dry spot, and determining a duration of the occurrence of the dry spot; (2) generating a visualization of the occurrence of the dry spot, and (3) modifying a star catalog to reduce an impact of the dry spot by at least one of generating a set of modification to modify the star catalog, generating a modification schedule for modifying the star catalog, and uploading the set of modifications to the star catalog. | 12-24-2015 |
| 20160018823 | ATMOSPHERIC DATA COLLECTION AND RECOVERY SYSTEMS AND METHODS - A payload delivery and recovery system, having a payload including a data collection device arranged to collect data, and a controllable ascent vehicle comprising a controllable lighter than air (LTA) mechanism detachably coupled to the payload and used during an ascent phase to deliver the payload to a pre-determined altitude. The payload delivery and recovery system also having a controllable descent mechanism releasably attached to the controllable ascent vehicle and that can be used during a descent phase for reducing a rate of descent of the payload subsequent to release of the payload at the pre-determined altitude and including a control system for navigating the payload to a desired ground location during a recovery phase. | 01-21-2016 |
| 20160023749 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE FLIGHT OF AN AIRCRAFT - The system comprises at least one lift generator element that is able to modify directly the lift of the aircraft and means for defining a deflection instruction upon actuation by a pilot of the aircraft of a control column of the aircraft generating a vertical load factor control value and applying it to an elevator and simultaneously defining a command instruction and applying it to the lift generator element to generate a direct lift. | 01-28-2016 |
| 20160033300 | ARINC 429 DATA SUBSTITUTION - In one embodiment, an aircraft display system includes a first module that identifies a label in an ARINC 429 communication between a flight director and a display, a second module that removes flight director data from the ARINC 429 communication, the flight director data associated with the label, and a third module that inserts substitute data in the ARINC 429 communication. The display receives the substitute data before an error is detected. | 02-04-2016 |
| 20160048132 | TAIL-SITTER FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - A system and method for controlling flight of an aircraft having a propeller, memory and a processor includes receiving one or more signals indicative of a flight plan comprising a plurality of waypoints; determining information indicative of a trajectory between the plurality of waypoints; determining information indicative of vehicle attitude commands; determining information indicative of flight control command signals; and determining an error between sensed vehicle states and the vehicle attitude commands. | 02-18-2016 |
| 20160052614 | VARIABLE BUOYANCY LIGHTER THAN AIR GLIDER - A payload delivery and recovery system, having a payload including a data collection device arranged to collect data, and a controllable ascent vehicle comprising a controllable lighter than air (LTA) mechanism detachably coupled to the payload and used during an ascent phase to deliver the payload to a pre-determined altitude. The payload delivery and recovery system also having a controllable descent mechanism releasably attached to the controllable ascent vehicle and that can be used during a descent phase for reducing a rate of descent of the payload subsequent to release of the payload at the pre-determined altitude and including a control system for navigating the payload to a desired ground location during a recovery phase. | 02-25-2016 |
| 20160055687 | AIRCRAFT LANDING AND TAKEOFF LOGGING SYSTEM - An aircraft logging system is disclosed. The aircraft logging system may be mounted on an aircraft and may be configured to generate a log of aircraft landing, takeoff or both. The aircraft logging system may have an independent power supply and may be electrically decoupled from the aircraft on which it is mounted. The aircraft logging system may include a sensor, such as an altimeter, that enables identifying the occurrence of a landing using emitted signals. The aircraft logging system includes a positioning device configured to provide a position measurement | 02-25-2016 |
| 20160086495 | PILOTING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM OF A PLATFORM, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD - A piloting assistance system of a platform, and associated method are provided. The system includes a first detector for detecting a windshear able to generate a first alert that the platform is approaching a windshear zone; a second detector for detecting a windshear able to generate a second alert indicating the presence of the platform in the windshear zone; and a guider of the platform. The guider is able to automatically select a first guidance mode when a first alert is generated by the first detector, and to automatically select at least one second guidance mode different from the first guidance mode when a second alert is generated by the second detector. The system includes an information device able to display unified windshear alert information and/or unified information for implementation of a guidance mode, shared by the first alert and the second alert. | 03-24-2016 |
| 20160104331 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS OF AIRCRAFTS - Methods and apparatus for operating flight control systems of aircrafts are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a flight control system including a first sensor and a second sensor. The example apparatus also includes a processor to, based on data from the first and second sensors, determine first and second input values and, based the input values, determine an approximate location of a jam in the flight control system of an aircraft. | 04-14-2016 |
| 20160107751 | CONTROLLED FLIGHT OF A MULTICOPTER EXPERIENCING A FAILURE AFFECTING AN EFFECTOR - According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for operating a multicopter experiencing a failure during flight, the multicopter comprising a body, and at least four effectors attached to the body, each operable to produce both a torque and a thrust force which can cause the multicopter to fly when not experiencing said failure. The method may comprise the step of identifying a failure wherein the failure affects the torque and/or thrust force produced by an effector, and in response to identifying a failure carrying out the following steps, (1) computing an estimate of the orientation of a primary axis of said body with respect to a predefined reference frame, wherein said primary axis is an axis about which said multicopter rotates when flying, (2) computing an estimate of the angular velocity of said multicopter, (3) controlling one or more of said at least four effectors based on said estimate of the orientation of the primary axis of said body with respect to said predefined reference frame and said estimate of the angular velocity of the multicopter. The step of controlling one or more of said at least four effectors may be performed such that (a) said one or more effectors collectively produce a torque along said primary axis and a torque perpendicular to said primary axis, wherein (i) the torque along said primary axis causes said multicopter to rotate about said primary axis, and (ii) the torque perpendicular to said primary axis causes said multicopter to move such that the orientation of said primary axis converges to a target orientation with respect to said predefined reference frame, and (b) such that said one or more effectors individually produce a thrust force along said primary axis. | 04-21-2016 |
| 20160107761 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ISOLATING ATTITUDE FAILURES IN AIRCRAFT - Systems and methods for isolating attitude failures are provided. In one embodiment, an attitude integrity and display system comprises a display system comprising a primary system displaying a first attitude solution and a standby system displaying a second attitude solution; an attitude integrity system generating an attitude integrity (AI) solution calculated from measurements from an attitude solution data source, the AI solution comprising an aircraft roll and pitch, the data source providing data independent from any data generated by inertial sensor flight instruments and not displayed on either the primary or the standby systems; and an attitude monitor that compares the first solution against the second solution. When the first solution deviates from the second solution by more than a threshold, the monitor identifies on the display system which of either the first or the second solution is failed based on which has a greater deviation from the AI solution. | 04-21-2016 |
| 20160109233 | METHOD OF DETECTING ATTITUDE FAULTS BASED ON MAGNETOMETER MEASUREMENTS - An avionics system comprises one or more attitude sources, each configured to produce a respective calculated attitude solution; at least one magnetometer configured to measure magnetic field; and at least one attitude monitor configured to use the respective calculated attitude solution from one of the attitude sources to project the measured magnetic field estimate or an Earth Magnetic Field Model (EMFM) estimate such that the measured magnetic field estimate and the EMFM estimate are in a common shared frame. The at least one attitude monitor is further configured to determine a difference between the measured magnetic field estimate and the EMFM estimate in the common shared frame. The at least one attitude monitor is further configured to output an alert, which indicates that the respective calculated attitude solution used to project the measured magnetic field estimate or the EMFM estimate is in error, if the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold. | 04-21-2016 |
| 20160137303 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING COMPUTER VISION FOR PARAFOIL FLIGHT CONTROL - Disclosed herein are systems and methods for using computer vision for parafoil flight control. According to an aspect, a method includes capturing an image of a parafoil including multiple indicator points distributed thereon. The method further includes determining positioning of the indicator points based on the captured image. The method further includes determining a condition of the parafoil based on the positioning of the indicator points. The method further includes controlling flight inputs based on the condition of the parafoil. | 05-19-2016 |
| 20160139603 | AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF AND LANDING CONTROL DEVICE - An automatic take-off and landing control device for an aircraft is provided. The control device comprises at least two of at least one local tracking device adapted for receiving at least one local signal from at least one local ground station and for determining a position of the aircraft based on the local signals, at least one GNSS tracking device adapted for receiving a GNSS signal and for determining a position of the aircraft based on the GNSS signal; and at least one camera device adapted for observing an environment of the aircraft and for determining a position of the aircraft based on the camera signal. | 05-19-2016 |
| 20160144978 | DRONE EQUIPPED WITH AN IMAGING DEVICE AND WITH MEANS OF PROTECTING THE IMAGING DEVICE - A device for aerial image capture is provided, preferably for generating agronomic maps, and includes a remote-controlled aerodyne or drone that allows image acquisition. The present aerodyne includes a housing opening onto an exterior surface of the aerodyne via an opening, an imaging device positioned in the housing and arranged in such a way to be able to capture images through the opening, and a closure system including a hatch configured to adopt a closed position in which the opening is closed off, and an open position, in which the opening is uncovered, and an actuating member designed to position the hatch in either the closed or the open position. | 05-26-2016 |
| 20160147227 | VEHICLE HEADING ERROR COMPENSATION - Systems and methods for controlling aircraft obtain at least one of ground-referenced longitudinal movement data of the aircraft and ground-referenced lateral movement data of the aircraft. A round-referenced heading of the aircraft is obtained and a heading error is calculated based on a difference between the ground-referenced heading and a target heading. A lateral movement error value is generated based on at least one of the ground-referenced longitudinal movement data and ground-referenced lateral movement data, and based on the heading error. | 05-26-2016 |
| 20160155338 | MANAGING FLIGHT PATHS OF A SOARING AIRCRAFT | 06-02-2016 |
| 20160163201 | METHOD OF COMPUTING AIRCRAFT TRAJECTORY SUBJECT TO LATERAL AND VERTICAL CONSTRAINTS - The present invention relates to a method for computing a setpoint trajectory of an aircraft comprising at least two subsets. It is characterized in that it comprises the formulation and the solving of an optimization problem for the trajectory, and that the formulation of the said problem comprises at least the formulation of a constraint related to a transition of legs on at least one first subset of the trajectory, and the formulation of a constraint related to a transition of vertical flight phases on at least one second subset of the trajectory. The invention also relates to a system and a computer program for the computation of a trajectory. | 06-09-2016 |
| 20160171895 | Aircraft Turns for Interval Management | 06-16-2016 |
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