Electric Course Control Patents (Class 244/175)
  • Patent number: 9778013
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a bending angle between two portions of a workpiece in a bending machine includes at least a motion sensor unit provided with a gyroscope sensor, a processing unit connected with the gyroscope sensor and a coupling device for connecting the motion sensor unit with a portion of the workpiece to be bent. During a bending operation of the workpiece the gyroscope sensor measures at least one angular velocity and a related rotation angle of the portion according to an axis and the processing unit receives data from the gyroscope sensor regarding the rotation angle in order to calculate the bending angle as a function of the rotation angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Salvagnini Italia S.p.A.
    Inventor: Enzo Gesuita
  • Patent number: 9751621
    Abstract: Control of aircraft steering during ground travel is provided in an aircraft equipped with an engines-off wheel drive system controllable to move the aircraft autonomously on the ground without reliance on the aircraft's main engines or external tow vehicles. The wheel drive system is designed to interact with the aircraft's nose wheel hydraulic steering system to augment or replace the hydraulic steering system with the operation of the wheel drive system at taxi speeds, particularly at very low taxi speeds and even when the aircraft is stopped, to steer the aircraft as it maneuvers through turns during ground travel between landing and takeoff and at other times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited
    Inventor: Isaiah W. Cox
  • Patent number: 9754498
    Abstract: A system for navigating an aircraft includes a first aircraft with a first communication unit and a second aircraft with a second communication unit. The first aircraft is adapted for determining coordinates of a position of a waypoint. The first communication unit is adapted to transmit the coordinates of the position of the waypoint to the second communication unit. The second aircraft is adapted to navigate to the position of the waypoint. Several waypoints can be provided in this manner such that a flight trajectory is established along which the second aircraft may follow the first aircraft. In addition, the second aircraft may be adapted to follow the first aircraft based on a received identification signal. In certain embodiments, the system can be used such that the second aircraft can follow the first aircraft in case of a failure of systems of the second aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Joy Bousquet, Thomas Vitte
  • Patent number: 9691287
    Abstract: A method. The method includes receiving user input data from a user interface system. The user input data includes user gesture data, wherein the user gesture data is associated with one or more detected user gestures. The method also includes manipulating one or more graphical flight path elements based at least upon received user gesture data. The method further includes performing at least one flight path modification operation based at least upon one or more factors and the received user gesture data. The method additionally includes outputting updated graphical data to the user interface system, wherein the updated graphical data includes updated graphical flight path element data and updated graphical flight path data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Geoffrey A. Shapiro, Laura Maxine Smith-Velazquez, Timothy J. Etherington, Nicholas M. Lorch
  • Patent number: 9682769
    Abstract: A high-lift system on a wing of an aircraft is provided. The wing includes a right-hand and a left-hand wing half with movably held high-lift flaps and the right-hand and left-hand wing half are attached to an aircraft fuselage, thus forming a wing root. Each wing half in a region in close proximity to the wing root, includes a drive unit. In each case this drive unit is joined to a transmission shaft mechanically connected to the respective drive unit, which transmission shaft extends from the drive unit in the direction of the end of the respective wing half and is designed to mechanically move the high-lift flaps arranged in the respective wing half. By means of such an arrangement it is possible to do without deflection gear arrangements from a central drive unit to the individual wing halves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventor: Martin Richter
  • Patent number: 9676502
    Abstract: An aiming assembly comprising an instrument and aiming device, the aiming device comprises: a frame, a mobile part comprising a plate, the instrument being fixed onto the plate, the mobile part and the instrument having a centre of gravity, the mobile part being rotationally mobile relative to the frame on a first axis of rotation, and comprising a support configured to cooperate with the plate to allow the plate to be rotationally mobile relative to the frame about a second axis of rotation at right angles to the first axis of rotation, and rotationally mobile relative to the frame on the first axis, the first and second axes of rotation intersecting at a point of intersection. The point of intersection coincides with the centre of gravity of the mobile part and of the instrument, and the support comprises a flexible part configured to compensate for the differential expansions on the second axis of rotation between the frame and the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: THALES
    Inventors: Yannick Baudassé, Stéphane Vézain, Paul Mouille, Didier Stanek
  • Patent number: 9658040
    Abstract: Methods involve using a guided munition (e.g., a mortar round or a grenade) that utilizes deployable flow effectors, activatable flow effectors and/or active flow control devices to extend the range and enhance the precision of traditional unguided munitions without increasing the charge needed for launch. Sensors such as accelerometers, magnetometers, IR sensors, rate gyros, and motor controller sensors feed signals into a controller which then actuates or deploys the flow effectors/flow control devices to achieve the enhanced characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Orbital Research Inc.
    Inventors: Srikanth Vasudevan, Paul Suchy, Matthew C. Birch
  • Patent number: 9650129
    Abstract: A controllable aircraft taxi system is provided that enables the simultaneous control of aircraft autonomous ground movement and direction of aircraft autonomous ground movement. Independently controlled non-engine drive means capable of driving an aircraft landing gear wheel to move an aircraft autonomously on the ground without reliance on the aircraft's main engines are mounted to provide driving torque to aircraft a selected number of main landing gear wheels. The aircraft nose landing gear steering system is provided with steering angle detection and measurement means adapted to communicate with main landing gear wheel non-engine drive means, enabling simultaneous control over both autonomous aircraft ground travel and direction of autonomous aircraft ground travel. The present invention overcomes steering challenges presented by using non-engine drive means on main landing gear wheels to drive aircraft autonomously during taxi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited
    Inventors: Rodney T. Cox, Isaiah W. Cox
  • Patent number: 9646505
    Abstract: A method of controlling the flight of an aircraft by automatically controlling the descent phase of an aircraft using a Flight Management System and Flight Guidance System (FMS & FGS) to control the air speed of the air craft and respond to an over speed condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: GE AVIATION SYSTEMS LLC
    Inventors: Sherif Fouad Ali, Mark Lawrence Darnell
  • Patent number: 9646506
    Abstract: A method for managing a premature descent envelope during descent of an aircraft is provided. The method receives glideslope deviation data by an instrument landing system (ILS) onboard the aircraft; compares, by the ILS, the glideslope deviation data to an acceptable band of glideslope deviation values; and when the glideslope deviation data is within the acceptable band, expands, by a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS), the premature descent envelope to produce an increased premature descent envelope for the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Yasuo Ishihara, C Don Bateman, Steve Johnson
  • Patent number: 9630707
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for managing an electric motor (6) intended to drive rotationally a wheel (4) of an aircraft (1), the method comprising the step of short-circuiting the phases of the electric motor (6) when the aircraft (1) is in a period of deactivation of the motor (6) during which it is envisaged not using the electric motor (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: MESSIER-BUGATTI-DOWTY
    Inventors: Sylvain Jaber, Raffi Cekic
  • Patent number: 9536433
    Abstract: A method determines the optimal turn direction of an aircraft among two directions, right and left, following a lateral trajectory to join an arrival straight charted by an angle of arrival, based on a departure point and angle of departure defining a departure straight oriented along movement of the aircraft, the direction defined by a respectively positive or negative optimal turn sign, comprising: determining a conventional departure sign of the departure point; determining a center value of an angle of change of course equal to the difference between the angle of arrival and angle of departure referred back between ?180° and +180°, the center value exhibiting a logical sign corresponding to the center value sign of the angle of change of course; determining the sign of the optimal turn based on comparison between the departure sign and the logical sign, the sign of the optimal turn defining optimal turn direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Vincent Savarit, François Hoofd, Emmanuel Dewas
  • Patent number: 9504930
    Abstract: A system in accordance with present embodiments includes a ground controller and an unmanned aerial vehicle including communications circuitry configured to transmit signals to and receive signals from the ground controller. The system may also include a vehicle controller configured to execute a flight plan and at least one special effects module. The system may also include a special effects module controller configured to cause the special effect to be activated in response to an activation signal from the ground controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Universal City Studios LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Cortelyou, Amanda Zielkowski
  • Patent number: 9505488
    Abstract: An energy protection device comprising an activation unit for, in a low energy situation, automatically activating an energy protection function comprising automatically engaging an autothrust and automatically controlling the engines of the aircraft for the engines to supply a maximum thrust, an auxiliary monitoring unit configured to perform a monitoring to detect an absence of activation of a protection mode by at least one of the engines of the aircraft although an activation command has been transmitted, and a disconnection unit to automatically disconnect the autothrust in case of the detection of such a situation, a disconnection of the autothrust resulting in the triggering of the protection function being stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Airbus Operations (SAS)
    Inventor: Marie-Claire Moune
  • Patent number: 9359067
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of flying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in response to emergency conditions, the method including steps implemented using a controller forming part of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the steps comprising: defining a plurality of emergency conditions; associating each emergency condition with a priority level; associating each emergency condition with an objective; sensing a plurality of operating parameters of the unmanned aerial vehicle to detect whether one of the plurality of emergency conditions exists; when one or more emergency condition is detected: generating a trajectory for the detected emergency condition having a highest associated priority level, wherein the trajectory is generated in accordance with the objective associated with the emergency condition that has the highest associated priority level; and instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to follow the generated trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Lars Fucke, Stephen Sweeney
  • Patent number: 9327827
    Abstract: An system for increasing the descent rate of an aircraft may include a flight control computer, an edge control system, and a speedbrake control device. The flight control computer may be configured to compute a first setting for a leading edge device and/or a trailing edge device of an aircraft wing. The edge control system may be communicatively coupled to the flight control computer and may include an edge control device having a plurality of control device positions including a cruise position. The speedbrake control device may include a plurality of speedbrake detents including a flight detent. The edge control system may be configured to automatically command the leading edge device, the trailing edge device, or both, to a deflection angle corresponding to the first setting if the edge control device is in the cruise position and the speedbrake control device is in the flight detent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Matthew A. Moser, Benjamin M. Liu, Michael R. Finn
  • Patent number: 9283473
    Abstract: One object of the present invention is to produce an operation method that allows a player to enjoy moving a character in a game space. In accordance with an aspect, the server device according to an embodiment includes an information storage unit for storing information, a game progression control unit for controlling progression of a game, a display image generating unit for generating an image to be displayed on a display device of the terminal device and displaying the image on the display device, a moving direction setting unit for setting a moving direction of a player character which is operated by the player, a player character control unit for controlling the movement of the player character in the game space, and a non-player character control unit for controlling the movement of a non-player character which is not operated by the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: DeNA Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keisuke Tagawa, Yoshiki Watabe
  • Patent number: 9282623
    Abstract: A device is provided having a flow passage with at least one surface and at least one electrode pair positioned thereon for effecting fluid flow through the flow passage. When at least one electrode of an electrode pair of the at least one electrode pair is powered, a sheath region is generated in the flow passage, wherein the sheath region has a high electric field relative to the remainder of the flow passage. In an embodiment, one electrode of the electrode pair is separated from the other electrode of the electrode pair by a horizontal, vertical, depth, and/or total distance of about 1 microns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Subrata Roy, Chin-Cheng (James) Wang
  • Patent number: 9245449
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing trajectory planning for an aircraft based on constraint processing are disclosed. The method may take into consideration the dynamic or real-time operational and environmental factors, and utilizes constraint processing to provide trajectory optimizations between the end points of the flight. The trajectory planning method may be performed utilizing a computer or processor onboard the aircraft. The method may include receiving a starting location and an ending location for a phase of flight of the aircraft; receiving a set of constraints from multiple systems and sensors for the phase of flight of the aircraft, wherein operations of the aircraft during the phase of flight are subject to the set of constraints; and analyzing the set of constraints to determine an optimal trajectory between the starting location and the ending location, the optimal trajectory is determined based on compliance with the set of constraints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: ROCKWELL COLLINS, INC.
    Inventor: Richard E. Heinrich
  • Patent number: 9190942
    Abstract: A distributed electromechanical actuation system including multiple electromechanical actuators intended to operate together in a synchronous (or near synchronous) manner. Each individual actuator is powered by one or more induction motors or other appropriate motor such as a stepper motor. The induction motors are designed to have a very high pullout torque with very low slippage to the pull out point. The group of actuators is controlled from a single controller (e.g., an induction motor controller) that utilizes a Volts per Hertz type of open loop control where the bus voltage and frequency are controlled to assure that the motors always operate on the low slip side of the pull out point performance curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corporation
    Inventor: Eric A. Polcuch
  • Patent number: 9067674
    Abstract: The invention regards a plasma-enhanced active laminar flow actuator system (1) adapted to an aerodynamic surface (3) which has a nano-engineered composite material layer (5) comprising a set of electrodes arranged (7?, 7?) in at least an upper (P1) and a lower (P2) plane extending parallel with the aerodynamic surface (3); the electrodes (7?, 7?) comprising nano filaments (9); the electrodes (7?) of the upper plane (P1) are arranged in the aerodynamic surface (3) such that they define a smooth and hard aerodynamic surface (3); conductors (11, 11?) of nano filaments (9?) arranged for electrical communication between a control unit (13) and each of the electrodes (7?, 7?), wherein the control unit (13) is adapted to address current between cooperating electrodes (7?, 7?) of the upper and lower plane (P1, P2) from a current supply depending upon air flow characteristic signals fed from air flow sensor means (19).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: SAAB AB
    Inventors: Pontus Nordin, Göte Strindberg
  • Patent number: 9031718
    Abstract: An aircraft is provided with: an attitude control command calculating section which calculates an attitude control command for target attitude on the basis of a control stick operation amount; a gain value generating section which generates a gain value equal to or less than 1 which decreases as the control stick operation amount is larger; a multiplication section which multiplies the attitude control command for target attitude by the gain value; and a addition section which adds a rate damping control command to the attitude control command for target attitude multiplied by the gain value and outputs a result to a subtraction section for calculating an SAS command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Higuchi, Takeshi Matsuda
  • Publication number: 20150097086
    Abstract: Wind energy conversion systems including an airborne wing, a tether, a generator, and a control system arranged to communicate with the airborne wing so that the control system directs the airborne wing to follow a predetermined flight path including a power generating phase. The predetermined flight path, during the power generating phase, includes a crosswind flight path of increasing altitude and a plurality of airborne wing turns, at each turn the airborne wing turn around an axis of the airborne wing, so that a vertical airspace for the predetermined flight path during the power generating phase is minimized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Inventor: David Brian Schaefer
  • Patent number: 9002543
    Abstract: A system and method for assisting flight crew recovery in the aftermath of an unexpected event is provided. A processor is used to detect that an unexpected event has occurred in an aircraft and, in response to detecting that the unexpected event has occurred, state data are stored in memory. The processor is also used to detect that the unexpected event has been resolved and, in response to detecting that the unexpected event has been resolved, the processor retrieves the state data from the memory, generates an aftermath plan that includes prompts to guide the flight crew to complete the aftermath plan, and continuously updates the aftermath plan until the aftermath plan is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Christian Dorneich, Chris Hamblin, William Rogers, Stephen Whitlow
  • Patent number: 9002542
    Abstract: A method for detecting piloting conflicts between the crew and the autopilot of an aircraft. According to the method, an automatic trajectory is programmed by checking whether the actual values of navigation parameters converge on said corresponding desired values within a predetermined convergence period; in the case where at least one of the actual values does not converge, within the convergence period, on the corresponding desired value, a predictive calculation is carried out, at consecutive future moments, of the value of at least one particular parameter selected amongst the navigation parameters; and in the case where the predicted value of the particular parameter is higher than a corresponding predefined threshold, an alarm is emitted for the crew of the aircraft to notify them about a piloting conflict being able to jeopardize the flight safety of the aircraft. A device for implementing the method. An aircraft including the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations (SAS)
    Inventors: Frédéric Dehais, Charles Lesire, Catherine Tessier, Laure Christophe
  • Patent number: 8989925
    Abstract: An improved Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) module for use with an aircraft, wherein the HSI module is adapted for accepting Bank Angle Commands or waypoint data from the GPS flight module and for using the same to determine a heading error. The HSI module is further adapted for outputting the heading error to the Flight Director module where it can be used to create a Roll Command for output to the Auto-Pilot, whereby the Auto-Pilot can be commanded to follow a turn using the HSI and the Flight Director without requiring an additional module be added to the aircraft to create the heading error for use by the Flight Director. The waypoint data can be of the “flyover” type or the “flyby” type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation
    Inventor: James Eugene Strickling
  • Patent number: 8979036
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vertical rudder control system for an aircraft. The system is comprised of a rudder trim compensation generator that is configured to generate a rudder trim compensation order to set the position of the rudder bar of the aircraft to a neutral position in which the rudder bar is controlled with nil (i.e., zero) pilot effort. The vertical rudder control system includes a flight control calculator for calculating rudder control orders to maintain the nil effort rudder bar position, with the calculation of the rudder control orders being based on a sum of the rudder bar position, determined by a detection unit, and the rudder trim compensation order. The rudder control orders are received by a rudder operating unit, which is used to deflect the vertical rudder by a deflection value based on the rudder control orders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventors: Patrice Brot, Pierre Fabre
  • Publication number: 20150060606
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with improved reliability. According to one aspect of the invention, interference experienced by onboard sensors from onboard electrical components is reduced. According to another aspect of the invention, user-configuration or assembly of electrical components is minimized to reduce user errors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Tao Wang, Tao Zhao, Shaojie Chen, Zhigang Ou
  • Publication number: 20150053824
    Abstract: An unmanned aircraft comprises: a drive system to thrust the unmanned aircraft during a flight; a reverse thrust system to reverse thrust the unmanned aircraft during a landing; a controller operationally coupled to the reverse thrust system; and a detector to detect and notify to the controller that the unmanned aircraft is in an uncontrolled situation during the flight. The controller is then adapted to activate the reverse thrust system in order to reverse thrust the unmanned aircraft in-flight upon notification from the detector that the unmanned aircraft is in an uncontrolled situation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: Gatewing NV
    Inventors: Bjorn De Smet, Maarten De Moor, Peter Cosyn
  • Publication number: 20150021441
    Abstract: A system and methods for redundant current-sum feedback control of an actuator system is presented. An actuator comprises actuation coils configured to actuate the actuator, and an actuation coil current sensor senses a measured total coil current comprising a sum of coil currents of each of the actuation coils. Actuator coil controllers control the actuation coils based on a commanded total coil current and the measured total coil current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventor: Gen Matsui
  • Patent number: 8924137
    Abstract: According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided an apparatus and method to synchronize trajectories from independent systems such as from a flight management system and the ground Air traffic control during the entire history of a flight. Since a number of trajectory discrepancy factors will intervene during the lifetime of a flight, such as a change in flight intent, controller intervention, or large deviations of the actual flight from the predicted trajectory due to prediction errors, there is need to dynamically monitor these deviations and control a dynamic synchronization cycle. A dynamic trajectory synchronization algorithm attempts to bring each of the systems back into balance whenever a disturbance causes an imbalance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: David So Keung Chan, Joel Klooster, Sergio Torres
  • Patent number: 8918280
    Abstract: A method for providing trajectory planning for an aircraft based on constraint processing is disclosed. The method may be performed utilizing a computer or processor onboard the aircraft that is en route, through all phases of flight, to an end location. The trajectory planning method may comprise receiving a set of constraints during the flight of the aircraft; analyzing the set of constraints to determine an optimal trajectory between a current location of the aircraft and the end location, the optimal trajectory is determined based on compliance with the set of constraints; and dynamically adjusting the flight of the aircraft based on the optimal trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard E. Heinrich
  • Patent number: 8903569
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for controlling a high-lift device or a flight control surface of an aircraft or spacecraft, especially with a system according to the present invention, comprising the steps of receiving, at least one first control unit, a command signal from a commander unit via a data network, providing a primary control signal to at least one secondary control unit via the data network, wherein the primary control signal depends on the received command signal, receiving, at the at least one second control unit, a sensor signal of one or more sensors of the high-lift device or flight control surface, and providing a secondary control signal to one or more actuators of the high-lift device or flight control surface, wherein the secondary control signal depends on the received sensor signal. Furthermore, the present invention discloses a system and an aircraft or spacecraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignees: Airbus Operations GmbH, Airbus Operations (S.A.S.)
    Inventors: Ina Ruckes, Marc Fervel, Tobias Sebastian Rumpf
  • Publication number: 20140346280
    Abstract: A system for controlling an aircraft control parameter including a control interface including a mobile element configured to move on a travel, of which at least two portions are separated by a neutral position; a return element bringing the mobile element back to the neutral position when it is not actuated; and an interaction element, and a control unit configured to memorize an item of information corresponding to a first position of the mobile element at an instant of activation of the interaction element; and generate a setpoint of the aircraft control parameter, as a function of a control associated with the first position of the mobile element for which said information has been memorized; or a current position of the mobile element, when this current position is situated on the same portion of travel as the first position and is more remote than the latter from the neutral position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: AIRBUS OPERATIONS S.A.S.
    Inventors: Florian Constans, Josep Boada-Bauxell, Pierre Scacchi
  • Patent number: 8897932
    Abstract: Disclosed is a flight control support device which sets a flight restricted area W along a terrain, thereby achieving improvement in safety of a small aircraft A and sufficiently securing the degree of freedom of flight course selection of a pilot. The flight control support device includes a terrain information acquirer, an aircraft information acquirer, a flight restricted area setter which sets the flight restricted area W along the terrain on the basis of the terrain information acquired by the terrain information acquirer and the aircraft information acquired by the aircraft information acquirer, and a flight control supporter which supports flight control of a flying object on the basis of the flight restricted area set by the flight restricted area setter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kosuke Komatsuzaki, Masatsugu Ishiba
  • Patent number: 8886368
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a control stick for controlling an UAV formed by a bar with buttons on the bar head and a GUI displaying airplane like icons providing feedback of current steering control status of a UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Prox Dynamics AS
    Inventors: Petter Muren, Dag Henning Paulsen
  • Publication number: 20140284429
    Abstract: An aircraft for unmanned aviation is described. The aircraft includes an airframe, a pair of fins attached to a rear portion of the airframe, a pair of dihedral braces attached to a bottom portion of the airframe, a first thrust vectoring module and a second thrust vectoring module, and an electronics module. The electronics module provides commands to the two thrust vectoring modules. The two thrust vectoring modules are configured to provide lateral and longitudinal control to the aircraft by directly controlling a thrust vector for each of the pitch, the roll, and the yaw of the aircraft. The use of directly articulated electrical motors as thrust vectoring modules enables the aircraft to execute tight-radius turns over a wide range of airspeeds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: AURORA FLIGHT SCIENCES CORPORATION
    Inventors: ADAM WOODWORTH, Brandon Suarez
  • Patent number: 8838299
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of decoupling the mode of automatic following of the lateral profile and the mode of automatic following of the vertical profile of an automatic guidance system of an aircraft (A) flying on a reference trajectory (T). The mode of automatic following of the vertical profile is not disengaged immediately on disengaging the mode of automatic following of the lateral profile. After disengaging the mode of automatic following of the lateral profile, the mode of automatic following of the vertical profile is disengaged automatically only if at least one criterion of lateral separation between the current or short-term position of the aircraft and the lateral profile corresponding to the reference trajectory is satisfied, having regard to the position error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Guy Deker, Manuel Gutierrez-Castaneda
  • Patent number: 8818580
    Abstract: The dialog device includes a display screen, on which are displayed three graphic representations, which are respectively associated with the three control axes of the aircraft, each of said graphic representations comprising a plurality of portions, each of which is associated with a guidance mode of the associated control axis, so that all the possible guidance modes of the guidance system are thus represented, this representation highlighting the fact that the guidance modes are active exclusively on a given guidance axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventors: Pascale Louise-Babando, Delphine Macdonald, Raphaëlle Ankaoua
  • Patent number: 8818581
    Abstract: A method is described that includes performing a), b) and c) below with an electronic control unit of a parafoil: a) after being dropped from an airborne vehicle, wirelessly receiving the parafoil's desired landing location; b) determining a flight path for the parafoil that lands at the desired landing location; and, c) controlling the parafoil's flight path consistently with the determined flight path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Eugene Bourakov, Oleg Yakimenko
  • Publication number: 20140231590
    Abstract: A system for performing an aerial display. The system includes a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and a ground control system with a processor executing a fleet manager module and with memory storing a different flight plan for each of the UAVs. The system further includes a marionette with a body and articulatable appendages attached to the body. The body and appendages are supported with tether lines extending between the marionette and the UAVs. Then, during a display time period, the UAVs concurrently execute the flight plans to position and articulate the marionette within a display air space. In some embodiments, the UAVs each is a multicopter, and each of the multicopters includes a local controller operating to move the multicopter through a series of way points defined by the flight plan associated with the multicopter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
    Inventors: Robert Scott Trowbridge, James Alexander Stark, Clifford Wong
  • Publication number: 20140231591
    Abstract: An aircraft is provided with: an attitude control command calculating section which calculates an attitude control command for target attitude on the basis of a control stick operation amount; a gain value generating section which generates a gain value equal to or less than 1 which decreases as the control stick operation amount is larger; a multiplication section which multiplies the attitude control command for target attitude by the gain value; and a addition section which adds a rate damping control command to the attitude control command for target attitude multiplied by the gain value and outputs a result to a subtraction section for calculating an SAS command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Higuchi, Takeshi Matsuda
  • Patent number: 8812176
    Abstract: A balloon is provided having a balloon envelope having a top portion and a bottom portion, a payload positioned beneath the balloon envelope, a moveable plate positioned atop the balloon envelope, a line attached to the moveable plate, and a control system configured to cause the line to be pulled to cause the moveable plate to be pulled towards the bottom portion of the balloon envelope such that the top portion of the balloon envelope is moved towards the bottom portion of the balloon envelope forcing gas out of the balloon envelope such that the balloon envelope is collapsed. The balloon may further include a drag plate positioned beneath the balloon envelope that serves to slow the descent of the payload to the earth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Clifford Biffle, Richard Wayne DeVaul, Joshua Weaver, Anton Valdemar Staaf, Eric Teller
  • Patent number: 8812180
    Abstract: The vertical profile management device includes a flight management system unit that selects a plurality of successive standard cruise sections, each comprising a level phase and a transition phase. The cruise sections are defined by a plurality of features, including waypoints corresponding to a section starting point and a section ending point, a transition type, a transition mode, a transition speed, a level altitude, and a level speed. The flight management system unit also joins together the successive cruise sections in order to form a vertical profile of a flight plan. The cruise sections are configured to be added, removed, or re-sequenced in the flight plan because each section ending point is configured to be the section starting point of a next cruise section in the series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Airbus Operations (SAS)
    Inventors: Maxime Wachenheim, Pierre Daste, Christophe Bouchet, Alexandre Lanoix, Romain Merat
  • Patent number: 8761961
    Abstract: A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using an electronic device obtains movement data of the electronic device detected by an accelerometer of the electronic device, and converts the movement data of the electronic device to control signals. The method further sends the control signals to the UAV, and changes a flight status of the UAV according to the control signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hou-Hsien Lee, Chang-Jung Lee, Chih-Ping Lo
  • Patent number: 8761966
    Abstract: A six degree-of-freedom trajectory linearization controller (TLC) architecture (30) for a fixed-wing aircraft (46) is set forth. The TLC architecture (30) calculates nominal force and moment commands by dynamic inversion of the nonlinear equations of motion. A linear time-varying (LTV) tracking error regulator provides exponential stability of the tracking error dynamics and robustness to model uncertainty and error. The basic control loop includes a closed-loop, LTV stabilizing controller (12), a pseudo-inverse plant model (14), and a nonlinear plant model(16). Four of the basic control loops (34, 36, 40, 42) are nested to form the TLC architecture (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Ohio University
    Inventors: Jianchao Zhu, Tony M. Adami
  • Publication number: 20140166816
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are example embodiments for automated hazard handling routine engagement. For certain example embodiments, at least one machine, such as an unoccupied flying vehicle (UFV), may: (i) detect at least one motivation to engage at least one automated hazard handling routine of the UFV; or (ii) engage at least one automated hazard handling routine of a UFV based at least partially on at least one motivation. However, claimed subject matter is not limited to any particular described embodiments, implementations, examples, or so forth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Elwha LLC, a limited liability corporation of the State of Delaware
    Inventor: Elwha LLC, a limited liability corporation of the State of Delaware
  • Publication number: 20140166817
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are example embodiments for inter-vehicle communication for hazard handling with an unoccupied flying vehicle (UFV). For certain example embodiments, at least one machine may: (i) receive one or more flight attributes from a remote UFV, with the one or more flight attributes indicative of one or more flight characteristics of the remote UFV; or (ii) adjust a flight path of a UFV based at least partially on one or more flight attributes received from a remote UFV. However, claimed subject matter is not limited to any particular described embodiments, implementations, examples, or so forth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Elwha LLC, a limited liability corporation of the State of Delaware
    Inventor: Elwha LLC, a limited liability corporation of the State of Delaware
  • Patent number: 8733707
    Abstract: A method is provided for establishing a physical reference inside an airplane representing the airplane's optimized line of flight based on the as-built orientation of aerodynamically significant features of the airplane. Values generated for aerodynamic pitch, roll and yaw representing the optimized line of flight are used to orient a tool reference surface outside the airplane. The orientation of the tool reference surface is recorded using an inertial reference unit placed on the tool reference surface. The tool reference surface and inertial reference unit are moved into the airplane where they are used to establish the physical reference on the airframe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Patrick B. Stone
  • Patent number: 8702033
    Abstract: An aircraft control system is described having an Automatic Monitoring System (“AMS”), an Aircraft Parameter Management Computer (“APC”), and a Flight Management Computer (“FMC”) to monitor the parameters of the aircraft automatically and to fly the aircraft without requiring a pilot to fly. The system respond to data within the systems and with data provided by a communication/navigation aid of the airport. The built-in systems of the aircraft process the data to allow pilotless operation of the aircraft along a predetermined route while maintaining proper spacing from prior art and other automated aircraft. An aircraft in accordance with the invention utilizes programmed software, electronics circuit and feedback system to fly the aircraft within the designated/destined routes and airports automatically while providing increased security by preventing accidents caused by incorrect or unauthorized human influence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Inventor: Ruchit Kumar Regmi