530 results about "Yaw control" patented technology

Improved methods of controlling the stability of a vehicle are provided via the cooperative operation of vehicle stability control systems such as an Active Yaw Control system, Antilock Braking System, and Traction Control System. These methods use recognition of road surface information including the road friction coefficient (mu), wheel slippage, and yaw deviations. The methods then modify the settings of the active damping system and/or the distribution of drive torque, as necessary, to increase/reduce damping in the suspension and shift torque application at the wheels, thus preventing a significant shift of load in the vehicle and/or improving vehicle drivability and comfort. The adjustments of the active damping system or torque distribution temporarily override any characteristics that were pre-selected by the driver.

A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft having a fuselage with three wings and six synchronously tilt-able propulsion units, each one mounted above, below, or on each half of the aforementioned three wings. The propulsion units are vertical for vertical flight, and horizontal for forward flight. The aircraft wings are placed such that the rear wing is above the middle wing which is placed above the front wing. The placement of each of the propulsion units relative to the center of gravity of the aircraft about the vertical axis inherently assures continued stability in vertical flight mode, following the loss of thrust from any one propulsion unit. The placement of the propulsion units, viewing the aircraft from the front, is such that each propulsion units' thrust wake does not materially disturb the propulsion unit to its rear. When engine driven propellers or rotors are utilized, flapped wing panels are attached outboard of the forward and/or rearward propulsion units to provide yaw control during vertical flight.

A tilt-rotor compound VTOL aircraft has a multiple-flow thrust generator(s) comprising a gas-powered tip-jet driven rotor(s) having a thrust-augmentation ratio of at least two; that tilts about the aircraft's pitch axis wherein the rotor's plane of rotation is substantially horizontal for VTOL operations and the rotor's plane of rotation is substantially vertical forward flight operations. A relatively small fixed-wing sustains the aircraft during forward flight. Compressed exhaust gas from the fan-jet engine(s) is ducted to a manifold having valves which control power to the multiple-flow thrust generator(s) and to the jet exhaust nozzle(s) as supplemental thrust for forward propulsion and yaw control. The manifold also serves to distribute compressed gas to the dead engine side of the aircraft in the event of a dead engine emergency, and to reaction jets for attitude control during VTOL operations. Thus this tilt-rotor aircraft is more efficient, faster, immensely lighter, less complex and less expensive to purchase and maintain than its shaft-driven counterparts.

A method and apparatus provide for automatically controlling the flight of a tiltrotor aircraft while the aircraft is in flight that is at least partially rotor-borne. The method and apparatus provide for automatically tilting nacelles in response to a longitudinal-velocity control signal so as to produce a longitudinal thrust-vector component for controlling longitudinal velocity of the aircraft. Simultaneously, cyclic swashplate controls are automatically actuated so as to maintain the fuselage in a desired pitch attitude. The method and apparatus also provide for automatically actuating the cyclic swashplate controls for each rotor in response to a lateral-velocity control signal so as to produce a lateral thrust-vector component for controlling lateral velocity of the aircraft. Simultaneously, collective swashplate controls for each rotor are automatically actuated so as to maintain the fuselage in a desired roll attitude. The method and apparatus provide for yaw control through differential longitudinal thrust produced by tilting the nacelles.

A coaxial helicopter, comprising a first rotor carried by a first shaft and a second rotor carried by a second shaft; wherein one of the first and second rotors has cyclic pitch control and the other rotor does not have cyclic pitch control, at least pitch and roll control being implemented by cyclic blade pitch control of only one rotor of the coaxial rotor set. Provisions for yaw control can include differential collective control of the first and second rotors, providing yaw paddles and/or a tail rotor, ducted fan, or an air jet configured for yawing the coaxial helicopter.

A dual, coaxial rotor helicopter is provided that is relatively easy to fly. Thrust is provided by two ducted fans that are mounted at the rear of the aircraft and spaced apart laterally. Differential thrust generated by the fans provides yaw control for the aircraft, and forward thrust is provided by the fans working in combination. The coaxial rotors are preferably utilized primarily for lift, and not for forward thrust, which simplifies the control requirements. The coaxial rotor with ducted fan configuration also results in lower vibratory loads being imposed on the helicopter, thereby increasing its speed capability. The fan ducts serve to protect the fans, augment the fan thrust at low airspeeds, increase the efficiency of the fans at cruise speeds, and provide horizontal and vertical stabilizing surfaces to ensure aircraft flight stability.

A road/air vehicle is able to quickly and easily convert between two configurations, air configuration and road configuration, to facilitate practical operation as both an aircraft and as an automobile. In air configuration the craft includes two laterally symmetrically flight surfaces; a smaller forward canard wing, generally horizontally disposed and a larger rearward main wing generally horizontally disposed with fin surfaces, generally vertically disposed, at each tip. Control surfaces on the main wing, the canard wing and the tip fins severally provide roll control, pitch control and yaw control in flight. The wheels/undercarriage are of a laterally symmetrical rectangular pattern, with the lateral distance between the two forward wheels and the two rearward wheels being similar. The forward wheels are steerable for ground operations. A suitable powerplant drives the rear wheels for ground operations. A second suitable powerplant provides direct atmospheric thrust for flight operations. In road configuration all flight surfaces and avionics sensors are folded and stored inside compartments within the body of the craft. Controls to facilitate both ground and flight operations are available for a single operator to perform the functions of both driver in road configuration and pilot in air configuration.

A wind energy systems includes a shroud for each turbine. The shroud is adapted to direct and accelerate wind towards the turbine. A strong adaptable support assembly is provided for securing turbines to a structure. An air glide yaw assembly facilitates rotational movement of the structure allowing the turbines to face oncoming wind. The turbine blades are optimized for use with a shroud.

Disclosed is an underwater vehicle that can be operated as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or as an autonomous vehicle (AUV). The underwater vehicle has a tether, which may be a fiberoptic cable, that connects the vehicle to a control console. The underwater vehicle has vertical and lateral thrusters, pitch and yaw control fins, and a propulsor, all of which may be used in an ROV-mode when the underwater vehicle is operating at slow speeds. The underwater vehicle may also be operated in a AUV-mode when operating at higher speeds. The operator may switch the vehicle between ROV-mode and AUV-mode. The underwater vehicle also has a fail-safe mode, in which the vehicle may navigate according to a pre-loaded mission plan if the tether is severed.

A method for operating a wind farm is provided. The method includes determining a wind condition, determining a wake-effect between at least two wind turbines forming at least a sub-set of the wind farm, each of the at least two wind turbines having a yaw system, and determining a desired yaw angle setpoint for each of the at least two wind turbines so that a total power production of at least the sub-set is expected to be increased compared to independently operating the yaw systems of each of the at least two wind turbines. Furthermore, a wind farm is provided

Yaw control is performed such that a nacelle faces into an actual main wind direction. The actual wind direction is estimated by detecting the main wind direction with an anemoscope (wind direction detecting means), assuming the actual wind direction by assuming a wind direction offset value, which is a deviation between the main wind direction and the actual wind direction, which is a direction of wind which blows in actual use, at a predetermined wind speed with a wind direction assuming unit (wind direction assuming means), calculating an average generator output power for a predetermined period of time in the assumed actual wind direction with an average-generator-output-power calculation unit (average-generator-output-power calculation means), approximating the average generator output power with respect to the assumed wind direction offset value to a quadratic curve with an actual wind direction estimation unit (actual wind direction estimation means), and estimating the wind direction offset value at the time when the average generator output power is the maximum in the approximated quadratic curve to be an actual offset value.

A lane departure prevention apparatus is configured to conduct a course correction in a lane departure avoidance direction when the controller 8 determines that there is a potential for a vehicle to depart from a driving lane. The controller 8 combines yaw control and deceleration control to conduct departure prevention control to avoid lane departure. The yaw control is not actuated if the opposite direction from the steering direction coincides with the lane departure direction (steps S10 and S11). Preferably, the controller 8 sets the timing of yaw moment and the deceleration of the vehicle on the basis of the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, and performs braking control so that these settings are achieved (steps S7 to S9). Preferably, the controller 8 calculates the target yaw moment in the lane departure-avoidance direction on the basis of the running state of the vehicle, and calculates the deceleration amount by taking into account the driver braking operation amount.

Controllable dampers are used to improve vehicle responses and stability during severe vehicle handling maneuvers. A total handling damping value for the vehicle is derived, preferably from the greatest of a yaw rate error value, a lateral acceleration value and a time derivative of lateral acceleration value. In addition, a control ratio of front axle roll damping to total roll damping is derived, preferably from the yaw rate error value, an oversteer/understeer indication and possibly vehicle speed. From these values, handling damping values are derived for each wheel of the vehicle and blended with damping values for the same wheels derived from suspension component movement to determine a corner damping command for each controllable damper. Preferably, the damping values derived from suspension component movement are shifted away from damping control of the vehicle body toward handling damping control when yaw rate error is large in magnitude.

The invention provides a method for obtaining an inherent yaw error angle of a wind generating set. The method comprises the following steps of: 1) obtaining an absolute value of the inherent yaw error angle according to a theoretical value and a detection value of the yaw error angle of the wind generating set; and 2) judging the inherent yaw error angle is negative or positive to obtain a numerical value of the inherent yaw error angle of the wind generating set. By the method for obtaining the inherent yaw error angle of the wind generating set provided by the invention, the inherent yaw error angle of the wind generating set can be obtained, so error control can be carried out in a yawing process, the influence of the inherent yaw error angle on yawing of the wind generating set is reduced or even eliminated, the yawing control of the wind generating set is relatively accurate, the wind generating set can always face a wind direction, and generation efficiency is improved.

Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for the wind turbine yaw control. A wind turbine bedplate is rotateably mounted on a stationary tower. The bedplate is connected to a yaw encoder, which provides angular position of the bedplate with respect to the stationary tower. A wind vane, which can be attached to the bedplate, is connected to a wind vane encoder. The yaw encoder and wind vane encoder send data to a turbine controller. When the bedplate orientation differs from the average wind direction by a predetermined amount, a yaw brake that keeps the bedplate in place is released in a controllable fashion, such that some amount of friction between the brake pads and the stationary disk remains. Consequently, the bedplate will controllably rotate to align itself with the newly established average wind vector, thus aligning the turbine blade rotation plane substantially perpendicularly against the average wind vector. When the bedplate arrives to its new position, as determined by the yaw encoder reading, the yaw brake can be fully applied again to fix the bedplate at its new position.

The invention relates to a yaw control method for a large-sized wind powered generator unit. A current yaw angle reference value alpha reference is obtained according to a current wind direction, a current yaw angle practical value alpha practice is obtained by a encoder or a tachometer, a yaw angular error delta alpha is obtained by subtracting the yaw angle practical value alpha practice by the current yaw angle reference value alpha reference, and a corresponding yaw mechanism control rule is calculated by integrating the yaw angular error delta alpha and the variation tendency thereof by a fuzzy controller. Furthermore, an obtained electrical signal of the yaw mechanism control rule is sent to a yaw actuating mechanism to control a propeller pitch angle, and the yaw angle of the wind powered generator unit traces the yaw angle reference value alpha reference to enable the yaw angle practical value alpha practice and the yaw angle reference value alpha reference of the wind powered generator unit to be kept consistent. The invention obviously enhances the total precision, is favorable to increasing the year total generated energy of the wind powered generator unit, has high adaptability for complex and extreme cases, greatly enhances the operating effectiveness, furthest prolongs the mechanical life of the yaw actuating mechanism, and also has low remodel difficulty and low cost.

A movement stabilizing control ECU 25 includes a differential unit 25a, a cycle calculation unit 25b, a time constant/gain setting portion 25c, a first-order lag processing unit 25d, a pendulum movement detection unit 25e, a control amount calculation portion 25f and a control amount output unit 25g. The time constant/gain setting portion 25c sets a time constant τ and a gain K used at the time of subjecting a yaw acceleration ω′ which is a time-differential value of a yaw rate ω to the first-order lag processing at the first-order lag processing unit 25d, with reference to a function or data of a look-up table, for example, depending on the cycle or the frequency of the yaw acceleration ω′ due to the pendulum movement. The control amount calculation portion 25f multiplies the amplitude of a yaw acceleration ω_d′ outputted from the first-order lag processing unit 25d by a predetermined constant to calculate a yaw control amount with a phase in opposite to that of the yaw acceleration ω_d′ and outputs the yaw control amount to the control amount output unit 25g.

A method for yaw control for a wind turbine comprising a rotor with a rotor blade, the rotor defining a rotor axis and a rotor plane to which the rotor axis is perpendicular, in which the rotor axis is turned to minimise the yaw angle between the ambient wind direction and the rotor axis is provided, wherein the turning of the rotor axis is performed based on the measurement of a wind speed in the rotor plane at the rotor blade. Furthermore, a wind turbine which comprises a rotor which includes a rotor axis and a rotor plane perpendicular to the rotor axis and an anemometer for measuring the ambient wind speed is provided. The wind turbine further comprises an anemometer which is located such at a rotor blade at a particular distance from the rotor axis as to allow for measuring a wind speed in the rotor plane.

Disclosed a horizontal axis wind turbine including: a rotor; a nacelle; a tower; an independent pitch control device; and a yaw control device, wherein the horizontal axis wind turbine is an up-wind type one including a waiting mode, wherein (1) the independent pitch control device performs a first step of changing all the blades to be in feathering states when the wind speed exceeds the predetermined value, a second step of changing the blades to be in reverse feathering states one by one sequentially, and a third step of holding all the blades in the reverse feathering states, and (2) the yaw control device controls a yaw brake to take a braking value allowing the yaw rotation when the wind speed exceeds the predetermined value, wherein the rotor is allowed to swing a leeward of the tower by executing the control operations (1) and (2) as the waiting mode.