Adaptive Aerodynamic Angle Filter for Aircraft Turbulence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current filters for aerodynamic angles in aircraft, such as angle of attack and sideslip angles, fail to effectively filter noise from transitory turbulence while simultaneously reacting quickly to sustained wind gusts, leading to delayed and inaccurate information for autopilot and stall warning systems.
Innovation Solution
An aerodynamic angle detection system that calculates and filters both inertial and externally measured aerodynamic angles, adjusting the contribution of the inertial angle based on the difference between the two rates of change to generate a filtered angle for improved accuracy and noise reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a filter is applied to reduce noise from transitory turbulence, then measurement precision is improved, but the response time to sustained wind gusts increases (lag)
Solution Approach 1:
The filter dynamically adjusts its characteristics based on the detected turbulence type. During transitory turbulence, the filter provides strong noise reduction. During sustained wind gusts, the filter reduces its attenuation to allow faster response. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the filter behavior conditional rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the filter parameters (cut-off frequency, attenuation factor) based on the detected rate of change of aerodynamic angles. When the rate of change exceeds a threshold indicating sustained gusts, the filter parameters are adjusted to reduce lag. This parameter adaptation allows the system to maintain precision during normal conditions while responding quickly to significant changes.
2Device complexity
If a simple filter is used, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to distinguish between transitory turbulence and sustained wind gusts deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the rate of change calculation to continuously adjust the filter behavior. The detected aerodynamic angle and its rate of change feed back into the filter adjustment mechanism, creating a closed-loop system that automatically adapts to different turbulence conditions without requiring complex manual configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter system serves itself by automatically detecting the turbulence type and adjusting its own parameters. The system monitors its own input signals, identifies the turbulence pattern, and self-regulates the filtering strength, eliminating the need for external complex control mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and apparatus for processing aerodynamic angles for an aircraft. A first rate of change in an inertial aerodynamic angle is calculated using data received from an inertial measurement system for the aircraft. Further, a second rate of change in an externally measured aerodynamic angle is calculated. Yet further, a filtered aerodynamic angle is generated during a flight of the aircraft using the first rate of change in the inertial aerodynamic angle and the second rate of change in the externally measured aerodynamic angle. Still further, a contribution of the first rate of change in the inertial aerodynamic angle used in generated the filtered aerodynamic angle is changed based on a difference between the first rate of change in the inertial aerodynamic angle and the second rate of change in the externally measured aerodynamic angle, enabling controlling the flight of the aircraft using the filtered aerodynamic angle.