Aircraft Pointing Mode With Position Hold and Manual Heading
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual operation of coaxial compound rotary wing aircrafts for precision pointing increases operator workload due to variations in flight environments and aircraft performance, reducing precision and mode predictability.
Innovation Solution
A flight control system that operates in both manual and pointing modes, automatically maintaining the aircraft's position and velocity while allowing manual control of attitude and heading, using sensors for environmental and state data to adjust control surfaces and providing haptic feedback to operators when approaching allowable limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operation of controls is used for precision pointing, then operator control flexibility is maintained, but operator workload increases and precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor aircraft state and environmental conditions, providing feedback to automatically adjust control surfaces. This closed-loop feedback mechanism maintains precision pointing while reducing operator workload by handling routine adjustments automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service operation where the aircraft automatically maintains its pointing accuracy through the flight control system. The system monitors its own state and makes autonomous corrections to control surfaces, reducing the need for continuous manual intervention while maintaining precision.
2Ease of operation
If manual operation of controls is used for precision pointing, then operator flexibility is maintained, but mode predictability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system uses continuous feedback from sensors to automatically adjust control surfaces, providing predictable and consistent aircraft behavior. This automated feedback loop ensures that the aircraft responds predictably to pointing commands while reducing the complexity of manual control operations.
3Measurement precision
If automated flight control is used for precision pointing, then precision and predictability improve, but operator control flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system dynamically adapts its level of automation based on operational requirements. The system can transition between fully automated precision pointing mode and manual control mode, allowing operators to maintain flexibility while benefiting from automated precision when needed. This dynamic control architecture resolves the contradiction by making the system adaptable to different operational scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft is provided including at least one pilot input and a flight control system n communication with the at least one pilot input. The flight control system is operable in a manual mode and a pointing mode. In the manual mode, a velocity, position, and attitude of the aircraft are controlled manually, and in the pointing mode, at least one of the velocity and position of the aircraft is controlled by the flight control system and at least one of the attitude and heading of the aircraft is controlled manually.