Rotary Wing Aircraft Speed Control Adaptation to Wind
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotary wing aircraft face challenges in determining accurate longitudinal air speed and ground speed under varying wind conditions, which can lead to unsafe operations, especially when ground speed is low due to strong winds.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that use characteristic speed curves to determine and adjust longitudinal air speed and ground speed based on wind exposure, involving control signals from an autopilot system and pilot interventions, ensuring stable flight by matching speed setpoints with wind conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If ground speed is used as the speed of advance setpoint for the autopilot, then the aircraft can maintain a stable ground track, but the aircraft may decelerate to low air speeds in strong winds leading to unsafe operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the parameter used as speed of advance setpoint based on wind conditions. When wind exposure is low, ground speed is used as the setpoint to maintain stable ground track. When wind exposure exceeds a threshold, the system switches to using air speed as the setpoint, preventing the aircraft from decelerating to unsafe air speeds while compensating for wind effects on ground track.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors wind conditions (wind speed and direction relative to the aircraft) and uses this feedback to determine whether to use ground speed or air speed as the autopilot's speed of advance setpoint. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt to changing wind conditions and maintain both ground track stability and flight safety.
2Reliability
If air speed is used as the speed of advance setpoint for the autopilot, then the aircraft maintains safe air speed, but the ground track becomes unstable due to wind effects
Solution Approach 1:
The system switches between using ground speed and air speed as the speed of advance setpoint based on wind exposure conditions. When wind exposure is high, air speed is used as the setpoint to maintain safe air speed margins. The system compensates for wind effects on ground track through active wind condition monitoring and setpoint selection, rather than using a fixed parameter.
Solution Approach 2:
The system makes the speed of advance setpoint dynamic by selecting between ground speed and air speed based on real-time wind conditions. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain flight safety in strong winds while preserving ground track stability in calm conditions, rather than using a static parameter selection approach.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the aircraft decelerates to maintain low ground speed in strong winds, then ground track accuracy is improved, but the air speed becomes dangerously low risking vortex ring state
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter used for speed control based on wind conditions. In strong winds, instead of allowing ground speed to decrease to maintain ground track accuracy, the system uses air speed as the setpoint parameter, ensuring air speed remains above dangerous thresholds. This prevents the aircraft from decelerating to unsafe air speeds while compensating for wind effects on ground track.
Solution Approach 2:
The system takes preliminary action by monitoring wind conditions and switching to air speed-based control before the air speed becomes dangerously low. This prevents the harmful effect of vortex ring state by maintaining air speed above critical thresholds, rather than allowing ground speed to decrease to improve ground track accuracy at the expense of flight safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining the longitudinal air speed VairX and the longitudinal ground speed VsolX of a rotary wing aircraft depending on the exposure of the aircraft to the wind, the aircraft flying at a speed of advance Va. The method making it possible to determine characteristic speed curves for the aircraft depending on the longitudinal speed of the relative wind to which the aircraft is subjected, and then during a flight and depending on the actions of the pilot of the aircraft, to deduce the longitudinal ground speed VsolX and the longitudinal air speed VairX to be applied to the aircraft depending on variations in the longitudinal speed of the relative wind to which the aircraft is subjected.