Aircraft Throttle Control for Mountain Wave Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic throttle control systems for aircraft are ineffective in compensating for mountain waves, leading to unstable throttle adjustments and a rough ride for passengers, as they tend to 'hunt' and cause frequent increases and decreases in throttle settings.
Innovation Solution
An automated throttle control system that includes a computer for generating signals based on aircraft pitch, its derivatives, and combining these with conventional auto throttle signals to smoothly adjust engine thrust, thereby compensating for mountain wave disturbances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional automatic throttle control systems are used, then the system can maintain basic speed and thrust control, but the system becomes unstable and hunts when encountering mountain waves, causing frequent throttle adjustments and rough passenger ride
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates the second derivative of pitch (jerk) in advance to predict upcoming pitch changes before they fully manifest. This preliminary calculation allows the control system to anticipate mountain wave disturbances and adjust throttle settings proactively, preventing the hunting behavior that occurs with reactive control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors pitch angle and calculates its first and second derivatives in real-time, creating a feedback loop that feeds this information back to the throttle control. This feedback mechanism enables the system to dynamically adjust throttle based on actual aircraft motion, stabilizing control during mountain wave encounters.
2Speed
If the auto throttle system responds quickly to maintain speed, then speed control is improved, but the system becomes overly sensitive to mountain waves and causes frequent throttle adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
By calculating the second derivative of pitch (jerk) in advance, the system predicts pitch changes before they occur. This allows the control system to prepare appropriate throttle adjustments proactively, maintaining speed control while avoiding reactive hunting behavior that causes instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts throttle based on the calculated jerk signal, which represents the rate of change of pitch rate. This dynamic adjustment mechanism allows the system to respond appropriately to actual flight conditions, maintaining responsiveness while filtering out false signals that would cause unnecessary throttle changes.
3Measurement precision
If the system uses complex compensation algorithms for mountain waves, then control accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical or algorithmic mountain wave compensation mechanisms with a mathematical calculation of the second derivative of pitch (jerk). This substitution achieves high precision in detecting pitch changes while maintaining relatively simple system architecture, as the jerk calculation can be performed through straightforward differentiation of pitch sensor data.
Data Source
AI summary
A throttle control system that is compensated for mountain wave conditions includes an auto throttle computer and a detector for detecting the pitch or pitch angle of the aircraft. The computer is used for determining the rate of change of pitch i.e. the first derivative of pitch angle and the rate of change of the rate of change of pitch i.e. the second derivative for generating a signal indicative of the rate of change of the rate of change of pitch. The signal from the auto throttle computer is combined with the signal from the signal indicative of the second derivative to produce a combined signal which is fed to a servo assemble and motor for adjusting the throttle of an aircraft.