Autorotation Guidance System for Helicopter Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Helicopter autorotation maneuvers are labor-intensive and challenging, especially in degraded visual environments, with high safety risks due to the difficulty in executing a successful landing without visual cues.
Innovation Solution
An avionics computing device generates autorotation guidance commands based on a feasible three-dimensional trajectory, providing pilots with critical guidance cues through input/output devices to navigate safely during autorotation, even in conditions where visual perception is obstructed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pilot performs autorotation maneuver manually without assistance, then the pilot has full control over the maneuver, but the pilot workload is extremely high and the safety margin is very low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an avionics computing device as an intermediary between the pilot and the autorotation maneuver. This device calculates optimal autorotation trajectories and provides real-time guidance commands, acting as a mediator that reduces the direct cognitive and manual burden on the pilot while maintaining control authority. The guidance system processes multiple parameters (altitude, airspeed, rotor RPM, vertical speed) and translates them into actionable flight path angle and airspeed commands, effectively sharing the computational burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculations of the autorotation trajectory and identifies optimal flight paths before the actual autorotation is needed or during the early stages. By pre-computing guidance parameters and having the guidance system ready to provide immediate direction when autorotation is initiated, the system reduces the reaction time and decision-making burden on the pilot during the critical maneuver.
2Reliability
If a pilot attempts autorotation in degraded visual environment, then the pilot must rely on instrument readings, but the pilot cannot see terrain and obstructions leading to increased risk
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance system acts as an intermediary that translates instrument readings into meaningful flight path instructions. Rather than requiring the pilot to interpret multiple instrument parameters simultaneously, the system processes this information and provides direct guidance commands for flight path angle and airspeed, compensating for the loss of visual terrain information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors flight parameters (altitude, airspeed, rotor RPM, vertical speed) and provides real-time feedback through guidance commands. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the pilot to maintain proper autorotation trajectory by following system recommendations, effectively replacing visual terrain feedback with instrument-based feedback processed by the guidance system.
3Reliability
If the system provides comprehensive autorotation guidance, then the safety and success rate of autorotation increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The avionics computing device leverages existing multi-functional aircraft systems to reduce overall complexity. It utilizes already-present sensors (altimeter, airspeed indicator, rotor RPM sensor, vertical speed indicator) and integrates with existing flight control interfaces. By building upon the aircraft's existing avionics infrastructure rather than requiring entirely new specialized equipment, the system achieves comprehensive guidance functionality with minimized additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An avionics computing device of an aircraft including a rotor may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium and a processor communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium. Upon an occurrence of a condition indicative of a requirement to perform an autorotation maneuver, the processor may be configured to generate autorotation guidance commands based on a generated feasible three-dimensional autorotation trajectory. The generated feasible three-dimensional autorotation trajectory may be for the autorotation maneuver of an aircraft including a rotor. The generated autorotation guidance commands may be configured to guide a pilot of the aircraft to perform the autorotation maneuver of the aircraft along the generated feasible three-dimensional autorotation trajectory. The processor may further be configured to output data associated with the generated autorotation guidance commands to an input/output device for presentation to the pilot.