Autorotation Landing Control System with Optimal Spot Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircrafts, particularly rotorcrafts and VTOL vehicles, face challenges in safely landing by autorotation due to engine failure, requiring optimal landing spot selection and obstacle avoidance, which existing technologies have not adequately addressed.
Innovation Solution
A control system that initiates autorotation in response to engine failure, determines flight characteristics and conditions, selects an optimal landing spot and flight path, and controls the aircraft to land safely while avoiding obstacles using LIDAR and GPS technology, enabling both manned and unmanned flights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If autorotation landing is performed without automated systems, then pilot control and decision-making are maintained, but pilot workload increases and response time is limited during engine failure
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the aircraft to perform self-landing through automated autorotation control. The flight control system automatically manages the autorotation process, selects optimal landing spots, and controls the descent without requiring continuous pilot intervention, allowing the aircraft to serve itself during emergency landing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-calculates and prepares multiple potential landing spots and flight paths before engine failure occurs. When engine failure is detected, the system has already identified safe landing areas and planned descent trajectories, enabling immediate execution without delayed decision-making during the critical emergency phase
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple flight characteristics and conditions are monitored in real-time, then landing accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system integrates multiple monitoring functions into a single unified system that simultaneously tracks altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, and rotor RPM. This multi-functional approach allows the system to monitor various flight parameters without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same control architecture handles all sensing and actuation tasks
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors flight characteristics and uses real-time feedback to adjust the autorotation descent. Sensors provide ongoing data about altitude, airspeed, and rotor state, which the flight control system processes to dynamically modify control surface positions and maintain the optimal descent trajectory, improving landing accuracy through closed-loop control
3Reliability
If automated obstacle avoidance is implemented during autorotation, then safety is improved, but response time and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-identifies potential landing spots and plans flight paths that avoid known obstacles before the autorotation begins. By having predetermined safe zones and trajectories ready, the system eliminates the need for time-consuming real-time obstacle detection and decision-making during the actual descent, maintaining safety while reducing response time
Solution Approach 2:
The obstacle avoidance system dynamically adjusts the flight path during autorotation based on real-time conditions. The flight control system continuously evaluates the current trajectory against identified obstacles and automatically modifies the descent path to maintain safe clearance, enabling adaptive safety without fixed predetermined routes
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures safe autorotation landing by dynamically determining landing spots and flight paths, protecting both aircraft and ground properties and lives, and can operate without pilot intervention, enhancing survivability and reducing pilot workload.
Implementation Method 1
controlling the aircraft to land the aircraft by autorotation within the geographic area while performing obstacle avoidance in flight path
Implementation Method 2
determining a geographic area within which to land the aircraft by autorotation based on the plurality of flight characteristics and conditions
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for landing aircrafts with optimal landing spot selection. In one aspect, a method includes initiating an autorotation of an aircraft in response to detecting all engine failure, determining a plurality of flight characteristics and conditions of the aircraft at a time of initiating the autorotation, the plurality of flight characteristics and conditions comprising an aircraft altitude, an aircraft velocity, and wind direction, determining total air-time for glideslope and flare control, and a geographic area within which to land the aircraft by autorotation based on the plurality of flight characteristics and conditions, and controlling the aircraft to land the aircraft by autorotation within the geographic area.