Collective Stick Tactile Feedback for Rotor Overspeed Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotorcraft face challenges in maintaining stable flight characteristics, particularly in managing main rotor overspeed conditions, which can lead to damage and require pilots to constantly monitor instruments, increasing workload and the risk of human error.
Innovation Solution
A fly-by-wire system with a flight control computer that monitors main rotor RPM and provides a tactile cue through the collective stick, automatically adjusting the control to reduce RPM and alert the pilot to overspeed conditions, allowing for intuitive and efficient management of rotorcraft flight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pilot manually monitors instruments to manage main rotor overspeed conditions, then the rotorcraft can respond to overspeed conditions, but the pilot workload increases and the risk of human error increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control computer automatically monitors main rotor RPM and detects overspeed conditions without pilot intervention. The system self-manages the monitoring function, freeing the pilot from constant instrument watching while maintaining reliable overspeed detection and response capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides automated feedback to the pilot through tactile cues on the collective stick when overspeed conditions are detected. This feedback mechanism alerts the pilot to the condition and the system's response without requiring continuous manual monitoring, reducing workload while maintaining situational awareness.
2Reliability
If the flight control computer provides automated adjustments through tactile cues, then the main rotor RPM is maintained within safe limits, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control computer acts as an intermediary between the pilot and the flight control system. It processes RPM data, determines overspeed conditions, and automatically adjusts flight control devices while providing tactile feedback to the pilot. This intermediary function maintains reliable speed control while managing system complexity through centralized intelligent control.
Data Source
AI summary
A flight control computer (FCC) for a rotorcraft includes a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program to be executed by the processor, with the program including instructions for providing main rotor overspeed protection. The instructions for providing the main rotor overspeed protection include instructions for monitoring sensor signals indicating a main rotor RPM, determining a target operating parameter, determining one or more flight parameters in response to a relationship between the main rotor RPM and the target operating parameter indicating a main rotor overspeed condition. Determining the one or more flight parameters includes determining a setting for a flight control device of the rotorcraft that changes the main rotor RPM, controlling positioning of a pilot control according to the flight parameters, and controlling the flight control device of the rotorcraft according to positioning of the pilot control.