Flight Thrust Guidance Using Uniform Acceleration Cues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flight guidance systems lack intuitive and consistent thrust guidance acceleration commands, particularly in automatic flight control systems, leading to varying and non-intuitive acceleration cues across different thrust guidance modes, which can confuse pilots and reduce situational awareness.
Innovation Solution
A novel thrust director algorithm that utilizes aircraft potential flight path angles, thrust, throttle level angles, and weight to generate uniform acceleration commands, displayed as a 'thrust director cue' on a primary flight display, ensuring the commands are within the aircraft's energy limits and consistent across thrust guidance modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If thrust guidance is provided in terms of engine power or throttle position error, then thrust control is achieved, but the guidance is not intuitive and does not indicate acceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the thrust guidance parameter from engine power or throttle position to acceleration equivalence. The flight path angle acceleration command is converted into an acceleration equivalence value that directly indicates the expected acceleration, making the guidance intuitive while preserving acceleration information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary conversion process that translates engine power commands into acceleration equivalence. This intermediary step acts as a bridge between the thrust control system and the pilot's intuitive understanding of acceleration, allowing both thrust control and acceleration indication to coexist.
2Measurement precision
If different acceleration translations are used across flight envelope, then engine power commands are translated into acceleration, but the acceleration translations vary and are not consistent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal acceleration equivalence representation that works consistently across all thrust guidance modes (speed control and thrust control) and throughout the entire flight envelope. This single unified approach eliminates the need for mode-specific or condition-specific acceleration translations, ensuring consistency while maintaining accuracy.
3Adaptability or versatility
If thrust guidance modes present very different acceleration cues, then both speed control and thrust control functions are supported, but the acceleration cues are not uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The acceleration equivalence representation serves both speed control and thrust control modes uniformly. The same conversion process and display methodology are applied regardless of which thrust guidance mode is active, providing consistent acceleration cues while maintaining full adaptability to different operational modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the acceleration indication approach for both thrust guidance modes into a single unified system. Instead of maintaining separate acceleration cue systems for speed control and thrust control, the invention combines them into one consistent acceleration equivalence representation that works for both modes.
Data Source
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AI summary
Technologically improved flight guidance systems and methods that generate thrust guidance related to a potential flight path angle are provided. The thrust guidance is provided as acceleration commands that may be communicated to the pilot in an intuitive manner, such as with an acceleration cue on a primary flight display (PFD) system. The provided acceleration cues are uniform across the flight envelope and present consistently for two basic thrust guidance modes.