Landing Gear Deployment Timing for Low-Drag Aircraft Approach
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft landing gear deployment methods are inefficient, leading to increased fuel consumption, noise pollution, and risk of damage from debris, as deployment typically occurs too early and is not optimized for specific flight conditions or airport environments.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft controller system that determines an optimal time and position for landing gear deployment based on dynamic flight conditions and aircraft landing site information, allowing for delayed deployment until closer to the landing site, thereby reducing drag, noise, and risk of damage, and ensuring safe and efficient landing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If landing gear is deployed early during approach, then safety margin is increased, but fuel consumption increases and noise pollution increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic determination of the optimal deployment position based on real-time flight conditions including aircraft speed, altitude, weight, and environmental factors. The system continuously calculates and adjusts the deployment position rather than using a fixed early deployment rule, allowing the landing gear to be deployed at the latest safe moment to minimize drag and fuel consumption while maintaining safety margins.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes multiple parameters simultaneously to optimize deployment timing: aircraft speed, altitude, weight, wind conditions, and deployment position are all dynamically adjusted and considered. By changing these parameters based on real-time conditions, the system determines the optimal deployment point that balances safety requirements with fuel efficiency and noise reduction.
2Reliability
If landing gear is deployed early during approach, then safety margin is increased, but noise pollution increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts deployment timing based on real-time flight conditions to delay gear deployment as much as safely possible. This dynamic approach allows the landing gear to remain retracted (noiseless) longer during the approach, and only deploys when absolutely necessary, thereby minimizing noise pollution while maintaining safety margins through continuous monitoring of flight parameters.
3Reliability
If landing gear is deployed early, then deployment time is increased, but risk of damage from debris increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations and assessments of flight conditions, aircraft performance, and environmental factors before determining the optimal deployment position. By预先 analyzing these factors and continuously updating the deployment calculation, the system identifies the latest safe deployment moment that minimizes exposure to debris while ensuring sufficient time for gear extension and locking before touchdown.
4Loss of energy
If optimal deployment position is delayed, then fuel efficiency is improved, but deployment time window becomes more constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors flight conditions, aircraft performance, and environmental factors in real-time, providing feedback to continuously recalculate and update the optimal deployment position. This feedback mechanism ensures that even as the aircraft approaches and conditions change, the system maintains an accurate assessment of the latest safe deployment moment, allowing for delayed deployment while ensuring sufficient time for gear extension and locking before touchdown.
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft controller configured to determine a period and/or distance over which deployment of a landing gear can be initiated for landing including a determined first portion during which landing gear deployment can be safely initiated and a determined second portion, closer to aircraft landing than the first portion, during which the landing gear deployment can be safely initiated in an efficient landing mode; issue a first pilot feedback when the first portion is entered by the aircraft; issue a second pilot feedback when the second portion of the determined; and initiate landing gear deployment when the aircraft is in the determined period and/or distance in response to receiving a deployment signal from the pilot.