Rotorcraft Blade Dynamics Isolation via Hub-Blade Sensor Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current helicopter flight control systems struggle to accurately measure and utilize rotor state information due to the harsh operating environment and challenges in providing reliable power and data from rotor sensors, contaminating sensed rotor state parameters.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for a rotorcraft that involves obtaining data from sensors associated with both the hub and blades, processing this data to isolate blade dynamics from rotorcraft maneuvering dynamics, and analyzing parameters to control the rotorcraft and blades, using a computing system with processors and memory to execute instructions for data processing and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are placed on the rotor blades to measure blade dynamics, then measurement precision is improved, but the harsh operating environment (centrifugal force, rain, dirt, sand, sunlight, vibrations, EMI) contaminates the sensed rotor state information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an intermediary computational process to separate blade dynamics from fuselage dynamics. By placing sensors on both the hub and blades and using signal processing to isolate blade-specific vibrations and motions from overall aircraft maneuvering, the system obtains clean blade state information despite the harsh environment. The intermediary is the data processing algorithm that filters out environmental noise and fuselage motion contamination.
2Reliability
If sensors are placed on the rotor blades to measure real-time rotor state, then reliability of flight control is improved, but the difficulty providing reliable power and data to and from rotor sensors worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the measurement functions by using both hub sensors and blade sensors together in a unified measurement and control system. The hub sensors provide reference data for fuselage dynamics, while blade sensors provide blade-specific dynamics. By combining these data sources and processing them together, the system achieves reliable flight control without requiring complex independent power and data systems for each sensor location.
3Reliability
If rotor state information is used in flight control systems, then disturbance rejection is improved, but fuselage dynamics contaminate sensed rotor state information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the dynamics measurement into two distinct components: fuselage dynamics (measured by hub sensors) and blade dynamics (measured by blade sensors). By separating these measurements and processing them independently before integration, the system can use rotor state information for disturbance rejection while eliminating fuselage motion contamination from the blade state measurements.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are directed to obtaining data from a plurality of sensors located on a rotorcraft, wherein a first plurality of the sensors is associated with a hub of the rotorcraft and a second plurality of the sensors is associated with blades of the rotorcraft, processing the data to isolate blade dynamics using the data from the sensors associated with the blade from rotorcraft maneuvering dynamics using the data from the sensors associated with the hub, obtaining at least one parameter associated with the blade dynamics based on the processing, and analyzing the at least one parameter to control at least one of the rotorcraft and the blades.