Active Wind Gust Sensing for Stable VTOL Takeoff and Landing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aircraft systems face challenges in maintaining stability and smoothness during vertical or short-runway takeoffs and landings in gusty conditions, particularly at sites prone to wind disturbances like urban helipads.
Innovation Solution
A network of wind measurement stations around the takeoff/landing site provides spatio-temporally characterized wind data, which is processed and transmitted to the aircraft's flight control system to anticipate and compensate for wind gusts, ensuring stable and smooth operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If aircraft operations are conducted at sites prone to gusty conditions (e.g., urban helipads), then operational versatility is improved, but takeoff/landing stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ground-based wind measurement system performs preliminary detection of wind gusts before they reach the aircraft during takeoff or landing. By measuring wind conditions in advance and providing this information to the flight control system, the system enables proactive compensation for upcoming disturbances, thereby maintaining stability at sites previously considered unsuitable due to gusty conditions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If manually controlled load alleviation is used to counteract wind gusts, then takeoff/landing stability is improved, but the system complexity increases due to the need for rapid sensing and response
Solution Approach 1:
A ground-based wind measurement system acts as an intermediary between the atmosphere and the aircraft's flight control system. This external sensing system provides advance wind gust information to the aircraft, allowing the flight control system to respond more effectively without requiring overly complex onboard sensing and processing capabilities. The intermediary system分担s the complexity of rapid wind measurement and prediction.
3Reliability
If current gust load alleviation methods are used, then some stability is maintained, but consistent smooth operations cannot be achieved at gusty sites
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control system uses advance wind gust information from the ground-based measurement system to apply preliminary counteracting control actions before the gusts affect the aircraft. By anticipating upcoming wind disturbances and pre-adjusting control surfaces or thrust, the system achieves consistent smooth operations at sites previously plagued by unpredictable gusts, transforming reactive control into proactive compensation.
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 enables consistent and smooth aircraft operations by accurately holding position and attitude, reducing passenger discomfort and enhancing safety during critical phases.
Implementation Method 1
The wind measurement units may include laser Doppler anemometers
Implementation Method 2
sound detection and ranging (SoDAR) systems or other devices capable of simultaneous spatially and temporally resolved wind measurements
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for enabling consistent smooth takeoffs and landings of vertical and/or short-runway takeoff and landing aircraft at sites with gusty conditions. The system includes a network of wind measurement stations deployed around the perimeter of a takeoff/landing site for spatio-temporally characterizing wind fluctuations (e.g., wind gusts) that enter a volume of airspace overlying the site, data processing means for deriving information about the fluctuations from the wind measurements, communication means for transmitting disturbance information to the aircraft, and a flight control system onboard the aircraft that is configured to use the disturbance information to control the aircraft in a manner that compensates for the fluctuations. The wind measurement units may include laser Doppler anemometers, sound detection and ranging systems or other devices capable of simultaneous spatially and temporally resolved wind measurements.