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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7931238 | Automatic velocity control system for aircraft A flight control system for an aircraft receives a selected value of a first parameter, which is either the airspeed or inertial velocity of the aircraft. A primary feedback loop generates a primary error signal that is proportional to the difference between the sel... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7437237 | Positioning control apparatus and the method A positioning control apparatus including feedback loops according to a plurality of control modes which control positioning of an object to be controlled is provided, in which the positioning control apparatus includes a part (121, 122, 123, 124) for reflect... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7364121 | Methods and systems for automatically controlling aircraft takeoff rolls Methods and systems for automatically controlling aircraft takeoff rolls. A method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes receiving an indication of a target takeoff roll path for an aircraft, and automatically controlling a direction of an airc... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7343232 | Vehicle control system including related methods and components Embodiments are disclosed for a vehicle control system and related sub-components that together provide an operator with a plurality of specific modes of operation, wherein various modes of operation incorporate different levels of autonomous control. Through a cont... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7331821 | Electrical connector Disclosed is an electrical connector for use with a coaxial cable. In one aspect, the electrical connector is for use with a coaxial cable having a central signal conductor and an insulative core tube surrounding the central signal conductor such that an air gap is ... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7292152 | Method and apparatus for classifying vehicle operator activity state An apparatus and method for classifying a driver's activity state use sensor data relating to at least one vehicle operating condition to determine driver activity and classify into one of at least two states. A two state classifier (200) uses inputs related ... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7159825 | Process and device for the optimization of the deflection of the spoiler flaps of an aircraft in flight A process and device for optimization of deflection of spoiler flaps of an aircraft in flight may, in real time, compute an incidence potential available to be consumed by the spoiler flaps without endangering the aircraft and deflect the spoiler flaps toward the in... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7031811 | Fuel efficient airspeed trim A system and method are provided for precisely adjusting individual aircraft airspeed system in order to provide more accurate cruise Indicated Airspeed (IAS). The system includes a flight data computer, an autopilot, and airspeed displays. The flight data computer ... | 04/18/2006 |
| 6989769 | Safety index A method and system is utilized to produce an output corresponding to a safety level, particularly in relation to an activity on a moving body. The method involving producing an output corresponding to the ability to perform an operation within a safe limit on a mov... | 01/24/2006 |
| 6935596 | Process and system for piloting an aircraft The piloting system (1) for generating orders for piloting the aircraft according to at least one piloting axis, for example the pitch axis, the roll axis, the yaw axis or the engine thrust control axis, comprises at least two piloting means (2, 3), ea... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6904340 | Flight control indicator for an aircraft, in particular a transport airplane, intended to supply the thrust generated by at least one engine of the aircraft Flight control indicator for an aircraft, in particular a transport airplane, intended to supply the thrust generated by at least one engine of the aircraft. The flight control indicator (1) comprises display means (4) which present, on a viewin... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6886786 | Engine thrust management—new design architecture An engine thrust management system comprising an engine control device, an aircraft flight manual, a flight management device and a cockpit instrument device. The engine control device is operable to calculate a percent maximum available thrust parameter and a perce... | 05/03/2005 |
| 6819266 | System and method for reducing the speed of an aircraft An aircraft system for reducing the airspeed of an aircraft as it passes through a preselected altitude includes an automatic throttle system including a computer, a device for inputting a preselected altitude and a preselected airspeed into the computer. An altimet... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6643568 | System for automatically controlling lift-augmentation devices of an aircraft during take-off A system for automatically controlling lift augmentation devices of an aircraft, during a phase of take-off by the aircraft, includes a controllable actuator that shifts the lift-augmentation devices, and a control unit for generating control demands to c... | 11/04/2003 |
| 6571171 | Method and apparatus for graphically inserting waypoints for a flight management system An apparatus and method for inserting a waypoint into a preexisting flight plan which includes selecting a waypoint on a graphical display of a portion of the flight plan and automatically generating a proposed changed flight plan based upon inserting the... | 05/27/2003 |
| 6507782 | Aircraft control system for reaching a waypoint at a required time of arrival The instant invention provides a system and method for controlling the flight of an aircraft to meet an RTA. The system comprises a speed profile generator that communicates with a trajectory generator to produce a speed profile signal that enables the ai... | 01/14/2003 |
| 6450456 | Airborne safe landing power control system and method An airborne power control system for automatically controlling the power of an aircraft during landing is disclssed. The system includes a computer and a minimum airspeed program as a function of altitude. A radio altimeter or the like senses the instanta... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6324448 | Methods, apparatus and computer program products for determining the vertical speed of an aircraft A method, an apparatus and a computer program product are provided for accurately determining the vertical speed of an aircraft in a manner independent of signals provided by an air data computer, an inertial reference system and an inertial navigation sy... | 11/27/2001 |
| 6062513 | Total energy based flight control system In a method of flight control in which a thrust command is computed based on the total aircraft energy error relative to flight path and speed control commands, and an elevator command is computed based on the energy distribution error relative to the sam... | 05/16/2000 |
| 6061612 | Aircraft flight management system A process for managing air speed of an aircraft in flight. The method includes a first step of determining a point on the flight path at which it is theoretically possible to comply with a required time constraint by following a pre-established speed prof... | 05/09/2000 |
| 5995880 | Method and device for detecting vertical gusts of wind and application thereof to the pitch-attitude control of an aircraft An apparatus and method for detecting vertical gusts of wind on board an aircraft in cruising flight is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: calculating an absolute value (|-θ|) of a difference between a pair of first differentials with re... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5979835 | Aircraft pitch-axis stability and command augmentation system Disclosed is a pitch-axis stability and command augmentation system (19) in which a pilot column input (δC) is provided to a pitch command processor (26), the output of which is a C*U feedforward command (C*UFFC) that is supplied as... | 11/09/1999 |
| 5884870 | Device for maintaining the speed of an aircraft within a particular speed range An automatic device for maintaining an aircraft at an authorized speed compatible with the technical capabilities of the aircraft includes: a system for comparing the effective speed of the aircraft with reference speeds defined in accordance with the technica... | 03/23/1999 |
| 5836546 | Autopilot/flight director underspeed protection system An underspeed protection system for an aircraft under autopilot control selects a target speed based upon the greater of a minimum maneuver speed and a stick shaker speed. The system then compares a monitored speed to the target speed to produce an error ... | 11/17/1998 |
| 5833177 | Autopilot/flight director overspeed protection system An aircraft overspeed protection system produces proportional and integral commands for input to an autopilot controlling the aircraft. The proportional and integral commands are produced by comparing actual monitored speed of the aircraft with a target s... | 11/10/1998 |
| 5799901 | Rotor blade swashplate-axis rotation and gyroscopic moments compensator An apparatus for compensating for spatial phase angle phase errors in the flapping angle oscillations of a rotor blade is disclosed. The apparatus receives a measured aircraft roll and a measured aircraft pitch. Gyroscopic moments resulting from these mea... | 09/01/1998 |
| 5765777 | STOL/VTOL free wing aircraft with variable pitch propulsion means A VTOL/STOL free wing aircraft includes a free wing having wings on opposite sides of a fuselage connected to one another respectively for free rotation about a spanwise access. Improved control upon landing of the aircraft is achieved by utilizing a vari... | 06/16/1998 |
| 5746392 | Autopilot/flight director underspeed protection system An underspeed protection system for an aircraft under autopilot control selects a target speed based upon the greater of a minimum maneuver speed and a stick shaker speed. The system then compares a monitored speed to the target speed to produce an error ... | 05/05/1998 |
| 5715162 | Correlative filter for a synchrophaser A synchrophaser for a multi-engine, propeller-driven aircraft including a filter that automatically compensates for misalignment of blade position sensor tabs through derivation and application of a correlation coefficient. The correlation coefficient is ... | 02/03/1998 |
| 5641136 | Combat agility management system A flight control system that provides energy management for an aircraft. The flight control system includes an energy control system which generates a first error signal that is a function of an actual energy characteristic and a threshold energy characte... | 06/24/1997 |
| 5528119 | Method and apparatus for phase compensation in a vehicle control system The present invention relates to a method and a device for executing phase compensation in a control system of a motor-driven vehicle, in which the time derivative for an output signal (y) from a circuit (1) contained in the control system is limited rela... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5502364 | Aircraft automatic throttle forward stop servo system and method An aircraft automatic throttle system is responsive to a throttle command signal to drive the aircraft throttle through a clutch and detent mechanism which allows for pilot override. Full throttle is achieved only if the throttle is driven against the sto... | 03/26/1996 |
| 5408413 | Apparatus and method for controlling an optimizing aircraft performance calculator to achieve time-constrained navigation A Flight Management System for aircraft whereby time-constrained flight can be achieved while maintaining predetermined input parameters selected for minimizing cost of flight, wherein arbitrary points in the flight plan can be designated as time-constrai... | 04/18/1995 |
| 5386954 | Aircraft flight process when maintaining the speed by action on the elevator Process for flying an aircraft in the "elevator speed maintenance mode" during altitude changes, in which for acquiring and/or maintaining a nominal speed it is supplied to the flight computer at the same time as the instantaneous speed of the aircraft, s... | 02/07/1995 |
| 5365446 | System for integrated pitch and thrust control of any aircraft A system for integrated pitch and thrust control of an aircraft. The system includes a calculation device which receives the first to sixth electrical signals, together with the tenth electrical signal and delivers first and second linear combinations of ... | 11/15/1994 |
| 5330131 | Engines-only flight control system A backup flight control system for controlling the flightpath of a multi-engine airplane using the main drive engines. The backup flight control system comprises an input device for generating a control command indicative of a desired flightpath, a feedba... | 07/19/1994 |
| 5314147 | Helicopter engine speed enhancement during heavy rotor load and rapid descent rate maneuvering A helicopter engine speed reference (66) is increased (117,118) in response to heavy rotor loading (102) in excess of a threshold at the current descent rate (FIG. 4 ). The reference speed is faded up (117,118) at a rapid rate to 107% of rated speed (119)... | 05/24/1994 |
| 5301112 | Transient free synchronizer for autopilot systems A transient free synchronizer stores an input trim signal value on command, and provides an output signal value which transitions in a smooth, continuous manner, when the synchronizer is commanded to the store the input signal. Synchronizers are typically... | 04/05/1994 |
| 5299765 | Apparatus and methods for controlling aircraft thrust during a climb A controller for automatically controlling aircraft thrust during a noise abatement climb operates so as to smoothly reduce aircraft thrust during a reduction in aircraft climb angle at the noise abatement altitude so as to maintain a selected noise abate... | 04/05/1994 |
| 5265826 | Helicopter engine control having lateral cyclic pitch anticipation A helicopter engine fuel control anticipates changes in main rotor torque in response to lateral cyclic pitch commands, to thereby minimize engine and main rotor speed droop and overspeed during left and right roll maneuvers. A fuel compensation signal (1... | 11/30/1993 |
