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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7440825 | Constant vertical state maintaining cueing system This invention relates to the concept of managing the rate of change of energy in a helicopter or other aeronautical vehicle. The invention uses energy management calculations to determine the maximum longitudinal and lateral inputs that can be made while still enab... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7428450 | Method and system for using a database and GPS position data to generate bearing data A method and system for providing a bearing from a vehicle to a transmitting station are described. The method includes accessing a database to obtain transmitter position information for the transmitter, obtaining vehicle position information based on a GPS signal,... | 09/23/2008 |
| 7422176 | Method for ensuring the safety of an aircraft flying horizontally at low speed A method for ensuring the safety of an aircraft flying horizontally at low speed includes determining a lower speed threshold for the aircraft, measuring the actual speed of the aircraft and comparing the actual speed with the threshold. When the actual speed reache... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7338018 | Systems and methods for controlling aircraft flaps and spoilers Systems and methods for controlling aircraft flaps and spoilers. Systems in accordance with some embodiments include a wing having a trailing edge, and a flap positioned proximate to the wing trailing edge and being deployable relative to the wing between a first fl... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7255306 | Method and computer program product for controlling the control effectors of an aerodynamic vehicle A method and computer program product are provided for controlling the control effectors of an aerodynamic vehicle including, for example, the respective positions of nozzles and aerodynamic surfaces, to affect a desired change in the time rate of change of the syst... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7195200 | Unmanned helicopter, takeoff method of unmanned helicopter, and landing method of unmanned helicopter An unmanned helicopter includes an altitude control device for giving a command of a collective pitch blade angle based on an altitude change rate command, etc., and performing altitude control of an airframe and takeoff device, upon reception of a takeoff start com... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7096120 | Method and arrangement for guiding a user along a target path An audio-based guide arrangement is provided for guiding a user along a target path by the use of virtual audio beacons. The user's current location is sensed and compared to the target path. Sounds are fed to the user, for example through stereo headphones, to simu... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7070148 | Aerodynamic component for controlling a landing guide path of an aircraft An aerodynamic including a main body and a control member. The main body is configured to be connected to a wing of an aircraft. The control member is connected to the main body, the control member including a fixed member secured to the main body and a pivotable me... | 07/04/2006 |
| 6691006 | Dynamic assignment of maintenance tasks to aircraft maintenance personnel A system for assigning maintenance tasks to crew members of a maintenance crew during a dynamically-planned maintenance check for an aircraft includes means for obtaining a dynamic maintenance flow chart detailing up-to-date scheduling data for a predeter... | 02/10/2004 |
| 6575410 | Glide slope tracking system An airborne glide slope tracking system includes a radio altimeter for producing a signal indicative of the instantaneous altitude of the aircraft and a glide slope error indicator for producing a signal indicative of the angular deviation from glide slop... | 06/10/2003 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 6450445 | Stabilizing control apparatus for robtic or remotely controlled flying platform A robotic or remotely controlled flying platform (10) with reduced drag stabilizing control apparatus constructed having an air duct (12) with an air intake (14) on the top and an exhaust (16) at the bottom, containing supported therein a clockwise rotati... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6161063 | Method for controlling an aerodyne for the vertical avoidance of a zone A method of automatically controlling an aircraft to avoid a vertical zone includes several steps. The aircraft first acquires limits of the zone to be avoided. The zone is modeled by a cylindrical volume which is limited by a horizontal contour with uppe... | 12/12/2000 |
| 5826834 | Self adaptive limiter for automatic control of approach and landing A self adaptive limiter for use in aircraft control systems during approach and landing is disclosed. Estimated flight path angle is continuously computed during the glidepath tracking phase until a predetermined lock altitude above ground when a nominal ... | 10/27/1998 |
| 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 |
| 5608392 | Aircraft collision-avoidance device, notably ground collision, by control of angle of descent The disclosure is an aircraft collision-avoidance device used notably during landing approach. The device includes at least means of fixing the position of the aircraft, a database, first means of comparison, means of extraction of the point of touch-down... | 03/04/1997 |
| 5445021 | Method and device for assistance in piloting an aerodyne by the graphic representation of the vertical flight plan of this aerodyne The piloting assistance method embodying the invention consists in displaying on a screen of the cockpit of the aerodyne, in a Cartesian reference space representing altitude/distance from ground along a horizontal plane, way points identified by a series... | 08/29/1995 |
| 5337982 | Apparatus and method for controlling the vertical profile of an aircraft In an aircraft, there is included a Flight Management System (FMS), Autopilot and Autothrottle for controlling the aircraft. The apparatus has a plurality of outputs for definition of the real-time targets, controlled by the Autopilot and Autothrottle, to... | 08/16/1994 |
| 4956780 | Flight path angle command flight control system for landing flare This invention provides a flare control modification for pilot-in-the-loop aircraft maneuver command electronic flight control systems. During flare pilot pitch control inputs are interpreted as incremental flight path angle commands above a reference fli... | 09/11/1990 |
| 4825374 | Aircraft descent guide system and method for creating descent guidance information An aircraft navigational system includes a digital computer, a first visual output for displaying to an aircrew a geometrical representation of an optimum descent guideslope relative to a symbol representing the location of the aircraft, and a second visu... | 04/25/1989 |
| 4801110 | Approach to hover control system for helicopters An improved apparatus for automatic deceleration of a helicopter to substantially zero air speed from a glide slope descent. Parameters available in a typical helicopter automatic flight control system, such as vertical speed, glide slope error, longitudi... | 01/31/1989 |
| 4792906 | Navigational apparatus and methods for displaying aircraft position with respect to a selected vertical flight path profile An aircraft navigational system for providing a geometic display to the pilot of the vertical position of the aircraft relative to a selected vertical flight path profile as the aircraft progresses between its departure and destination. The vertical profi... | 12/20/1988 |
| 4534000 | Inertial flight director system The disclosed apparatus is useful in controlling an aircraft inertial flight path on the final approach to landing to coincide with a desired flight path represented by the intersection of the localizer and glide path electronic beam signals, and there be... | 08/06/1985 |
| 4419732 | Method and apparatus for an aircraft inner loop elevator control system An improved inner loop control is disclosed for use in an aircraft pitch axis control system. Signals representative of vertical acceleration and pitch rate are complementary filtered and summed to produce an "inner loop" damping signal which is combined ... | 12/06/1983 |
| 4390949 | Electronic system and method for self-calibration of instrument landing systems A method for calibrating and correcting circuit errors induced in an aircraft ILS receiving system is disclosed herein. The spectral components of the input signal are processed through bandpass filters and then rectified and integrated in order to produc... | 06/28/1983 |
| 4330827 | Aircraft autopilot system In an aircraft autopilot there is provided a first circuit selectively actuatable to connect the glide slope adapter to electrical power during the existence of a glide deflection signal, the glide slope adapter being disconnected from electric power when... | 05/18/1982 |
| 4232839 | Method and system for controlling the decelerated approach of an aerodyne A method for controlling the decelerated approach of an aerodyne on radioignment generally referred to as "glide," in particular for the purpose of reducing its fuel consumption and reducing the noise, mainly in the final stage of the approach, by approa... | 11/11/1980 |
| 4164340 | Method and apparatus for determining when a glide slope signal exceeds a predetermined level The invention relates to a system utilizing an exponential control law for glide slope capture. The capture maneuver from above or below the beam, is a function of decreasing glide slope beam error. The present autopilot approach coupler is an altitude ra... | 08/14/1979 |
| 4141522 | Independent glide slope gain programming system A landing approach system for aircraft utilizing ILS (instrument landing system) beam guidance information which converts angular glide slope information into linear altitude deviation relative to the glide slope beam center, using computed range informat... | 02/27/1979 |
| 4029271 | Automatic approach to hover system In a helicopter having an automatic pilot system for controlling the main rotor collective pitch, main rotor longitudinal and lateral cyclic pitch, and tail rotor collective pitch, in response to inputs provided from normal sensors, navigational instrumen... | 06/14/1977 |
| 4021009 | Vertical path control for aircraft area navigation system In the vertical path control of an area navigation system when the aircraft ascends or descends to a waypoint with an "at-or-above" or "at-or-below" altitude requirement, vertical steering is effected at a constant airspeed with regard to a reference airs... | 05/03/1977 |
| 4006871 | Automatic pitch axis control system for aircraft An aircraft flight control system utilizing inertial sensor input signals for providing glide slope and flare control signals in the aircraft. The autopilot approach and landing coupler system is a vertical velocity command control system utilizing signal... | 02/08/1977 |
| 3994455 | Automatic approach pitch axis control system for aircraft The invention relates to a system utilizing an exponential control law for glide slope capture. The capture maneuver from above or below the beam, is a function of decreasing glide slope beam error. The present autopilot approach coupler is an altitude ra... | 11/30/1976 |
| 3980258 | Vertical navigation steering control system for aircraft A vertical navigation steering control for aircraft for providing vertical steering of an aircraft along flight paths defined by waypoints which recognizes the problems introduced by lateral steering and accounts for shortening of horizontal distance betw... | 09/14/1976 |
| 3976267 | Vertical glide slope control system including complementary filter A vertical glide slope control system including a complementary filter. Complementary aircraft generated and processed signals are added to a glide slope error signal which may include distortions. The results of the summation are applied to a first order... | 08/24/1976 |
| 3946358 | Aircraft ground proximity warning instrument An aircraft instrument for warning the pilot that the aircraft is in an unsafe condition in proximity to the ground. The instrument has inputs representing aircraft configuration, flight condition with respect to the ground, and glide slope. Detector circ... | 03/23/1976 |
