A system for alleviating the effects of gusts on aircraft

摘要

813,297. Alleviating gust effect on aircraft. PENNSYLVANIA FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, STATE OF. April 25, 1957 [May 7, 1956], No. 13161/57. Class 4. Means for alleviating the effects of gusts on an area of an aircraft equipped with lift adjusting means, comprises a plurality of gust detectors supported on the aircraft at a plurality of fore-and-aft stations and distributed spanwise, means responsive to airspeed for selecting a variable proportion of the signal from each device and combining the selected proportions, and means to actuate the lift adjusting means in response to the combined signal. Fig. 1 shows an aircraft equipped with a gust detector 14 mounted on a probe 17 at a station X N ahead of the wing tips and with two detectors 15, 16 on probes 18, 19 at a distance X w ahead of the wing tips. Each detector, Fig. 2, is coupled to a transducer 21, 22, 23 and amplifier 24, 25, 26 energizing a potentiometer 27, 28, 29. The slides 31, 32, 33 are adjusted by the output shaft 37 of an airspeed responsive servo 38 and are connected so that if slider 31 selects a proportion p of the output of amplifier 24, the sliders 32 and 33 select a proportion 1-p of the output of amplifiers 25 and 26. An amplifier 45 is energized from the three slides and a feed back signal, over resistors 41, 42, 43, 46 of resistance Ro, 2Ro, 2Ro, Ro respectively so that the output is pe N + (1-f) (e L + e R )/2 where e N , e L and e R are proportional to the gust effects at detectors 14, 15 and 16 respectively. This output is used to actuate the lift adjusting means, which may be slots, flaps, spoilers, or boundary layer control devices on the wings or tailplane. At a high airspeed, the value of p is one, and gust detection occurs at a station X N ahead of the wing tips. At a low airspeed, the value of p is zero, and detection occurs at station X w ahead of the wing tips. At intermediate speeds, the above apparatus interpolates to provide effective detection at intermediate stations. Values of p greater than one may be used to extrapolate and provide effective gust detection ahead of detector 14. A fluid pressure system may be used instead of an electrical system. Signals from gyroscopes, accelerometers, and a pilot's control may be added.