초록 ▼

Disclosed is a method of and apparatus for determining the flare height at which the flare maneuver of an automatic landing procedure is initiated. The method includes the step of generating an adjusted approach sink rate signal, which depends on the ground speed of the aircraft during a landing app

Disclosed is a method of and apparatus for determining the flare height at which the flare maneuver of an automatic landing procedure is initiated. The method includes the step of generating an adjusted approach sink rate signal, which depends on the ground speed of the aircraft during a landing approach and is compensated for short term deviations from the glideslope angle. The adjusted approach sink rate signal is filtered (first order lag), and the filtered signal is then used to establish: (a) a nominal flare height value when the aircraft sink rate is between two predetermined sink rate values (the aircraft landing approach speed is in a nominal range); (b) a flare height that is above the nominal flare height value and is linearly related to the adjusted approach sink rate of the aircraft when the adjusted approach sink rate exceeds the first predetermined value (relatively high ground speed approach); and (c) a flare height that is less than the nominal flare height value and is linearly related to the magnitude of the adjusted approach sink rate signal when the magnitude of the filtered adjusted approach sink rate signal is less than the second predetermined sink rate magnitude (relatively low ground speed approach). In the disclosed arrangements, provision is made to limit the flare height determined by the invention to maximum and minimum flare height values and provision is made for storing the flare height signal for use by the automatic landing system after the flare maneuver has been initiated.

대표청구항 ▼

A signal processing method for establishing aircraft flare height during an automatic landing procedure, said method comprising: generating a sink rate signal representative of the descent rate of the aircraft during the approach phase of an automatic landing procedure; detecting the magnitude of sa

A signal processing method for establishing aircraft flare height during an automatic landing procedure, said method comprising: generating a sink rate signal representative of the descent rate of the aircraft during the approach phase of an automatic landing procedure; detecting the magnitude of said sink rate signal relative to two predetermined sink rate magnitudes SR1 and SR2, where the magnitude of SR1 is greater than the magnitude of SR2; establishing said aircraft flare height at a first predetermined value FHNOM when the magnitude of said sink rate signal is greater than said sink rate magnitude SR2 and does not exceed said predetermined sink rate magnitude SR1; establishing said aircraft flare height in accordance with the relationship FH=FHNOM-DS1(SR1+SR), when said magnitude of said sink rate exceeds said predetermined sink rate magnitude SR1 and where SR denotes the value of said sink rate signal, DS2 represents a first predetermined rate of change of aircraft flare height per unit change in said sink rate magnitude and FHNOM represents said first predetermined flare height; and establishing said aircraft flare height in accordance with the relationship FH=FHNOM-DS2(SR2+SR), when said magnitude of said aircraft sink rate is less than said predetermined sink rate magnitude SR2 and where FHNOM represents said first predetermined aircraft flare height, DS2 represents a second predetermined rate of change in said aircraft flare height per unit change in said magnitude of said sink rate signal and SR represents the value of said signal representative of said aircraft sink rate.