초록 ▼

A method for controlling a boom (11) for in-flight refueling for increasing the damping of its displacement by means of a movement of control surfaces (16) related to its angular velocity, that comprises the following steps: a) At least two sensors (32, 33) are arranged in two sections of the boom (

A method for controlling a boom (11) for in-flight refueling for increasing the damping of its displacement by means of a movement of control surfaces (16) related to its angular velocity, that comprises the following steps: a) At least two sensors (32, 33) are arranged in two sections of the boom (11) positioned on opposite sides of the valley (41) of the dominant flexible mode (40) for any length of its telescopic extension (12) and the moduli (D1, D2) of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode (40) are determined in them; b) The angular velocities (Q1, Q2) are obtained from the data supplied by said sensors (32, 33); c) The angular velocity Q unaffected by the resonance of the dominant flexible mode (40) is obtained as a function of said angular velocities (Q1, Q2) and said moduli (D1, D2), which eliminates the component of the elastic movement of the dominant flexible mode (40). The invention also relates to a control system and a computer program for executing said method.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for controlling a boom for in-flight refueling, of a receiving aircraft from a tanker aircraft that is provided with a telescopic extension and aero-dynamic control surfaces by means of which a function of increase in damping of its displacement is performed by means of a movement of sai

1. A method for controlling a boom for in-flight refueling, of a receiving aircraft from a tanker aircraft that is provided with a telescopic extension and aero-dynamic control surfaces by means of which a function of increase in damping of its displacement is performed by means of a movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces of a magnitude related to the angular velocity of the boom to effect movement of said boom in a direction opposite to that of its displacement, wherein movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces is effected in response to data obtained from at least two sensors of position and/or movement arranged at two positions on the boom located on opposite sides of the locus of maximum displacement of the boom's dominant flexible mode whatever the length L of the telescopic extension and calculation of angular velocity Q unaffected by the resonance of the dominant flexible mode which calculation comprises the following steps: a) determining moduli (D1, D2) of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode in the sections of the boom in which said at least two sensors are located;b) obtaining the angular velocities (Q1, Q2) in the sections of the boom where said at least two sensors are positioned from data supplied by the latter; whereinc) said angular velocity Q is obtained as a function of said angular velocities (Q1, Q2) and said moduli (D1, D2), which eliminates the component of the elastic movement of the dominant flexible and wherein said moduli (D1, D2) are determined from measurements performed on the boom proper or from calculations performed with simulation tools. 2. A method for controlling a boom for in-flight refueling of a receiving aircraft from a tanker aircraft that is provided with a telescopic extension and aero-dynamic control surfaces by means of which a function of increase in damping of its displacement is performed by means of a movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces of a magnitude related to the angular velocity of the boom to effect movement of said boom in a direction opposite to that of its displacement, wherein movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces is effected in response to data obtained from at least two sensors of position and/or movement arranged at two positions on the boom located on opposite sides of the locus of maximum displacement of the boom's dominant flexible mode whatever the length L of the telescopic extension and calculation of angular velocity Q unaffected by the resonance of the dominant flexible mode which calculation comprises the following steps: a) determining moduli (D1, D2) of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode in the sections of the boom in which said at least two sensors are located;b) obtaining the angular velocities (Q1, Q2) in the sections of the boom where said at least two sensors are positioned from data supplied by the latter; whereinc) said angular velocity Q is obtained as a function of said angular velocities (Q1, Q2) and said moduli (D1, D2), which eliminates the component of the elastic movement of the dominant flexible mode, wherein in the step c), compensation is applied for any delay in obtaining said angular velocities (Q1, Q2) to guarantee that there is, between them, a phase lag of 180° in the natural frequency of the dominant flexible mode. 3. A method for controlling a boom for in-flight refueling of a receiving aircraft from a tanker aircraft that is provided with a telescopic extension and aero-dynamic control surfaces by means of which a function of increase in damping of its displacement is performed by means of a movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces of a magnitude related to the angular velocity of the boom to effect movement of said boom in a direction opposite to that of its displacement, wherein movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces is effected in response to data obtained from at least two sensors of position and/or movement arranged at two positions on the boom located on opposite sides of the locus of maximum displacement of the boom's dominant flexible mode whatever the length L of the telescopic extension and calculation of angular velocity Q unaffected by the resonance of the dominant flexible mode which calculation comprises the following steps: a) determining moduli (D1, D2) of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode in the sections of the boom in which said at least two sensors are located;b) obtaining the angular velocities (Q1, Q2) in the sections of the boom where said at least two sensors are positioned from data supplied by the latter; whereinc) said angular velocity Q is obtained as a function of said angular velocities (Q1, Q2) and said moduli (D1, D2), which eliminates the component of the elastic movement of the dominant flexible mode and wherein said velocity Q is obtained as a weighted sum of the angular velocities (Q1, Q2) obtained from the data supplied by said sensors, using for each of them weighting factors (X1, X2) directly proportional to the moduli (D2, D1), respectively, of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode in the sections of the boom where the opposite sensor is positioned and inversely proportional to the sum of said moduli (D1, D2). 4. Method for controlling a boom for in-flight refueling according to claim 3, which includes an additional step of validation of said weighting factors (X1, X2) by verifying that they coincide with those that are obtained on replacing the moduli (D1, D2) with the amplitudes (A1, A2) of the angular movement of the dominant elastic mode in the sections of the boom where said sensors are positioned at the frequency Fd of the dominant flexible mode relative to the excitation of the aerodynamic surfaces, said amplitudes (A1, A2) being obtained by means of measurements performed on the boom in flight. 5. A control system of a device for in-flight refueling, of a receiving aircraft from a tanker aircraft that uses a boom, provided with a telescopic extension and aerodynamic control surfaces, that is connected to the tanker aircraft by means of a mechanical linkage that comprises: sensors for measuring parameters of movement and position of said boom and its telescopic extension; actuators of said aerodynamic control surfaces;a computerized system for controlling said actuators on the basis of the instructions supplied by a command unit and the data supplied by said sensors that includes a subsystem for performing a function of increase in damping by means of a movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces of a magnitude related to the angular velocity of the boom and in the opposite direction; wherein: a) said subsystem includes a computer program for obtaining the angular velocity Q of the boom unaffected by the resonance of the dominant flexible mode as a function of the angular velocities (Q1, Q2) obtained from the data supplied by at least two sensors and of the moduli (D1, D2) of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode in the sections of the boom in which said at least two sensors are located that eliminates the component of the elastic movement of the dominant flexible mode;b) said at least two sensors are arranged on the boom in positions that ensure it is located on opposite sides of the valley of the dominant flexible mode whatever the length L of the telescopic extension wherein said moduli (D1, D2) are determined from measurements performed on the boom proper or from calculations performed with simulation tools. 6. A control system of a device for in-flight refueling of a receiving aircraft from a tanker aircraft that uses a boom, provided with a telescopic extension and aerodynamic control surfaces, that is connected to the tanker aircraft by means of a mechanical linkage that comprises: sensors for measuring parameters of movement and position of said boom and its telescopic extension; actuators of said aerodynamic control surfaces;a computerized system for controlling said actuators on the basis of the instructions supplied by a command unit and the data supplied by said sensors that includes a subsystem for performing a function of increase in damping by means of a movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces of a magnitude related to the angular velocity of the boom and in the opposite direction; wherein: a) said subsystem includes a computer program for obtaining the angular velocity Q of the boom unaffected by the resonance of the dominant flexible mode as a function of the angular velocities (Q1, Q2) obtained from the data supplied by at least two sensors and of the moduli (D1, D2) of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode in the sections of the boom in which said at least two sensors are located that eliminates the component of the elastic movement of the dominant flexible mode;b) said at least two sensors are arranged on the boom in positions that ensure it is located on opposite sides of the valley of the dominant flexible mode whatever the length L of the telescopic extension wherein in said computer program, compensation is applied for any delay in obtaining said angular velocities (Q1, Q2) to guarantee that there is, between them, a phase lag of 180° in the natural frequency of the dominant flexible mode. 7. A control system of a device for in-flight refueling of a receiving aircraft from a tanker aircraft that uses a boom, provided with a telescopic extension and aerodynamic control surfaces, that is connected to the tanker aircraft by means of a mechanical linkage that comprises: sensors for measuring parameters of movement and position of said boom and its telescopic extension; actuators of said aerodynamic control surfaces;a computerized system for controlling said actuators on the basis of the instructions supplied by a command unit and the data supplied by said sensors that includes a subsystem for performing a function of increase in damping by means of a movement of said aerodynamic control surfaces of a magnitude related to the angular velocity of the boom and in the opposite direction; wherein: a) said subsystem includes a computer program for obtaining the angular velocity Q of the boom unaffected by the resonance of the dominant flexible mode as a function of the angular velocities (Q1, Q2) obtained from the data supplied by at least two sensors and of the moduli (D1, D2) of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode in the sections of the boom in which said at least two sensors are located that eliminates the component of the elastic movement of the dominant flexible mode;b) said at least two sensors are arranged on the boom in positions that ensure it is located on opposite sides of the valley of the dominant flexible mode whatever the length L of the telescopic extension wherein in said computer program said velocity Q is obtained as a weighted sum of the angular velocities (Q1, Q2) obtained from the data supplied by said sensors, using for each of them weighting factors (X1, X2) directly proportional to the moduli (D2, D1), respectively, of the angular deformations of the dominant flexible mode in the sections of the boom where the opposite sensor is positioned and inversely proportional to the sum of said moduli (D1, D2).