Patent ID: 9153139
Filing Date: 2015-10-06
Classification: G05D,G08G

Abstract:
1. An automatic control system receiving sensed inertial information representing at least aircraft trajectory, sensed air information representing at least air speed and a control input representing pilot inceptor position and/or movement, the system comprising at least one processor coupled to a non-transitory memory device storing instructions, the at least one processor executing the stored instructions for controlling at least one drag control surface to provide steep approach glide slope of an aircraft, the at least one processor providing: defining a function of drag device deployment to provide steep approach glide slope as a function of aircraft mass and at least one of trajectory angle and pilot inceptor position and/or movement, including defining at least first and second families of drag control surface deployment curves, the first and second families of curves each providing an increase in the amount of drag required from the at least one drag control surface as aircraft mass decreases, the second family of curves corresponding to a steeper approach glide slope as compared to the approach glide slope the first family of curves provides, the second family of drag device deployment curves providing, for a given aircraft mass and trajectory angle and/or pilot inceptor position and/or movement, a drag control surface deployment that is higher than the drag control surface deployment provided by the first family of curves; transitioning between using the first family of curves and the second family of curves as a control law to control the at least one drag control surface in response to at least one of the trajectory angle and the pilot inceptor position and/or movement changes; and actuating the at least one drag control surface.