Patent GB-947161-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in limiting systems and apparatus for simulating the performance of an aircraft engine
IPC: G09B9/18
Filed: 1960-03-15
Abstract: 947,161. Grounded flight trainers. CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION. March 15, 1960 [March 17, 1959], No. 9176/60. Heading B7W. Apparatus for simulating an engine system in an aircraft provides a pair of variable input signals, representing a condition requested and a maximum limit for said condition, said input signals inducing a pair of output signals, comprising means for receiving and evaluating the input signals and limiting means for controlling quantitatively the levels of said output signals according to the magnitude of the requested input signal, said limiting means including a computer adapted to receive a signal resulting from said evaluation of the input signals and means for switching said resulting signal into and out of said computer, said computer being responsive at all times to the input signal representing the condition requested and to said switched-in resulting signal for producing an output signal to represent the actual condition of the condition requested and includes means for controlling the aforesaid switching means according to the other of said output signals, said switching means maintaining the computer in two separate operating modes. A throttle or power control lever 10 is operable between the indicated limits of " full reverse " and " take-off (T.O.) " in which the limit for ground running is the taxi position and for flight is flight-idle, the lever operating the slider 14 of a linear potentiometer 16 energized at opposite ends by a voltage - T 2 , representing compressor inlet temperature, and tapped at points 18 and 20 representing respectively " reverse " and " flight idle," the tappings being short-circuited through a resistor 22 to earth. Slider 14 derives, in traversing from the lower end of the potentiometer to tap 18 a parabolically decreasing voltage, then a constant voltage between the tap points, and then a parabolically increasing voltage above tap 20 corresponding to a high-ground-idle operating condition of the simulated engine. The derived voltage is fed to a summing amplifier 32, which receives from point +T 2  a further voltage +F/A(T 2 ) representing compressor inlet temperature, and which gives an output voltage over line 34 representing requested fuel-air ratio. Line 34 connects over a normally open contact 1 of a relay 36, which represents " fuel available " or " fuel-cut-off," to a servo summing amplifier 38 which receives other inputs, to be described, over contacts 2 and 3 of relay 36. The output from amplifier 38 operates the wiper 42 of a potentiometer 44, grounded at one end and energized at the other by a voltage +E, corresponding to the maximum fuel-air ratio, so that the voltage derived at slider 42 corresponds to fuel-air ratio which is related to difference between turbine inlet temperature and compressor inlet temperature (T 5 -T 2 ) which serves as an input signal to a turbine inlet temperature computing servo 46 which energizes a turbine inlet temperature indicator 52. The voltage at slider 42 is fed also to one end of a linear potentiometer 55, grounded at its lower end, and having a wiper 56 driven by an airflow computing servo 60 to produce an output representing fuel flow which is fed to a fuel flow computing servo 62 to operate a fuel flow meter 66 and a cam 68 which carries a projection 74 positioned to correspond with the maximum or limiting fuel flow, so that it can move an energized arm 70 into contact with a solenoid winding 78 which operates, as shown separately, to connect to amplifier 38 the output of an amplifier 80 forming part of fuel-flow limiting circuitry. One input to amplifier 80 is derived from amplifier 32 over line 34a, the other being derived from the wiper 82 of a linear potentiometer 84 that is energized at one end by a reference voltage +E, shunted by a fixed resistor 86, and earthed at its other end. Wiper 82 is driven by the airflow computing servo 60. Consequently, when relay 78 is energized it closes its associated contact to connect the output of amplifier 80 to provide an input representing a comparison of the maximum and requested fuel/air ratios to input 2 of servo 38. The airflow servo 60 receives an input from the wiper 100 of a linear potentiometer 102 earthed at one end and energized at the other end by a voltage + #2/#-2, representing the ratio of the relative pressure ratio to the square root of the adiabatic temperature ratio, and provided with a tap point 108 shunted at 110, the wiper 100 being operated by a turbine R.P.M. servo 54. As previously described, operation of the simulated engine under highground-idle operating conditions is determined by the form of energization of potentiometer 16, providing the input to contact 1 of amplifier 38. Low-ground-idle conditions are determined by a signal HI-LO G.I. fed to contact 3 of amplifier 38 and derived at the wiper 166 of a potentiometer 156 which is earthed at both ends and also at tap points 158, 160, the latter being bridged by a fixed resistor 162, and the potentiometer being energized by a reference voltage +E at tap 164. Wiper 166 is operated via connections 12 by the power lever 10. operated by the trainee, who will operate also a lowground-idle control switch 168 to energize a solenoid 114 to bring switch 120 into contact with fixed contact 120b to supply a signal from potentiometer 156 to amplifier 38 over line 150. Alternatively, switch 120 may, by operation of a solenoid 116, engage a fixed contact 120a associated with wiper 146 of a linear potentiometer 148, earthed at its mid-point and energized at opposite ends by reference voltages E of opposite polarity through fixed resistors 151, 153 which are relatively large in comparison to potentiometer 148. The wiper 146 is normally positioned at the mid-point to give zero output but a pilot-operated simulated ground-idle R.P.M. adjusting knob 152 is provided to operate wiper 146 whereby a trainee flight engineer may trim the highground-idle signal. Selection of high or low ground-idle operation is determined by a latching relay 112 which comprises the abovementioned "low" and "high" solenoids 114 and 116 and switch 120. Solenoid 116, which is operated in the power lever ranges "flight idle-take-off " and " reverse-full reverse " is energized over line 138 from switches 126 or 128 actuated through connections 12 and cams 122 and 124 respectively by lever 10. Both switches are energized by a reference D.C. voltage Edc. Outside reversefull reverse range contact 126 engages a stop contact 130, but when lever 10 is moved within such range cam 122 moves switch 126 into engagement with contact 134 to energize solenoid 116. Similarly, outside the flight idletake-off range switch 128 engages a stop contact 140 but movement of lever 10 into such range causes cam 124 to move switch 128 into engagement with contact 144 again to energize solenoid 116. The solenoid 116 is so wound that if both 114 and 116 are energized simultaneously solenoid 116 will override. Specifications 750,010, 893,114 and 902,202 are referred to.