Patent Description:
The disclosure relates to a hoist system for sway control. The disclosure further relates to a hoist process for sway control. The disclosure further relates to an airborne hoist system for sway control. The disclosure further relates to an airborne hoist process for sway control. The disclosure further relates to an aircraft mounted hoist system for sway control. The disclosure further relates to an aircraft mounted hoist process for sway control.

Helicopter hoist equipment typically includes a lifting device such as a hoist, which is attached to the helicopter, a hoist cable, and a hook located at a distal end of the hoist cable for direct or indirect attachment to a person, animal, and/or object (load) for rescue, transport, lift, and/or the like. The helicopter hoist equipment usually has a rotary drum for winding in and out the hoist cable that serves to lift or transport the load. A crew member in the helicopter typically controls the helicopter hoist equipment including raising and lowering of the hook.

The environment in which the helicopter or other aircraft operates as well as the lifting device and the load that is being lifted is highly dynamic and includes or is subjected to various forces, accelerations, movements, and/or the like. A common issue with this environment is that the load may sway or oscillate back and forth, side to side, or combination thereof below the helicopter presenting a risk to safe operation of the helicopter as well as presenting a safety issue for the load.

<CIT> describes a helicopter-hoist system. The system may include: hoist equipment, illumination systems, range-measuring equipment, camera(s), communication systems, display devices, processing/control systems including image-processing systems, and power-management systems. The system may also include a smart-hook for measuring a load on the hook. Based on the measured load on the cable, the lighting may be illuminated in different manners. In another aspect, the system may communicate with display devices, which render images of a mission to helicopter crew members or other observers. Measured parameters appurtenant to the mission-such as the weight of the load, height of the smart-hook above a surface, altitude of the aircraft, distance between the aircraft and end of the hook, location of the hook in three-dimensional space, forces on the hook and cable, and other mission-critical information-may be overlaid, or rendered proximate to the real images to provide crew members with a full understanding of a mission.

<CIT> discloses a self-homing hoist including a controller configured to initiate a self-homing process to return the hook assembly to a homed position in response to each of at least one homing factor being true. Each homing factor is true or false based on a comparison of the current condition, determined by a plurality of sensors, of the homing factor with a threshold requirement. If the current condition satisfies the threshold requirement, then the homing factor is true. If the current condition does not satisfy the threshold requirement, then the homing factor is false. Where all homing factors are true, the controller can initiate the self-homing process by activating a hoist motor to drive the cable drum and reel the hook assembly into the homed position.

<CIT> presents an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including a winch system, wherein the winch system includes a single winch line, wherein a payload is suspended from a first end of the winch line, and the winch system is controllable to vary the rate of ascent of the payload to the UAV, and a control system including a processor and program instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the processor to control the winch, the control system configured to (a) receive data regarding oscillations of the payload, and (b) operate the winch system to vary a retraction rate of the winch line to damp oscillations of the payload during ascent of the payload to the UAV.

Accordingly, a system and process to control the sway of the load and an associated portion of the lifting device is needed to ensure safe operation of the aircraft and a safety of the load.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an aircraft hoist system as set out in the appended independent claim <NUM>. According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of controlling an aircraft hoist system as set out in the appended independent claim <NUM>.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain aspects of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.

In this respect, before explaining at least one aspect of the disclosure in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of aspects in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the disclosure. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such constructions insofar as they do not depart from the scope of the claims.

Reference herein to an "aspect," "example," or similar formulations means that a particular feature, structure, operation or characteristic described in connection with the "aspect" or "example," is included in at least one implementation in this description. Thus, the appearance of such phrases or formulations is this application may not necessarily all refer to the same example. Further, various particular features, structures, operations, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in or more examples.

The disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. Aspects of the disclosure advantageously provide a hoist system and hoist process for sway control.

<FIG> shows a helicopter with an exemplary helicopter hoist system in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. In particular, <FIG> shows a helicopter <NUM> with a hoist system <NUM>, which may be used for search and rescue missions, transport missions, combat insertion missions, combat extraction missions, and/or the like. In certain aspects, the hoist system <NUM> may be implemented as a Helicopter Flight Rescue System (HFRS), a Helicopter External Transport System (HETS), and/or the like. As shown in <FIG>, the hoist system <NUM> may be positioned on an upper side of the aircraft, and may be attached directly or indirectly to the helicopter <NUM>. In other aspects, the hoist system <NUM> may be mounted to a bottom of the helicopter <NUM>, may be mounted to a side of the helicopter <NUM>, may be mounted internally to the helicopter <NUM>, and/or the like.

Although <FIG> depicts a helicopter as the exemplary aircraft, the hoist system <NUM> and its associated principles/methodologies described herein, are not limited to helicopters, and may be applied to any airborne platform. For example, the hoist system <NUM> may be attached directly or indirectly to a cargo helicopter (not shown), such as mounted underneath an aircraft fuselage, mounted to a tilt rotor aircraft, aerial crane, flying crane and/or the like. The hoist system <NUM> may also be coupled to an autonomous or remote controlled aircraft, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned aircraft system (UAV/UAS), a drone, fixed wing aircraft, and the like. Of course, the hoist system <NUM> may also be implemented in static configurations, non-aircraft based configurations, and/or the like.

Referring to <FIG>, the hoist system <NUM> includes a hook <NUM> and a cable <NUM>. The hook <NUM> may be positioned between the cable <NUM> and a hook portion <NUM>. That is, the hook <NUM> may be connected to the cable <NUM> at its upper end, and may be connected to the hook portion <NUM> (or another object) on its lower end. As appreciated by one skilled in the art with the benefit of this disclosure, the hook <NUM> may be connected directly or indirectly to the cable <NUM> and the hook portion <NUM>. For instance, as shown in <FIG>, a spring-interface device <NUM> may be connected between the cable <NUM> and the hook <NUM>. In other aspects, the cable <NUM> may be connected directly to the hook portion <NUM>. In other aspects, the cable <NUM> may be connected to the hook portion <NUM> through the spring-interface device <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an enlarged view of components of the helicopter hoist system shown in <FIG>. In particular, <FIG> illustrates an enlarged view of the hoist system <NUM> shown in <FIG>, with the cable <NUM> in a generally retracted position. The hoist system <NUM> may include a frame <NUM> on which the hoist equipment (i.e., the cable <NUM>, the hook <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, and/or a motor <NUM>). The hoist system <NUM> may include an electronic system <NUM> that may include a housing. The electronic system <NUM> may include lighting, lighting systems, lasers, laser systems, cameras, camera systems, communication systems, communication equipment, electronics and processing equipment, and/or the like.

The hoist system <NUM> includes a motor <NUM>. In one example, the motor <NUM> may be a brushless motor, which may provide smoother raising and lowering of the cable <NUM>. In another aspect, the motor <NUM> may include a high-performance variable-speed brushless permanent magnet rotary servomotor, with Universal AC or DC power input. In some aspects, the torque output may range between <NUM> and <NUM>. As appreciated by those skilled in the art, the torque range may vary and may be less than or more than <NUM> and <NUM>. In addition, any suitable motor or motors may be implemented as part of the hoist equipment. Additionally, the hoist system <NUM> may include a transmission, a rotary drum, and/or the like.

The electronic system <NUM> also may include a host of other electronic equipment, which are not shown in <FIG>, but are described in more detail below including communication systems, antenna, processing/control systems including image-processing systems, power-management systems, control systems, motor control systems, sensor systems, and/or the like.

<FIG> illustrates a path of a load being lifted to a helicopter without sway control. In particular, <FIG> illustrates the helicopter <NUM> lifting a load (not shown) that is attached to the cable <NUM>. In this regard, <FIG> illustrates the path <NUM> the load makes as it is lifted to the helicopter <NUM> without sway control. In this regard, the path <NUM> illustrates substantial sway and/or oscillation and the path <NUM> approaches and at times exceeds a <NUM>° angle shown by line <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG> as the load is lifted from the ground <NUM> to the helicopter <NUM>. The operation illustrated in <FIG> presents a risk to safe operation of the helicopter <NUM> as well as presenting a safety issue for the load.

<FIG> illustrates a path of a load being lifted to a helicopter without sway control superimposed on a load being lifted to a helicopter with sway control in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. In particular, <FIG> illustrates the helicopter <NUM> lifting a load (not shown) on the cable <NUM>. In this regard, <FIG> illustrates the path <NUM> the load makes as it is lifted to the helicopter <NUM> without sway control as described above. <FIG> further illustrates a path <NUM> the load makes as it is lifted to the helicopter <NUM> with sway control implemented as described below. The operation illustrated in <FIG> utilizing sway control decreases a risk to safe operation of the helicopter <NUM> as well as increases a safety for the load.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram illustrating select components of an example helicopter hoist system in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

The hoist system <NUM> may include one or more sensors to measure a load on the cable <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, and/or the hook <NUM>. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may include a load cell <NUM> associated with the motor <NUM>, the frame <NUM>, and/or the like. In one aspect, the load cell <NUM> may be integrated in the hook <NUM> and/or the hook portion <NUM>. However, the one or more sensors to measure a load on the cable <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, and/or the hook <NUM> may be implemented using other sensor technology and/or arranged in other locations.

The load cell <NUM> may be implemented as a transducer that is used to create an electrical signal whose magnitude is directly proportional to or a function of the force being measured. The load cell <NUM> may be implemented as a hydraulic, a pneumatic, and/or a strain gauge load cell. The load cell <NUM> measures a force provided by the load. That is, the load cell <NUM> is positioned in a load path associated with the hook <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, and/or cable <NUM>. As appreciated by one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this disclosure, the load cell <NUM> can have any construction and be positioned in hook <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, along cable <NUM> (<FIG>) path, the motor <NUM>, the frame <NUM>, or the like in any suitable manner to acquire load data. In certain aspects, the load cell <NUM> may measure at least in part roll, pitch, and/or yaw associated with the aircraft and/or the hook <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, and/or cable <NUM>.

The hoist system <NUM> may include one or more sensors to measure a movement of the cable <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, and/or the hook <NUM> with respect to the helicopter <NUM>. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may include a position sensor <NUM> associated with the motor <NUM>, the frame <NUM>, the cable <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, the hook <NUM>, and/or the like. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may associate the position sensor <NUM> with the motor <NUM> and measure movement the cable <NUM> or the like that may include swaying, oscillation, and/or the like. The position sensor <NUM> may be implemented as Capacitive transducer, Capacitive displacement sensor, Eddy-current sensor, Ultrasonic sensor, Grating sensor, Hall effect sensor, Inductive non-contact position sensors, Laser Doppler vibrometer (optical), Linear variable differential transformer (LVDT), Multi-axis displacement transducer, Photodiode array, Piezo-electric transducer (piezo-electric), Potentiometer, Proximity sensor (optical), Rotary encoder (angular), String potentiometer, string encoder, cable position transducer, Linear encoder, Rotary encoder, and/or the like.

In one aspect, the position sensor <NUM> may be integrated in the hook <NUM> and/or the hook portion <NUM> and may be implemented as an inertial measurement unit (IMU). In one aspect, the distance sensor <NUM> may be integrated in the hook <NUM> and/or the hook portion <NUM> and may be implemented as a location determination device implemented as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. In one aspect, the position sensor <NUM> may be integrated in the hook <NUM> and/or the hook portion <NUM> and measure swaying and/or oscillation of the hook <NUM>, the cable <NUM>, and/or the hook portion <NUM>.

The hoist system <NUM> may include one or more sensors to measure a length or distance of the cable <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, and/or the hook <NUM> from the helicopter <NUM>. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may include a distance sensor <NUM> associated with the motor <NUM>, the frame <NUM>, the cable <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, the hook <NUM>, and/or the like. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may associate the distance sensor <NUM> with the motor <NUM> and measure rotations of the motor <NUM> to determine a length of the cable <NUM> or the like. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may associate the distance sensor <NUM> with the motor <NUM> and determine a length of the cable <NUM> payout or the like. The distance sensor <NUM> may be implemented as Capacitive transducer, Capacitive displacement sensor, Eddy-current sensor, Ultrasonic sensor, Grating sensor, Hall effect sensor, Inductive non-contact position sensors, Laser Doppler vibrometer (optical), Linear variable differential transformer (LVDT), Multi-axis displacement transducer, Photodiode array, Piezo-electric transducer (piezo-electric), Potentiometer, Proximity sensor (optical), Rotary encoder (angular), String potentiometer, string encoder, cable position transducer, Linear encoder, Rotary encoder, and/or the like.

In one aspect, the distance sensor <NUM> may be integrated in the hook <NUM> and/or the hook portion <NUM> and may be implemented as an inertial measurement unit (IMU). In one aspect, the distance sensor <NUM> may be integrated in the hook <NUM> and/or the hook portion <NUM> and may be implemented as a location determination device implemented as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may also include range-measuring equipment <NUM> (such as a laser-range finder) for determining the distance of the hook <NUM> from the helicopter <NUM>, and as well as the distance of objects or ground/water from helicopter <NUM>. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may also include a cable-payout and direction detector <NUM>, which measures the distance the cable <NUM> is extended and a direction the cable <NUM> is moving (i.e., up or down).

The hoist system <NUM> may include a movement sensor <NUM> to measure movement of the helicopter <NUM>. In one aspect, the movement sensor <NUM> may be implemented as an inertial measurement unit (IMU). In one aspect, the movement sensor <NUM> may be implemented as a location determination device implemented as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. In one aspect, the movement sensor <NUM> may be implemented as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a location determination device implemented as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. In other aspects, the hoist system <NUM> may receive movement information from the helicopter <NUM>.

The hoist system <NUM> may determine an airspeed measurement of the helicopter <NUM>. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may receive an airspeed measurement from the helicopter <NUM>. In one aspect, the airspeed measurement may be determined from a pitot-static system. The pitot-static system may include a system of pressure-sensitive instruments that determine an aircraft airspeed, Mach number, altitude, and/or altitude trend. Additionally, the hoist system <NUM> may measure other flight dynamics and/or receive other flight dynamics data from the helicopter <NUM> or another associated system. In this regard, the other flight dynamics data may include roll, roll rate, pitch, pitch rate, yaw, yaw rate, and/or the like data.

In some aspects, the hook <NUM> may include a control system <NUM>. The control system <NUM> may be configured to measure and transmit the load on the hook, altitude of the assembly above ground or water, position and/or directionality of the assembly, and/or other information utilizing sensors as described above or other types of sensors known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In some aspects, the load and sensor data may be stored in any suitable-memory-storage device within hook <NUM>. In one aspect, an antenna <NUM> together with the transceiver serves as a means for communicating wirelessly between the control system <NUM> and other systems located in helicopter <NUM> or elsewhere utilizing a communication channel as defined herein. A data port may also serve as a means for communicating with other computing devices including memory storage devices.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram illustrating select components of an example helicopter hoist system in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. In particular, <FIG> is a block diagram illustrating select components of the hoist system <NUM> that facilitate the interoperability of the hoist system <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the hoist system <NUM> may include a control system <NUM>, which may control and monitor the hook <NUM> and other systems/devices associated with the hoist system <NUM> as described in the disclosure.

Although the control system <NUM> is illustrated as a discrete block, it is appreciated by those skilled in the art with the benefit of this disclosure, that the control system <NUM> may reside at various times across different components of the hoist system <NUM>. For instance, the control system <NUM> may be implemented and reside as a component of the hook <NUM>, may be also be implemented and reside in the electronic system <NUM>, across other devices remote from the hook <NUM> and the electronic system <NUM>, and/or the like.

Thus, in a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various control systems described in the hoist system <NUM> can be implemented individually or collectively by a wide range of electrical, mechanical, optical, processing (including hardware, software, firmware, and/or virtually any combination thereof), and various combinations of the foregoing.

Furthermore, various elements located in the hook <NUM> may communicate via antenna <NUM> in the hook <NUM> with components resident in the electronic system <NUM> or other component remote from the electronic system <NUM>, such as located in the helicopter <NUM>. An antenna <NUM> implemented with a transceiver associated with the hoist system <NUM> may provide a mechanism for transmitting and receiving data to/from the hook <NUM>, and other devices. Thus, even though the control system <NUM> is shown apart from the control system <NUM>, it is appreciated by those skilled in the art with the benefit of this disclosure that the control system <NUM> may form an integral part of the control system <NUM> for the hoist system <NUM>. In addition, although wireless communication via antennae is described, it is appreciated that wired communication may be used between the hook <NUM> and other elements of the hoist system <NUM>.

As depicted in <FIG>, the control system <NUM> represents any suitable computer device(s) having one or more processor(s) <NUM> and the ability to access the computer-readable media <NUM> to execute instructions or code that controls the hook <NUM>, as well as other devices associated with the hoist system <NUM>. The processor(s) <NUM> may be located in the electronic system <NUM> and may be embodied as any suitable electrical circuit, computing processor including special integrated circuits, ASICs, FPGAs, microcontrollers, processor, co-processor, microprocessor, controllers, or other processing means. The processor(s) <NUM> may also be embedded in the hook <NUM>.

The processor(s) <NUM> may be distributed in more than one computer system and over a network utilizing a transceiver operating on a communication channel as defined herein (not shown). Examples of the computer systems may include, but are not limited to, a server, personal computer, distributed computer systems, or other computing devices having access to processors and computer-readable medial. Further, although not shown, any number of system busses, communication and peripheral interfaces, input/output devices, and other devices may be included in the control system <NUM> (including the control system <NUM>), as appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Still referring to <FIG>, the computer-readable media <NUM> may include any suitable computer-storage media including volatile and non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. For example, computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage media may further include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory or non-transmission medium that can be used to store information for access by a computing device. In one aspect, the computer-readable media <NUM> stores a sway control process (Box <NUM>) as described below.

In other examples, the computer-readable media <NUM> may include communication media that may embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transmission mechanism. In one aspect, the computer-readable media <NUM> may be implemented as a computer program product having instructions and configured to be executed by the control system <NUM> and/or the processor(s) <NUM>.

Further, the computer-readable media <NUM> may be local and/or offsite to computer systems (not shown). For instance, one or more portions of, or all of data or code stored in the computer-readable media <NUM>, may be accessed from a computer-storage medium local to and/or remote to the control system <NUM>, such as from a storage medium connected to a network.

Resident in the computer-readable media <NUM> may be one or more operating systems (not shown), and any number of other program applications or modules in the form of computer-executable instructions and/or logic which are executed on the processor(s) <NUM> to enable processing of data or other functionality.

Still referring to <FIG>, the control system <NUM> may be configured with a sensor-system-control module <NUM> that may be maintained in the computer-readable media <NUM>. In one example, the sensor-system-control module <NUM> may be implemented as code in the form of computer-readable instructions that execute on the processor(s) <NUM>. For purposes of illustration, programs and other executable-program modules are illustrated herein as discrete blocks, although it is recognized that such programs and components may reside at various times in different storage components. Further, such code may be implemented as one or more applications or modules, or may be integrated as components within a single application. Such code stored in the computer-readable media <NUM> may be implemented across one or more computers in a cloud computing environment, on a local device or system, or on a combination of both. The following discussion does not limit the implementation of code stored in the computer-readable media <NUM> to any particular device or environment.

The sensor-system-control module <NUM> may include components contained in the computer-readable media <NUM>. In one example, the sensor-system-control module <NUM> includes: a lighting module <NUM>, a position/load module <NUM>, and a display module <NUM>.

In one aspect, the position/load module <NUM> facilitates a mode of operation of the control system <NUM> in which the position/load module <NUM> monitors measurements made by the load measurement sensors such as the load cell <NUM>, the cable movement measurement sensors such as the distance sensor <NUM>, the cable-payout and direction detector <NUM> and/or the range-measuring equipment <NUM>, the aircraft movement measurement sensors such as the movement sensor <NUM>, airspeed measurement sensors, other flight dynamics sensors, and/or the like. In one aspect, the position/load module <NUM> facilitates a mode of operation of the control system <NUM> in which the position/load module <NUM> monitors measurements made by an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and/or global positioning unit (GPS) (collectively referred to herein as IMS/GPS <NUM>) located in the hook <NUM> and/or the electronic system <NUM>. The position/load module <NUM> may also record these measurements (i.e., data) generated by the IMS/GPS <NUM>, and transmit these measurements to the hoist system <NUM> as well as other monitoring devices, such as located in the helicopter <NUM>.

The IMS/GPS <NUM> may be in communication with the position/load module <NUM> and enable the control system <NUM> to monitor a location and/or relative motion of the hook <NUM> and/or the hook portion <NUM> in three-dimensional coordinate space relative to the helicopter.

Thus, the combination of one or more of the load measurement sensors such as the load cell <NUM>, the cable movement measurement sensors such as the distance sensor <NUM>, the cable-payout and direction detector <NUM> and/or the range-measuring equipment <NUM>, the aircraft movement measurement sensors such as the movement sensor <NUM>, airspeed measurement sensors, other flight dynamics sensors, the load cell <NUM>, the IMS/GPS <NUM> under control of the control system <NUM> (including control system <NUM> individually or in combination with system <NUM> as a whole), and the like allow for complete mapping of the hook <NUM>--and hook load--in 3D coordinate space and relative to the airframe (helicopter and/or hoist). With cable payout information, the hoist cable fleet angle and/or the like may also be calculated. This data may be used to understand the load conditions on the hoist and helicopter airframe. Put differently, the IMS/GPS <NUM> under control of the control system <NUM> (including the control system <NUM> individually or in combination with the system <NUM> as a whole) may allow for mapping of the position, velocity, sway, oscillation, acceleration, and/or the like of the hook <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, and/or the load relative to the ground and/or aircraft.

In addition, the IMS/GPS <NUM> under control of the control system <NUM> (including the control system <NUM> individually or in combination with the system <NUM> as a whole) may use the real-time load and acceleration data from the hook <NUM> to adjust the payout of the cable <NUM> (via hoist equipment such as the cable <NUM>, the hook <NUM>, and the motor <NUM>) to actively dampen vibrations imparted to the hoist equipment and aircraft, actively reduce sway to the hoist equipment and aircraft, actively reduce oscillation to the hoist equipment and aircraft, and/or the like.

Thus, this data allows for monitoring health and maintenance of the hoist system, and the number of hoist system cycles, and the ability to predict component wear and plan maintenance. For the helicopter, this data allows for complete dynamic load mapping for the structural design of helicopter hoist mounts/interfaces. Real-time dynamic load information supplied by the control system <NUM> also allows for active hoist mounts that optimize the load transfer and energy management between the hook and the helicopter, providing for reduced shock loads on hoist components, helicopter mounts, and any personnel or cargo on the hook. Optimizing the dynamic response of the helicopter and hoist as a system can provide inputs to helicopter-flight controls for an optimized response during load transfer and flight.

The dynamic response of the system may change based on cable length (i.e., pendulum effect on the cable), and the ability to optimize the helicopter system-level response with these sensor inputs may provide for improved flight control and stability during operations and cargo transfers.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary sway control process on a load being lifted to a helicopter in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

In particular, <FIG> illustrates a sway control process (Box <NUM>) as a collection of blocks in a logical flow graph, which represent a sequence of operations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In the context of software, the blocks may represent computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and/or the like that perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described blocks can be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the process. Also, one or more of the described blocks may be omitted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, it should be noted that the sway control process (Box <NUM>) is merely exemplary and may be modified consistent with the various aspects disclosed herein.

In particular, <FIG> illustrates the sway control process (Box <NUM>). In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) reduces sway of the cable <NUM> and the load. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) reduces oscillation of the cable <NUM> and the load. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) reduces sway and oscillation of the cable <NUM> and the load.

In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be stored in the computer-readable media <NUM>. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be executed by the control system <NUM>. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be executed by the processor(s) <NUM>.

The sway control process (Box <NUM>) of the disclosure may include determining whether sway control is enabled (box <NUM>). Moreover, one or more proceeding or subsequent processes may also be implemented with determining whether sway control is enabled (box <NUM>) consistent with the disclosure. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be enabled or disabled by the pilot. In this regard, the pilot may include an input device such as a switch or the like to manually enable the sway control process (Box <NUM>) and/or disable the sway control process (Box <NUM>). In this regard, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be configured to be selectively turned off for mission types which require immediate extraction. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be configured to be automatically turned off for mission types which require immediate extraction. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be configured to be automatically turned on for mission types which require increased safety. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be configured to be automatically turned on or turned off based on information obtained through artificial intelligence.

The artificial intelligence as described herein may utilize any number of approaches including one or more of cybernetics and brain simulation, symbolic, cognitive simulation, logic-based, anti-logic, knowledge-based, sub-symbolic, embodied intelligence, computational intelligence and soft computing, machine learning and statistics, neural networks, and/or the like. In one aspect, the artificial intelligence may be implemented by the control system <NUM>, the processor(s) <NUM>, or the like. In one aspect, the artificial intelligence may include inputs from one or more of the load measurement sensors such as the load cell <NUM>, the cable movement measurement sensors such as the distance sensor <NUM>, the cable-payout and direction detector <NUM> and/or the range-measuring equipment <NUM>, the aircraft movement measurement sensors such as the movement sensor <NUM>, airspeed measurement sensors, other flight dynamics sensors, and/or the like.

In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may obtain aircraft and load measurements (Box <NUM>). In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may obtain aircraft and load measurements (Box <NUM>) that include one or more of the outputs from the load measurement sensors such as the load cell <NUM>, the cable movement measurement sensors such as the distance sensor <NUM>, the cable-payout and direction detector <NUM> and/or the range-measuring equipment <NUM>, the aircraft movement measurement sensors such as the movement sensor <NUM>, the airspeed measurement sensors, other flight dynamics sensors, and/or the like.

In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) of the disclosure may include the hoist system <NUM> or other components operating to receive human control input (Box <NUM>). The human input may be from movements of controls of an electronic interface from the pilot and/or crew. The movements of the controls may be converted to electronic signals by the hoist system <NUM>. The human input may include an indication with respect to a lift direction, a lift velocity, and/or the like. In this regard, the hoist system <NUM> and the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may be configured to modify existing human commands for hoist actuation and hoist movement in terms of scale input, and not directly actuate a hoist motor or movement otherwise. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may be configured to replace the manual controls with an electronic interface. Further in this aspect, the movements of controls of the electronic interface may be converted to electronic signals and the hoist system <NUM> and/or the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine how to operate the hoist system <NUM> to provide an ordered response to movements of the controls.

In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine appropriate controls for the motor (Box <NUM>). In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine appropriate controls for the motor (Box <NUM>) based at least in part on the output from the sensors and the human input. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine appropriate speed for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine appropriate deceleration for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine appropriate acceleration for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine appropriate velocity or reeling speed for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load.

In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine the appropriate control for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load based on an algorithm operating as a function of the aircraft and load measurements obtained in box <NUM>. In certain aspects, the algorithm may be expressed within a finite amount of space and time and in a well-defined formal language for calculating a function of the motor control. In certain aspects, the algorithm may start from an initial state and initial input of the aircraft and load measurements obtained in box <NUM>. In certain aspects, the algorithm may implement a computation that, when executed, proceeds through a finite number of well-defined successive states, eventually producing control signals for controlling the motor <NUM>. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine the appropriate control for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load based on artificial intelligence as a function of the aircraft and load measurements obtained in box <NUM>. In some aspects, the hoist system <NUM> and/or the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may compare commanded inputs vs calculated controls for the motor <NUM>. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> and/or the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may utilize a comparator.

In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may augment and/or actuate the motor <NUM> (box <NUM>). In this regard, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may actuate the motor <NUM> based on the appropriate controls determined in box <NUM>. In particular, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may actuate the motor <NUM> by sending control signals to the motor <NUM> to lift the load to reduce sway, to reduce oscillation, with a reduced sway, and/or reduced oscillation to ensure safe operation of the aircraft and safe lifting of the load.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary application of sway control on a load being lifted to a helicopter in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

In particular, <FIG> illustrates an exemplary load path <NUM> that a load may take while being lifted by the hoist system <NUM> of the helicopter <NUM>. As noted in <FIG>, the load path <NUM> is swaying or oscillating under the helicopter <NUM> in comparison to a vertical center <NUM>. The swaying or oscillating motion of the load may be due to the highly dynamic environment that includes or is subjected to various forces, movements, and/or the like.

While the load is being lifted to the helicopter <NUM>, the hoist system <NUM> may obtain aircraft and load measurements that include one or more of the outputs from the load measurement sensors such as the load cell <NUM>, the cable movement measurement sensors such as the distance sensor <NUM>, the cable-payout and direction detector <NUM> and/or the range-measuring equipment <NUM>, the aircraft movement measurement sensors such as the movement sensor <NUM>, the airspeed measurement sensors, other flight dynamics sensors, and/or the like.

The hoist system <NUM> may determine appropriate controls for the motor <NUM> based at least in part on the output from the sensors and the human input. In one aspect, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) may determine appropriate speed for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may determine appropriate deceleration for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may determine appropriate acceleration for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load. In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may adjust reeling speed.

In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may determine the appropriate control for the motor <NUM> currently lifting the load based on the algorithm or the artificial intelligence as a function of the aircraft and load measurements received and the human input.

In one aspect, the hoist system <NUM> may actuate the motor <NUM> by sending control signals to the motor <NUM> to lift the load to reduce sway, to reduce oscillation, with a reduced sway, and/or reduced oscillation to ensure safe operation of the aircraft and safe lifting of the load.

In one aspect, when the hoist system <NUM> determines that the load is being subjected to sway and/or oscillation, the hoist system <NUM> may command the motor <NUM> to adjust the lift velocity of the load. The amount of adjustment to the motor <NUM> may be determined based on the algorithm or the artificial intelligence as a function of the aircraft and load measurements received as described herein. In particular, the hoist system <NUM> may actuate the motor <NUM> by sending control signals to the motor <NUM> to lift the load to reduce sway, to reduce oscillation, with a reduced sway, and/or reduced oscillation to ensure safe operation of the aircraft and safe lifting of the load.

According to the invention, when the hoist system <NUM> determines that the load is swinging toward <NUM> the vertical center <NUM>, the hoist system <NUM> may command the motor <NUM> to accelerate the lift velocity <NUM> (as indicated by the dashed line) of the load. Thereafter, when the hoist system <NUM> determines that the load is swinging away <NUM> from the vertical center <NUM>, the hoist system <NUM> may command the motor <NUM> to decelerate the lift velocity <NUM> (as indicated by the dotted line) of the load. The amount of acceleration, deceleration, and velocity of the lift provided by the motor <NUM> may be determined based on the algorithm or the artificial intelligence as a function of the aircraft and load measurements received as described herein. In particular, the hoist system <NUM> may actuate the motor <NUM> by sending control signals to the motor <NUM> to lift the load to reduce sway, to reduce oscillation, with a reduced sway, and/or reduced oscillation to ensure safe operation of the aircraft and safe lifting of the load. However, the disclosure is not limited to this exemplary aspect. In particular, the hoist system <NUM> may actuate the motor <NUM> to control lift velocity, acceleration, deceleration, and/or the like in response to an algorithm that may be more complex and the adjustments may be made at extremes of an arc of oscillation, a center of an arc of oscillation, and/or at locations between the extremes and center.

<FIG> illustrates a free body diagram of the helicopter hoist system according to an aspect of the disclosure. In particular, <FIG> illustrates exemplary dynamic factors that are utilized by the hoist system <NUM> and the sway control process (Box <NUM>) to reduce sway and/or oscillation. The dynamic factors include one or more of a Velocity of helicopter - VHELICOPTER, an Acceleration of helicopter - aHELICOPTER, a Velocity of air/wind - Vair/wind, a Cable angle - ΘCABLE, a Rate of change of cable angle - dΘCABLE/dt, a Length of cable - LCABLE, a First velocity of cable - VCABLE, <NUM>, a Second velocity of cable - VCABLE, <NUM>, a First acceleration of cable - aCABLE, <NUM>, a Second acceleration of cable - aCABLE, <NUM>, and a Mass of load - MLOAD. Each of the dynamic factors being obtained by one or more sensors described in the disclosure. Thereafter, the sway control process (Box <NUM>) operates based on one or more these dynamic factors obtained by the one or more sensors as described herein.

Accordingly, the disclosure has set forth a system and process to control the sway of the load and an associated portion of the lifting device to ensure safe operation of the aircraft and a safety of the load. In particular, the system and process of the disclosure limits uncontrolled oscillations and spin via the use of an electronic control module. Furthermore, the system and process of the disclosure has disclosed that oscillation may be mitigated by automatic adjustments to pay-in commands in order to remove human factors which may contribute to excessive oscillations.

Additionally, the various aspects of the disclosure are configured to ensure compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) for external cargo operations. In particular, the various aspects of the disclosure are configured to ensure compliance with FARs for both "Human External Cargo" (HEC) and "Non Human External Cargo" (NHEC) including <NUM> C. <NUM> and in addition or in substitution of listed objects (load), which could be hoisted by aspects of the disclosure.

As may be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the illustrated structure is a logical structure and not a physical one. Accordingly, the illustrated modules can be implemented by employing various hardware and software components. In addition, two or more of the logical components can be implemented as a single module that provides functionality for both components. In one aspect, the components are implemented as software program modules.

The disclosure may be implemented in any type of computing devices, such as, e.g., a desktop computer, personal computer, a laptop/mobile computer, a personal data assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, cloud computing device, and the like, with wired/wireless communications capabilities via the communication channels.

Further in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, the methods described herein are intended for operation with dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to, PCs, PDAs, semiconductors, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic arrays, cloud computing devices, and other hardware devices constructed to implement the methods described herein.

It should also be noted that the software implementations of the disclosure as described herein are optionally stored on a tangible storage medium, such as: a magnetic medium such as a disk or tape; a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk; or a solid state medium such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile) memories. A digital file attachment to email or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium, as listed herein and including art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations herein are stored.

Additionally, the various aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in a non-generic computer implementation. Moreover, the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein improve the functioning of the system as is apparent from the disclosure hereof. Furthermore, the various aspects of the disclosure involve computer hardware that it specifically programmed to solve the complex problem addressed by the disclosure. Accordingly, the various aspects of the disclosure improve the functioning of the system overall in its specific implementation to perform the process set forth by the disclosure and as defined by the claims.

Aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in any type of computing devices, such as, e.g., a desktop computer, personal computer, a laptop/mobile computer, a personal data assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, cloud computing device, and the like, with wired/wireless communications capabilities via the communication channels.

According to an example, the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) may include a device and/or system that may estimate its location based, at least in part, on signals received from space vehicles (SVs). In particular, such a device and/or system may obtain "pseudorange" measurements including approximations of distances between associated SVs and a navigation satellite receiver. In a particular example, such a pseudorange may be determined at a receiver that is capable of processing signals from one or more SVs as part of a Satellite Positioning System (SPS). Such an SPS may comprise, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, Glonass, to name a few, or any SPS developed in the future. To determine its location, a satellite navigation receiver may obtain pseudorange measurements to three or more satellites as well as their positions at time of transmitting. Knowing the SV orbital parameters, these positions can be calculated for any point in time. A pseudorange measurement may then be determined based, at least in part, on the time a signal travels from an SV to the receiver, multiplied by the speed of light. While techniques described herein may be provided as implementations of location determination in GPS and/or Galileo types of SPS as specific illustrations according to particular examples, it should be understood that these techniques may also apply to other types of SPS, and that claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

Aspects of the disclosure may include communication channels that may be any type of wired or wireless electronic communications network, such as, e.g., a wired/wireless local area network (LAN), a wired/wireless personal area network (PAN), a wired/wireless home area network (HAN), a wired/wireless wide area network (WAN), a campus network, a metropolitan network, an enterprise private network, a virtual private network (VPN), an internetwork, a backbone network (BBN), a global area network (GAN), the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, an overlay network, Near field communication (NFC), a cellular telephone network, a Personal Communications Service (PCS), using known protocols such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access), GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, Long Term Evolution (LTE), <NUM> (5th generation mobile networks or 5th generation wireless systems), WiMAX, HSPA+, W-CDMA (Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access), CDMA2000 (also known as C2K or IMT Multi-Carrier (IMT-MC)), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, and/or the like, and/or a combination of two or more thereof. The NFC standards cover communications protocols and data exchange formats, and are based on existing radio-frequency identification (RFID) standards including ISO/IEC <NUM> and FeliCa. The standards include ISO/IEC <NUM>[<NUM>] and those defined by the NFC Forum.

Claim 1:
An aircraft hoist system (<NUM>), comprising:
hoist equipment adapted for use with an aircraft (<NUM>), the hoist equipment including a motor (<NUM>), a cable (<NUM>), and a hook portion (<NUM>);
at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) configured to obtain measurements comprising at least one of following: a load measurement, a cable position measurement, a cable movement measurement, an aircraft movement measurement, and an airspeed measurement;
a processor (<NUM>) configured to analyze the measurements from the at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>);
wherein the processor (<NUM>) is configured to determine control for the motor (<NUM>) as a function of the measurements from the at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); and
the processor (<NUM>) is configured to actuate the motor (<NUM>) to reduce sway and/or oscillations of a load and the cable (<NUM>) while lifting the load,
wherein the at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprises at least one of the following: a load measurement sensor, a cable movement measurement sensor, a cable position measurement sensor, an aircraft movement measurement sensor, and an airspeed measurement sensor;
wherein the processor (<NUM>) is configured to determine a lift velocity for the motor (<NUM>) currently lifting the load, a lift acceleration for the motor (<NUM>) currently lifting the load, and a lift deceleration for the motor (<NUM>) currently lifting the load;
wherein the measurements from at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) comprises measuring with the at least one sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) at least one of following: a load measurement, a cable position measurement, a cable movement measurement;
wherein the processor (<NUM>) is configured to command the motor (<NUM>) to accelerate a lift velocity when the load is swinging toward a vertical center; and
wherein the processor (<NUM>) is configured to command the motor (<NUM>) to decelerate a lift velocity when the load is swinging away from a vertical center.