Patent Application
20150183511
The present invention generally relates to throttle control systems for aircraft and more particularly, to a control panel integration into an aircraft throttle control. Electric taxi (e-taxi) systems may be developed for use on aircraft such that they can be maneuvered on the ground without running main engines of the aircraft. Motors may directly drive one or more landing wheels. With these systems, there is a need for an intuitive controller that may let a pilot or other operator control an aircraft's motion easily and safely. Required aircraft taxi motions may include forward, reverse, and pivoting. Determining a best location and configuration for a controller is important to maintaining safe taxi operation.
As can be seen, there is a need for a control panel integration into an aircraft throttle system.
In one aspect of the invention, a lever control system of an aircraft, comprises a lever, wherein the lever is configured to set a taxi speed of the aircraft on a runway using an electric motor system affixed to the aircraft undercarriage with a jet engine system affixed to the aircraft turned off, wherein the lever is also configured to control a throttle of the jet engine system with the jet engine system affixed to the aircraft turned on, and the electric motor system turned off.
In another aspect of the invention, A lever control system of an aircraft, comprises a first lever, wherein the first lever is configured to set a taxi speed of the aircraft on a runway using an electric motor system affixed to the aircraft with a jet engine system affixed to the aircraft turned off, wherein the first lever is also configured to control a throttle of the jet engine system with the jet engine system affixed to the aircraft turned on, and the electric motor system turned off; a second lever, wherein the second lever is configured to set engine thrust levels for the jet engine system; and a reverse lockout mechanism affixed below the first lever and configured to prevent reverse taxi motion in the aircraft.
In another aspect of the invention, a system for lever control of an aircraft, comprises a lever, wherein the lever is configured to set a taxi speed of the aircraft on a runway using an electric motor system affixed to the aircraft with a jet engine system of the aircraft turned off; a knob coupled to the lever configured to rotate about the lever from a first position into a second position, and wherein the lever is configured to change a configuration of the lever in response to movement of the knob from the first position to the second position.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features. However, any single inventive feature may not address any of the problems discussed above or may only address one of the problems discussed above. Further, one or more of the problems discussed above may not be fully addressed by any of the features described below.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention generally provides a throttle control system for aircraft.
More specifically, the present invention may integrate an electric taxi controller into an aircraft's existing throttle control system for the aircraft that includes an electric motor system for aircraft taxi operations and a jet engine system for flight operations of the aircraft.
In an embodiment, the reverse lockout mechanism 120 may be removable. If the reverse lockout mechanism is removed, the first lever 105 may have a range of motion that is extended so that the aircraft may set a negative speed, that is, the aircraft may set a specific reverse speed using the electric motor and with the jet engines stopped.
In an embodiment, the first scale 310 may be located adjacent to the first lever 302. The second scale 315 may be printed adjacent to the first lever 302 and adjacent to the second lever 304. In an embodiment, the first scale 310, and the second scale 315 may light up while in operation. In an embodiment, the second scale 315 may show increasing engine thrust. In an embodiment the first scale 310 and the second scale 315 may be displayed electronically. Both the first scale 310 and the second scale 315 may be shown on the same display, swapping graphics as needed. There may not need to be a separate display for each. An electronically displayed first scale 310 may be turned off during engine thrust. An electronically displayed second scale 315 showing throttle marking may be turned off during electric motor e-taxi operation.
Under jet engine operation, or under operation of other systems such as turboprop or turbofan, the first lever 302 and the second lever 304 may work the same, and may have the same amount of travel. In an embodiment, there may be only the first lever 302 without the second lever 304, even if the aircraft has multiple engines. The second lever 304 may be configured to control a throttle of the jet engine system. With the aircraft engines off, and e-taxi powered up, the first lever 302 may control e-taxi speed. The reverse lockout mechanism 120 affixed below the first lever 302 may prevent inadvertent reverse taxi motion commands and therefore may prevent reverse taxi motion of the aircraft. The reverse lockout mechanism 120 may be removed. Moving the reverse lockout mechanism 120 out of the way may enable an extended range of motion of the first lever 302 and may allow a pilot to command a specific reverse speed for the aircraft using only the electric motor with the jet engines stopped.
A separate throttle/e-taxi system control switch 305 may designate which system is engaged and controlled by the lever control system 300, the jet engine, or the electric motor for e-taxi. The throttle/e-taxi switch 305 may have a switch guard that needs to be lifted in order to activate it. This requirement of lifting the switch guard may provide further safety to prevent inadvertent switching from using the electric motors of the aircraft to taxi, to using the jet engines for flight. Changing the lever control system 300 from electric motor to jet engine control may be indicated in an alert to a pilot. This alert may be, for example, a non-intrusive alert. In an embodiment, the alert may be conveyed to the pilot in multiple simultaneous ways including auditory, visual, and tactile signals to the pilot. In an embodiment, aircraft automation may sense conditions such as weight on wheels, an engine on or off condition, and the aircraft automation may automatically enable or disable e-taxi control. Additional switches 330 and 335 may be used for control operation such as lever shape change explained below. In an embodiment, the first lever 302 may be used to control both e-taxi and jet engine control with the second lever 304 unused.
In an exemplary embodiment, a pilot may power up the aircraft. After completing all preflight operations, and receiving departure clearances, the pilot may select TAXI mode for the throttle levers to perform an e-taxi. A change alert may be conveyed, and a speed indicator on a flight display may change to indicate ground speeds rather than airspeeds. The selected speed may be shown on the flight display as a target speed. When the aircraft is located at the end of the runway, the pilot may bring the aircraft to a stop. The pilot may change the aircraft configuration using the throttle/e-taxi switch 305 from TAXI mode to ENGINE mode to change from using the electric motor for taxiing the aircraft, to using the jet engines to fly the aircraft, and the lever control system 300 may announce the change in control in an auditory, visual, and/or tactile manner. The jet engines may start and the aircraft may take off. On landing, the above sequence may be reversed.
In another embodiment, pressing a recessed switch 330 or 335 (
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
