Donald T Caldwell DeceasedGretna, SD

7693617, Apr 6, 2010

Sep 19, 2006

11/533226

Gregory E. Dockter - Mesa AZ, US
Donald G. Caldwell - Mesa AZ, US
Jason Graham - Mesa AZ, US

The Boeing Company - Chicago IL

G05D 1/06
G06F 19/00

701 3, 701 24, 701 28, 2441584, 340989

An aircraft control system for operations close to the ground includes a camera having a rangefinder for measuring the azimuth, elevation and slant range from a fixed point on the aircraft relative to a selected target point on a surface below the aircraft, a navigation system for measuring the latitude and longitude of the aircraft on the surface, a computer for computing the position of the fixed point on the aircraft relative to the target point from the respective measurements of the camera and the navigation system, and a controller for controlling the movement of the aircraft such that the fixed point is positioned at a selected position above the selected target point on the surface. The controller may also include an automatic tracking mechanism for maintaining the position of the fixed point on the aircraft at the selected position above a moving object.

5001646, Mar 19, 1991

Dec 19, 1988

7/286235

Donald G. Caldwell - Mesa AZ
Stephen S. Osder - Scottsdale AZ

McDonnell Douglas Corporation - Long Beach CA

B64C 1304
B64C 1316

364434

An apparatus and method for controlling the flight of a helicopter, in which the pilot commands vehicle state changes, embodies several significant advances to the helicopter control art. Among these are control decoupling to reduce undesired helicopter responses in other axes to pilot inputs in one axis, task oriented control modes which are selected automatically, and automatic control of engine torque and rotor speed constraints. Novel task oriented control modes include independent control of heading and ground track at low speed and turn rate and flight path angle control at higher speeds. Control decoupling is achieved through a combination of force/moment decoupling and open loop prediction methods. Vertical control, traditionally accomplished with collective only, is accomplished in this system with a combination of longitudinal cyclic and collective control, increasing vertical response performance and minimizing engine power change demands. These flight control automation methods were designed to enable the use of small displacement, multi-axis controllers for full envelope helicopter control; the system provides dramatic pilot work load reduction for any of wide range of pilot manipulator configurations.