The helicopter has established its self as a permanent part of both the civil and military inventories. Because of its unique characteristics of vertical take-off, hover and flight at below tree top height, the helicopter is often employed in extreme weather situations at night or in poor visibility and at very low altitudes where other vehicles are prevented from operating. The nature of medivac, SAR, environmental disasters and military stealth missions dictate complete pilot concentration on the 'flying' task thus reducing his 'free observation time' for his primary mission. Studies have shown that if the pilot's normal 'flying' work load can be reduced, then he is able to carry out his primary task more effectively and indeed perform missions which up till now have resulted in a too high safety risk. Modern computing technology permits the simplification of cockpit displays, automating monitoring functions (engine limitations, fuel, electrical and hydraulic power) and the application of full authority automatic flight control systems, thus ensuring more effective and clearer control response characteristics to the pilot than the classical limited authority autopilot. This paper will supply some of the reasoning behind the 'smart' philosophy, provide an overview of the integration and testing of the FBL program, lessons learnt and further developments in the optical data transmission since the design. The Bo105 S3 vehicle is used for continued in-flight simulation activities, using the FBL system with the 'smart' actuator and has logged over five hundred hours to date without failure.
Smart actuator systems; a practical solution?
Intelligente Betätigungssysteme - eine praktische Lösung?
1993
10 Seiten, 9 Bilder, 2 Tabellen, 7 Quellen
Conference paper
English
Smart actuator systems; a practical solution?
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