EP0193579A1 - Excessive descent rate warning system for tactical aircraft - Google Patents

Excessive descent rate warning system for tactical aircraft

Info

Publication number
EP0193579A1
EP0193579A1 EP85904531A EP85904531A EP0193579A1 EP 0193579 A1 EP0193579 A1 EP 0193579A1 EP 85904531 A EP85904531 A EP 85904531A EP 85904531 A EP85904531 A EP 85904531A EP 0193579 A1 EP0193579 A1 EP 0193579A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
warning
aircraft
approximately
altitude
descent rate
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP85904531A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0193579A4 (en
Inventor
Everette E. Vermilion
Noel S. Paterson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sundstrand Data Control Inc
Original Assignee
Sundstrand Data Control Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sundstrand Data Control Inc filed Critical Sundstrand Data Control Inc
Publication of EP0193579A1 publication Critical patent/EP0193579A1/en
Publication of EP0193579A4 publication Critical patent/EP0193579A4/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
    • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
    • G05D1/04—Control of altitude or depth
    • G05D1/06—Rate of change of altitude or depth
    • G05D1/0607—Rate of change of altitude or depth specially adapted for aircraft
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C5/00—Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels
    • G01C5/005—Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels altimeters for aircraft

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to ground proximity warning systems, and more particularly to a system that provides a warning to the pilot of a tac- tical aircraft, such as a fighter/attack aircraft, flying the approach leg of the flight if the descent rate of the aircraft is excessive for the ' altitude at which the aircraft is flying.
  • a tac- tical aircraft such as a fighter/attack aircraft
  • a sys ⁇ tem that monitors the descent rate of the aircraft when the landing gear is down, the indicated airspeed is less than the maximum approach speed of the air ⁇ craft, for example, approximately 200 knots, and the weapons are not armed, and issues an aural, warning to the pilot if the barometric descent rate or Z-velocity exceeds a predetermined safe limit for the radio alti- tude at which the aircraft is flying.
  • FIG. 1 is a logical block diagram of the warning system according to the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a graph of the barometric descent rate required to generate a warning as a function of
  • FIG. 1 there is illustrated an embodi ⁇ ment of the ground proximity warning system according
  • FIG. 1 The system 10 according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 in logical block diagram form as a series of gates, comparators and the like for purposes of illustration; however, it should be
  • the signals used by the system as described include radio altitude, barometric altitude rate, airspeed
  • the signals shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained from indi-
  • 3Q vidual instruments such as a barometric altimeter 12, a barometric rate circuit 14, a radio altimeter 16, an airspeed signal source 18 such as an air data com ⁇ puter or airspeed indicator and various discrete ele ⁇ ments indicating the position of the gear, whether
  • the signals can be obtain ⁇ ed from a digital data bus in certain newer aircraft.
  • the Z-velocity signal from the inertial navigation system may be used to provide a representation of the descent rate of the aircraft.
  • This system is designed to be opera ⁇ tive only during the approach to a landing phase of a flight profile, its operation is inhibited during other phases of flight in order to avoid the possiDle generation of false warnings during those phases.
  • the inhibiting function is accomplished by a pair of AND gates 20 and 22 that monitor various flight condi- tions and the configuration of the aircraft to deter ⁇ mine whether the aircraft is on an approach to a land ⁇ ing. Two of the parameters that are monitored by the gate 20 are whether the landing gear is down and whether there is any weight on the wheels. In addition, a signal indicating that the weapons are not armed is applied to the gate 20, because under normal landing conditions, the weapons would not be armed.
  • the airspeed is monitored by a comparator 24 which pro ⁇ vides a signal to the AND gate 20 when the airspeed is below the maximum approach speed of tne aircraft, thus indicating a probable landing condition.
  • the maximum approach speed of the aircraft varies as a function of the aircraft, and is on the order of approximate ⁇ ly 200 knots for aircraft such as the Fairchild A-10 and the Lockheed ⁇ -33.
  • signals indicating that the radio altitude signal and the barometric altimeter signals are not inhibited are applied to the AND the AND gate 22 in order to prevent the generation of warnings in the event of a faulty barometric or radio altimeter.
  • the system is inhibited below 50 feet of radio altitude and above 1,000 feet of radio altitude by a comparator circuit 26 that is responsive to signals from the radio altimeter 16 and provides enabling signals to the AND gate 22 only when the aircraft is between 50 feet and 1,000 of radio altitude.
  • the AND gate 22 is enabled and placed under the control of an OR gate 28 controlled by a pair of comparators 30 and 32.
  • the comparators 30 and 32 are responsive • to the radio altitude and barometric rate or Z velocity signals, and apply a signal to the OR gate 28 when the sink rate is excessive for a given radio altitude.
  • the gate 28 Upon receipt of a signal from the OR gate 30 or the OR gate 32, the gate 28 causes the gate 22 to apply a warning initiation signal to a warning circuit such as a digital voice warning generator 34.
  • warning generator 34 causes the warning generator 34 to generate a digitally synthesized voice signal, such as, the words "SINK RATE", and apply them, either directly or indirectly, to a transducer 36, which may be a loud ⁇ speaker, or an earphone or the like.
  • two co para- tors 30 and 32 are utilized to determine the descent rate versus radio altitude relationship required to generate a "SINK RATE" warning, but a single comparator can also be used. However, because of the particular shape of the warning curve defined by the solid line in FIG. 2 ⁇ the dashed line will be discussed in a subsequent section of the specification) , it has been . found convenient to utilize two separate comparators, the comparator 30 is used to initiate warnings for low radio altitudes and descent rates below 3,000 feet per minute, while the comparator 32 is used to initiate warnings for descent rates in excess of 3,000 feet per minute.
  • the comparator 32 monitors the signal from the barometric rate circuit 14, and compares it with a reference signal representative of a 3,000 feet per minute descent rate that is applied to the other terminal of the comparator 32. Whenever the signal from the rate circuit 14 exceeds the refer ⁇ ence signal representative of a 3,000 feet per minute descent rate, the comparator 32 applies a signal to the OR gate 28. This signal causes the OR gate 28 to enable the AND gate 22, and causes a warning to be generated.
  • the comparator 30 controls, and causes the warning to be generated as a function of Doth the barometric descent rate and the radio altitude in accordance with the two-step curve below a radio alti ⁇ tude of 600 feet radio altitude and a 3,000 feet per minute descent rate shown in FIG. 2.
  • the "SINK RATE" warning will be generated when the descent rate exceeds 3,000 feet per minute at 600 feet of radio altitude, when it exceeds 2,500 feet per minute at 200 feet of radio altitude, and when it exceeds 1,250 feet per minute at a radio altitude of 50 feet.
  • the above-described relationship between the barometric altitude rate and the radio altitude required to generate a warning is illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 2.
  • the shaded area beneath the solid line of the graph of FIG. 2 illustrates the various relationships between descent rate and radio altitude values that cause the warning, "SINK RATE", to be generated.
  • This warning envelope has been determined by the flight characteristics of fighter/attack bombers such as, the Fairchild A10, and from the manner in which such aircraft are operated during the landing phase of the flight. Because such aircraft often fly at relatively low levels and may encounter relatively high descent rates during such low level flight, the top of the envelope of FIG. 2 is limited at 1,000 feet to avoid false warnings during maneuvering above 1,000 feet. This results in a considerably different envelope than the envelope utilized for transport aircraft which permits warnings up to an altitude of approximately 2,450 feet. Moreover, the descent rates permitted at lower altitudes are substantially greater for the tactical aircraft than for transport aircraft.
  • a descent rate of up to 2,500 feet per minute is permitted at an altitude of 200 feet, while a warn ⁇ ing system used in a transport aircraft would generate a warning at approximately one-half of that rate of descent.
  • the permitted des ⁇ cent rate is rapidly reduced to approximately 1,500 feet per minute at an altitude of 50 feet above ground to avoid excessively high descent rate touchdowns.
  • An alternative envelope is illustrated Dy the dashed line of FIG. 2.
  • the low altitude nose is extend ⁇ ed such that at 50 feet of altitude, a warning is given if the descent rate exceeds approximately 800 feet per minute.
  • the descent rate required to generate a warning is approxi ⁇ mately 2600 feet per minute, as illustrated by the breakpoint between the dashed line and the solid line of FIG. 2. This results in greater warning times at low altitudes.
  • the vertical portion of the curve at 3000 feet of radio altitude is eliminated, ' and the second line segment of radio altitude is elimi ⁇ nated, and the second line segment of the graph is extended to 1000 feet to permit a descent rate of approximately 3500 feet per minute at 1000 feet of radio altitude. This allows the aircraft to anuever more in the 600 to 1000 feet altitude range without generating nuisance warnings.
  • the comparator 32 and the OR gate 28 may be eliminated. If this is done, the output of the comparator 30 is applied directly to the AND gate 22.
  • a certain amount of tolerance in the curves of FIG. 2 is permitted.
  • the descent rate necessary to generate a warning may vary approximately plus or minus 200 feet per minute. about the illustrat ⁇ ed curves without substantially degrading the perfor ⁇ mance of the system.
  • the 1000 foot ceiling may vary approximately plus or minus 50 feet, and the 50 foot floor may vary plus or minus 25 feet.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Radar Systems Or Details Thereof (AREA)
  • Emergency Alarm Devices (AREA)
  • Traffic Control Systems (AREA)

Abstract

Un système (10) utilise l'altitude (16), la vitesse alti-barométrique (14), la vitesse vraie (18), la position du train d'atterrissage (20) et l'état de l'armement porté par l'avion (20) pour avertir (34) le pilote d'un avion tactique lorsque la vitesse de descente de l'avion est excessive pour l'altitude à laquelle vole l'avion.A system (10) uses the altitude (16), the alti-barometric speed (14), the true speed (18), the position of the landing gear (20) and the state of the armament carried by the airplane (20) to warn (34) the pilot of a tactical airplane when the descent speed of the airplane is excessive for the altitude at which the airplane is flying.

Description

EXCESSIVE DESCENT RATE WARNING SYSTEM FOR TACTICAL AIRCRAFT
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of copending patent application Serial No. 494,593, filed on May 13, 1983. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to ground proximity warning systems, and more particularly to a system that provides a warning to the pilot of a tac- tical aircraft, such as a fighter/attack aircraft, flying the approach leg of the flight if the descent rate of the aircraft is excessive for the' altitude at which the aircraft is flying.
Description of the Prior Art Systems for providing the pilot of an air¬ craft with a warning in the event that the aircraft is descending too rapidly on approach are known. Typical of such systems are the systems disclosed in United States Patent Nos. 3,946,35a, 3,947,808, 3,958,219 and 4,215,334, all assigned to the same assignee as the assignee of the present invention. While all of the above systems serve the basic function of alerting a pilot if the descent rate, for example, barometric rate or Z-velocity, of the air- craft exceeds a predetermined safe rate as determined by the relationship between the radio altitude and the barometric altitude rate, the above-described systems are designed to operate with transport aircraft, particularly with large, turbine powered aircraft of the type flown by commercial airlines. Since•sucn transport aircraft typically have flight profiles that are considerably different from those of a tactical aircraft, for example, a fighter/attack aircraft making a landing onto an aircraft carrier, systems designed for transport aircraft would not be effective on tactical aircraft since they would have a tendency to generate false warnings, thereby losing their effectivness as pilots ignored the warnings. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ground proximity warning system that overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art warning systems. It is another object of the present inven¬ tion to provide a warning system to the pilot of a tactical aircraft on approach if the sink rate of the aircraft is excessive for the altitude at which the aircraft is flying. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a ground proximity warning system for alert¬ ing the pilot of a tactical aircraft if his descent rate on approach is dangerously high, with the warning criteria having been selected to match the operating procedure used with such tactical aircraft.
Briefly, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a sys¬ tem that monitors the descent rate of the aircraft when the landing gear is down, the indicated airspeed is less than the maximum approach speed of the air¬ craft, for example, approximately 200 knots, and the weapons are not armed, and issues an aural, warning to the pilot if the barometric descent rate or Z-velocity exceeds a predetermined safe limit for the radio alti- tude at which the aircraft is flying. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent upon con¬ sideration of the following detailed description and 5 attached drawing wherein:
FIG. 1 is a logical block diagram of the warning system according to the invention; and
FIG. 2 is a graph of the barometric descent rate required to generate a warning as a function of
10. radio altitude.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawing, with particular attention to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an embodi¬ ment of the ground proximity warning system according
15 to the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 10. The system 10 according to the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 in logical block diagram form as a series of gates, comparators and the like for purposes of illustration; however, it should be
20 understood that the actual implementation of the logic can be other than as shown in FIG. 1, with various digital and analog implementations being possible. The signals used by the system as described include radio altitude, barometric altitude rate, airspeed
25 ana signals indicating the position of the landing gear and whether the weapons are armed, along with various validity signals. Depending on the type of aircraft in which the warning system is installed, the signals shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained from indi-
3Q vidual instruments such as a barometric altimeter 12, a barometric rate circuit 14, a radio altimeter 16, an airspeed signal source 18 such as an air data com¬ puter or airspeed indicator and various discrete ele¬ ments indicating the position of the gear, whether
35 the weapons are armed and whether there is weight on the wheels. Alternatively, the signals can be obtain¬ ed from a digital data bus in certain newer aircraft. In addition, instead of obtaining the altitude rate signal from the barometric altitude rate circuit, the Z-velocity signal from the inertial navigation system may be used to provide a representation of the descent rate of the aircraft.
Because this system is designed to be opera¬ tive only during the approach to a landing phase of a flight profile, its operation is inhibited during other phases of flight in order to avoid the possiDle generation of false warnings during those phases. The inhibiting function is accomplished by a pair of AND gates 20 and 22 that monitor various flight condi- tions and the configuration of the aircraft to deter¬ mine whether the aircraft is on an approach to a land¬ ing. Two of the parameters that are monitored by the gate 20 are whether the landing gear is down and whether there is any weight on the wheels. In addition, a signal indicating that the weapons are not armed is applied to the gate 20, because under normal landing conditions, the weapons would not be armed. If they were, this would indicate that the aircraft was operating in a phase other than an approach to a landing. In addition, the airspeed is monitored by a comparator 24 which pro¬ vides a signal to the AND gate 20 when the airspeed is below the maximum approach speed of tne aircraft, thus indicating a probable landing condition. The maximum approach speed of the aircraft varies as a function of the aircraft, and is on the order of approximate¬ ly 200 knots for aircraft such as the Fairchild A-10 and the Lockheed τ-33. Also, signals indicating that the radio altitude signal and the barometric altimeter signals are not inhibited are applied to the AND the AND gate 22 in order to prevent the generation of warnings in the event of a faulty barometric or radio altimeter. In addition, in order further to reduce the probability of false- arnings, the system is inhibited below 50 feet of radio altitude and above 1,000 feet of radio altitude by a comparator circuit 26 that is responsive to signals from the radio altimeter 16 and provides enabling signals to the AND gate 22 only when the aircraft is between 50 feet and 1,000 of radio altitude.
If all of the above conditions are met, the AND gate 22 is enabled and placed under the control of an OR gate 28 controlled by a pair of comparators 30 and 32. The comparators 30 and 32 are responsive • to the radio altitude and barometric rate or Z velocity signals, and apply a signal to the OR gate 28 when the sink rate is excessive for a given radio altitude. Upon receipt of a signal from the OR gate 30 or the OR gate 32, the gate 28 causes the gate 22 to apply a warning initiation signal to a warning circuit such as a digital voice warning generator 34. This causes the warning generator 34 to generate a digitally synthesized voice signal, such as, the words "SINK RATE", and apply them, either directly or indirectly, to a transducer 36, which may be a loud¬ speaker, or an earphone or the like.
In the illustrated embodiment, two co para- tors 30 and 32 are utilized to determine the descent rate versus radio altitude relationship required to generate a "SINK RATE" warning, but a single comparator can also be used. However, because of the particular shape of the warning curve defined by the solid line in FIG. 2 {the dashed line will be discussed in a subsequent section of the specification) , it has been . found convenient to utilize two separate comparators,, The comparator 30 is used to initiate warnings for low radio altitudes and descent rates below 3,000 feet per minute, while the comparator 32 is used to initiate warnings for descent rates in excess of 3,000 feet per minute. Thus, the comparator 32 monitors the signal from the barometric rate circuit 14, and compares it with a reference signal representative of a 3,000 feet per minute descent rate that is applied to the other terminal of the comparator 32. Whenever the signal from the rate circuit 14 exceeds the refer¬ ence signal representative of a 3,000 feet per minute descent rate, the comparator 32 applies a signal to the OR gate 28. This signal causes the OR gate 28 to enable the AND gate 22, and causes a warning to be generated. For descent rates below 3,000 feet per minute, the comparator 30 controls, and causes the warning to be generated as a function of Doth the barometric descent rate and the radio altitude in accordance with the two-step curve below a radio alti¬ tude of 600 feet radio altitude and a 3,000 feet per minute descent rate shown in FIG. 2. Typically, the "SINK RATE" warning will be generated when the descent rate exceeds 3,000 feet per minute at 600 feet of radio altitude, when it exceeds 2,500 feet per minute at 200 feet of radio altitude, and when it exceeds 1,250 feet per minute at a radio altitude of 50 feet. The above-described relationship between the barometric altitude rate and the radio altitude required to generate a warning is illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 2. The shaded area beneath the solid line of the graph of FIG. 2 illustrates the various relationships between descent rate and radio altitude values that cause the warning, "SINK RATE", to be generated. This warning envelope has been determined by the flight characteristics of fighter/attack bombers such as, the Fairchild A10, and from the manner in which such aircraft are operated during the landing phase of the flight. Because such aircraft often fly at relatively low levels and may encounter relatively high descent rates during such low level flight, the top of the envelope of FIG. 2 is limited at 1,000 feet to avoid false warnings during maneuvering above 1,000 feet. This results in a considerably different envelope than the envelope utilized for transport aircraft which permits warnings up to an altitude of approximately 2,450 feet. Moreover, the descent rates permitted at lower altitudes are substantially greater for the tactical aircraft than for transport aircraft. For example, in the warning envelope illustrated in FIG. 2, a descent rate of up to 2,500 feet per minute is permitted at an altitude of 200 feet, while a warn¬ ing system used in a transport aircraft would generate a warning at approximately one-half of that rate of descent. However, below 200 feet, the permitted des¬ cent rate is rapidly reduced to approximately 1,500 feet per minute at an altitude of 50 feet above ground to avoid excessively high descent rate touchdowns. An alternative envelope is illustrated Dy the dashed line of FIG. 2. In the envelope illustrat¬ ed by the dashed line, the low altitude nose is extend¬ ed such that at 50 feet of altitude, a warning is given if the descent rate exceeds approximately 800 feet per minute. At 300 feet of radio altitude, the descent rate required to generate a warning is approxi¬ mately 2600 feet per minute, as illustrated by the breakpoint between the dashed line and the solid line of FIG. 2. This results in greater warning times at low altitudes. In addition, the vertical portion of the curve at 3000 feet of radio altitude is eliminated, 'and the second line segment of radio altitude is elimi¬ nated, and the second line segment of the graph is extended to 1000 feet to permit a descent rate of approximately 3500 feet per minute at 1000 feet of radio altitude. This allows the aircraft to anuever more in the 600 to 1000 feet altitude range without generating nuisance warnings. In addition, by elimi¬ nating the breakpoint at 3000 feet per minute of de- scent rate, the comparator 32 and the OR gate 28 (FIG*. 1) may be eliminated. If this is done, the output of the comparator 30 is applied directly to the AND gate 22. A certain amount of tolerance in the curves of FIG. 2 is permitted. For example, the descent rate necessary to generate a warning may vary approximately plus or minus 200 feet per minute. about the illustrat¬ ed curves without substantially degrading the perfor¬ mance of the system. Also, the 1000 foot ceiling may vary approximately plus or minus 50 feet, and the 50 foot floor may vary plus or minus 25 feet.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Thus, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically des¬ cribed above.
What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

Claims

1. A warning system for providing a warning to the pilot of an aircraft on an approach to a landing in the event that the aircraft is descending too rapidly, comprising:
' means for providing a signal representative of the airspeed of the aircraft; means for providing a signal representative of the descent rate of the aircraft; means for providing a signal representative of the altitude above ground of the aircraft; means responsive to said airspeed signal providing means, said descent rate signal providing means and said altitude above ground signal providing means for generating a warning if the aircraft is flying below a predetermined airspeed equal, to the maximum approach speed of the aircraft, and has a descent rate in excess of a predetermined rate determined by the altitude above ground of the aircraft; and means for generating a warning at descent rates less than approximately 3,500 feet per minute wiien said aircraft is below approximately 1,000 fett above the ground.
2. A warning system as recited in claim 1, wherein said warning generating means further includes means for generating said warning when the descent rate exceeds approximately 2,600 feet per minute at an rltitude of approximately 300 feet above ground, wherein the descent rate necessary to generate the warning increases with altitude above ground until a descent rate of approximately 3,500 feet per minute is required to generate the warning at an altitude of approximately
( 1,000 feet above ground.
3. A warning system as recited in claim 2, wherein said warning generating means further includes means for generating said warning when the descent rate exceeds approximately 800 feet per minute at an altitude of approximately 50 feet above ground, wherein said descent rate necessary to generate the warning increases with altitude above ground until a descent rate of approximately 2,600 feet per minute is required to generate the warning at an altitude of approximately 300 feet above ground.
4. A warning system as recited in claim 3, wherein said warning generating means further includes means for increasing the descent rate necessary to generate a warning linearly with altitudes between approximately 50 and 300 feet above ground and between approximately 300 and 1,000 feet above ground.
5. A warning system for providing a warning to the pilot of an aircraft on an approach to a landing in the event that the aircraft is descending too rapidly, comprising: means responsive to signals representative of the altitude of the aircraft above ground, the descent rate of the aircraft and the position of the landing gear for generating a warning if the aircraft is below approximately 1,000 feet above ground and has a descent rate in excess of approximately 3,500 feet per minute.
6. A warning system as recited in claim 5, wherein said altitude and de'scent rate signal respon¬ sive means further includes means for generating said warning at descent rates lower than approximately 3,000 feet per minute when said aircraft is below approximately 1,000 feet above the ground.
7. A warning system as recited in claim 6, wherein said lower descent rate warning generating means includes means for generating said warning when the descent rate exceeds approximately 2,600 feet per minute at an altitude of approximately 300 feet above ground, whereir the descent rate necessary to generate the warning increases with altitude above ground until a descent rate of approximately 3,500 feet per minute is required to generate the warning at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet above ground.
8. A warning system as recited in claim 7 , wherein said lower descent rate warning generating means i further includes means for generating said warning when the descent rate exceeds approximately 800 feet per minute at an altitude of approximately 50 feet above the ground, wherein said descent rate necessary to generate the warning increases with altitude above ground until a descent rate of approximately 2,600 feet per minute is required to generate the warning at an altitude of approximately 300 feet above ground.
9. A warning system as recited in claim 8, wherein said descent rate increases linearly with altitude between 50 and 300 feet above ground and between 300 and 1,000 feet above ground.
10. A warning system as recited in claim 5, further including means for inhibiting the generation of the warninσ when the altitude of the aircraft is less than approximately 50 feet above the ground.
11. A warning system as recited in claim 5, further including means responsive to a signal representative of the airspeed of the aircraft for enabling the generation of said warning only when the airspeed is below a predetermined airspeed.
12. A warning system as recited in claim 11, whereir. said predetermined airspeed is the maximum approach speed of tne aircraft.
13. A warning system as recited in claim 12, wherein said predetermined airspeed is on the order of approximately 200 knots. t
14. A warning system as recited in claim 5, wherein said aircraft is fitted with weapons, and wherein said warning system includes means responsive to the arming of the weapons of the aircraft for enabling the σeneration of said warning only when the weapons are not armed.
15. A warning system as recited in claim 5, wherein said aircraft is fitted with retractable landing gear, and wherein said warning system includes means responsive to a sig .l representative of the position of the landing gear for enabling the generation of said warning only when the landing gear is down.
EP19850904531 1984-09-06 1985-08-30 Excessive descent rate warning system for tactical aircraft. Withdrawn EP0193579A4 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US64791184A 1984-09-06 1984-09-06
US647911 1984-09-06

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0193579A1 true EP0193579A1 (en) 1986-09-10
EP0193579A4 EP0193579A4 (en) 1987-01-22

Family

ID=24598748

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19850904531 Withdrawn EP0193579A4 (en) 1984-09-06 1985-08-30 Excessive descent rate warning system for tactical aircraft.

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0193579A4 (en)
JP (1) JPS62500192A (en)
AU (1) AU567260B2 (en)
FI (1) FI861864A (en)
IL (1) IL76204A0 (en)
WO (1) WO1986001622A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5001476A (en) * 1983-05-13 1991-03-19 Sundstrand Data Control, Inc. Warning system for tactical aircraft
EP0400691A1 (en) * 1986-02-13 1990-12-05 Sundstrand Data Control, Inc. Wind shear detection and alerting system
US4933882A (en) * 1988-11-04 1990-06-12 United Technologies Corporation Regime recognition
US9522742B2 (en) * 2014-03-18 2016-12-20 The Boeing Company Short landing warning
JP6784635B2 (en) * 2017-04-07 2020-11-11 三菱重工業株式会社 Load warning device, aircraft, load warning program, load warning method and load limit setting method

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3958219A (en) * 1975-03-06 1976-05-18 Sundstrand Data Control, Inc. Terrain closure warning system with altitude rate signal conditioning

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3703844A (en) * 1970-12-02 1972-11-28 Us Air Force Arming unit
US3936796A (en) * 1974-06-19 1976-02-03 Sundstrand Data Control, Inc. Aircraft ground proximity warning instrument
US4060793A (en) * 1976-07-19 1977-11-29 Sundstrand Data Control, Inc. Excessive sink rate warning system for aircraft
US4030065A (en) * 1976-07-19 1977-06-14 Sundstrand Corporation Terrain clearance warning system for aircraft
NZ207653A (en) * 1983-05-13 1987-11-27 Sundstrand Data Control Excessive descent rate warning system for aircraft

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3958219A (en) * 1975-03-06 1976-05-18 Sundstrand Data Control, Inc. Terrain closure warning system with altitude rate signal conditioning

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See also references of WO8601622A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS62500192A (en) 1987-01-22
FI861864A0 (en) 1986-05-05
FI861864A (en) 1986-05-05
AU567260B2 (en) 1987-11-12
IL76204A0 (en) 1985-12-31
WO1986001622A1 (en) 1986-03-13
AU4779785A (en) 1986-03-24
EP0193579A4 (en) 1987-01-22

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4939513A (en) System for alerting a pilot of a dangerous flight profile during low level maneuvering
US5666110A (en) Helicopter enhanced descent after take-off warning for GPWS
US5187478A (en) Configuration responsive descent rate warning system for aircraft
US5781126A (en) Ground proximity warning system and methods for rotary wing aircraft
US4551723A (en) Excessive descent rate warning system for rotary wing aircraft
US5283574A (en) Altitude loss after take-off warning system utilizing time and altitude
US4951047A (en) Negative climb after take-off warning system
EP0376987A1 (en) Flight path responsive aircraft wind shear alerting and warning system.
US5038141A (en) Configuration responsive descent rate warning system for aircraft
EP0586529A1 (en) Independent low airspeed alert
US4818992A (en) Excessive altitude loss after take-off warning system for rotary wing aircraft
EP0217852A1 (en) Aircraft terrain closure warning system with descent rate based envelope modification.
CA1241081A (en) Excessive terrain closure warning system
AU567260B2 (en) Excessive descent rate warning system for tactical aircraft
GB2139588A (en) System for alerting a pilot of a dangerous flight profile during low level maneuvering
CA1241082A (en) Warning system for tactical aircraft
FI74247C (en) Warning system for airplanes that land with the landing place erected.
GB2140757A (en) Excessive descent rate warning system for tactical aircraft

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19860517

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): BE CH DE FR GB IT LI NL SE

A4 Supplementary search report drawn up and despatched

Effective date: 19870122

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 19880929

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN

18W Application withdrawn

Withdrawal date: 19891017

R18W Application withdrawn (corrected)

Effective date: 19891017

RIN1 Information on inventor provided before grant (corrected)

Inventor name: VERMILION, EVERETTE, E.

Inventor name: PATERSON, NOEL, S.