GB870264A - Improvements in or relating to aircraft control systems - Google Patents

Abstract

870,264. Automatic steering control systems. BRISTOL AIRCRAFT Ltd. Nov. 14, 1952 [Oct. 17, 1951], No. 24288/51. Drawings to Specification. Class 38 (4). In an automatic aircraft control system the craft is guided towards a target by a radar receiver on the aircraft which receives signals radiated from the target and which provides an error signal representative of the angular difference between the receiver disc axis and the direction of the target from the missile. The craft has two lift-providing surfaces which are adjustable differentially to role the craft about its longitudinal axis and adjustable in the same sense to turn it about an axis parallel to the common axis of the wings. The radar receiver disc axis is maintained parallel to the reference gyro axis and from the received radar error signals, signals are developed to precess the gyro and to provide further signals corresponding to the target spin about the missile axes. From the latter, signals are developed proportional to the required accelerations normal to the missile longitudinal axis, one perpendicular to and one parallel to the wing axis. After correcting for gravity, the two acceleration signals are applied to a computor to produce the roll error signal and this, added to the acceleration signal perpendicular to the wing axis is applied to one wing servomotor and the difference to the second motor. Damping in pitch and yaw is effected by rear control surfaces set at 45 degrees to the wings and controlled from two rate gyros, the signals from which are added algebraically. All the correcting control signals are passed through amplifiers, the gains of which are variable in accordance with' a function of the air density and craft forward velocity. In addition the movement of all control surfaces is limited to an amount which is a different function of air density and craft velocity.