AIRCRAFT ATTITUDE SENSOR AND FEEDBACK CONTROL SYSTEM

摘要

An aircraft orientation system that locates the earth's horizon, in order to determine the aircraft's attitude in the pitch and roll axes. The invention takes advantage of the fact that the earth's surface is typically warmer than the sky. Two pairs of sensors (20-23) are mounted on the aircraft. The first pair (20, 21) is aimed to the sides and the second pair (22, 23) to the front and rear. This difference in readings between sensors in a pair indicate that axis of the plane is not level, since a first sensor in the air is detecting colder sky while the second sensor is detecting warmer ground. The output of the sensors can be used to provide a feedback (190, 290) to the aircraft control system to keep the aircraft in a neutral attitude. While this invention is preferably used in aircraft, including radio controlled model airplanes and helicopters, it may also be used in vehicles, including motorcycles.