Aircraft landing gear control system

1 . An aircraft landing gear control system comprising:

a speed processing system adapted to determine a ground speed of an aircraft at a time prior to a landing of the aircraft;

a wheel rotation system including at least one wheel rotating motor adapted to cause at least one wheel of the aircraft to rotate;

a wheel disengagement system configured with the wheel rotation system and adapted to disengage the at least one wheel rotating motor from the at least one wheel;

one or more aircraft landing sensors including one or more light sources aligned with corresponding one or more light sensors, wherein the landing of the aircraft causes at least one of the one or more light sources to become misaligned with a corresponding at least one of the one or more light sensors and wherein the misalignment causes the wheel disengagement system to disengage the at least one wheel rotating motor from the at least one wheel;

wherein the speed processing system determines a ground speed of the aircraft, and converts the ground speed to a corresponding angular velocity of the at least one wheel;

wherein the at least one wheel rotating motor causes the at least one wheel to rotate at the corresponding angular velocity.

2 . The aircraft landing gear control system of claim 1 wherein the speed processing system includes a controller in communication with an on-board aircraft system that determines the aircraft's ground speed, and wherein the controller receives information regarding the ground speed of the aircraft from the on-board aircraft system.

3 . The aircraft landing gear control system of claim 1 further comprising an angular velocity sensor and feedback system adapted to sense an angular velocity of the at least one wheel and to communicate the angular velocity of the at least one wheel to the wheel rotation system.

4 . The aircraft landing gear control system of claim 1 further comprising a drive mechanism configured with the at least one wheel rotating motor and configured to apply a first force of a first magnitude to the at least one wheel at an onset of a wheel rotating process and a second force of a second magnitude to the at least one wheel at a time after the onset of the wheel rotating process.

5 . The aircraft landing gear control system of claim 4 wherein the drive mechanism includes a first stage adapted to provide the first force of the first magnitude to the at least one wheel and a second stage adapted to provide the second force of the second magnitude to the at least one wheel.

6 . The aircraft landing gear control system of claim 1 wherein the at least one wheel rotating motor includes a first one of the at least one wheel rotating motor configured to apply a first force of a first magnitude to the at least one wheel at an onset of a wheel rotating process and a second one of the at least one wheel rotating motor configured to apply a second force of a second magnitude to the at least one wheel at a time after the onset of the wheel rotating process.

7 . The aircraft landing gear control system of claim 1 wherein the speed processing system is adapted to determine, prior to landing, an estimated landing speed of the aircraft.

8 . The aircraft landing gear control system of claim 7 wherein the speed processing system converts the estimated landing speed to a corresponding estimated angular velocity of the at least one wheel, and wherein the at least one wheel rotating motor causes the at least one wheel to rotate at the corresponding estimated angular velocity.

9 . The aircraft landing gear control system of claim 1 wherein the speed processing system is adapted to determine, prior to landing and when the aircraft is about 1′-50′ above the ground, an estimated landing speed of the aircraft;

wherein the speed processing system converts the estimated landing speed to a corresponding estimated angular velocity of the at least one wheel, and wherein the at least one wheel rotating motor causes the at least one wheel to rotate at the corresponding estimated angular velocity.

10 . A method of controlling an aircraft landing gear, the method comprising:

determining, using a controller, an expected future touchdown ground speed of an aircraft for a corresponding expected future touchdown of the aircraft, the expected future touchdown ground speed different than an actual real-time ground speed of the aircraft;

converting, using a controller, the expected future touchdown ground speed to a corresponding expected future angular velocity of at least one wheel of the aircraft;

causing, using a wheel rotation system, the at least one wheel of the aircraft to rotate at the expected future angular velocity;

determining, using a speed processing system, the actual real-time ground speed of the aircraft;

converting, using the speed processing system, the real-time ground speed to a target angular velocity of the at least one wheel of the aircraft;

causing, using the wheel rotation system, the at least one wheel of the aircraft to rotate at the target angular velocity.

11 . The method of claim 10 further comprising:

disengaging the wheel rotation system from the at least one wheel upon a sensing of a real-time touchdown of the aircraft.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the sensing of the real-time touchdown of the aircraft includes using one or more aircraft landing sensors.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more aircraft landing sensors includes one or more displacement sensors configured with a landing gear of the aircraft and adapted to sense a deflection of the landing gear upon the real-time touchdown of the aircraft.

14 . The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more aircraft landing sensors includes one or more light sources aligned with corresponding one or more light sensors, wherein the real-time touchdown of the aircraft causes at least one of the one or more light sources to become misaligned with a corresponding at least one of the one or more light sensors and wherein the misalignment causes the sensing of the real-time touchdown of the aircraft.

15 . The method of claim 10 wherein using a wheel rotation system includes using a drive mechanism configured with at least one wheel rotating motor and configured to apply a first force of a first magnitude to the at least one wheel at an onset of a wheel rotating process and a second force of a second magnitude to the at least one wheel at a time after the onset of the wheel rotating process.

16 . The method of claim 10 wherein the determination of the expected future touchdown ground speed of the aircraft occurs prior to the corresponding expected future touchdown.

17 . A method of controlling an aircraft landing gear, the method comprising:

determining, using a controller, a ground speed of an aircraft;

converting, using a controller, the ground speed to a corresponding target angular velocity of at least one wheel of the aircraft;

causing, using a wheel rotation system, the at least one wheel to rotate at the target angular velocity;

determining, using an angular velocity sensor and feedback system, and after causing the at least one wheel to rotate at the target angular velocity, a real-time angular velocity of the at least one wheel;

comparing the determined real-time angular velocity of the at least one wheel to a maximum allowed angular velocity determined separate from the groundspeed of the aircraft;

upon a determination that the real-time angular velocity of the at least one wheel is greater than the maximum allowed angular velocity then:

causing, using the wheel rotation system, the at least one wheel to rotate at an updated angular velocity that is less than the maximum allowed angular velocity and/or disengaging the wheel rotation system from the at least one wheel.

18 . A method of controlling an aircraft landing gear, the method comprising:

using a speed processing system to determine a ground speed of an aircraft at a first time prior to landing;

using the speed processing system to convert the determined ground speed to a corresponding angular velocity of at least one wheel of the aircraft;

using a wheel rotation system including at least one wheel rotating motor to cause the at least one wheel of the aircraft to rotate at the corresponding angular velocity;

using an altitude sensing system to determine when the aircraft is within a predetermined distance above a ground surface at a second time prior to landing after the first time; and

upon a determination that the aircraft is within the predetermined distance above the ground surface, disengaging the wheel rotation system from the at least one wheel.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the predetermined distance is 1′-50′.