System for measuring an airflow angle at the wingtip of an aircraft
View Patent ↗A vortex angle system includes one or more vortex angle sensors disposed on one or more wingtips of an aircraft. A summing circuit and computer compare signals from each sensor to provide a signal, which is indicative of the average vortex angle of the aircraft.
1. A vortex angle system comprising
a wing of an aircraft having a first wingtip and a second wingtip at an opposite end of said wing;
a vortex angle sensor for generating a signal which represents an aircraft's vortex angle;
said vortex angle sensor including a pair of angle of attack sensors indicative of the lift of an aircraft with one of said angle of attack vanes disposed on each of said wingtips and forwardly thereof; and
means for averaging the signals from each of said sensors and means for indicating the vortex angle of the aircraft based on the signals from said sensors.
2. A vortex angle system according to claim 1 which includes a pair of forwardly extending probes with one of said angle of attack vanes disposed on each of said probes.
3. A vortex angle of attack system according to claim 2 in which each of said forwardly extending probes has a length of between about 15% to 20% of the width of said wing and said angle of attack vanes are disposed in a forward portion of said probes.
4. A method for determining the vortex angle of an aircraft, the method comprising:
providing two vortex angle sensors including two angle of attack vanes indicative of the lift characteristic of an aircraft;
disposing one of said angle of attack vanes on each wingtip of an aircraft and forwardly thereof;
measuring the vortex angle of the aircraft at each wingtip;
producing a signal indicative of the aircraft's vortex angle at each wingtip; and
averaging the signals from the sensors and producing a signal indicative of the aircraft's vortex angle.