US 11,656,367 B2
Rapid assessment of vehicle relative speed performance
Jeffrey Scott Willcox, Arlington, MA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Jun. 10, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/898,282.
Prior Publication US 2021/0389475 A1, Dec. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 19/42 (2010.01); G01C 21/20 (2006.01); G01S 19/52 (2010.01); G05D 1/02 (2020.01); G05D 1/10 (2006.01); G08G 3/00 (2006.01); G08G 5/00 (2006.01); G01S 19/14 (2010.01)
CPC G01S 19/42 (2013.01) [G01C 21/203 (2013.01); G01S 19/52 (2013.01); G05D 1/0206 (2013.01); G05D 1/104 (2013.01); G08G 3/00 (2013.01); G08G 5/0034 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
operating a plurality of vehicles through a medium, wherein:
the plurality of vehicles are subject to advection due to movement of the medium,
the plurality of vehicles are in sufficient proximity to each other that one or more conditions of the medium are about equivalent for the plurality of vehicles;
applying an incremental sequence of about equivalent thrust forces to the plurality of vehicles to generate about equivalent incremental changes in a plurality of steady-state average drag forces for the plurality of vehicles;
measuring a plurality of speed changes for the plurality of vehicles; and
calculating, from the plurality of speed changes, a plurality of relative speed performance statistics for relative speed performance between pairs of vehicles, wherein calculating is performed independently of the one or more conditions of the medium.