A system and method for constant frequency control of aircraft brake cooling

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for fixed frequency control of aircraft brake cooling. The system of the present disclosure includes: a fan motor and fan blades connected thereto; a fan command processing module configured to receive a brake fan switch signal and aircraft status information from an external system to generate fan control commands; and a fixed frequency and monitoring module including: a converter sub-module configured to perform a power supply fixed frequency conversion to provide fixed frequency power to the fan motor according to the fan control commands; and a monitoring sub-module configured to monitor the fixed frequency and monitoring module itself and the fan motor to generate module status information and motor status information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of aircraft brake cooling system design, and more specifically to a system and method for cooling aircraft brakes under fixed-frequency control. Background Technology

[0002] During landing, at high speeds, aircraft deceleration is primarily achieved through thrust reversers and spoilers; at low speeds, braking is the main method of deceleration. During taxiing, the pilot also uses the brakes, thus absorbing hundreds of megajoules of energy during deceleration. The brake carbon discs absorb this energy, typically reaching temperatures of four to five hundred degrees Celsius. Due to turnaround time requirements, aircraft usually employ brake fans for cooling. The brake cooling fan motors are generally installed within the landing gear axles. Within this limited space, they must meet sufficient airflow requirements while also accommodating high-temperature and vibration environments, placing high demands on the motor's size.

[0003] Currently, the fan motor is mainly powered directly by the aircraft power supply, and the on / off control is achieved through the circuit breaker of the aircraft power system. The motor is generally a wide-frequency motor, which requires a larger inner diameter of the landing gear wheel axle compared to a fixed-frequency motor, and the temperature cannot be too high.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to further improve the existing aircraft brake cooling system. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This summary is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, some concepts that will be further described in the following detailed description section. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0006] To address the problems in the prior art, this disclosure provides an aircraft brake cooling system and method for fixed-frequency control. A fixed frequency is generated by a fixed-frequency and monitoring module, which also monitors the operating status of the module itself and the motor. Simultaneously, the cooling fan motor is circuit-controlled. This helps reduce the motor's requirements on the landing gear wheel axle inner diameter, improves the motor's high-temperature tolerance range, and increases the motor's power factor. It better meets airflow requirements under limited space and thermal constraints. Furthermore, it allows real-time monitoring of power supply anomalies in the fan motor, providing overcurrent protection and phase loss protection for faulty fan motors.

[0007] Specifically, in a first aspect of the invention, a system for cooling aircraft brakes under fixed-frequency control is disclosed, the system comprising: Fan motor and fan blades connected to it; A fan command processing module, configured to receive brake fan switch signals and aircraft status information from external systems to generate fan control commands; and The frequency fixing and monitoring module includes: A converter submodule is configured to perform a power frequency conversion according to the fan control command in order to provide a fixed-frequency power supply to the fan motor; The monitoring submodule is configured to monitor the fixed frequency and the monitoring module itself and the fan motor to generate module status information and motor status information.

[0008] In an optional implementation, the fan command processing module is further configured to sense the aircraft's operating status based on the aircraft status information and, if the aircraft's operating status meets the fan operating conditions, generate the fan control command and output it to the frequency fixing and monitoring module. In this implementation, the system can determine whether the current conditions for brake fan operation are met, thereby further improving the safety of the brake cooling system.

[0009] In one alternative implementation, the external system includes an inertial navigation system, a landing gear system, and a power unit system. In this implementation, the system can receive external signals from the inertial navigation system, the landing gear system, and the power unit system to better determine whether the current conditions for brake fan operation are met.

[0010] In one optional implementation, the frequency fixing and monitoring module is configured to transmit its own status information and the motor status information to the aircraft alarm system and the aircraft onboard maintenance system via the fan command processing module. In this implementation, internal monitoring of the frequency fixing and monitoring module and monitoring of the fan motor's operating status can be achieved, facilitating timely power cut-off and isolation of faulty motors when necessary.

[0011] In one alternative implementation, the frequency fixing and monitoring module further includes a conditioning submodule configured to condition the waveform of the input power supply to reduce power supply harmonics and output the conditioned power supply to the converter submodule. In this implementation, the system can also condition and improve the single harmonic content and total harmonic content of the aircraft input power supply.

[0012] In one optional implementation, the frequency fixing and monitoring module further includes an internal cooling submodule configured to perform internal cooling within the frequency fixing and monitoring module to reduce internal heat buildup. In this implementation, the system can also mitigate internal heat buildup in the frequency fixing and monitoring module caused by prolonged multi-fan cooling during extended operation of the brake cooling system.

[0013] In one optional implementation, the fan motor includes multiple fan motors, and the frequency control and monitoring module further includes a circuit breaker submodule, which includes multiple circuit breakers for independently controlling the on / off states of the multiple fan motors. In this implementation, the system can independently control the multiple fan motors and cut off the power supply to the motors when the current exceeds a dangerous threshold.

[0014] In a second aspect of the invention, a method for brake cooling for fixed-frequency control is disclosed, the method being performed at a system as described in the first aspect, the method comprising: Receive brake fan switch signals and aircraft status information from external systems to generate fan control commands; According to the fan control command, a power frequency conversion is performed to provide a fixed-frequency power supply to the fan motor; and The fixed frequency and monitoring module itself, as well as the fan motor, are monitored to generate module status information and motor status information.

[0015] In one optional implementation, generating the fan control command includes: sensing the aircraft's operating status based on the aircraft status information and generating the fan control command when the aircraft's operating status meets the fan usage conditions. In this implementation, the system can determine whether the current conditions for brake fan usage are met, thereby further improving the safety of the brake cooling system.

[0016] In an optional implementation, the method further includes transmitting the status information of the module and the motor status information to the aircraft alarm system and the aircraft onboard maintenance system. In this implementation, internal monitoring of the frequency control and monitoring modules and the operating status of the fan motor can be achieved, facilitating timely power cut-off and isolation of faulty motors when necessary.

[0017] In one alternative embodiment, the method further includes: waveform conditioning of the input power supply to reduce power supply harmonics and outputting conditioned power. In this embodiment, the system may also condition and improve the single harmonic content and total harmonic content of the aircraft input power supply.

[0018] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: performing internal cooling within the frequency and monitoring module to reduce internal heat buildup in the frequency and monitoring module. In this implementation, the system can also improve the reduction of internal heat buildup in the frequency and monitoring module caused by prolonged multi-fan cooling during long-term operation of the brake cooling system.

[0019] In a third aspect of the invention, a computer-readable storage medium is disclosed, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed, implement the method described in the second aspect.

[0020] Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following description of specific exemplary embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although features of the invention may be discussed below with reference to certain embodiments and drawings, all embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to the various embodiments of the invention discussed herein. Similarly, although exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as embodiments of devices, apparatuses, or methods, it should be understood that such exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various devices, apparatuses, and methods. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To gain a more detailed understanding of the features described above in this disclosure, reference can be made to a more specific description of the above-briefly summarized aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope, as other equivalent aspects are permissible in this description.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an aircraft brake cooling system for fixed-frequency control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a frequency fixing and monitoring module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for cooling aircraft brakes with fixed-frequency control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The various embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention and illustrate specific exemplary embodiments. However, the embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of these embodiments to those skilled in the art. The embodiments may be implemented as methods, apparatus, or devices. Therefore, these embodiments may be implemented in hardware, entirely in software, or in a combination of software and hardware aspects. Therefore, the following detailed description is not intended to be limiting.

[0026] The steps in each flowchart can be performed by hardware (e.g., processor, engine, memory, circuitry), software (e.g., operating system, application, driver, machine / processor executable instructions), or a combination thereof. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the methods involved in each embodiment may include more or fewer steps than shown.

[0027] To address the issue in existing technologies where aircraft braking systems typically employ wide-frequency cooling motors, requiring larger landing gear axle inner diameters while maintaining relatively low temperatures, this invention provides a fixed-frequency controlled brake cooling system. By using a fixed-frequency control and monitoring module to circuit-control the cooling fan motor, the system improves the motor's power factor, reduces its size requirements, lowers the dimensional requirements on the landing gear axle, and expands its high-temperature tolerance range, better meeting airflow demands within limited space and thermal constraints. Furthermore, it monitors the motor's health status and provides timely power-off protection for unhealthy motors.

[0028] The various aspects of the present invention will now be described in detail.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an aircraft brake cooling system for fixed-frequency control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] In one embodiment of this disclosure, such as Figure 1 As shown, the system may include a fan command processing module 102, a frequency fixing and monitoring module 104, a fan motor 106 and fan blades 108 connected thereto. The various modules of the system will be described in detail below.

[0031] In the above embodiments, the fan command processing module 102 can be configured to receive signals from the brake fan switch 112 and aircraft status information from the external system 110 to generate fan control commands. In an optional embodiment, the external system 110 may include an inertial navigation system, a landing gear system, and a power plant system, and the aircraft status information may be information perceived by the fan command processing module 102 based on signals from the aforementioned external systems to indicate the aircraft's operating status, thereby completing the identification of the brake cooling system's usage scenario. In an optional embodiment, the fan command processing module 102 may be a separate processing module or may be integrated into the avionics system as an embedded function.

[0032] In an optional implementation, the fan command processing module 102 may be further configured to sense the aircraft's operating status based on aircraft status information and, if the aircraft's operating status meets the fan usage conditions, generate the fan control command and output it to the frequency fixing and monitoring module 104. As those skilled in the art will understand, the fan command processing module 102 can determine whether the aircraft's operating status meets the fan usage conditions in any suitable manner, and is not limited to any specific manner; and the fan usage conditions can also be any suitable conditions, and are not limited to any specific conditions.

[0033] Continuing with the above embodiments, the frequency fixing and monitoring module 104 can be configured to obtain energy from the aircraft power supply 118 and perform power frequency fixing conversion on the received power, as well as monitor the module 104 itself. The following will specifically combine... Figure 2 The frequency fixing and monitoring module 104 and its various sub-modules are described in detail.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a frequency fixing and monitoring module 204 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] In the above embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the frequency fixing and monitoring module 204 may include a monitoring converter submodule 208. In this embodiment, since the power supply frequency varies significantly under various aircraft operating conditions, potentially affecting the lifespan of the cooling system, and the frequency fixing control scheme is more adaptable to power frequency changes, the converter submodule 208 can be configured to perform power frequency fixing conversion according to the fan control commands received by the frequency fixing and monitoring module 204 from the fan command processing module 202 in order to provide power for the cooling system. Figure 1 The fan motor 106 shown is provided with a fixed frequency power supply to drive the fan motor 106 to drive the fan blades 108.

[0036] In one optional implementation, after receiving the fan control command, the frequency control and monitoring module 204 uses the converter submodule 208 to perform a power frequency conversion. Since the aircraft cooling fan motor uses an AC motor, this converter submodule is typically an AC-to-AC converter. Subsequently, the converter submodule 208 provides three-phase power to the fan motor to drive the fan blades, thereby enabling the brake cooling fan to cool the brake carbon discs through air cooling.

[0037] In the above embodiments, such as Figure 2As shown, the frequency control and monitoring module 204 may include a monitoring submodule 206. In this embodiment, the monitoring submodule 206 may be configured to monitor the frequency control and monitoring module 204 itself and the fan motor to generate module status information and motor status information. In an optional embodiment, the monitoring submodule 206 may collect fault information of the module 204 itself as module status information. The frequency control and monitoring module 204 may be configured to send the module status information and motor status information to the fan command processing module 202 through the interface submodule 216, thereby transmitting the information to the fan command processing module 202. Figure 1 The aircraft alarm system 114 and the aircraft onboard maintenance system 116 are shown. In this embodiment, the frequency fixing and monitoring module 204 transmits its own module status information and motor status information to the aircraft alarm system so that the system can indicate the status of the brake cooling system, and transmits its own module status information and motor status information to the aircraft onboard maintenance system so that the system can indicate the brake cooling system fault information, thereby realizing the functions of alarm and onboard maintenance information display, and isolating and disconnecting power to the faulty motor component when necessary.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, in an optional embodiment, the frequency fixing and monitoring module 204 may also optionally include a conditioning submodule 210, which can be configured to condition the waveform of the input power supply to reduce power harmonics and output the conditioned power supply to the converter submodule 208. Aircraft power supplies or airborne power supplies typically suffer from power quality problems such as single harmonic distortion, total harmonic distortion, and voltage waveform distortion. The conditioning module 210 may be internally configured with harmonic suppression and filtering circuitry to condition the waveform of the input power supply. By modifying the high-distortion, high-harmonic raw power supply into a clean reference power supply with a smooth waveform and low harmonic content, the single harmonic content is suppressed and the total harmonic distortion rate is reduced, thereby optimizing the voltage waveform and filtering out interference glitches.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, in an optional embodiment, the frequency control and monitoring module 204 may also include an internal cooling submodule 212. This internal cooling submodule 212 can be configured to perform internal cooling within the frequency control and monitoring module 204 to reduce internal heat buildup, thereby improving the reduction of internal heat buildup caused by prolonged multi-fan cooling.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, in one alternative implementation, Figure 1The illustrated fan motor 106 may include multiple (n) fan motors, and the frequency control and monitoring module 204 may optionally include a circuit breaker submodule 214. The circuit breaker submodule 214 may include multiple circuit breakers for independent on / off control of the multiple fan motors (1~n). In this embodiment, the converter submodule 208 can individually power multiple motors and perform power frequency conversion through the circuit breaker submodule 214. When the motor power supply is abnormal, the power supply can be independently cut off by the corresponding circuit breaker. Furthermore, when the current exceeds a dangerous threshold, the corresponding circuit breaker can also independently cut off the motor power supply, thereby providing overcurrent protection to prevent motor overheating and providing phase loss protection for the motor. This is beneficial for meeting airworthiness requirements.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method 300 for cooling aircraft brakes under fixed-frequency control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 can be used in, for example... Figure 1 The system shown includes a fan command processing module 102, a frequency fixing and monitoring module 104, a fan motor 106 and fan blades 108 connected thereto, which are executed at the system.

[0042] like Figure 3 As shown, method 300 begins at step 302, receiving a brake fan switch signal and aircraft status information from an external system to generate a fan control command. In an optional implementation, generating the fan control command includes: sensing the aircraft operating status based on the aircraft status information and generating the fan control command if the aircraft operating status meets the fan usage conditions.

[0043] Next, method 300 continues to step 304, performing a power supply frequency conversion according to the fan control command to provide a fixed-frequency power supply to the fan motor. In an optional embodiment, method 300 further includes: waveform conditioning of the input power supply to reduce power supply harmonics and outputting conditioned power supply to perform the power supply frequency conversion.

[0044] Finally, method 300 continues to step 306, monitoring the frequency and monitoring module itself and the fan motor to generate module status information and motor status information. In an optional embodiment, method 300 further includes transmitting the module status information and motor status information to the aircraft warning system and the aircraft onboard maintenance system. In another optional embodiment, method 300 may further include internal cooling within the frequency and monitoring module to reduce internal heat buildup in the module.

[0045] After step 306, method 300 ends.

[0046] In summary, the technical solution of this invention uses a fixed frequency and monitoring module to provide a fixed frequency power supply to the fan motor to reduce installation space constraints and improve the temperature tolerance range, and realizes real-time monitoring of motor power supply faults, so as to enable timely disconnection and isolation of faulty motors.

[0047] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to block diagrams and / or operational descriptions of methods and apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention. The functions / actions indicated in the blocks may appear in a different order than shown in any flowchart. For example, depending on the functions / actions involved, two blocks shown consecutively may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or these blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order.

[0048] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A system for cooling aircraft brakes under fixed-frequency control, the system comprising: Fan motor and fan blades connected to it; The fan command processing module is configured to receive brake fan switch signals and aircraft status information from external systems to generate fan control commands. as well as The frequency fixing and monitoring module includes: A converter submodule is configured to perform a power frequency conversion according to the fan control command in order to provide a fixed-frequency power supply to the fan motor; The monitoring submodule is configured to monitor the fixed frequency and the monitoring module itself and the fan motor to generate module status information and motor status information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, The fan command processing module is further configured to sense the aircraft's operating status based on the aircraft status information, and generate the fan control command when the aircraft's operating status meets the fan usage conditions, and output it to the frequency fixing and monitoring module.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein, The external systems include an inertial navigation system, a landing gear system, and a power unit system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein, The frequency fixing and monitoring module is configured to transmit the status information of the module and the status information of the motor to the aircraft alarm system and the aircraft onboard maintenance system through the fan command processing module.

5. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The frequency fixing and monitoring module also includes a conditioning submodule, which is configured to condition the waveform of the input power supply to reduce power supply harmonics and output the conditioned power supply to the converter submodule.

6. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The frequency fixing and monitoring module also includes an internal cooling submodule, which is configured to perform internal cooling within the frequency fixing and monitoring module to reduce internal heat buildup.

7. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fan motor includes multiple fan motors, and the frequency control and monitoring module also includes a circuit breaker submodule, which includes multiple circuit breakers for independent on / off control of the multiple fan motors.

8. A method for brake cooling in fixed-frequency control, the method being performed at the system of claim 1, the method comprising: Receive brake fan switch signals and aircraft status information from external systems to generate fan control commands; According to the fan control command, a power frequency conversion is performed to provide a fixed-frequency power supply to the fan motor; as well as The fixed frequency and monitoring module itself, as well as the fan motor, are monitored to generate module status information and motor status information.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, Generating the fan control command includes: sensing the aircraft's operating status based on the aircraft status information and generating the fan control command when the aircraft's operating status meets the fan usage conditions.

10. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The status information of this module and the status information of the motor are transmitted to the aircraft alarm system and the aircraft onboard maintenance system.

11. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The input power supply waveform is conditioned to reduce power supply harmonics and output conditioned power.

12. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Internal cooling is performed within the frequency fixing and monitoring module to reduce internal heat buildup.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 8-12.

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