System and method for power distribution in electric aircraft

Abstract

The electric aircraft power distribution system includes a first battery pack connected to at least a first load and a common bus connecting the first battery pack in parallel to at least a second battery pack, a first electrical component electrically connected between the first battery pack and the first load and configured to disconnect the first load from the first battery pack in response to a current exceeding a first threshold current, the first electrical component having a first disconnect time at the first threshold current, and a second electrical component electrically connected between the first battery pack and the common bus and configured to disconnect the first battery pack from the common bus in response to a current exceeding a second threshold current, the second electrical component having a second disconnect time longer than the first disconnect time at the second threshold current.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Application No. 17 / 115,119, filed on December 8, 2020. The entire content of this document is hereby incorporated into the present specification by reference.

[0002] The field of the present invention relates generally to electric aircraft, and more specifically to power distribution for electric aircraft. BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Advances in battery technology have enabled battery power densities suitable for powering lightweight electric aircraft. Power systems for electric aircraft, particularly passenger aircraft, need to be safe while being both lightweight and efficient. Safety considerations can often conflict with the goals of weight reduction and high efficiency. For example, conventional power distribution systems often employ multiple battery packs and redundancy within the power distribution system to ensure no single point of failure exists, but this redundancy increases inefficiency and adds weight. Balancing safety against aircraft weight and efficiency concerns creates challenges for electric aircraft design. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] According to various embodiments, a power distribution system for an electric aircraft includes a first battery pack, which is connected to a load to supply power to the load and is connected to a second battery pack via a common bus to share the load with the second battery pack. A first electrical disconnection device, such as a fuse, is electrically positioned between the first battery pack and the load, and a second electrical disconnection device is electrically positioned between the first battery pack and the common bus. The first electrical disconnection device operates faster than the second electrical disconnection device, for example, by having a shorter open time at its rated current. If an overcurrent fault event occurs in the electrical circuit from the first battery pack to the first load, the first disconnection device disconnects the connection between the first battery pack and the load, while the second disconnection device does not disconnect due to its slower operating configuration, etc. In this way, the first battery can be protected from faults in the load or faults in the distribution between the battery and the load, while continuing to share its power with the second battery pack. If an overcurrent fault event occurs on the common bus, the second disconnection device protects the first battery pack by disconnecting it from the common bus, allowing the first battery pack to continue supplying power to the load. By providing an electrical disconnection device on the common bus, power can be shared between batteries while ensuring that the common bus does not become a single point of fault.

[0005] According to various embodiments, a power distribution system for an electric aircraft includes at least a first load and a first battery pack connected to a common bus connecting a first battery pack in parallel to at least a second battery pack; a first electrical component electrically connected between the first battery pack and the first load and configured to disconnect the first load from the first battery pack in response to a current exceeding a first threshold current, the first electrical component having a first disconnection time at the first threshold current; and a second electrical component electrically connected between the first battery pack and the common bus and configured to disconnect the first battery pack from the common bus in response to a current exceeding a second threshold current, the second electrical component having a second disconnection time longer than the first disconnection time at the second threshold current.

[0006] In any of these embodiments, the first threshold current may be smaller than the second threshold current.

[0007] In any of these embodiments, the first battery pack may be electrically connected to the second load, and the third electrical component may be electrically connected between the first battery pack and the second load and have a third disconnection time at a third threshold current, the third disconnection time may be shorter than the second disconnection time.

[0008] In any of these embodiments, the third cutting time may be equal to the first cutting time.

[0009] In any of these embodiments, the second battery pack may be connected to at least the second load, and the third electrical component may be electrically connected between the second battery pack and the second load and configured to disconnect the second load from the second battery pack in response to a current exceeding a third threshold current, and the third electrical component may have a third disconnection time at the third threshold current, and the fourth electrical component may be electrically connected between the first battery pack and a common bus and configured to disconnect the second battery pack from the common bus in response to a current exceeding a fourth threshold current, and the fourth electrical component may have a fourth disconnection time that is longer than the third disconnection time at the fourth threshold current.

[0010] In any of these embodiments, at least one of the first electrical component and the second electrical component may be a fuse.

[0011] In any of these embodiments, the fuse may be an explosive fuse, a thermal fuse, or a magnetic fuse.

[0012] In any of these embodiments, the common bus may connect to the positive terminals of the first and second battery packs.

[0013] In any of these embodiments, there may be no diodes in the electrical circuits from the first battery pack to the first load, and from the first battery pack to the common bus.

[0014] In any of these embodiments, the first load may be an electric propulsion unit. In any of these embodiments, the electric propulsion unit may include a propeller.

[0015] In any of these embodiments, the first battery pack may include a plurality of batteries arranged in series, in parallel, or in a combination of series and parallel.

[0016] In any of these embodiments, the first battery pack may be configured to generate more than 100 volts.

[0017] In any of these embodiments, the power of the first load may be at least 10 kilowatts.

[0018] In any of these embodiments, the system may include a third electrical component for selectively disconnecting the first battery pack from the first load or common bus. In any of these embodiments, the third electrical component can be electrically positioned between the first battery pack and the first or second electrical component.

[0019] According to various embodiments, the electric aircraft may include the aforementioned power distribution system. In any of these embodiments, the aircraft may be manned. In any of these embodiments, the aircraft may be a vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

[0020] According to various embodiments, a method for distributing power in an electric aircraft includes supplying power from a first battery pack to a first load, wherein the first battery pack is connected to a common bus that connects the first battery pack in parallel to at least a second battery pack, a first electrical component is electrically connected between the first battery pack and the first load and configured to disconnect the first load from the first battery pack in response to a current exceeding a first threshold, and a second electrical component is electrically connected between the first battery pack and the common bus and configured to disconnect the first battery pack from the common bus in response to a current exceeding a second threshold, the second threshold being higher than the first threshold.

[0021] In any of these embodiments, the first threshold current may be smaller than the second threshold current.

[0022] In any of these embodiments, the first battery pack may be electrically connected to the second load, the third electrical component may be electrically connected between the first battery pack and the second load, and have a third breaking time at a third threshold current, and the third breaking time may be shorter than the second breaking time.

[0023] In any of these embodiments, the third breaking time may be equal to the first breaking time.

[0024] In any of these embodiments, the second battery pack may be connected at least to the second load, the third electrical component may be electrically connected between the second battery pack and the second load, and configured to disconnect the second load from the second battery pack in response to a current exceeding the third threshold current, the third electrical component may have a third breaking time at the third threshold current, the fourth electrical component may be electrically connected between the first battery pack and the common bus, and configured to disconnect the second battery pack from the common bus in response to a current exceeding a fourth threshold current, and the fourth electrical component may have a fourth breaking time that is longer than the third breaking time at the fourth threshold current.

[0025] In any of these embodiments, at least one of the first electrical component and the second electrical component may be a fuse.

[0026] In any of these embodiments, the fuse may be an explosive fuse, a thermal fuse, or a magnetic fuse.

[0027] In any of these embodiments, the common bus may connect the positive terminals of the first and second battery packs.

[0028] In any of these embodiments, there may be no diodes at all in the electrical circuits from the first battery pack to the first load and from the first battery pack to the common bus.

[0029] In any of these embodiments, the first load may be an electric propulsion unit. In any of these embodiments, the electric propulsion unit may include a propeller.

[0030] In any of these embodiments, the first battery pack may include a plurality of batteries arranged in series, in parallel, or in a combination of series and parallel.

[0031] In any of these embodiments, the first battery pack may be configured to generate more than 100 volts.

[0032] In any of these embodiments, the power of the first load may be at least 10 kilowatts.

[0033] In any of these embodiments, the method may further include a third electrical component that selectively disconnects the first battery pack from the first load or a common bus. In any of these embodiments, the third electrical component may be electrically disposed between the first battery pack and the first electrical component or the second electrical component.

[0034] According to various embodiments, the present method may be performed by an electric aircraft. In any of these embodiments, the aircraft may be manned. In any of these embodiments, the aircraft may be a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

[0035] The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS]

[0036] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a VTOL aircraft in a forward flight configuration, in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 1B] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a VTOL aircraft in a takeoff and landing configuration, in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 2A] This figure illustrates a power distribution architecture for supplying power to an aircraft's electric propulsion unit, in which multiple battery packs are detachably connected to a common bus, according to various embodiments. [Figure 2B] This figure illustrates a power distribution architecture for supplying power to an aircraft's electric propulsion unit, in which multiple battery packs are detachably connected to a common bus, according to various embodiments. [Figure 2C] This figure illustrates a power distribution architecture for supplying power to an aircraft's electric propulsion unit, in various embodiments, where two sets of battery packs are detachably connected to two common buses. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of a circuit network connecting two battery packs to each other and to corresponding pairs of electric propulsion units, according to various embodiments. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram of a circuit network, including optional contactors, in which two battery packs are connected to each other and to corresponding pairs of electric propulsion units, according to various embodiments. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram of various circuits, including optional contactors and optional charging circuits, in which two battery packs are connected to each other and to corresponding pairs of electric propulsion units, according to various embodiments. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram of various circuits, including optional contactors and optional charging circuits, in which two battery packs are connected to each other and to corresponding pairs of electric propulsion units, according to various embodiments. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram of various circuits, including optional contactors and optional charging circuits, in which two battery packs are connected to each other and to corresponding pairs of electric propulsion units, according to various embodiments. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram of various circuits, including optional contactors and optional charging circuits, in which two battery packs are connected to each other and to corresponding pairs of electric propulsion units, according to various embodiments. [Figure 9] This is a partial block diagram of the power distribution to an electric propulsion unit including two partial motors, according to various embodiments. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0037] According to various embodiments, systems and methods for power distribution in an electric aircraft include supplying power to multiple loads of an aircraft using multiple battery packs, each connected to different parts of the load using different distribution buses. For example, a first battery pack is connected to a first part of the load using a first distribution bus, and a second battery pack is connected to a second part of the load using a second distribution bus. At least some of the battery packs are electrically connected to each other via a common bus, so that the load can be shared among the connected battery packs. To protect the battery from overcurrent fault events in the circuit from the battery to its connected load, a first electrical disconnection device, such as a fuse, is electrically placed between the battery and its connected load. To protect the battery from overcurrent fault events involving the common bus, a second electrical disconnection device is electrically placed between the battery and the common bus. Since the first electrical disconnection device operates faster than the second disconnection device, it is ensured that the battery will not be disconnected from the common bus by an overcurrent event in the load, and that the battery will remain interconnected with one or more further batteries. By interconnecting batteries, the load can be shared, resulting in design advantages such as smaller and therefore lighter batteries, while the combination with an electrical disconnection device ensures the absence of a single point of failure. According to various embodiments, this can be achieved without the use of diodes and / or redundant buses, thus resulting in weight reduction.

[0038] According to various embodiments, the multiple loads include electric propulsion units (EPUs). According to various embodiments, the EPU includes a rotor configured to provide lift to the aircraft during vertical takeoff and landing and hovering, etc., and which can be deactivated during cruising, and a prop rotor that provides lift to the aircraft and can tilt forward for forward flight to provide forward thrust to the aircraft. Lift is provided by one or more wings of the aircraft. According to various embodiments, each battery pack powers one EPU. According to various embodiments, each battery pack powers multiple EPUs. According to various embodiments, each battery pack powers at least a portion of at least one rotor and at least a portion of at least one prop rotor, so that if a battery pack or its power distribution bus becomes unusable during forward flight, only the output from at least a portion of at least one prop rotor is lost. Other EPUs (or rotors) (or rotors) that were powered by the lost battery pack do not contribute to forward output, so their loss does not affect forward flight. The remaining prop-rotor sections (powered by other battery packs) can continue to operate by adjusting the control surfaces and / or adjusting the output from the remaining prop-rotor sections to compensate for the lost prop-rotor sections. In this way, the impact of battery pack losses on forward flight can be minimized, while fault tolerance can still be achieved without the weight increase associated with diodes and / or redundant power distribution buses. According to various embodiments, each battery pack supplies power equivalent to one prop-rotor (in addition to a portion of the rotor), so the forward power loss to forward flight due to battery pack losses is equivalent to the output from only one prop-rotor.

[0039] In various embodiments, a single common bus interconnects all battery packs that power the EPU. In various embodiments, a first set of battery packs are interconnected via a first common bus, and a second set of battery packs are interconnected via a second common bus. In various embodiments, the first set of battery packs differs in type and / or number from the second set of battery packs. In various embodiments, the first set of battery packs powers the rotor, and the second set of battery packs powers the prop rotor.

[0040] According to various embodiments, the aircraft is an electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL or eVTOL) aircraft. It can take off and land vertically, hover, and transport passengers closer to their destination than an aircraft requiring a runway could. According to various embodiments, the aircraft is a fixed-wing eVTOL.

[0041] According to various embodiments, the EPUs driven by a given battery pack are selected to reduce the impact of instability caused by power loss to the EPUs in the event of a battery pack failure. Powering EPUs located at both ends of one or more axes of symmetry in a set of EPUs with the same battery pack can reduce roll, pitch, or yaw moments that may occur due to power loss to the battery-driven EPUs. For example, EPUs at the same relative positions at both ends of the longitudinal axis of an aircraft may be driven by a first battery pack, so that even if one of the battery packs fails, the thrust provided by the remaining EPUs remains uniform with respect to the longitudinal axis, resulting in minimal roll moment. Similarly, in some embodiments, EPUs may be located forward and backward of a wing set, with the EPUs on both sides of the wing and at both ends of the longitudinal axis being powered by the same battery pack.

[0042] According to various embodiments, the portion of the EPU powered by a battery pack may include a portion of a single EPU motor, where the portion of the EPU motor is powered by a first battery pack and the other portion of the EPU motor is powered by a second battery pack. For example, the EPU may include two half-motors that can operate simultaneously during normal operation to drive multiple blades to provide thrust to an aircraft, with one half-motor powered by one battery pack and the other half-motor powered by another. Even if one of the battery packs fails, the EPU will still operate at half output. Since a given battery pack can power the portion motors of different EPUs, the impact of battery pack losses is shared among multiple EPUs that continue to operate at reduced output.

[0043] The following description of this disclosure and embodiments will refer to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific implementable embodiments as examples. It should be understood that other embodiments and examples may be implemented and modified without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0044] In addition, it should be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" used in the following descriptions are intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning. Furthermore, it should be understood that the term "and / or," as used herein, refers to and encompasses any possible combination of one or more of the related enumerated articles. Moreover, it should be understood that the terms "includes," "including," "comprises," and / or "comprising," as used herein, indicate the presence of the described feature, integer, step, action, element, component, and / or unit, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, actions, elements, components, units, and / or groups thereof.

[0045] As used herein, the term "prop rotor" refers to a variable-pitch propeller capable of generating vertical lift and thrust for forward propulsion by changing the pitch of the propeller.

[0046] As used herein, the term “battery pack” means any combination of electrically connected batteries (i.e., battery cells) and may include multiple batteries arranged in series, parallel, or in a combination of series and parallel.

[0047] Figures 1A and 1B illustrate various embodiments of the VTOL aircraft 100 in cruising and vertical take-off / landing configurations, respectively. Typical embodiments of the VTOL aircraft in various configurations are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 878,380, titled "Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft" (filed May 19, 2020). The entire contents of this document are incorporated herein by reference.

[0048] The aircraft 100 includes a fuselage 102, wings 104 attached to the fuselage 102, and one or more rear stabilizers 106 attached to the rear of the fuselage 102. The aircraft 100 includes a plurality of rotors 112 and a plurality of prop rotors 114 (collectively referred to herein as the EPU). The EPU (112, 114) generally includes electric motors that drive the fans (a plurality of blades) and motor controllers for controlling the motors or supplying power to the motors. As further described below with respect to Figure 4, the EPU may include a plurality of submotors that can independently drive the fans together and can be controlled by a plurality of separate motor controllers.

[0049] The rotor 112 is mounted on the wing 104 and configured to provide lift for vertical takeoff and landing. The prop rotor 114 is mounted on the wing 104 and is tiltable between a lift configuration that provides some of the lift necessary for vertical takeoff, landing and hovering as shown in Figure 1B, and a propulsion configuration that provides forward thrust to the aircraft 100 for horizontal flight as shown in Figure 1A. As used herein, the prop rotor lift configuration refers to any prop rotor orientation in which the prop rotor thrust primarily provides lift to the aircraft, and the prop rotor propulsion configuration refers to any prop rotor orientation in which the prop rotor thrust primarily provides forward thrust to the aircraft.

[0050] According to various embodiments, the rotor 112 is configured to provide only lift, and all thrust is provided by the prop rotor. Therefore, the rotor 112 may be in a fixed position. During takeoff and landing, the prop rotor 114 is tilted in a lift configuration in which its thrust is directed downward to provide additional lift.

[0051] For forward flight, the prop rotor 114 tilts from its lift configuration to its thrust configuration. In other words, the pitch of the prop rotor 114 changes from a pitch in which the prop rotor thrust is directed downward to provide lift during vertical takeoff and landing and hovering, to a pitch in which the prop rotor thrust is directed aft to provide forward thrust to the aircraft 100. The prop rotor tilts around an axis 118 perpendicular to the forward direction of the aircraft 100. When the aircraft 100 is in full forward flight, the rotor 112 may be stopped, with the lift being fully provided by the wings 104. The blades 120 of the rotor 112 may be locked in a low-drag position relative to the aircraft's cruising. In some embodiments, each rotor 112 has two blades 120 locked to cruise in a minimum-drag position where one blade is directly in front of the other, as illustrated in Figure 1A. In some embodiments, the rotor 112 has more than two blades. In some embodiments, the prop rotor 114 has more blades 116 than the rotor 112. For example, as illustrated in Figures 1A and 1B, the rotor 112 may each contain two blades, and the prop rotor 114 may each contain five blades. According to various embodiments, the prop rotor 114 can have 2 to 5 blades.

[0052] According to various embodiments, the aircraft includes only one wing 104 on each side of the fuselage 102 (or a single wing extending across the entire aircraft), with at least a portion of the rotors 112 positioned behind the wings 104 and at least a portion of the prop rotors 114 positioned in front of the wings 104. In some embodiments, all of the rotors 112 are positioned behind the wings 104 and all of the prop rotors are positioned in front of the wings 104. According to some embodiments, all of the rotors 112 and prop rotors 114 are mounted on the wings; that is, there are no rotors or prop rotors mounted on the fuselage. According to various embodiments, all of the rotors 112 are positioned behind the wings 104 and all of the prop rotors 114 are positioned in front of the wings 104. According to some embodiments, all of the rotors 112 and prop rotors 114 are positioned inside the wingtips 109.

[0053] According to various embodiments, the rotor 112 and prop rotor 114 are attached to the wing 104 by a boom 122. The boom 122 may be mounted directly below the wing 104, above the wing, and / or incorporated into the airfoil. According to various embodiments, one rotor 112 and one prop rotor 114 are attached to each boom 122. The rotor 112 may be attached to the rear end of the boom 122, and the prop rotor 114 may be attached to the front end of the boom 122. In some embodiments, the rotor 112 is mounted in a fixed position on the boom 122. In some embodiments, the prop rotor 114 is attached to the front end of the boom 122 via a hinge 124. The attachment of the prop rotor 114 to the boom 122 may be such that, when in its propulsion configuration, the prop rotor 114 is aligned with the body of the boom 122 to form a continuous extension of the front end of the boom 122 that minimizes drag for forward flight.

[0054] According to various embodiments, the aircraft 100 may include only one wing on each side of the aircraft 100, or a single wing extending across the aircraft. According to some embodiments, at least one wing 104 is a high wing mounted on the upper side of the fuselage 102. According to some embodiments, the wing includes control surfaces such as flaps and / or ailerons. According to some embodiments, the wing may have curved wingtips 109 to reduce drag during forward flight.

[0055] According to some embodiments, the rear stabilizer 106 includes control surfaces such as one or more rudders, one or more elevators, and / or one or more compound rudder-elevators. The wings(s) may have any preferred design. In some embodiments, the wings may have a tapered leading edge 123, as shown in the embodiment of Figure 1A, for example. In some embodiments, the wings have a tapered trailing edge.

[0056] Figure 2A illustrates power distribution architectures for supplying power to the EPUs (112, 114) of an aircraft 100 according to various embodiments. Figures 1A-2A illustrate 12 EPUs (numbered 1-12 in Figure 2A) mounted on the wings 104 of the aircraft according to various embodiments, but any preferred number of EPUs can be included, including 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, 20, or more. The EPUs are powered by a plurality of battery packs 200. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2A, there are six battery packs 200, numbered 1-6. Each battery pack 200 supplies power to only a portion of the EPUs. In the illustrated embodiment, each battery pack 200 supplies power to two EPUs. The grouping of battery packs and EPUs according to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2A is enumerated in Figure 2B. Battery pack 1 supplies power to EPUs 1 and 12, battery pack 2 supplies power to EPUs 2 and 11, and so on. Each battery pack 200 is connected to its corresponding part of the EPU via a dedicated power distribution bus, for example, bus 202 connecting battery pack 1 to EPU1 and EPU12, and bus 204 connecting battery pack 2 to EPU2 and EPU11. Therefore, the power distribution bus 202 of one battery pack 1 is not electrically connected to the power distribution bus 204 of battery pack 2.

[0057] According to various embodiments, the battery packs 200 are interconnected via a common bus 206 to which each battery pack 200 is detachably connected. Through the common bus 206, the battery packs can share loads, thereby reducing the maximum power required by a given battery pack. A reduction in maximum power requirements can mean smaller and lighter batteries, and / or increased range by allowing the batteries to use lower-power, higher-energy cells. As will be further described below, electrical disconnectors such as fuses are provided between each battery pack and the common bus so that in the event of an overcurrent fault involving the common bus, the battery packs are protected by being disconnected from the common bus by the electrical disconnectors, allowing them to continue supplying power to the EPUs to which they are directly connected. Furthermore, according to various embodiments, an electrical fault in one battery pack or its power distribution does not cause malfunctions in the operation of other EPUs and battery packs. Only the EPUs powered by the faulty battery pack or power distribution are affected. Thus, there is no single point of failure in the aircraft's power supply.

[0058] According to various embodiments, a particular EPU powered by a given battery pack may be selected to reduce the impact of instability caused by power loss to the EPU in the event of a battery pack failure. According to various embodiments, EPUs located at both ends of one or more axes of symmetry in a set of EPUs can be powered by the same battery pack to reduce roll, pitch, or yaw moments that may occur due to power loss to the battery-driven EPUs. For example, EPUs at the same relative positions at both ends of the longitudinal axis 280 of the aircraft 100 may be driven by a first battery pack, so that even if one of the battery packs fails, the thrust provided by the remaining EPUs remains uniform with respect to the longitudinal axis, resulting in minimal roll moment. Similarly, in some embodiments, sets of EPUs may be positioned at least partially forward of the leading edge of a pair of wings, and sets of EPUs may be positioned at least partially backward of the trailing edge of a pair of wings, and the same battery pack may power the EPUs 280 on both sides of the wings and at both ends of the longitudinal axis so that the resulting roll and pitch moments are minimized even if the battery pack fails (as shown in Figure 2A).

[0059] According to various embodiments, each battery pack 200 powers at least a portion of at least one prop rotor 114 and at least a portion of at least one rotor 112. In the embodiment of Figure 2A, the rotors and prop rotors on both sides are driven by the same battery pack 200. Thus, the outermost prop rotor 114 on the left side of the aircraft fuselage 102 (EPU1 in Figure 2A) is powered by the same battery pack (battery pack 1 in Figure 2A) as the outermost rotor 112 on the right side of the fuselage 102 (EPU12). Similarly, the other pair of outermost EPUs (EPU6 and EPU7 in Figure 2A) are powered by the same battery pack (battery pack 6). Grouping is not limited to EPUs in opposite positions. For example, EPU1 may be grouped with EPU11 instead of EPU12.

[0060] The number of EPUs powered by a given battery pack can be greater than two. For example, in some embodiments, the number of EPUs per battery pack can be 3, 4, 5, 6, or any other preferred number of the total number of EPUs. According to various embodiments, there can be a different number of EPUs within each group. For example, one group may have 2 EPUs (2 EPUs driven by a battery pack), while another group may have 4 EPUs (4 EPUs driven by different battery packs). The number of battery packs can be as few as two. In various embodiments, the number of battery packs is at least 3, at least 4, at least 5, at least 6, at least 7, at least 8, or more.

[0061] Figure 2C illustrates an embodiment in which the battery packs are arranged in separate sets. The first set of battery packs 230 (battery packs 1-6 in the illustrated embodiment) is interconnected via a first common bus 232, and the second set of battery packs 234 (battery packs 7-12 in the illustrated embodiment) is interconnected via a second common bus 236. The first and second common buses 232 and 236 are electrically isolated from each other, and there is no electrical connection between the first set of battery packs 230 and the second set of battery packs 234.

[0062] According to various embodiments, each battery pack in the first set 230 of battery packs powers the prop rotor 114, and each battery pack in the second set 234 of battery packs powers the rotor 112. According to some embodiments, the power requirements of the prop rotor 114 and the rotor 112 (e.g., peak power and / or power during flight) may be different, and the first and second sets of battery packs may be of different types and / or sizes based on the difference in power demands of the prop rotor 114 and the rotor 112. For example, in some embodiments, the prop rotor 114 may be used during both vertical and horizontal flight, while the rotor 112 may be used only during vertical flight. Thus, the total power required by the prop rotor 114 during flight may be greater than the total power required by the rotor 112 during flight, and to accommodate this difference, the battery packs of the first set 230 can be larger than those of the second set 234.

[0063] Figure 3 is a block diagram of at least a part of the power distribution system 300 of an electric aircraft. It shows two battery packs 300 and 350, each battery pack configured to connect to two loads. However, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiment is merely typical, and any number of battery packs may be used, and any number of loads such as any number of EPUs and / or any number of parts of EPUs as described above may be connected. In the illustrated embodiment, battery pack 300 is electrically connected to a pair of EPUs 302 and 304. EPU 302 may be, for example, EPU1 in Figure 2A, and EPU 304 may be, for example, EPU12 in Figure 2A. Battery pack 300 is connected to EPUs 302 and 304 via a power distribution bus 306. A first load electrical disconnection device 308 may be electrically placed between the first battery pack 300 and the EPU 302 so that the first battery pack 300 is disconnected from the EPU 302 if an overcurrent fault event (e.g., a ground fault) occurs related to the EPU 302 or a portion of the distribution bus 306 downstream of the electrical disconnection device 308. A second load electrical disconnection device 310 may be electrically placed between the first battery pack 300 and the EPU 304 so that the first battery pack 300 is disconnected from the EPU 304 if an overcurrent fault event occurs related to the EPU 304 or a portion of the distribution bus 306 downstream of the electrical disconnection device 310.

[0064] The first battery pack 300 is electrically connected to a common bus 314, and the second battery pack 350 is also electrically connected to the common bus 314. Power can be shared between the first and second battery packs 300 and 350 (and any other battery packs that may be connected to the common bus 314) through the common bus 314. This allows, for example, power to be supplied to the EPU 302 and / or EPU 304 from both the first and second battery packs 300 and 350.

[0065] The first common bus electrical disconnection device 312 is electrically positioned between the first battery pack 300 and the common bus 314, and disconnects the first battery pack 300 from the common bus 314 in the event of an overcurrent fault. This protects the first battery pack 300 from overcurrent fault events related to the common bus 314 (for example, a ground fault related to the common bus 314, or a fault related to a battery pack connected to the common bus 314). The first common bus disconnection device 312 can also protect the common bus 314 from overcurrent fault events related to the battery pack 300 itself.

[0066] According to various embodiments, the first common bus power cut-off device 312 operates more slowly than the first and second load power cut-off devices 308 and 310. For example, in some embodiments, the common bus power cut-off device 312 may have a slower cut-off time (also known in the art as an open time or clear time) at its rated current threshold than the first and second load power cut-off devices 308 and 310, respectively. Because of the different cut-off times, if an overcurrent fault occurs on the distribution bus 306, EPU 302, and / or EPU 304, causing current spikes exceeding their rated currents in the first and / or second power cut-off devices 308 and 310, and in the common bus power cut-off device 312, the first and / or second load power cut-off devices 308 and 310 protect the battery pack 300, but the battery pack 300 remains connected to the common bus 314. This is because the first common bus electrical disconnection device 312 operates slower than the first and / or second load electrical disconnection devices 308 and 310, and therefore does not disconnect. In some embodiments, one or both of the load disconnection devices 308, 310 have a lower disconnection threshold current than the common bus disconnection device 312. For example, one or more load disconnection devices may have a disconnection threshold of 300 amperes and a disconnection time of 140 ms at their disconnection threshold current, while the common bus fuse may have a disconnection threshold of 500 amperes and a disconnection time of 360 ms at their disconnection threshold current. In some embodiments, the load disconnection devices have the same disconnection threshold as the common bus disconnection device 312. For example, the load and common bus disconnection devices may have a disconnection threshold of 500 amperes, the load disconnection device may have a disconnection time of 140 ms at its threshold current, and the common bus disconnection device may have a disconnection time of 300 ms at its threshold current.

[0067] According to various embodiments, the second battery pack 350 can be connected to the EPUs 352 and 354 via the distribution bus 356. The third and fourth load electrical disconnection devices 358 and 360 can be electrically positioned between the second battery pack 350 and the EPUs 352 and 354 to disconnect the second battery pack from the EPUs even during an overcurrent fault, as previously described with respect to the first battery pack 300 and the EPUs 302 and 304. The second common bus electrical disconnection device 362 can be electrically positioned between the second battery pack 350 and the common bus 314. The second common bus electrical disconnection device 362 can operate more slowly than the third and fourth load electrical disconnection devices 358 and 360, as previously described with respect to the first common bus disconnection device 312 and the first and second load electrical disconnection devices 308 and 310, respectively.

[0068] According to various embodiments, common bus electrical disconnection devices 312 and 362, which can disconnect each battery pack from the common bus 314, have the same disconnection current threshold and / or the same disconnection time at that disconnection current threshold. In some embodiments, the first common bus electrical disconnection device 312 has a different disconnection threshold and / or release time than the second common bus electrical disconnection device 362. In some embodiments, the disconnection current thresholds and / or release times of load electrical disconnection devices 308 and 310 are different from each other, for example, due to different load requirements of EPUs 302 and 304. In some embodiments, the disconnection current threshold and / or release time of one or both load electrical disconnection devices 308 and 310 is the same as the disconnection current threshold and / or release time of one or both load electrical disconnection devices 358 and 360.

[0069] Each of the electrical disconnectors 308, 310, 312, 358, 360, and 362 can be any suitable electrical component for interrupting the circuit in the event of an overcurrent fault event. For example, one or more of the electrical disconnectors are fuses, circuit breakers, or switches operably coupled to a current detector. According to some embodiments, each of the electrical disconnectors 308, 310, 312, 358, and 360 is a fuse. According to some embodiments, the electrical disconnectors can be any suitable type of fuse or combination of fuse types. For example, one or more of the electrical disconnectors 308, 310, 312, 358, and 360 are explosive fuses, thermal fuses, or magnetic fuses. According to some embodiments, the common bus electrical disconnector is a first type of electrical disconnector, and the load electrical disconnector is a second type of electrical disconnector different from the first type. For example, the load electrical disconnectors 308 and 310 may be explosive fuses, and the common bus electrical disconnector 312 may be a thermal fuse.

[0070] According to various embodiments, one or more of the load electrical cut-off devices 308, 310, 358, and 360 have a cut-off current threshold of at least 50 amperes, at least 100 amperes, at least 200 amperes, at least 300 amperes, or at least 500 amperes. According to various embodiments, one or more of the load electrical cut-off devices 308, 310, 358, and 360 have a cut-off current threshold of at least 50 amperes, at least 100 amperes, at least 200 amperes, at least 300 amperes, or at least 500 amperes. According to various embodiments, one or more of the common bus electrical cut-off devices 312, 362 have a cut-off current threshold of at least 100 amperes, at least 200 amperes, at least 300 amperes, at least 400 amperes, at least 500 amperes, at least 600 amperes, or at least 1000 amperes. According to several embodiments, the cutting current threshold of one or more common bus electrical cut-off devices is at least 10% higher, at least 20% higher, at least 30% higher, at least 50% higher, at least 66% higher, at least 75% higher, or at least 100% higher than the cutting current threshold of one or more load electrical cut-off devices. According to various embodiments, the opening time at the rated current threshold of one or more load and / or common bus electrical cut-off devices is 1 second or less, 500 ms or less, 400 ms or less, 300 ms or less, 200 ms or less, 100 ms or less, 50 ms or less, or 10 ms or less. According to various embodiments, the opening time at the rated threshold current of one or more load cut-off devices can be at least 100 times faster, at least 50 times faster, at least 10 times faster, at least 5 times faster, or at least 2 times faster than the opening time at the rated threshold current of a common bus cut-off device.

[0071] According to some embodiments, the negative terminals 320 and 370 of battery packs 300 and 350 are electrically connected to a common negative bus 316. According to some embodiments, the common bus 314 is electrically connected to the positive terminals 318 and 368 of battery packs 300 and 350. According to various embodiments, the power distribution system 300 does not have diodes to control the charge flow between batteries 300 and 350. According to various embodiments, this makes the power distribution system 300 more efficient and lighter compared to a system that includes diodes.

[0072] According to various embodiments, the power distribution system 300 includes one or more contactors for selectively electrically disconnecting one or more parts of the power distribution system 300 to put the power distribution system into a safety mode, for example, during battery charging and / or after the aircraft has powered down. Figures 4-8 illustrate various contactor arrangements according to various embodiments. In Figure 4, contactor 402 is electrically positioned between the first battery pack 300 and the first and second load electrical disconnectors 308, 310. Contactor 404 may optionally be electrically positioned between the first battery pack 300 and the first common bus electrical disconnector 312. Contactor 406 may optionally be electrically positioned between the first battery pack 300 and the common negative bus 316. Similar contact arrangements can be used for the second battery pack 350, which are not described separately for simplicity (the same applies to the variations described later).

[0073] In Figure 5, contactor 502 is electrically positioned between the first load electrical cutoff device 308 and the EPU 302, and a second contactor 504 is electrically positioned between the second load electrical cutoff device 310 and the EPU 304. A third contactor 506 may optionally be electrically positioned between the first battery pack 300 and a common negative bus 316. Figure 5 illustrates charging circuits 550 for charging battery packs 300 and 350 according to various embodiments. A charger port 552 can be used to connect an external charger to the power distribution system for charging. The charger port 552 may be connected to a common bus 314 and a common negative bus 316. A charger contactor 554 and a charger fuse 556 may be positioned between the charger port 552 and the common bus 314. The embodiment in Figure 6 is similar to that in Figure 5, except that contactor 602 is provided between the common bus electrical cutoff device 312 and the battery pack 300 instead of charger contactor 554.

[0074] Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment having a minimum number of contactors for the arrangement of the battery pack, load, and charging circuit. Contactor 702 is located at the positive terminal 318 of the battery pack 300 to disconnect the battery pack 300 from both the EPUs 302, 304 and the common bus 314. An optional contactor 704 may be located at the negative terminal 320 of the battery pack 300. The variation illustrated in Figure 8 is similar to that in Figure 7, except that the charging circuit 850 is connected directly to the battery pack 300 instead of the common bus 314. The charger port 852 may be connected to the charger bus 860. The battery pack 300 may be connected to the charger bus 860 using a charger fuse 854 and a charger contactor 856 electrically positioned between the battery pack 300 and the charger bus 860.

[0075] In some embodiments, the EPU or at least a portion of the EPU includes multiple motor stages, each independently powered by different battery packs, so that if one battery pack fails, only a portion of the EPU is not powered, and the EPU can continue to operate at a reduced output level. Figure 9 is a block diagram of a portion of the power distribution to the EPU 900, which includes two partial motors 902A and 902B. The EPU 900 can be a rotor, such as rotor 112 in Figure 1A, or a prop rotor, such as prop rotor 114 in Figure 1A. The two partial motors 902A and 902B can operate independently to drive the fan blades 904 via shaft 906, or they can operate simultaneously to drive the fan blades 904 at a higher output. The partial motors 902A and 902B are driven by their own motor controllers 908A and 908B, respectively. The partial motor 902A and motor controller 908A are powered by the battery pack 950 via the distribution bus 960, while the partial motor 902B and motor controller 908B are powered by the battery pack 952 via the distribution bus 962. The battery packs 950 and 952 are electrically connected to each other via a common bus 910. The common bus 910 is detachable from the battery packs 950 and 952 respectively via common bus electrical disconnection devices 912 and 916, respectively, in accordance with the principle described above. In the event of an overcurrent fault event in the common bus 910, the partial motor 902A, motor controller 908A, distribution bus 960, and battery pack 950 are electrically isolated from the partial motor 902B, motor controller 908B, distribution bus 962, and battery pack 952. Therefore, an electrical fault affecting the common bus 910 and / or the first submotor 902A will not affect the second submotor 902B, and vice versa. Thus, even if either the common bus 910 and / or the battery pack 950 or 952 fails, the EPU 900 can continue to operate, albeit with reduced output.Furthermore, based on the aforementioned principle, the load electrical disconnection devices 914 and 918 protect the corresponding battery packs 950 and 952 from overcurrent faults in the associated partial motors, motor controllers, and power distribution buses.

[0076] According to various embodiments, the battery pack can drive the partial motors of the opposing EPUs. For example, as shown in Figure 2A, the first battery pack 1 can power the first partial motor of EPU 1, the first partial motor of EPU 12, the first partial motor of EPU 6, and the first partial motor of EPU 7. Therefore, if the battery pack 1 fails, both the rotors and prop rotors, which are in the same relative positions on both sides of the aircraft, will still operate, although they will lose at least half of their maximum available power.

[0077] Battery packs for powering the EPUs can be located at any suitable location on the aircraft, including the fuselage and / or wings. The number and output of the EPUs can be selected according to desired performance parameters (e.g., target payload, airspeed, and altitude). According to various embodiments, the maximum power rating of one or more of the EPUs is 500 kilowatts or less, preferably 200 kilowatts or less, and more preferably 150 kilowatts or less. According to some embodiments, the maximum power rating of one or more of the EPUs is at least 10 kilowatts, preferably at least 20 kilowatts, and more preferably at least 50 kilowatts. The aircraft may have an equal number of rotors and prop rotors, or a larger number of prop rotors, or a larger number of rotors.

[0078] According to various embodiments, each battery pack is configured such that its maximum stored energy is at least 1 kilowatt-hour, preferably at least 10 kilowatt-hours, and / or its maximum stored energy is up to 200 kilowatt-hours, preferably up to 100 kilowatt-hours, preferably up to 75 kilowatt-hours, and more preferably up to 50 kilowatt-hours. According to various embodiments, the battery pack is configured such that its total maximum stored energy is at least 1 kilowatt-hour, preferably at least 10 kilowatt-hours, and / or its maximum stored energy is up to 200 kilowatt-hours, preferably up to 100 kilowatt-hours, preferably up to 75 kilowatt-hours, and more preferably up to 50 kilowatt-hours. According to various embodiments, at least a portion of the fully charged battery pack yields a voltage of at least 100 volts, at least 500 volts, or at least 1000 volts. According to various embodiments, at least a portion of the fully charged battery pack yields a voltage of up to 2000 volts, at least 1500 volts, at least 1000 volts, or at least 500 volts. According to some embodiments, the nominal maximum voltage is 500 to 1000 volts, preferably 600 to 800 volts, or more preferably 650 to 750 volts.

[0079] According to various embodiments, the size of the EPU is determined by the principle described above to accommodate partial loss of the EPU due to a battery pack failure. For example, if two EPUs are lost due to a failure in the battery pack driving the two EPUs, the remaining EPU and the associated battery pack may be sized to provide additional thrust that at least partially compensates for the thrust lost as a result of the EPUs becoming inoperable.

[0080] An aircraft based on the aforementioned principle can be configured to carry at least one person, up to ten people, preferably up to six people, and more preferably up to four people. According to some embodiments, the aircraft is configured to be piloted and includes a flight control system. In some embodiments, the aircraft is configured to operate autonomously with or without an onboard pilot, with or without one passenger.

[0081] According to some embodiments, the aircraft is configured to carry up to six people (e.g., a pilot and up to five passengers) up to 75 miles at a cruising speed of up to 150 miles per hour at an altitude of up to 3,000 feet above ground. In some embodiments, the aircraft is configured for five people, such as one pilot and four passengers. According to various embodiments, the maximum range on a single battery charge is 25 miles, 50 miles, 75 miles, 100 miles, or 200 miles.

[0082] According to various embodiments, the rotor 112 and / or prop rotor 114 are configured to have a relatively low tip velocity in order to reduce the amount of noise generated by the aircraft. In some embodiments, the tip velocity of the rotor blades is about 0.4 Mach in hovering. According to various embodiments, the diameter of the rotor and / or prop rotor blades is in the range of 1 to 5 meters, preferably in the range of 1.5 to 2 meters.

[0083] According to various embodiments, the wingspan is in the range of 10 to 20 meters, preferably in the range of 15 to 16 meters. According to various embodiments, the length of the aircraft is in the range of 3 to 20 meters, preferably in the range of 5 to 15 meters, more preferably in the range of 6 to 10 meters.

[0084] According to various embodiments, the aircraft is operated during takeoff and landing by positioning the prop rotors into a lift configuration and providing the aircraft with the necessary lift through the combined lift provided by the rotors and prop rotors. According to various embodiments, the prop rotors can be maintained in a predetermined lift configuration during vertical takeoff and landing and / or hovering, which can be the same for all prop rotors or different for different prop rotors. According to various embodiments, the tilt of at least some of the prop rotors can be actively adjusted during takeoff, landing and / or hovering to obtain the necessary stability and / or maneuverability. According to some embodiments, the tilt of at least one prop rotor is actively controlled by the flight control system during takeoff, landing and / or hovering to generate a yaw moment.

[0085] According to various embodiments, each rotor and / or each prop rotor can be individually controlled by the flight control system according to various degrees of freedom. According to various embodiments, the sole degree of freedom of a rotor is its rotational speed. In some embodiments, the angle of attack of the rotor blades can be adjusted collectively to obtain further degrees of freedom. According to various embodiments, at least some of the degrees of freedom of a prop rotor include the rotational speed of the prop rotor, the total angle of attack of the blades, and the degree of tilt of the prop rotor. According to various embodiments, any of these degrees of freedom can be actively controlled by the flight control system (autonomously or in response to pilot commands) during takeoff and landing to obtain appropriate stability and maneuverability.

[0086] Once the aircraft has reached a sufficient altitude to begin forward flight, the prop rotor begins to tilt forward toward its propulsion configuration so that its thrust provides a combination of lift and thrust, although the proportion of lift decreases as the prop rotor tilts further toward its propulsion configuration. The rotor can remain operational for at least part of the period during which the prop rotor continues to tilt forward and provide lift to the rotor base. The rotor can be deactivated at any point after the forward airspeed is sufficiently high and sufficient lift has been obtained by the wings to maintain the aircraft's altitude. As previously mentioned, the rotor blades can be locked in a low-drag position.

[0087] During cruising, the rotor remains deactivated. The control surfaces of the wings and / or rear stabilizers can be used in the conventional manner for the aircraft's maneuverability and stability. According to some embodiments, if a battery pack is lost during forward flight and the output provided by the portion of the prop rotor that was powered by the lost battery pack is lost, the aircraft can compensate by using the control surfaces and / or adjusting the output from the portion unaffected by the prop rotor.

[0088] According to some embodiments, the tilt of at least a portion of the prop rotors can be actively controlled to obtain further stability and / or maneuverability control. In some embodiments, the tilt of at least a portion of the prop rotors is actively controlled during takeoff, landing and / or hovering. In some embodiments, the tilt of the prop rotors is fixed (i.e., does not change) during cruising. According to some embodiments, the tilt of the outermost prop rotors can be actively and independently controlled during vertical takeoff and landing and / or hovering to obtain yaw moment as needed.

[0089] According to various embodiments, an EPU (rotor and prop rotor) can be powered according to the power distribution architecture described herein. For example, a method for powering an aircraft includes powering a first plurality of electric propulsion units mounted on at least one wing of the aircraft and located at least partially forward of the leading edge of at least one wing by a first battery pack, via a first power bus electrically connecting the first battery pack to at least a portion of the first electric propulsion units of the first plurality of electric propulsion units and at least a portion of the first electric propulsion units of a second plurality of electric propulsion units. The method also includes powering a second plurality of electric propulsion units mounted on at least one wing and located at least partially aft of the trailing edge of at least one wing by a second battery pack, via a second power bus electrically connecting the second battery pack to at least a portion of the second electric propulsion units of the first plurality of electric propulsion units and at least a portion of the second electric propulsion units of the second plurality of electric propulsion units, wherein the second power bus is electrically isolated from the first power bus.

[0090] According to various embodiments, a method for supplying power to an aircraft includes supplying power to at least a portion of a first rotor and at least a portion of a first prop rotor by a first battery pack via a first power bus electrically connecting the first battery pack to at least a portion of the first rotor and at least a portion of the first prop rotor. The method also includes supplying power to at least a portion of a second rotor and at least a portion of a second prop rotor by a second battery pack via a second power bus electrically connecting the second battery pack to at least a portion of the second rotor and at least a portion of the second prop rotor, wherein the second power bus is electrically isolated from the first power bus.

[0091] According to various embodiments, if a battery pack or the power distribution to that battery pack fails during flight, such as during vertical takeoff or landing, hovering, or forward flight, only the EPU powered by that battery pack becomes inoperable. The remaining EPUs (powered by other battery packs electrically isolated from the inoperable battery pack) continue to operate. According to various embodiments, the output of at least some of the unaffected EPUs may be increased to compensate for the thrust loss of the inoperable EPU.

[0092] According to various embodiments, battery packs power different motor sections of the same EPU so that if one of the battery packs or its power distribution is lost, the affected EPU can continue to operate at a reduced output. According to various embodiments, the output of the unaffected motor section can be increased and / or the output of the unaffected EPU can be increased to compensate for the thrust loss from the disabled motor section.

[0093] The above description, intended for illustrative purposes, is based on reference to specific embodiments. However, the above exemplary description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the exact form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments have been selected and described to best illustrate the principles of the art and their practical applications. This will enable those skilled in the art to make optimal use of the art and its various embodiments with various modifications suitable for specific conceivable applications.

[0094] While this disclosure and examples are adequately illustrated with reference to the accompanying figures, it should be noted that various modifications and changes will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and changes should be understood to fall within the scope of the disclosure and examples as defined by the claims. Finally, all disclosures of the patents and publications referenced in this application are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. It is an electric aircraft, Torso and, Two fixed wings attached to both sides of the fuselage, A first set of electric propulsion units (EPUs) positioned on one side of the fuselage, A second set of EPUs arranged on one side of the fuselage, wherein the first set of EPUs is positioned in front of the second set of EPUs, A third set of EPUs located on another side of the fuselage, A fourth set of EPUs located on another side of the fuselage, wherein the third set of EPUs is located in front of the fourth set of EPUs, Multiple battery packs, each battery pack having at least, A portion of at least one of the EPUs in the first set and a portion of at least one of the EPUs in the fourth set, or A portion of at least one of the second set of EPUs and a portion of at least one of the third set of EPUs It is configured to supply power to, Each battery pack is configured to supply power to at least one portion of the first set of EPUs and the fourth set of EPUs, or the second set of EPUs and the third set of EPUs, via a dedicated power bus for that battery pack. At least two battery packs are connected to a common bus via contactors and fuses, the fuses being connected between the contactors and the common bus. Battery pack and An electric aircraft equipped with [specific features / equipment].

2. The electric aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery packs supply power to different EPUs.

3. The electric aircraft according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of battery packs supply power to different EPUs from different sets of EPUs.

4. The electric aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery packs supply power to one different part of the EPU.

5. The electric aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery packs each supply power to a submotor associated with a different EPU.

6. At least one of the aforementioned plurality of battery packs is at least, A portion of one EPU from the first set of EPUs and a portion of one EPU from the fourth set of EPUs, wherein both EPUs are the portions furthest from the fuselage, or A portion of one EPU from the second set of EPUs and a portion of one EPU from the third set of EPUs, wherein both EPUs are the portions closest to the fuselage. The electric aircraft according to claim 1, configured to supply power to the electric aircraft.

7. The number of EPUs in each group of EPUs is 3. One of the aforementioned battery packs is at least, A portion of the EPU in the first set of EPUs, positioned between the other two EPUs in the first set of EPUs, and a portion of the EPU in the fourth set of EPUs, positioned between the other two EPUs in the fourth set of EPUs, or A portion of the EPU in the second set of EPUs, positioned between the other two EPUs in the second set of EPUs, and a portion of the EPU in the third set of EPUs, positioned between the other two EPUs in the third set of EPUs. It is configured to supply power to, The electric aircraft according to claim 1.

8. The electric aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein no two of the plurality of battery packs supply power to the same portion of either the first set of EPUs or the fourth set of EPUs, or the same portion of either the second set of EPUs or the third set of EPUs.

9. The electric aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each of the first set of EPUs and the fourth set of EPUs is powered by only one of the plurality of battery packs, and / or each of the second set of EPUs and the third set of EPUs is powered by only one of the plurality of battery packs.

10. The electric aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first set of EPUs and the third set of EPUs, or the second set of EPUs and the fourth set of EPUs, are configured to provide lift.

11. The electric aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first set of EPUs and the third set of EPUs, or the second set of EPUs and the fourth set of EPUs, are tiltable between a vertical lift configuration and a forward thrust configuration.

12. The electric aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the common bus connects the positive terminals of the at least two battery packs.

13. The electric aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the dedicated power buses are electrically insulated from each other.

14. The electric aircraft according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first set of EPUs and the third set of EPUs are located in front of the wings of the electric aircraft, and the second set of EPUs and the fourth set of EPUs are located behind the wings of the electric aircraft.

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