Energy management system for a hybrid aircraft
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-13
Smart Images
Figure EP2026051790_13082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Hybrid aircraft energy management system
[0001] The invention relates to the field of aircraft and more particularly to the field of hybrid electric-powered aircraft.
[0002] The electrification of aviation is one of the major challenges of the early 21st century. e century. This electrification currently relies on two types of solutions: fully electric solutions, and hybrid solutions.
[0003] In the first type of solution, the energy source is based exclusively on batteries, which therefore need to be recharged between flights. In the second type of solution, developed by the Applicant, stored electrical energy sources (typically batteries) coexist with electrical generation sources (typically turbines or fuel cells, or other).
[0004] In both cases, electrical management is clearly critical, and more specifically the management of the high-voltage network that connects stored electrical energy sources, power generation sources, and the elements that consume electrical energy. In practice, this is achieved by controlling switches which, depending on their positions, determine which elements are connected and how.
[0005] This management represents a significant challenge.
[0006] Indeed, in the field of aviation, it is crucial not to create a "Single point of failure" (or SPOF) for obvious safety reasons.
[0007] It is therefore necessary both to have several sources of stored electrical energy to continue to ensure a supply of electrical energy if one of the stored electrical energy sources fails, but also to isolate them from each other to avoid any propagation of failure, and therefore the creation of SPOF.
[0008] This means that high-voltage network management must also cover all cases of degraded operation, and ensure that all switches are at all times in the correct position given the condition of the aircraft and the desired configuration.
[0009] In known architectures, switches are controlled individually, meaning that high-voltage network management is carried out as close as possible to each switch, without necessarily analyzing the state of other switches.
[0010] For example, this means that certain switches, located at critical points in the high-voltage network, are switched on or off as a priority in the event of a failure or to implement certain configurations, which allows for rapid management of failures even when a very large number of switches are present.
[0011] The Applicant discovered that this type of high-voltage network management is undesirable because, on the one hand, it does not eliminate the risk that a particular element may need to be isolated, but that the corresponding switch is not given priority, and on the other hand, because this type of prioritization prevents the implementation of configurations optimized to implement a single-point-of-flight (SPOF) architecture.
[0012] To compensate for the problems associated with these high-voltage network management systems, it is then necessary to oversize the aircraft components, either in electrical capacity or otherwise, and in all cases, the weight of the aircraft is unnecessarily increased.
[0013] The invention improves the situation. To this end, it proposes an aircraft energy management system with a hybrid energy source comprising at least three stored electrical energy sources and one electrical generation source, which includes: - a detector arranged to determine, on the one hand, state data indicating the state of the elements of the aircraft's power consumption electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system, and on the other hand, energy data relating to the instantaneous electrical power demanded by the aircraft and / or the current of the aircraft's stored electrical energy sources, and / or the charging state of the aircraft's stored electrical energy sources, - an automaton arranged to receive the energy data from the detector and to determine a control state of the energy sources.The automaton comprising at least three states within the group comprising: * a buffer state in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is less than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s) and is supplied by the latter, * a charge state in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is less than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s) and is supplied entirely by the electrical generation source(s), and in which the electrical generation source(s) produces a surplus of power used to recharge the stored electrical energy source(s), * a turbo state in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is greater than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s), and where the stored electrical energy source(s) provide the necessary supplement to reach the instantaneous electrical power demand,- an adapter arranged to receive status data and to determine a backup electrical configuration when the status data indicates a fault, - a power manager arranged to receive status information from the PLC and to determine an electrical command for the stored electrical energy source(s) and the electrical generation source(s), and - a switching manager arranged to periodically determine a current electrical configuration identifier based on a previous electrical configuration identifier and status data from the detector, by traversing a graph in which the transition from one electrical configuration state to another is conditioned by a combination of status data,to obtain a current electrical configuration from the current electrical configuration identifier and a matrix linking, on the one hand, an electrical configuration identifier and, on the other hand, the state of each of the switches in the aircraft's high-voltage circuit for each electrical configuration, and to issue commands to the switches in the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the power management system to implement the current electrical configuration.
[0014] According to various embodiments, the invention may have one or more of the following features: - the switching manager is further arranged, after sending commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement the current electrical configuration, to determine, for at least one of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit, a blocking flag whose state is inactivated if its state corresponds to the state of the current electrical configuration, and activated otherwise; - the switching manager is further arranged to block the sending of commands to at least some of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system whose blocking flag is activated;- the switching manager is further arranged to block the sending of commands to at least some of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system as soon as a blocking flag is activated; - the switching manager is arranged, when sending commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement a current electrical configuration, to set the state of each blocking flag to activated, and to set the state of a given blocking flag to deactivated when it detects that the state of the corresponding switch corresponds to its state in this current electrical configuration;and- the switching manager is arranged, when a blocking flag is activated for a period exceeding a given threshold, to issue commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement a backup electrical configuration.;
[0015] The invention also relates to an energy management method for an aircraft with a hybrid power source comprising at least one rechargeable power source and one power generation source which includes the following operations: a) determining on the one hand state data indicating a state of the elements of the aircraft's power consumption electrical circuit controlled by the energy management method, and on the other hand energy data relating to the instantaneous electrical power demanded by the aircraft and / or the charging state of the aircraft's rechargeable power sources, b) transmitting the energy data from operation a) to an automated system arranged to determine a control state of the power sources,The automaton comprising at least three states within the group comprising: * a buffer state in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is less than the capacity of the electrical generating source(s) and is supplied by the latter, * a load state in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is less than the capacity of the electrical generating source(s) and is supplied entirely by the electrical generating source(s), and in which the electrical generating source(s) produce a surplus of power used to recharge the rechargeable electrical source(s), * a turbo state in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is greater than the capacity of the electrical generating source(s), and in which the rechargeable electrical source(s) provide the necessary additional power to reach the instantaneous electrical power demand.c) determine an electrical command for the rechargeable electrical source(s) and the electrical generation source(s) as a function of the instantaneous electrical power required and the state of the PLC determined in operation b), d) determine a current electrical configuration identifier as a function of a previous electrical configuration identifier and state data from operation a), by traversing a graph in which the transition from one electrical configuration state to another is conditioned by a combination of state data, e) obtain a current electrical configuration from the current electrical configuration identifier of operation e) and a matrix linking on the one hand an electrical configuration identifier and on the other hand the state of each of the switches in the aircraft's high-voltage circuit for each electrical configuration,(f) issue commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement the current electrical configuration of operation (e).
[0016] According to various variants, the method may have one or more of the following characteristics: - it further includes operation g) after operation f), determining, for at least one of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit, a blocking flag whose state is inactivated if its state corresponds to the state of the current electrical configuration, and activated otherwise; - operation f) includes blocking the transmission of commands to at least some of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system whose blocking flag is activated; - operation f) includes blocking the transmission of commands to at least some of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system as soon as a blocking flag is activated;- Operation g) includes g1) setting, when issuing commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement a current electrical configuration, the state of each blocking flag to be activated, and g2) setting the state of a given blocking flag to be deactivated when it detects that the state of the corresponding switch matches its state in that current electrical configuration; and - it further includes operation h) issuing commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement a backup electrical configuration when a blocking flag is activated for a duration exceeding a given threshold.
[0017] The invention also relates to a computer program comprising instructions for executing the process according to the invention, a data storage medium on which such a computer program is recorded, and a computer system comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory having recorded such a computer program.
[0018] Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description, drawn from illustrative and non-limiting examples taken from the drawings in which: - a schematic diagram of an aircraft comprising a device according to the invention, - a generic diagram of the energy management system, - a generic diagram of the in-flight charging control device, - an example of a configuration in case of failure,
[0019] - this is an example of a graph implemented by the switching manager of the, and
[0020] - la is an example of the operating loop of the switching manager with blocking flag.
[0021] The drawings and description below contain, for the most part, elements of a definite nature. They can therefore not only serve to better explain the present invention, but also contribute to its definition, if necessary.
[0022] Lare represents a schematic diagram of an aircraft 2 comprising a device 4 according to the invention.
[0023] As can be seen on the figure, an aircraft 2 according to the invention comprises an energy management system 4 according to the invention, two horizontal drive groups 6 and 8, four vertical drive groups 10, 12, 14 and 16, and two electrical generation sources 18 and 20.
[0024] This type of aircraft is extremely innovative and is particularly suited to show the potential of the energy management system 4. However, the aircraft could feature a simpler architecture, for example a single horizontal drive group, one or two vertical drive groups and a single source of electrical generation.
[0025] Alternatively, the aircraft might not be a VTOL, but another type, for example, a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) hybrid aircraft. In this case, the vertical training groups will generally be called take-off training groups, while the horizontal training groups will generally be called cruise training groups. Alternatively, there will no longer be a distinction between two distinct types of training groups.
[0026] In the example described here, the horizontal drive unit 6 (or 8) comprises a DC-to-AC converter 22 (or 32), an electric motor 24 (or 34), and a propeller 26 (or 36), for example, a propeller. The propeller 26 (or 36) is arranged to enable the aircraft to move in a substantially horizontal direction. In the example described here, the propeller 26 (or 36) consumes 80 kW of power during flight.
[0027] The horizontal drive group 6 (respectively 8) is connected at the input to a switch 28 (respectively 38) which allows this input to be connected to the output of the vertical drive group 10 (respectively 14) or 12 (respectively 16), as described below.
[0028] The vertical drive unit 10 (respectively 12, 14, 16) comprises a rotor 42 (respectively 46, 72, 76) driven by a motor 52 (respectively 56, 82, 86), and a rotor 44 (respectively 48, 74, 78) driven by a motor 54 (respectively 58, 84, 88). The motors 52 and 54 are powered by a DC-to-AC converter 62 and 64 (respectively 66 and 68, 92 and 94, 96 and 98). DC-to-AC converters can also be called inverters and are arranged to generate alternating current from direct current.
[0029] The DC to AC converters 62 and 64 (respectively 66 and 68, 92 and 94, 96 and 98) are connected to an electrical bus of the vertical drive group 10 (respectively 12, 14, 16), to which is connected a battery 50 (respectively 60, 80, 90) as well as an input connected to an electrical distribution bus 108 of the electrical generation source 18, an input connected to an electrical distribution bus 110 of the electrical generation source 20. The batteries each constitute a source of stored electrical energy, the coupling of which with the electrical generation sources establishes the hybrid nature of the invention.
[0030] Finally, the electrical bus of each of the vertical drive groups 10 and 12 (respectively 14 and 16) is connected to a respective output of these groups, which is connected to switch 28 (respectively 38). As will be seen below, the batteries 50, 60, 80, and 90 together deliver 600 kW when operating at 100% of their capacity.
[0031] In the example described here, each power generation source 18 (respectively 20) comprises, on the one hand, a turbine generator 100 (respectively 102) and, on the other hand, an AC-to-DC converter 104 (respectively 106). In the example described here, each turbine generator can deliver 40 kW at 100% of its capacity. Alternatively, the power generation sources could be other sources of electricity production, either direct current or alternating current followed by an AC-to-DC converter or a DC-to-DC converter. Thus, these sources could be based on turbogenerators powered by conventional fuel, biofuel, or synthetic fuels. Also as an alternative, a hydrogen-based energy source, such as a fuel cell, could be used.
[0032] As will be seen with the, the energy management system 4 is arranged to control on the one hand the electrical generation sources 18 and 20, on the other hand the switches 28 and 38, but also various protection elements not shown on the.
[0033] Upon analysis, it becomes clear that all the motor and electrical components are duplicated. This ensures one-fail-safe operation. Specifically, there are two horizontal drive groups, four vertical drive groups (each forming two subgroups connected to a single horizontal drive group), and two electrical power generation sources.
[0034] Beyond this fairly classic duplication, it is the electrical buses specific to each vertical drive group, as well as the electrical distribution bus 108 and 110 specific to each electrical generation source, that make it possible to achieve the one-fail-safe objective in "discharge" operation of the stored electrical energy sources, that is to say, when the stored electrical energy sources are at rest or supplying electrical current to the electric motors.
[0035] In the case of recharging these stored electrical energy sources by one or more electrical generation groups, an obvious method of recharging the electrical energy storage sources would be a complete parallel connection at the level of the electrical buses 108 and 110. This method would then have the disadvantage of creating a SPOF as described previously.
[0036] Indeed, as we will see below, the aircraft's unique structure allows for true hybridization of electrical power sources, unlike existing solutions where they are simply juxtaposed. Thus, depending on power requirements, both the batteries and the electrical generation sources can operate in tandem. But beyond that, this architecture allows the batteries to be treated as pure "energy buffers." The batteries are managed entirely passively, without any need for software or hardware intelligence other than the basic intelligence required to operate the battery management system (BMS). Such a system enables functions such as monitoring parameters – voltage, temperature, state of charge, health status, etc.—preventing any risk of the battery falling outside its intended operating range—overvoltage, overcurrent, overheating, etc.—or optimizing battery capacity. This completely contradicts all existing solutions, in which either a component is specifically designed to optimize battery operation and acts as a control element, or a component is designed to compensate for any potential battery weakness, but only in an alternating fashion, meaning that the batteries and this component cannot operate simultaneously.
[0037] This represents a schematic diagram of the energy management system 4. As can be seen in this figure, the energy management system 4 includes a detector 200, a controller 210, an adapter 220, a power manager 230, a switching manager 240 and a charging control device 250.
[0038] Detector 200 is a system designed to receive various data from aircraft 2, which it will optionally process and transmit totally or in part to the automaton 210, and to the adapter 220.
[0039] Thus, the data received by detector 200 is of two main types: - on the one hand, status data indicating the state (stress level, temperature, limit, operating state, fault state, etc.) of the elements of the aircraft's power consumption electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system 4, and - on the other hand, energy data relating to the instantaneous electrical power demanded by the motors 52, 54, 56, 58, 82, 84, 86, 88 of the rotors 42, 44, 46, 48, 72, 74, 76, 78 and / or the motors 24 and 34 of the thrusters 26 and 36, and / or the current of the aircraft's stored electrical energy sources 50, 60, 80 and 90 and / or the charging state of the aircraft's stored electrical energy sources 50. 60, 80 and 90.
[0040] Thus, detector 200 has an overall view of the functional state of the elements related to the consumption of electrical power, that is to say on the one hand the presence of a failure or not as well as the flight phase of aircraft 2, but also the energy state of these elements.
[0041] In what follows, the expression instantaneous electrical power demanded will always refer to the electrical power that is called by the motors 52, 54, 56, 58, 82, 84, 86, 88 of the rotors 42, 44, 46, 48, 72, 74, 76, 78 and / or the motors 24 and 34 of the thrusters 26 and 36, unless another definition is explicitly mentioned.
[0042] The automaton 210, in the example described here, is a finite automaton, an example of which is shown in the figure. As can be seen in this figure, the automaton 210 has four possible states: - a "buffer" state 300, in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is less than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s) 18 and 20, and is supplied entirely by them; - a "charging" state 310, in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is less than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s) and is supplied entirely by them, and in which the electrical generation source(s) produce a surplus of power used to recharge the stored electrical energy source(s); - a "turbo" state 320, in which the instantaneous electrical power demand is greater than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s).and where the stored electrical energy source(s) provide the necessary supplement to reach the instantaneous electrical power required, and - an optional "silent" state 330, in which the electrical energy sources 18 and 20 are intentionally switched off to reduce noise, which also reduces pollutant emissions.
[0043] The automaton 210 has transitions which are designed to ensure: - on the one hand a minimal risk in the determination of state transitions, in order to limit the risks of failure related to the automaton 210 (and therefore to the energy management system 4), - on the other hand a recharging of the batteries 50, 60, 80, 90 as frequently as possible.
[0044] For this reason, the state transitions are based on two variables: - the current produced by the electrical generation sources or the current from the stored electrical energy sources, - the battery recharge rate 50, 60, 80, 90.
[0045] As a priority, as soon as the instantaneous electrical power demand exceeds the electrical power capacity of the power generation sources 18 and 20, the buffer or load state switches to the turbo state. Indeed, in this case, it is crucial to operate batteries 50, 60, 80, and 90 and the power generation sources 18 and 20 simultaneously to provide sufficient electrical power to implement the flight controls. Another way to view this condition is that the turbo state must be triggered as soon as the power generation sources 18 and 20 reach their maximum electrical power output.
[0046] Secondly, when the instantaneous electrical power demand is less than the electrical power capacity of the electrical generation sources 18 and 20, the priority is to recharge the batteries.
[0047] Thus, the PLC 210 can transition from the buffer state to the load state or to the turbo state, and from the load state to the turbo state, and it can transition from the load state to the buffer state or from the turbo state to the buffer state. However, it cannot transition from the turbo state to the load state: it must first transition to the buffer state.
[0048] The reason for this is that, in this way, each state transition is conditioned by a single change in conditions, either affecting the instantaneous electrical power demand or the battery charge level. Thus, the reliability of the PLC 210 is improved because the risks of multiple successive transitions or non-transitions are minimized. In other embodiments, the transitions between states could be implemented differently, for example, to avoid power variations associated with passing through the buffer state.
[0049] The silent state 330 is an option in that it depends on manual activation by the aircraft pilot 2. The pilot sends a command to shut down the electrical power sources 18 and 20, which transitions all states to the silent state. Similar to the load and turbo states, when this command is deactivated, the controller 210 transitions back to the buffer state.
[0050] The buffer state thus constitutes a starting state and a fundamental state in that it ensures the reliable operation of the PLC 210. It should be noted that the parameters defining the transitions can vary. For example, the transition from the buffer state to the charging state can be conditioned by a battery charge threshold (50, 60, 80, 90), and this threshold can itself be modified according to the operational, functional, and / or flight program of aircraft 2. Similarly, the electrical power capacity of the power generation sources 18 and 20 can be modified according to the operational, functional, and / or flight program of aircraft 2. For example, in certain failure scenarios, it may be necessary to operate one or more of the power generation sources 18 and 20 at a capacity higher than their nominal capacity, for example, 120%. The transition threshold to the turbo state must then be adjusted accordingly.This adaptation is carried out in the example described here by the adapter 220 which adapts the transition threshold, and by the power manager 230 which sends this information to the control card of the electrical generation source (respectively to the control cards of the electrical generation sources).
[0051] Alternatively, the switch to the silent state could not be purely manual, but take into account the environment of aircraft 2, for example taking into account one or more parameters such as flight altitude and geographical location.
[0052] The 220 adapter is configured to receive status data from detector 200. Based on this data, the 220 adapter can determine a fault state and a corresponding backup electrical configuration. For example, if the status data received from detector 200 indicates that motor 52 has failed, then the 220 adapter determines that the vertical drive unit 10 must be isolated, and it sends back an electrical configuration indicating the need for this isolation and to shut down the components it comprises.
[0053] The 220 adapter contains a table of all possible fault configurations and the corresponding backup electrical configuration for each. Similarly, if the 220 adapter determines that no fault is occurring, it can return a nominal electrical configuration that might, for example, take into account aircraft flight phase 2. The fact that the 220 adapter contains a table with all possible fault configurations is intended to prevent any errors. Alternatively, the 220 adapter could use logical operations to determine the backup electrical configuration.
[0054] In practice, the electrical configuration, whether nominal or emergency, reflects the fact that isolation switches and / or shutdown controls must be activated. Indeed, each element of the circuit is connected to the rest of the circuit by a switch (not shown), and energy consumers and producers are further controlled to switch on or off.
[0055] If we take the example of the failure of motor 52, then the 220 adapter determines an emergency electrical configuration that isolates the vertical drive unit 10 as shown in the diagram. This results in an emergency electrical configuration that indicates that all the switches within the vertical drive unit 10, i.e. the switch between the AC-DC converter 104 and the input of the vertical drive unit 10 connected to the DC-AC converter 62, the switch between the AC-DC converter 106 and the input of the vertical drive unit 10 connected to the DC-AC converter 64, the switch between the battery 50 and the rest of the vertical drive unit 10, and a shutdown command for motors 52 and 54.This emergency electrical configuration also indicates that all switches within the vertical drive group 12 must be activated to switch power to this group, as well as switch 28 which must switch to the vertical drive group 12.
[0056] The power manager 230 receives on the one hand the state of the automaton 210, and on the other hand the electrical configuration of the adapter 220. On this basis, the power manager 230 can control the stored electrical energy sources 50, 60, 80 and 90 and / or the electrical generation sources 18 and 20 according to the energy regime corresponding to the state of the automaton 210 and the extinction information indicated by the electrical configuration of the adapter 220.
[0057] For example, during takeoff, with the silent mode activated, the power manager 230 sends a command to shut down the electrical generation sources 18 and 20. Shutdown means that the power manager 230 issues a command to disconnect the relevant components of the electrical system. In practice, this command can result in a so-called "superidle" mode where the energy sources in question operate at a very low speed, thus avoiding shutting them down for safety reasons (risk of restart problems).
[0058] Alternatively, this shutdown can be translated into a literal electrical shutdown: - during takeoff, in the charge state, the power manager 230 sends a command to increase the power of the electrical generation sources 18 and 20 to reduce the power emitted by batteries 50, 60, 80, and 90 to 0; - during takeoff, in turbo mode, the power manager 230 sends a command to increase the power of the electrical generation sources 18 and 20 to their maximum capacity; - during cruise flight, in the charge state, the power manager 230 sends a command to increase the power of the electrical generation sources 18 and 20 until the power emitted by batteries 50, 60, 80, and 90 is equal to the inverse of the charging power indicated by the BMS (i.e., in practice, that the batteries receive this charging power),- During cruise flight, in buffer mode, power manager 230 sends a command to increase the power of electrical generation sources 18 and 20 to reduce the power emitted by batteries 50, 60, 80, and 90 to 0. - During descent, in buffer mode, power manager 230 sends a command to increase the power of electrical generation sources 18 and 20 to reduce the power emitted by batteries 50, 60, 80, and 90 to 0. - During landing, in buffer mode, power manager 230 sends a command to increase the power of electrical generation sources 18 and 20 to reduce the power emitted by batteries 50, 60, 80, and 90 to 0. - During landing, in turbo mode, power manager 230 sends a command to increase the power of the power of electrical generation sources 18 and 20 at their maximum capacity, etc.,
[0059] The 240 switching manager is designed to deterministically and reliably determine the optimal configuration of switches in the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system. As will be seen below, it combines a graph whose states define the electrical configurations; the transition from one vertex to another is governed by changes in the state data.
[0060] Thus, it appears that: - all the elements of the circuit consuming or producing power are connected to detector 200 to indicate their state, - all the elements of the circuit that supply power are controlled by the power manager 230, - all the switches and on / off controls are controlled by the switching manager 240.
[0061] Thus, the energy management system of the invention completely separates the management of the power production mode (via the PLC 210) and the management of the electrical configuration of the circuit for consuming this power (via the adapter 220). The power manager 230 and the switching manager 240 are intentionally simplified components, each receiving the outputs of the PLC 210 and the adapter 220, and using these outputs to control the power supplies and switches, respectively.
[0062] This decoupling of electrical circuit control is particularly innovative and interesting because it establishes an architecture that can be deployed quickly and reliably on all types of hybrid aircraft, regardless of the redundancy of their design.
[0063] Finally, the load control device 250 receives information from the PLC 210 and the adapter 220, and transmits data to the power manager 230 and the switching manager 240. The role of the load control device 250 is to interact with the various energy management elements in the aircraft 2 in order to manage the recharging of the stored electrical energy sources, and in particular to allow pooled charging.
[0064] Although the 250 charge control device may be advantageous, it remains optional for the implementation of the invention.
[0065] Figure 1 represents an example of a graph implemented by the 240 switching manager. In the example shown, the graph has 10 vertices and is closed. These 10 vertices represent the 8 distinct electrical configurations that are possible for all the aircraft's switches. No other configurations are possible.
[0066] The transition from one node to another, that is, from one electrical configuration to another, is contingent upon the occurrence of events that modify the state data. For example, the transition from startup configuration 1 to configuration 2 is contingent upon the state data indicating that flag 1P (Flag_1P on the node) is set to "true" and flag 2P (Flag_2P on the node) is set to "true". With lower priority, setting flag 1P to true triggers the transition to temporary configuration 1, and so on. This means that if the conditions for transitioning from configuration 1 to configuration 2 are met, configuration 2 is implemented.
[0067] Thus, at each time step, the 240 switching manager can evaluate the current electrical configuration to be used, and determine from a matrix associating each electrical configuration identifier (e.g., 1 for the start configuration, etc.) to the state of each switch in the aircraft's high-voltage electrical circuit.
[0068] This operating principle is highly innovative because it is deterministic. In the current state of the art, this type of operation is disregarded in favor of direct determination at the level of each switch. Thus, the 240 switching manager allows for better control of failure risks, as the number of electrical configurations is known and controlled.
[0069] Furthermore, the 240 switching manager can be configured to control the transition between two electrical configurations. Indeed, determining the electrical configuration and sending the switching command to the relevant switches is one thing, but ensuring that this command is actually received and physically executed at the switches is quite another.
[0070] To ensure that only the intended electrical configurations are implemented, the 240 switching manager can be configured to check the actual state of the switches before switching between two configurations (see Flag_blocking). Thus, if the previous electrical configuration required switch #4 to be open, but it is still closed, the 240 switching manager can block the transmission of commands corresponding to the current electrical configuration that the 240 switching manager has just determined.
[0071] In a first embodiment, the switching manager 240 can be arranged to wait until all switches (or a subset thereof) of the previous electrical configuration are in their expected state before triggering the transition to the current electrical configuration.
[0072] This can be achieved by setting a blocking flag at each switch or only some of them: if a given switch has a state that corresponds to the previous electrical configuration, then the blocking flag is deactivated since the switch is in the expected state.
[0073] Conversely, the blocking flag is activated because the switch is not in the expected state. Then, all or only some of the blocking flags can be taken into account by the 240 switching manager to block or issue commands corresponding to the current electrical configuration. For example, by having a command bypass that maintains the command corresponding to the previous electrical configuration if one or more specific blocking flags are activated, or not, and that allows the command signal of the current electrical configuration to pass in the opposite case.
[0074] As another example, determining the state of each blocking flag can be done in a binary fashion. In the first phase, as soon as commands associated with a current electrical configuration are sent, all blocking flags are initialized to "on." Then, each blocking flag is regularly compared to the state of the switch it corresponds to, and as soon as the two match, that blocking flag is set to "off" until commands for the next current electrical configuration are issued. Alternatively, the state of each flag can be re-evaluated at each operating loop of the 240 switching manager.
[0075] In a second embodiment, the switching manager 240 is configured to determine blocking flags based on the previous electrical configuration, state data, and the current electrical configuration. Indeed, it may happen that a switch needs to be in an "on" state in the previous electrical configuration, a state it does not have when the current electrical configuration is determined, but a state that corresponds to the expected state in the current electrical configuration. In this case, it is advantageous to set the blocking flag to "off," since the switch's state is compatible with its desired state in the current electrical configuration. For example, as can be seen in Figure 1, the transition between configuration 2 and configuration 5 does not require a blocking flag.
Claims
An aircraft energy management system with a hybrid energy source comprising at least three stored electrical energy sources and one electrical generation source, characterized in that it comprises: - a detector (200) arranged to determine, on the one hand, state data indicating a state of the elements of the aircraft's power consumption electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system, and on the other hand, energy data relating to the instantaneous electrical power demanded by the aircraft and / or the current of the aircraft's stored electrical energy sources, and / or the charging state of the aircraft's stored electrical energy sources, - a controller (210) arranged to receive the energy data from the detector (200) and to determine a control state of the energy sources,the automaton (210) comprising at least three states in the group comprising: * a buffer state in which the instantaneous electrical power demanded is less than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s) and is supplied by the latter, * a charge state in which the instantaneous electrical power demanded is less than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s) and is supplied entirely by the electrical generation source(s), and in which the electrical generation source(s) produces a surplus of power used to recharge the stored electrical energy source(s), * a turbo state in which the instantaneous electrical power demanded is greater than the capacity of the electrical generation source(s), and in which the stored electrical energy source(s) provide the necessary supplement to reach the instantaneous electrical power demanded,- an adapter (220) arranged to receive status data and to determine a backup electrical configuration when the status data indicates a fault, - a power manager (230) arranged to receive status information from the PLC (210) and to determine an electrical command for the stored electrical energy source(s) (50, 60, 80, 90) and the electrical generation source(s) (18, 20), and - a switching manager (240) arranged to periodically determine a current electrical configuration identifier based on a previous electrical configuration identifier and status data from the detector (200), by traversing a graph in which the transition from one electrical configuration state to another is conditioned by a combination of status data,to obtain a current electrical configuration from the current electrical configuration identifier and a matrix linking, on the one hand, an electrical configuration identifier and, on the other hand, the state of each of the switches in the aircraft's high-voltage circuit for each electrical configuration, and to issue commands to the switches in the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the power management system to implement the current electrical configuration. System according to claim 1, wherein the switching manager (240) is further arranged, after issuing commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement the current electrical configuration, to determine, for at least one of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit, a blocking flag whose state is inactivated if its state corresponds to the state of the current electrical configuration, and activated otherwise. System according to claim 2, wherein the switching manager (240) is further arranged to block the issuance of commands to at least some of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system whose blocking flag is activated. System according to claim 2, wherein the switching manager (240) is further arranged to block the emission of commands to at least some of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system as soon as a blocking flag is activated. System according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the switching manager (240) is arranged to issue commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the power management system to implement a current electrical configuration, to set the state of each blocking flag to activated, and to set the state of a given blocking flag to inactivated when it detects that the state of the corresponding switch matches its state in that current electrical configuration. System according to claim 2 to 5, wherein the switching manager (240) is arranged, when a blocking flag is activated for a duration greater than a given threshold, to issue commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement a backup electrical configuration. Energy management method for an aircraft with a hybrid power source comprising at least one rechargeable power source and one power generation source, characterized in that it comprises the following operations: a) determining on the one hand state data indicating a state of the elements of the aircraft's power consumption electrical circuit controlled by the energy management method, and on the other hand energy data relating to the instantaneous electrical power demanded by the aircraft and / or the charging state of the aircraft's rechargeable power sources, b) transmitting the energy data from operation a) to an automated system (210) arranged to determine a control state of the power sources,the automaton (210) comprising at least three states in the group comprising: * a buffer state in which the instantaneous electrical power demanded is less than the capacity of the electrical generating source(s) and is supplied by the latter, * a charge state in which the instantaneous electrical power demanded is less than the capacity of the electrical generating source(s) and is supplied entirely by the electrical generating source(s), and in which the electrical generating source(s) produces a surplus of power used to recharge the rechargeable electrical source(s), * a turbo state in which the instantaneous electrical power demanded is greater than the capacity of the electrical generating source(s), and in which the rechargeable electrical source(s) provide the necessary additional power to reach the instantaneous electrical power demanded,c) determine an electrical command for the rechargeable electrical source(s) (50, 60, 80, 90) and the electrical generation source(s) (18, 20) as a function of the instantaneous electrical power required and the state of the PLC determined in operation b), d) determine a current electrical configuration identifier as a function of a previous electrical configuration identifier and state data from operation a), by traversing a graph in which the transition from one electrical configuration state to another is conditioned by a combination of state data, e) obtain a current electrical configuration from the current electrical configuration identifier of operation e) and a matrix linking on the one hand an electrical configuration identifier and on the other hand the state of each of the switches in the aircraft's high-voltage circuit for each electrical configuration,(f) issue commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement the current electrical configuration of operation (e). A method according to claim 7, further comprising operation g) after operation f), determining, for at least one of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit, a blocking flag whose state is inactivated if its state corresponds to the state of the current electrical configuration, and activated otherwise. Method according to claim 8, wherein operation f) comprises blocking the command emission to at least some of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system whose blocking flag is activated. A method according to claim 8, wherein operation f) comprises blocking the command emission to at least some of the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system as soon as a blocking flag is activated. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein operation g) comprises g1) setting, upon sending commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement a current electrical configuration, the state of each blocking flag to activated, and g2) setting the state of a given blocking flag to inactivated when it detects that the state of the corresponding switch matches its state in that current electrical configuration. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising operation h) issuing commands to the switches of the high-voltage electrical circuit controlled by the energy management system to implement a backup electrical configuration when a blocking flag is activated for a period exceeding a given threshold. Computer program comprising instructions to implement the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12 when said computer program is executed on a computer. Data storage medium on which this computer program according to claim 13 is recorded.