Aircraft Battery Pack Architecture With Cross-Linked Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric aircrafts face challenges in ensuring redundancy in power systems to avoid single points of failure, efficient battery charging based on flight information, and safe power shutdown for first responders in the event of a crash.
Innovation Solution
A high voltage power system is implemented with paired battery pack units that are electrically separate, connected via cross-links with fuses, and controlled by a battery management system to ensure redundancy and safe power distribution, including low voltage cut loops for emergency shutdown.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If battery packs are connected in a paired unit with cross-links, then redundancy is improved and failure propagation is prevented, but device complexity increases due to additional electrical connections and control systems
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is divided into multiple paired battery pack units, where each unit contains two battery packs connected via cross-links. This segmentation allows redundancy at the unit level while maintaining manageable complexity through modular organization.
Solution Approach 2:
Cross-links with fuses are pre-configured between battery packs within each paired unit before operation. This preliminary arrangement ensures that redundancy is immediately available and that failure propagation can be quickly interrupted without requiring complex real-time decision-making.
2Productivity
If a single point of charging is used for multiple battery packs, then charging efficiency is improved and time is reduced, but reliability decreases due to potential failure propagation
Solution Approach 1:
A central charging system acts as an intermediary to manage power distribution to multiple battery packs through a single charging port. This intermediary controls power flow and can isolate individual packs, maintaining reliability while achieving efficient charging through centralized management.
Solution Approach 2:
The single charging port serves multiple battery packs simultaneously or sequentially, providing a universal interface that improves productivity. The charging system can dynamically allocate power to different packs based on their needs, achieving efficient recharging without requiring multiple physical charging points.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If low voltage cut loops are routed to the tail of the aircraft, then safety for first responders is improved through separation from high voltage lines, but device complexity increases due to additional wiring routing
Solution Approach 1:
The low voltage cut loops are physically extracted and routed to the tail of the aircraft, separating them from the high voltage battery packs located in the main body. This spatial extraction enhances safety for first responders by isolating the emergency shutdown mechanism from high voltage hazards, while the routing complexity is managed through planned wire pathways.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 1D
AI summary
A power distribution system for an aircraft, comprising a plurality of electric propeller units (EPUs), includes a first paired battery pack unit comprising a first battery electrically connected to a second battery via a first high voltage bus. The first and second batteries are configured to provide power to respectively first and second sets of EPUs of the plurality of EPUs. The system includes a second paired battery pack unit comprising a third battery electrically connected to a fourth battery via a second high voltage bus. The third and fourth batteries are configured to provide power to respectively third and fourth sets of EPUs of the plurality of EPUs. The first high voltage bus and the second high voltage bus are electrically separate from one another.