Aircraft Power Architecture Controller for Generator Failure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Aircraft power systems face challenges in ensuring continuous power supply to essential electrical loads during primary generator failure, requiring a robust and redundant power architecture to manage emergency demands effectively.

Innovation Solution

A power architecture featuring a variable frequency primary and secondary generator system, an essential power bus, and a controller module that disconnects the primary generator and connects the secondary generator to the essential power bus upon failure, ensuring proportional power supply to essential loads through a backup distribution box.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a primary generator system is used to supply power to essential loads, then the system operates efficiently under normal conditions, but the system fails to provide continuous power supply when the primary generator fails

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous power supply reliabilityVSAvoidpower system architecture complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a backup generator system that is pre-configured and ready to supply power before failure occurs. The controller is programmed to automatically detect primary generator failure and switch to backup power sources (battery and capacitor) without manual intervention, ensuring continuous power supply to essential loads while maintaining system simplicity through automated preliminary arrangements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates energy storage devices (battery and capacitor) that are charged in advance to cushion against power supply interruptions. These devices provide immediate power support during the transition from primary to backup generation, preventing power gaps and ensuring uninterrupted supply to essential loads while keeping the overall system architecture manageable

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If redundant AC to AC power conversion components are added to ensure continuous power supply during failure, then reliability improves, but system weight increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower supply continuity during failureVSAvoidpower system weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple power conversion functions into a single integrated controller that manages both the primary generator and backup power sources. This unified control architecture eliminates the need for separate AC to AC conversion components, reducing system weight while maintaining the ability to provide continuous power supply through coordinated operation of the generator, battery, and capacitor

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a variable frequency generator that can operate across a wide frequency range to directly power variable frequency loads without requiring fixed-frequency AC to AC conversion. This parameter flexibility allows the system to maintain reliability during failure while avoiding the weight penalty of traditional frequency conversion equipment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10530153B2Method and apparatus for operating a power system architecture

Publication Date: 2020.01.07 GE AVIATION SYSTEMS LLC

AI summary

A method and apparatus for operating a power architecture for an aircraft, includes a primary variable frequency generator system having a first power output, a secondary variable frequency generator system having a second power output, a power distribution node, an essential power bus selectively connected with a set of essential aircraft electrical loads, and a controller module.