Battery Power Distribution Control for eVTOL Flight Phase Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Variations in battery state, such as SOC and temperature, occur among unit batteries in electric aircraft, particularly during high output operations like takeoff and landing, increasing the risk of battery abnormalities.
Innovation Solution
A controller that acquires battery information and executes power distribution control to reduce state variations among unit batteries during specific operation periods, excluding the immediate transition from takeoff to cruising, thereby suppressing battery abnormalities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If power distribution control is executed during high output operations (takeoff and landing), then battery state variations are reduced, but control accuracy deteriorates due to measurement errors during rapid state changes
Solution Approach 1:
The controller determines whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the start of takeoff operation before executing power distribution control. This preliminary timing check ensures that control actions are only taken when battery state measurements are accurate, avoiding the period when rapid changes cause measurement errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system dynamically adjusts its operation based on the flight phase. Power distribution control is selectively executed during cruising operation when measurements are stable, while being suspended during takeoff and landing transitions when rapid state changes occur. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining battery uniformity and ensuring measurement accuracy.
2Reliability
If power distribution control is continuously executed, then battery state variations are suppressed, but system complexity and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous control, the system executes power distribution control periodically based on flight phase detection. The controller determines the current operation phase (takeoff, cruising, or landing) and only activates power distribution control during cruising operation, creating a periodic control pattern that reduces complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller performs preliminary determination of the flight phase before executing power distribution control. By checking whether the aircraft is in cruising operation (where battery states are stable), the system avoids unnecessary control computations during transient phases, thereby reducing overall system complexity and computational burden.
3Reliability
If power distribution control is executed during transition from takeoff to cruising, then battery abnormalities are prevented, but control accuracy deteriorates due to high output load variations
Solution Approach 1:
The controller determines whether a predetermined period has elapsed since the start of takeoff operation before executing power distribution control. This timing-based preliminary check excludes the transitional period from control execution, ensuring that control actions are only taken when measurement accuracy is sufficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system dynamically adapts to flight phase transitions by selectively enabling or disabling power distribution control. During the transitional period from takeoff to cruising (and similarly during landing transitions), the controller suspends power distribution control to avoid inaccurate measurements, while resuming control during stable cruising phases where accuracy is maintained.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for controlling power supplied from a battery to an electric propulsion device configured to drive a rotary wing in an electric flight vehicle is disclosed. In the technique, battery information indicating states of unit batteries included in the battery is acquired. Power distribution control is executed to control power distribution of the unit batteries based on the battery information to reduce variation in state among the unit batteries during at least a portion of an operation period of the electric flight vehicle excluding a predetermined period immediately following transition from takeoff operation to cruising operation.