eVTOL Flight Control Allocation for Battery-Isolated Energy Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric VTOL aircraft face challenges in control allocation due to over-actuation and complex thermal management, particularly with multiple propulsion units and actuators, which affect energy efficiency and component temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for determining and adjusting control commands based on energy states of isolated battery packs and engine temperatures, generating control commands for effectors to optimize energy use and manage thermal conditions in electric aircraft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple propulsion units and actuators are used in electric VTOL aircraft, then vertical lift and forward thrust capabilities are improved, but control allocation complexity and thermal management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple independent control modules, each responsible for specific propulsion units and actuators. This segmentation allows the complex control allocation problem to be divided into smaller, more manageable sub-problems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining the capabilities of multiple propulsion units
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple propulsion units and actuators are used in electric VTOL aircraft, then vertical lift and forward thrust capabilities are improved, but thermal management difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal management system implements local quality by providing dedicated cooling channels and thermal regulation for each propulsion unit and actuator based on their specific thermal loads. This localized approach allows precise temperature control of individual components while managing the overall thermal environment of the multi-propulsion system
3Reliability
If battery packs are electrically isolated for safety, then system reliability is improved, but energy state monitoring and control complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system implements a universal energy management module that can monitor and manage the energy states of multiple electrically isolated battery packs through a standardized interface. This multi-functional approach allows the system to maintain electrical isolation for safety while simplifying energy state monitoring through a unified control architecture
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed embodiments generally relate to systems and methods for flight control of aircrafts. In some embodiments, a flight control system is configured to determine desired commands for the electric aircraft, determine at least one reference command for an effector based on the desired commands and one or more aircraft conditions, monitor energy states of the plurality of battery packs, where at least a first battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is electrically isolated from at least a second battery pack of the plurality of battery packs, adjust the at least one reference command based on the monitored energy states of the plurality of battery packs, generate control commands for the plurality of effectors based on the adjusted at least one effector reference command, and control the plurality of effectors according to the generated control commands to meet the one or more desired commands of the electric aircraft.