Modular Inverter Rack with Supervision Member for Aircraft Electrical Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical architectures in aircraft are inefficient due to the fixed assignment of inverters to individual electrical machines, leading to unnecessary weight and cost when machines are not in use, and render machines unusable in case of inverter failure, while managing high-frequency rotor position information for multiple machines is challenging.
Innovation Solution
A modular power rack system with a supervision member that collects machine control setpoints and position information, determines inverter setpoints, and transmits these via dedicated communication channels to inverters, allowing flexible inverter assignment and high-frequency position information management, including estimation of position information at higher frequencies when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an inverter is dedicated to a single electrical machine, then the machine control is simplified and reliable, but the system weight and cost increase due to unused inverters, and the system loses adaptability when machines are not in use or fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a modular power rack where inverters are not dedicated to specific machines but can serve multiple machines dynamically. The supervision member manages the assignment of inverters to machines based on operational needs, allowing the same inverter to control different machines at different times. This multi-functional approach reduces the total number of inverters required while maintaining reliable control, directly addressing the contradiction between reliability and weight.
2Device complexity
If an inverter is dedicated to a single electrical machine, then the control architecture is simple, but the system loses adaptability and flexibility in inverter assignment between machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control architecture into two distinct layers: a supervision member that handles high-level inverter assignment decisions, and individual inverters that execute control tasks. This segmentation allows the supervision member to manage adaptability and flexibility in inverter assignment, while the inverters maintain simple, reliable control functions. The modular structure resolves the contradiction by distributing complexity appropriately across different system levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The supervision member acts as an intermediary between the electrical machines and the inverters. It receives position information from machines, determines optimal inverter assignments, and transmits control signals to the appropriate inverters. This intermediary layer enables flexible inverter assignment while keeping the inverter-machine interface simple and reliable, directly addressing the contradiction between architectural simplicity and assignment flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If high-frequency position information is transmitted from position sensors to inverters in a modular architecture, then flexible inverter assignment is enabled, but information management complexity increases and risks degradation through pooling and transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The supervision member serves as an intermediary that manages the flow of position information from sensors to inverters. It collects position information from multiple machines, processes this data to determine optimal inverter assignments, and transmits the necessary information to the appropriate inverters. This intermediary approach enables flexible inverter assignment while centralizing information management to prevent degradation, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and information management complexity.
4Weight of moving object
If a modular power rack is implemented to reduce weight and cost, then inverter utilization improves, but the management of position information for multiple machines becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The supervision member implements a feedback mechanism where it continuously receives position information from all electrical machines, processes this information to determine optimal inverter assignments, and dynamically adjusts the assignment based on current operational conditions. This feedback loop enables the system to manage position information efficiently in a modular architecture, reducing weight while maintaining manageable information flow through intelligent, condition-based decision making.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular rack intended for an aircraft includes a set of electrical machines each equipped with a position sensor including inverters, a supervision member, a first communication channel to transmit to each of the inverters the inverter setpoint determined by the supervision member, and a second communication channel to transmit a position information item to each of the inverters, each of the inverters including a way to generate an electrical signal as a function of the inverter setpoint and of the position information transmitted by the supervision member. The first and second communication channels include a single link for the supervision member and the inverters, and transmitting both the inverter setpoints and the position information items.