Non-Voltage-Regulated Electrical Architecture for Aircraft Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical architectures for vehicles, particularly aircraft, are weight-penalty prone due to the need for high-power electricity converters to manage diverse electrical energy sources with varying voltages, leading to significant weight and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method and architecture that directly connects multiple electrical energy sources, including rechargeable storage devices and power generation devices, to a non-voltage-regulated main electricity network, eliminating the need for converters and allowing each source to supply power at varying voltages, with regulation of internal voltages to ensure continuous power delivery to equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional electrical architectures use electricity converters to regulate voltage from diverse energy sources, then voltage stability is improved, but weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the electricity converter component from the system by directly connecting diverse energy sources to the main electricity network. The architecture accepts voltage variations from different sources (batteries, supercapacitors, generators) without active regulation, thereby eliminating the weight penalty of converters while maintaining system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameter of the main electricity network from voltage-regulated to non-voltage-regulated mode. By allowing voltage to vary according to the connected energy source, the system eliminates the need for voltage conversion equipment, directly resolving the weight-stability contradiction.
2Ease of operation
If electricity converters are used to manage diverse energy sources, then power distribution control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the electricity converter from the power distribution system. Instead of using active conversion equipment to manage diverse energy sources, the architecture relies on direct connections and passive voltage acceptance, significantly reducing device complexity while maintaining operational capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If voltage regulation is implemented to accommodate varying voltage from energy sources, then equipment compatibility is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of regulating voltage to match equipment requirements, the patent inverts the approach by having equipment tolerate voltage variations from different energy sources. The main electricity network accepts voltage as-is from batteries, supercapacitors, and generators, eliminating the need for weightly voltage regulation equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of electrically powering a non-voltage-regulated electricity network, and also to an electrical architecture. The electrical architecture comprises: a plurality of sources of electrical energy including both at least one rechargeable electrical energy storage device and also an electrical power generation device a main electricity network electrically connected directly to the sources of electrical energy; and pieces of electrical equipment electrically powered by the main electricity network. The method comprises both a first powering step for electrically powering the main electricity network by the rechargeable electrical energy storage device and also a second powering step for electrically powering the main electricity network by the electrical power generation device, followed by a regulating step for regulating an internal voltage of the electrical power generation device as a function of the first power delivered by the rechargeable electrical energy storage device.