Self-Configuring Modular Electrical System for Aerospace Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery and power systems are not capable of autonomously reconfiguring their internal series/parallel arrangement to meet evolving mission needs, are limited in expandability and reconfigurability, and lack efficient protection and monitoring capabilities, making them unsuitable for aerospace applications where size, weight, and reliability are critical.
Innovation Solution
A self-configuring modular electrical system with a distributed architecture that uses only two wires for interconnects, allowing for autonomous reconfiguration and individual cell-level control, enabling seamless operation even if a cell fails, with built-in protection and monitoring to ensure continuous power and communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If complex switching matrices and centralized control architecture are used, then power and communication can be simultaneously carried over the same electrical lines, but the system size, weight and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the battery into multiple independent modular segments (battery modules), each with its own control capabilities. This segmentation allows the system to achieve complex functionality through simple modular units connected in series or parallel, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining adaptability for power and communication operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The same two-wire electrical connection is used for multiple functions: power transmission, communication, and configuration. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate wiring harnesses for different purposes, significantly reducing system complexity and weight while maintaining full operational capability.
2Reliability
If complex chassis structures and wiring harnesses are used, then centralized control and monitoring can be achieved, but the system becomes unsuitable for aerospace applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control and monitoring functionality from a centralized architecture and places it at the module level. Each battery module contains its own control electronics, eliminating the need for complex centralized wiring harnesses and heavy chassis structures, thereby dramatically reducing system weight while maintaining reliable control and monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
Each battery module is self-contained with integrated control and monitoring capabilities, allowing it to autonomously manage its own operations. This self-service approach eliminates dependency on heavy centralized control systems, reducing overall system weight while ensuring reliable local control and monitoring at each module.
3Ease of manufacture
If modular battery packs with physical mounting interfaces are used, then easy modular replacement is achieved, but data carrying capability and automated reconfiguration are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The two-wire connection serves multiple functions simultaneously: electrical power transmission, bidirectional communication for data exchange, and configuration control for automated reconfiguration. This multi-functional design enables modular battery packs to maintain ease of replacement while gaining advanced data carrying and automated reconfiguration capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The bidirectional communication capability allows each battery module to exchange status information, health data, and configuration parameters with other modules and the central system. This feedback mechanism enables automated detection of module states and triggers reconfiguration operations, adding adaptability while maintaining modular simplicity.
4Ease of manufacture
If standardized battery systems with fixed configurations are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but expandability and reconfigurability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic reconfiguration capabilities where battery modules can be automatically arranged in different series or parallel configurations based on operational requirements. This dynamic adaptability allows standardized modules to be manufactured once but configured flexibly for various applications and expansion scenarios, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving high reconfigurability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes its electrical configuration parameters (series/parallel arrangements) dynamically based on mission requirements. Standardized battery modules maintain their physical uniformity for easy manufacturing, but their electrical connectivity parameters can be reconfigured through control signals, enabling expandability and adaptability without compromising manufacturing simplicity.
5Reliability
If individual cell-level control is implemented, then autonomous protection and reconfiguration are achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented and distributed across individual battery modules rather than centralized. Each module has its own control electronics that can autonomously monitor and protect its cells, eliminating the need for complex centralized control logic. This segmentation achieves cell-level protection and reconfiguration capability while keeping individual control units simple.
Solution Approach 2:
Each battery module autonomously monitors its own cell status and performs protective actions or reconfiguration without requiring complex external control. This self-service capability at the module level achieves reliable cell-level protection while minimizing overall system control complexity by distributing intelligence rather than concentrating it.
Data Source
AI summary
This matrix-like power/communications system is a decentralized array of scalable self-configuring modular electrical components that are easily physically and electrically replaceable and combinable into any series, parallel or bypassed state with any power supply and bi-directional data communications input; resulting in an autonomous system survivable in the harshest environments including physical shock, vibration, vacuum, radiation, thermal, and electromagnetic interference; and provides a communication interface for external control or monitoring, simultaneously being capable of reconfiguring itself if an internal battery cell failure occurs by switching in a spare cell(s) to replace a dead cell within the system for maintaining uninterrupted power and communications during the upset event, while being capable of reconfiguring itself autonomously into an arrangement of series/parallel states for charge/discharge while enabling cell balancing and continual monitoring of all individual cell parameters, and only using two wires for all component interconnection.