Shared Reserve Battery Pack for Multi-Engine Aircraft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-engine aircrafts with hybrid and electric powerplants face significant weight challenges due to the need for additional back-up batteries to meet certification requirements, as existing systems require multiple backup batteries for each engine, increasing overall weight.
Innovation Solution
A multi-engine aircraft design featuring a shared reserve battery pack and switch that can supply electric power to any of the electric motors, allowing for supplementary power distribution when needed, thereby reducing the number of batteries required and minimizing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple backup batteries are installed for each engine to meet certification requirements, then power reliability is improved, but aircraft weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the backup battery functions into a single shared reserve battery pack that can supply power to any failing engine, replacing the conventional approach of having separate backup batteries for each engine. This consolidation maintains the required redundancy and reliability while significantly reducing the total battery weight and space required in the aircraft.
Solution Approach 2:
The reserve battery pack is designed with universal functionality to support any of the multiple electric motors in the aircraft. Through a switch system, the single reserve battery can be connected to any motor that requires backup power, making the backup system multi-functional rather than dedicated to a single engine, thus reducing overall weight while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If separate backup batteries are installed for each electric motor, then power redundancy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate backup battery systems into a single integrated reserve battery pack with a common switch mechanism. This merger reduces the number of individual components and simplifies the electrical architecture while maintaining the same level of power redundancy, as the single reserve battery can be switched to support any motor that experiences a primary battery failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The switch system acts as an intermediary between the single reserve battery pack and multiple electric motors. This mediator component enables the reserve battery to selectively connect to any motor requiring backup power, simplifying the overall system by eliminating the need for multiple dedicated backup batteries and their associated complex wiring and control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-engine aircraft that includes two or more powerplants, each including an electric motor, and an electric power system controlling electrical distribution and operatively connected to the electric motors. The electric power system includes primary battery packs operatively connected to the electric motor of a respective one of the two or more powerplants, a reserve battery pack, and a switch interconnecting the reserve battery pack and the electric motors. The reserve battery pack is shared by the electric motors by the switch and configured such that the reserve battery pack provides electric power to a selected one of the electric motors.