Fault-Tolerant Solid State Power Controller With Sectional Fault Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High current solid state power controllers (SSPCs) face reliability issues due to increased component parallelization, which can lead to faults causing damage and hazardous conditions such as electrical fires, especially in applications like aircraft power distribution where reliability and fault isolation are critical.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a high current SSPC with multiple sections of power switching blocks and protection circuitry that isolates faults within each section, preventing fault propagation to other sections or the load, using fuses and gate resistors to manage excessive currents and voltages, and ensuring continued functionality with minimal performance reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a large number of power switching components are parallelized to achieve higher current capacity, then the current handling capability is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to increased component count and potential fault propagation
Solution Approach 1:
The power switching network is divided into multiple independently protected modules, where each module contains a subset of parallel power switching components. Protection circuitry is implemented at the module level to isolate faults locally, preventing them from propagating to other modules. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high current capacity through parallelization while preserving reliability by containing potential failures within isolated segments.
2Reliability
If protection circuitry is added to isolate faults in each section, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into modular sections with protection circuitry implemented at each module level rather than requiring system-wide complex protection schemes. This modular approach distributes the complexity across identical, reusable units, making the overall system more manageable and maintainable despite the added protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Each module incorporates its own protection circuitry that automatically detects and responds to faults within that module without requiring external intervention or complex centralized control. The protection circuitry monitors current flow and automatically isolates faulty components, enabling the system to protect itself with relatively simple local circuits rather than complex external protection systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A solid state power controller for delivering power to a load is provided. The solid state power controller includes a set of sections, where each section includes at least one power switching block. The solid state power controller further includes protection circuitry in each section. The protection circuitry is configured to prevent a fault occurring in one power switching block to propagate to the other sections, to other power switching blocks, or to the load.