VTOL Battery-Motor Architecture for Attitude Control After Failures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric-powered aerial vehicles face challenges in maintaining reliable power systems during motor and battery failures, particularly during vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and forward flight, as they require efficient fault tolerance strategies to ensure continued attitude control and thrust.
Innovation Solution
A power system architecture with multiple batteries powering subsets of electric motors, each with multiple windings, allows for automatic power routing adjustments to accommodate motor and battery failures, ensuring continued operation by redistributing power among remaining motors and batteries, and incorporating fault-tolerant designs such as ring, doublet, hexagram, and mesh architectures to maintain stability and thrust.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single battery powers each motor in a multi-motor aerial vehicle, then the power system is simple and lightweight, but the system reliability deteriorates when a battery or motor fails
Solution Approach 1:
The power system is segmented into multiple independent battery-motor pairs, where each battery can independently power one or more motors. This segmentation allows the system to isolate failures to specific segments while maintaining operation of other segments, thereby improving reliability without requiring a completely redundant system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Each battery is designed to be universal in its capability to power any motor in the system. The control system can dynamically reassign any functioning battery to power any motor that loses its primary power source, making the power distribution system multi-functional and adaptable to various failure scenarios.
2Reliability
If multiple batteries power each motor with multiple windings, then fault tolerance improves during failures, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements local quality by providing enhanced power redundancy only where needed - specifically, each motor has multiple winding sets that can be powered by different batteries. This localized approach to redundancy improves fault tolerance at the motor level without requiring complete duplication of the entire power system, thereby managing weight more effectively.
3Reliability
If power routing is automatically altered to accommodate motor or battery failures, then continued operation is maintained, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power distribution system incorporates self-service capabilities through automatic failure detection and self-healing power routing. When a battery or motor failure is detected, the control system automatically reconfigures power distribution without requiring manual intervention, allowing the system to maintain operation while managing control complexity through automated responses.
4Adaptability or versatility
If each motor has two or more sets of windings powered by different batteries, then the system can accommodate motor failure, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motor windings are pre-configured with multiple independent sets during manufacturing, each designed to be powered by different batteries. This preliminary action of pre-configuring multiple winding sets allows the motors to accommodate failures in operation without requiring complex real-time manufacturing or field modifications, thereby managing manufacturing complexity while achieving adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the reliability and fault tolerance of electric-powered aerial vehicles, enabling them to maintain proper attitude control and sufficient thrust even in the event of motor or battery failures, thereby ensuring safe and efficient operation across various flight modes.
Implementation Method 1
electric motors used on aerial vehicles
Data Source
AI summary
A power system with a reliability enhancing battery architecture for electric motors adapted for use in an aerial vehicle. Individual batteries may be used to power a subset two or more motors in systems with six or more motors, for example. Each motor may be powered may be powered by two or more subsets of batteries, allowing accommodation for motor failure. With a failed motor in a vertical take-off or landing mode, power may be diverted to other motors to continue proper attitude control, and to provide sufficient thrust. With a failed motor a second motor offset from the failed motor may be powered down to facilitate attitude control.