INTELLIGENT AIRCRAFT SECONDARY POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM THAT FACILITATES CONDITION BASED MAINTENANCE

• US 20080217471A1
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: YU, WENJIANG, LIU, GUANGJUN G., DiVITO, ROCCO, LIU, ZHENNING Z., YE, YANG, FULLER, RANDY J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/1R
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/02 using a single network for simultaneous distribution of power at different frequencies; using a single network for simultaneous distribution of ac power and of dc power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency

Abstract

An electrical power distribution system comprises a solid state power controller in communication with an aircraft system main data bus via a gateway module and a condition based maintenance module in communication with the solid state power controller via a communication network distinct from the main data bus. A method of load/feeder health assessment for an electrical power distribution system includes applying a controlled excitation to a load; sampling information from the load/feeder system for the load; characterizing a normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load; determining if the load characteristics are within the normal behavior profile for the load; and shutting down power to the load if load characteristics are not within the profile when immediate action is indicated or generating a health message for the load when immediate action is not required.

Claims

1. An electrical power distribution system comprising:

a solid state power controller in communication with a main data bus via a gateway module; and

a condition based maintenance module in communication with the solid state power controller via a communication network distinct from the main data bus.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication network is a wireless network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the solid state power controller additionally communicates with the condition based maintenance module using an internal data bus.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the condition based maintenance module communicates with a core processing I/O module via the communication network.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless transceiver connecting the solid state power controller to the communication network.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the solid state power controller (SSPC) includes a supervisory controller;

the supervisory controller controls at least one of a plurality of SSPC channels; and

further comprising;

a wireless transceiver connected to the supervisory controller and communicating data with the at least one SSPC channel via the supervisory controller over the communication network.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the solid state power controller (SSPC) includes a supervisory controller;

the supervisor controller controls at least one of a plurality of SSPC channels; and

further comprising;

a plurality of wireless transceivers wherein at least one of the wireless transceivers is connected to an SSPC engine of the at least one SSPC channel and communicates data with the SSPC engine over the communication network.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the condition based maintenance module additionally communicates with a core processing I/O module via an internal data bus in communication with the main data bus.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the solid state power controller communicates with a core processing I/O module via an internal data bus in communication with the main data bus.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising

at least one remote sensor in communication with the communication network.

11. An aircraft secondary electrical power distribution system comprising:

a solid state power controller that manages power for a load and is in communication with a wireless communication network;

a remote sensor in proximity to the load and operable to sense a health condition of the load, wherein the remote sensor is in communication with the solid state power controller over the wireless communication network; and

a condition based maintenance module in communication with the solid state power controller over the wireless communication network.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the remote sensor is in communication with the condition based maintenance module over the wireless communication network.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the solid state power controller includes a supervisory controller connected to a transceiver in communication with the wireless communication network.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the solid state power controller (SSPC) controls a plurality of SSPC channels and each SSPC channel has a distinct one of a plurality of transceivers in communication with the wireless communication network so that each SSPC channel is independently in communication with the wireless communication network.

15. A method of load/feeder health assessment for an electrical power distribution system, comprising:

applying a controlled excitation to a load;

sampling information from the load/feeder system for the load; and

characterizing a normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining if load characteristics are within the normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

shutting down power to the load when load characteristics are not within the normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the sampling information comprises:

sampling at least one of a load current and a load voltage by a solid state power controller that controls power to the load; and

sampling a health condition of the load by a remote sensor operable to sense the health condition of the load, the remote sensor in communication with the solid state power controller via a wireless communication network.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the characterizing normal behavior comprises:

retrieving a load profile from a load profile database;

determining if load characteristics are within the normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load;

determining if the load profile database needs to be updated; and

updating the load profile database if needed.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining if load characteristics are within the normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load;

determining whether immediate action is required in response to load characteristics not being within the normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load;

shutting down power to the load when immediate action is required; and

sending a health condition message for the load when immediate action is not required.