NETWORK-BASED AIRCRAFT SECONDARY ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
First Claim
1. An electric power distribution system comprising:
- at least one source of electrical power;
at least one load connected by a conductor to said at least one source of electrical power;
a switch disposed across said conductor, said switch connecting said load to said at least one source of electrical power when in a closed state and disconnecting said load from said at least one source of electrical power when in an open state;
at least one master node; and
a wireless communication network carrying commands from said master node to said switch to open said switch and commands to close said switch.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for control of an electric power distribution system is provided, which uses a communication network for centralized monitoring and control of the supply of electricity to a load. In one embodiment, the invention may use a wireless communication system connecting control nodes and master nodes to control and monitor a solid state power controller. As a result, the master node may remotely turn on and off the electrical power to the load. Also the control node may sense the current being supplied to the load and may turn off the supply of electrical power in the event of an over current situation. The control node may also report the state of the sensed current to the master node. In another embodiment, the communication system may be a power line carrier network.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An electric power distribution system comprising:
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at least one source of electrical power; at least one load connected by a conductor to said at least one source of electrical power; a switch disposed across said conductor, said switch connecting said load to said at least one source of electrical power when in a closed state and disconnecting said load from said at least one source of electrical power when in an open state; at least one master node; and a wireless communication network carrying commands from said master node to said switch to open said switch and commands to close said switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for sensing electrical power transferred to a load comprising:
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a load; a source of electrical power connected by a conductor to said load; a sensor connected to said conductor, said sensor detecting a current passing through said conductor; a microcontroller connected to said sensor; and a wireless communication network coupled to said sensor and to said microcontroller carrying information regarding said current detected by said sensor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for controlling an electric power distribution system comprising:
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transferring electrical power from a source to a load through a conductor, said conductor having a switch connected to a control node; sending a plurality of commands from a master node to said control node through a powerline carrier communication network, said plurality of commands including commands to open said switch and commands to close said switch; receiving said plurality of commands in said control node through said powerline carrier communication network; sending a plurality of signals to said switch from said control node, a first type of said plurality of signals causing said switch to open and a second type of said plurality of signals causing said switch to close; and opening said switch in response to said command to open said switch and closing said switch in response to said command to close said switch. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification