MODULAR ELECTRICAL ACCUMULATOR UNIT

• US 20120043822A1
• Filed: 08/19/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Swenson, Josh C., Nguyen, Vietson M.
• Application Number:
  US12/859,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20120043822A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/82
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A modular electrical accumulator unit includes multiple electrical accumulator unit modules, which are operated in conjunction with each other to form a single electrical accumulator unit.

Claims

1. A modular electrical accumulator unit comprising:

a plurality of electrical accumulator modules, wherein each of said modules comprises;

an energy storage component;

a power converter electrically coupled to said converter;

a pair of electrical connectors for connecting said modules to a power bus;

a power switch capable of isolating said module from said power bus; and

an electrical controller coupled to each of said power switches, thereby allowing said electrical controller to control a connection to the power bus of each of said plurality of modules.

2. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 1, wherein said electrical accumulator unit further comprises a power filter for connecting each of said pairs of electrical connectors to the power bus.

3. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 1, wherein each of said modules further comprises a power filter connecting said pair of electrical connectors to said power converter.

4. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 3, wherein said power filter comprises a ripple filter component and an electromagnetic interference filter component.

5. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 3, wherein each of said power converters comprises a buck-boost converter circuit.

6. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 5, wherein each of said buck-boost converter circuits comprises a plurality of parallel, phase shifted, buck boost converter circuits configured to operate in conjunction with each other.

7. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 3, wherein at least one of said power storage components is a first power storage component type, and wherein at least another of said power storage components is a second power storage component type.

8. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 7, wherein at least one of said power storage components comprises an ultra capacitor.

9. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 8, wherein at least one of said power storage components comprises a high voltage battery.

10. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 3, wherein each of said modules is connected to the power bus in a parallel configuration.

11. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 8, wherein each of said modules is interleaved.

12. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 3, wherein said controller further comprises electrical couplings to at least one of said power filter, said power converter, and said power storage component in each of said modules.

13. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 3, wherein said controller is configured such that each of said modules can be activated and utilized independent of the other modules.

14. The modular electrical accumulator unit of claim 1, wherein said power switch interrupts one of said pair of electrical connections.

15. A method for operating a power system comprising the steps of:

converting said power from a generator into DC power format;

providing said DC power to a DC power bus, said DC power bus providing power to a variable load and to a plurality of electrical accumulator unit modules; and

controlling said plurality of electrical accumulator unit modules using a dedicated electrical accumulator unit controller.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining a number of modules required to provide a needed amount of power; and

connecting a number of charged modules to said DC power bus equal to the number of modules needed, thereby providing additional power to said variable load.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a number of fully or partially discharged modules using a controller; and

connecting each of said fully or partially discharged modules to said DC power bus using a power switch controlled by said controller.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a faulty module using said controller;

electrically isolating said faulty module using a power switch controlled by said controller, thereby allowing continued operation of said power system.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining if a connected load exceeds a maximum load of a generator;

providing supplemental power to a connected load when said maximum load is exceeded; and

at least a portion of said modules accepting and storing excess power when said maximum load is not exceeded.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining if a connected load is providing power back to a generator; and

at least a portion of said modules accepting and storing power provided by said load.