Modular Equipment Center Distributed Independent Protections

• US 20150103447A1
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Brouwer, Todd B., Holley, Robert D., Thomas, Terrance L., Currier, Thomas F., Karimi, Kamiar J., Dhondt, Jon J., Immanuel, Vikram D., Severns, Christopher M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,413,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/00 Emergency protective circuit arrangements specially adapted for specific types of electric machines or apparatus or for sectionalised protection of cable or line systems, and effecting automatic switching in the event of an undesired change from normal working conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc

Abstract

Distributed electronic protections and control architecture enabling simultaneous fault clearance without conflicting fault isolation logic. A plurality of modular equipment centers (MECs) is spatially distributed throughout a vehicle to service equipment loads with power and data. In one embodiment, protective functions are embedded on integrated protection chipsets (IPCs) within the distributed architecture of the vehicle. The IPCs implement a plurality of protective functions where coordinated or independent fault assessments are performed.

Claims

1. A system for providing distributed protection for electrical systems in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a plurality of modular equipment centers (MECs) spatially distributed throughout the vehicle; and

a plurality of power controllers for implement protective functions by monitoring and controlling electrical systems within the vehicle, one or more of the power controllers within each MEC configured to implement localized protective functions and perform independent fault assessments, and one or more other power controllers within the vehicle configured to perform coordinated fault assessments, wherein the plurality of power controllers implement protective actions substantially simultaneously within the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each MEC includes at least one of the power controllers configured for performing high power level protections where primary power is received at each MEC and at least one power controller configured for performing low power level protections where secondary power is distributed from each MEC.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each MEC further includes at least one power controller configured for performing high power level protections where primary power is received from another MEC.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the power controllers within each MEC configured to implement localized protective functions and perform independent fault assessments implement protective functions independent of a power controller of a power source providing power to one or more of the MECs.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the protective functions include at least one of a group of differential protection, ground fault protection, overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, undercurrent protection, unbalanced current protection, open phase protection, corona fault detection, over temperature protection, and arc fault detection.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the protective functions include voltage sensing, current sensing, current transfer, voltage RMS/phase functionality, and impedance assessment, or a combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the power controllers within each MEC configured to implement localized protective functions and perform independent fault assessments is without communication from other MECs to enable processing of fault clearances and enacting corrective actions.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a generator controller including a power controller, and wherein the power controller of the generator controller is configured to perform coordinated fault assessments along with the one or more power controllers of one or more MECs.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the power controllers of the plurality of power controllers is an integrated protection chipset (IPC).

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a dedicated IPC is embedded on each of a plurality of contactors of a MEC.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein an IPC is multiplexed across a plurality of contactors of a MEC.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more IPCs is implemented in a power distribution module of at least one MEC.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more IPCs is implemented in a primary power switching network device of at least one MEC.

14. A method for providing distributed protection and control architecture for electrical systems of a vehicle, the method comprising:

spatially distributing a plurality of modular equipment centers (MECs) throughout the vehicle;

distributing primary power from a power source to each of the MECs;

distributing secondary power from each MEC to equipment loads nearest each MEC;

providing a plurality of integrated protection chipsets (IPCs) where each IPC provides electronic protective functions;

performing high power level protections where primary power is received at each MEC from the power source; and

independently performing low power level protections where secondary power is distributed from each MEC to the equipment loads associated with each MEC.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing high power level protections where primary power is received from another MEC.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein performing high power level protections where primary power is received from another MEC comprises coordinating fault assessments between MECs.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein performing high power level protections where primary power is received from another MEC comprises implementing differential protection between MECs.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein performing high power level protections where primary power is received at each MEC from the power source comprises implementing differential protection between a power generator and a primary MEC.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising sharing data digitally across one or more communication channels between the plurality of MECs for implementing differential protection.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein performing high and low power level protections are each performed by IPCs associated with each respective MEC.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein independently performing low power level protections is performed independent of power controllers of the power source.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating a status of protective functions implemented by one IPC of one MEC to one or more IPCs of one or more other MECs.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising one IPC isolating a fault, communicating to one or more other IPCs the isolation of the fault, and expanding a zone of protective functions of the one or more other IPCs in response to isolating the fault of the one IPC.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a zone of protection associated with one or more IPCs and, upon detecting a current mismatch within the zone, expanding the zone to include one or more other IPCs to isolate a fault.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing a zone of protection associated with one or more IPCs and, upon loss of power within the zone, expanding the zone to include one or more other IPCs to perform protective functions.

26. The method of claim 14, further comprising microprocessors of two or more IPCs working in parallel and each of the two or more IPCs independently processing fault clearances and enacting corrective actions locally.

27. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a distance to a fault by reflectometry impedance.

28. A system for providing distributed protection of electrical systems in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a plurality of modular equipment centers (MECs) spatially distributed throughout the vehicle;

one or more power sources providing primary power to the MECs;

one or more equipment loads serviced by each of the MECs; and

a plurality of integrated protection chipsets (IPCs) for monitoring and controlling electrical systems within the vehicle, each IPC configured to implement a plurality of protective functions, and one or more IPCs of the plurality of IPCs configured to make independent fault assessments.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein one or more IPCs within one or more MECs define a protection zone.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein power is lost to all or part of a MEC and the zone is expanded to include one or more additional IPCs of another MEC to perform protective functions.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein one or more IPCs within a MEC each make their own fault assessments based on information provided from other MECs.