Super capacitor battery clone
First Claim
1. Direct current aircraft electrical energy distribution apparatus comprising the combination of:
- a source of direct current electrical energy located in a first portion of said aircraft;
an electrical bus having electrical bus conductors, including an electrically insulated conductor, connected with said source of direct current electrical energy, extending throughout said aircraft, including remote second portions of said aircraft, and connected in energizing relationship with a plurality of electrical transient generating aircraft electrical load devices also disposed throughout said aircraft;
a plurality of electrical energy storage devices located at selected distributed locations disposed throughout said aircraft and connected locally to said electrical bus conductors at selected distributed bus locations, said electrical energy storage devices including a capacitor element and an energy coupling electronic converter circuit of bi-directional energy flow capability communicating transient flows of electrical energy from said electrical bus conductors to said capacitor and from said capacitor to said electrical bus conductors in response to selected bus operating conditions;
said energy coupling electronic converter circuit comprising an electrical inductance element connected with said capacitor element and in series with said flows of electrical energy to and from said capacitor, a series connected first electrical switching element connected with said electrical inductance element and generating first electrical current undulations in said inductance element during first direction energy flows therein, a shunt-connected second electrical switching element also connected with said electrical inductance element and generating second electrical current undulations in said inductance element during second direction energy flows therein, and an electrical voltage regulator controller of pulse width time parameters of said electrical inductance element first and second electrical current undulations;
said electrical voltage regulator controller being pulse width time parameters-responsive to voltage levels appearing on said aircraft electrical bus adjacent each said electrical energy storage device;
said electrical voltage regulator controller including a trapezoidal waveshape regulation-determining pulsed voltage reference signal having a sloped leading edge and a flat constant voltage trailing portion of amplitude equal to a nominal operating voltage level of said aircraft electrical bus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An aircraft electrical supply bus supplementing arrangement in which electrical energy is stored in a large capacitor and energy flow between the capacitor and the bus is controlled by a bi-directional electrical converter circuit of the switched inductance type. The varying terminal voltage of the energy storing capacitor, a super capacitor, is coupled to the relatively fixed voltage of the aircraft supply bus by way of the voltage changing capability of the converter circuit switched inductance. Current flow levels in this inductance are controlled with a negative feedback regulator circuit. Energy storage efficiency in the converter is enhanced with respect to weight and physical size of the capacitor element by ability of the converter circuit to accept a widely varying input voltage while generating a relatively constant output voltage. Suppression of electrical transients and improved regulation of voltage on the aircraft energy supply bus especially at distal and bus impedance-isolated locations are achieved.
241 Citations
19 Claims
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1. Direct current aircraft electrical energy distribution apparatus comprising the combination of:
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a source of direct current electrical energy located in a first portion of said aircraft; an electrical bus having electrical bus conductors, including an electrically insulated conductor, connected with said source of direct current electrical energy, extending throughout said aircraft, including remote second portions of said aircraft, and connected in energizing relationship with a plurality of electrical transient generating aircraft electrical load devices also disposed throughout said aircraft; a plurality of electrical energy storage devices located at selected distributed locations disposed throughout said aircraft and connected locally to said electrical bus conductors at selected distributed bus locations, said electrical energy storage devices including a capacitor element and an energy coupling electronic converter circuit of bi-directional energy flow capability communicating transient flows of electrical energy from said electrical bus conductors to said capacitor and from said capacitor to said electrical bus conductors in response to selected bus operating conditions; said energy coupling electronic converter circuit comprising an electrical inductance element connected with said capacitor element and in series with said flows of electrical energy to and from said capacitor, a series connected first electrical switching element connected with said electrical inductance element and generating first electrical current undulations in said inductance element during first direction energy flows therein, a shunt-connected second electrical switching element also connected with said electrical inductance element and generating second electrical current undulations in said inductance element during second direction energy flows therein, and an electrical voltage regulator controller of pulse width time parameters of said electrical inductance element first and second electrical current undulations; said electrical voltage regulator controller being pulse width time parameters-responsive to voltage levels appearing on said aircraft electrical bus adjacent each said electrical energy storage device; said electrical voltage regulator controller including a trapezoidal waveshape regulation-determining pulsed voltage reference signal having a sloped leading edge and a flat constant voltage trailing portion of amplitude equal to a nominal operating voltage level of said aircraft electrical bus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. The method of supplying direct current electrical energy of limited transient noise content to electrical loads located at physically separate points along an aircraft energy supply bus, said method comprising the steps of:
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supplementing electrical energy supplied via said aircraft energy supply bus to one of an electrical transient-generating load and an electrical transient sensitive load with electrical energy previously removed from said bus at a controlled removal rate and held in storage adjacent said load; storing said previously removed electrical energy in an electrical capacitance storage element located adjacent said load; operating said electrical capacitance storage element over a change of voltage range characteristic of removing and replacing at least one half the energy stored in said electrical capacitance storage element, a range exceeding electrical voltage transient amplitudes acceptable on said aircraft energy supply bus; coupling energy from said electrical capacitance storage element to said energy supply bus of lesser voltage transient range via an electronic switching circuit-modulated electrical inductive element of variable coupling ratio, an element also located adjacent said load; controlling said electrical capacitance storage element to aircraft energy supply bus variable coupling ratio according to an aircraft energy supply bus transient-responsive closed loop control algorithm; controlling said flow of electrical energy previously removed from said bus and supplied to said electrical capacitance storage element according to a voltage-responsive control algorithm. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. Direct current aircraft electrical energy distribution apparatus comprising the combination of:
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a source of direct current electrical energy located in a first portion of said aircraft; an electrical bus having electrical bus conductors, including an electrically insulated conductor, connected with said source of direct current electrical energy, extending throughout said aircraft, including remote second portions of said aircraft, and connected in energizing relationship with a plurality of electrical transient generating electromagnetic, and electrical transient-sensitive electronic, aircraft electrical load devices also disposed throughout said aircraft; a plurality of electrical energy storage devices located at selected distributed locations disposed throughout said aircraft and connected locally to said electrical bus conductors at selected distributed bus locations, said electrical energy storage devices including an electrolytic super capacitor element and an energy coupling electronic converter circuit of bi-directional energy flow capability communicating transient flows of electrical energy from said electrical bus conductors to said super capacitor and from said super capacitor to said electrical bus conductors in response to selected bus voltage operating conditions and selected super capacitor voltage operating conditions; said energy coupling electronic converter circuit comprising; an electrical inductance element connected with said super capacitor and in series with said flows of electrical energy to and from said super capacitor, series connected first electrical switching means connected between said electrical inductance element and said aircraft electrical bus for generating first electrical current undulations in said inductance element during aircraft bus to super capacitor energy flow events, shunt connected second electrical switching means connected across a series combination of said super capacitor element and said electrical inductance element for generating second electrical current undulations in said inductance element during super capacitor to aircraft electrical bus energy flow events, first electrical voltage regulating controller means responsive to a voltage level of said aircraft bus for controlling duty cycle ON and OFF times of said series connected first electrical switching means, second electrical voltage regulating controller means responsive to a voltage level of said super capacitor for controlling duty cycle ON and OFF times of said second electrical switching means, said first electrical voltage regulating controller means and said second electrical voltage regulating controller means each including sloped leading edge waveform signal source means for generating varied duty cycle ON and OFF times of said first and second electrical switching means in response to a regulated signal sensed variation. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification