System for powering and controlling electrical equipment of an aircraft engine or its environment

• US 7,482,709 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2007
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Electrical & Power
• Original Assignee: Hispano Suiza SA (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Berenger, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAPLAN, HAL IRA
• Application Number:
  US11/743,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20070259545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 307/23, 307/44, 307/45
• US Class Current: 307/45
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• 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

A system for powering and controlling electrical equipment of an aircraft engine or of its environment, includes at least one DC voltage power supply bus, a set of power supply modules associated with an electrical equipment group, each module including a voltage converter and a selector circuit inserted between the outputs from the modules of the set of modules and the pieces of equipment of the equipment group. The modules and the selector circuit are controlled to activate each piece of equipment of the equipment group by connecting it to at least one of the modules, with an emergency module being put into operation in the event of one of the other modules failing.

Claims

1. A system for powering and controlling electrical equipment of an aircraft engine or of an environment of said aircraft engine, the system comprising:

at least one DC voltage power supply bus;

at least one set of power supply modules connected in parallel to the power supply bus, said set being associated with a respective group of pieces of electrical equipment for said aircraft engine or for said environment of said aircraft engine, the number of modules of the set being greater than the minimum number needed to activate the electrical equipment of the group so as to provide at least one emergency module, each module comprising a voltage converter for supplying an alternating voltage at the output from the module and derived from the DC voltage of the power supply bus;

a selector circuit inserted between the outputs of the modules of the set of modules and the pieces of equipment of the equipment group; and

a control device for controlling the modules and the selector circuit to activate each piece of equipment of the equipment group by connecting it to at least one of the modules, and to put an emergency module into service in the event of a failure being detected in one of the other modules,

wherein the control device comprises a central control unit and processor units integrated respectively in the various modules to control the supply of alternative voltage by a module to a piece of electrical equipment powered by said module as a function of information transmitted by the central control unit, and

wherein the or each emergency module is configurable to be adapted to any of the equipment to which it might be connected, by the central control unit changing an application program in the processor unit of the emergency module.

2. A system according to claim 1, in which the central control unit is connected to sensors associated with pieces of equipment of the equipment group to control the supply of alternating voltage by a module as a function of information received from at least one sensor associated with the equipment to which the module is connected and/or as a function of information received from an electronic control unit of the engine.

3. A system according to claim 1, in which the output from an emergency module is connected to a selector unit of the selector circuit, which selector unit has a first state that is inactive in which the output from the emergency module is not connected to any equipment, and other states that are active and in each of which the output from the emergency module is connected to one piece of equipment selected from a plurality of pieces of equipment of the equipment group.

4. A system according to claim 3, in which the selector unit enables an emergency module to be connected to any one of the pieces of equipment of the equipment group.

5. A system according to claim 1, in which the output from an emergency module is connected to a selector unit of the selector circuit, which selector unit has a first state that is active and in which the output from the emergency module is connected to a first piece of equipment in parallel with the output of another module, and at least one second state that is active and in which the output from the emergency module is connected to a piece of equipment other than the first piece of equipment.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the selector circuit comprises at least one selector unit enabling the output of a module to be connected selectively to one of a plurality of pieces of equipment that do not need to be activated simultaneously.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a central control unit and processor units integrated respectively in the various modules to control the supply of alternating voltage by a module to a piece of electrical equipment powered by said module as a function of information transmitted by the central control unit.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the control information transmitted by the central control unit is conveyed by a bus to which the processor units of the modules are connected.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said pieces of electrical equipment for said aircraft engine or for said aircraft engine environment includes at least one of an actuator for said aircraft engine, for thrust reversers, or for an inspection hatch.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said pieces of electrical equipment for said aircraft engine or for said aircraft engine environment includes at least an electric motor or a pump.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein said pieces of electrical equipment for said aircraft engine or for said aircraft engine environment includes at least one of de-icing or anti-icing resistive circuits.

12. A system for powering and controlling electrical equipment of an aircraft engine or of an environment of said aircraft engine, the system comprising:

at least one DC voltage power supply bus;

at least one set of power supply modules connected in parallel to the power supply bus, said set being associated with a respective group of pieces of electrical equipment for said aircraft engine or for said environment of said aircraft engine, the number of modules of the set being greater than the minimum number needed to activate the electrical equipment of the group so as to provide at least one emergency module, each module comprising a voltage converter for supplying an alternating voltage at the output from the module and derived from the DC voltage of the power supply bus;

a selector circuit inserted between the outputs of the modules of the set of modules and the pieces of equipment of the equipment group;

a control device for controlling the modules and the selector circuit to activate each piece of equipment of the equipment group by connecting it to at least one of the modules, and to put an emergency module into service in the event of a failure being detected in one of the other modules; and

a secure power supply circuit that supplies a DC voltage to said DC voltage power supply bus, wherein said secure power supply circuit has at least two AC/DC converters, one of said AC/DC converters being configured to receive, from a distribution network onboard said aircraft, an alternating voltage at a frequency that varies as a function of a speed of rotation of a turbine shaft of said aircraft engine, and another one of said AC/DC converters receiving an alternating voltage from another generator mounted on said aircraft engine.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein said secure power supply circuit further comprises switches configured to switch, when said generator mounted on said aircraft engine is supplying insufficient power, from said generator mounted on said aircraft engine to said distribution network onboard said aircraft, for supplying said DC voltage power supply bus.