Integrated electrical power distribution system using common building blocks

• US 7,805,204 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Gayowsky, Ted J., Ghanekar, Milind, Liu, Zhenning Z., Fuller, Randy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): VON BUHR, MARIA N
• Application Number:
  US12/018,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/10, 700/22, 700/79, 700/286, 700/292, 323/909, 702 33- 35, 361/1, 361/62
• US Class Current: 700/22
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency

Abstract

An electrical power distribution system includes a data bus, separate from the main aircraft data bus, internal to the aircraft electrical power distribution system and an electric power control unit (EPCU) in communication with the internal data bus. Primary and emergency power distribution subsystems include line replaceable modules (LRM) connected in the aircraft electrical power distribution system as electrical load control units (ELCU), each having a common supervisory control interface in communication with the internal data bus, while a secondary power distribution subsystem includes LRMs connected in the aircraft electrical power distribution system as solid state power control (SSPC) units, each having the common supervisory control interface in communication with the internal data bus. The common supervisory control interfaces all execute a common supervisory control logic for receiving commutation commands from the EPCU and providing status back to the EPCU.

Claims

1. An electrical power distribution system comprising:

a plurality of line replaceable modules (LRMs), the LRMs comprising;

a first LRM connected to a primary power subsystem of the electrical power distribution system and providing electrical load control unit (ELCU) functioning for the first subsystem; and

a second LRM connected to a secondary power subsystem of the electrical power distribution system and providing solid state power control (SSPC) unit functioning for the second subsystem; and

one or more power distribution boxes (PDBs), at least one of the one or more PDBs being configured to distribute primary power, secondary power, and emergency power, and at least one of the one or more PDBs containing at least one of the plurality of LRMs;

wherein the first LRM and the second LRM have identical common supervisory control interface units.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third LRM connected to the first subsystem of the electrical power distribution system and providing input/output (I/O) functioning for the first subsystem; and

wherein the first LRM, the second LRM, and the third LRM each have identical common supervisory control interface units.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth LRM connected to a third subsystem of the electrical power distribution system and providing ELCU functioning for the third subsystem; and

wherein the first LRM, the second LRM, and the fourth LRM each have identical common supervisory control interface units.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an electric power control unit (EPCU) that provides a master control for the electrical power distribution system and that communicates with the first LRM and the second LRM via each of the identical common supervisory control interface units.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the first LRM is contained in one of the PDBs and the second LRM is contained in either the same PDB or a second one of the PDBs.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

the power distribution box (PDB) contains at least one power distribution bus bar and a supervisory control interface connection;

and wherein;

the PDB is a flexible building block of the electric power distribution system in that the PDB contains at least one LRM, chosen from the group consisting of the first LRM and the second LRM.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the power distribution box (PDB) contains at least one power distribution bus bar and a supervisory control interface connection; and

wherein;

the PDB is a flexible building block of the electric power distribution system in that the PDB has accommodation for a variable number of LRMs and the PDB contains a specific number of LRMs required by the electric power distribution system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the power distribution box (PDB) contains at least one power distribution bus bar and a supervisory control interface connection; and

wherein;

the PDB is a flexible building block of the electric power distribution system in that;

the PDB contains at least one LRM, chosen from the group consisting of the first LRM and the second LRM,

the common supervisory control interface unit of the at least one LRM connects to the supervisory control interface connection,

and the at least one LRM distributes power from the power distribution bus bar.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the power distribution box (PDB) contains at least one power distribution bus bar and a supervisory control interface connection; and

wherein;

the PDB is a flexible building block of the electric power distribution system in that;

the PDB has accommodation for a variable number of LRMs and the PDB contains a specific number of LRMs required by the electric power distribution system, wherein;

the common supervisory control interface unit of each LRM of the specific number of LRMs connects to the supervisory control interface connection, and

each LRM distributes power from the power distribution bus bar.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an electric power control unit (EPCU) that provides a master control for the electrical power distribution system and that communicates with the first LRM and the second LRM via each of the identical common supervisory control interface units.

11. An aircraft electrical power distribution system comprising:

a data bus that is internal to the aircraft electrical power distribution system;

an electric power control unit (EPCU) in communication with the internal data bus;

a primary power distribution subsystem comprising a first line replaceable module (LRM) connected in the aircraft electrical power distribution system as an electrical load control unit (ELCU) and having a first common supervisory control interface in communication with the internal data bus;

a secondary power distribution subsystem comprising a second line replaceable module (LRM) connected in the aircraft electrical power distribution system as a solid state power control (SSPC) unit and having a second common supervisory control interface in communication with the internal data bus;

an emergency power distribution subsystem comprising a third LRM connected in the aircraft electrical power distribution system, the third LRM having a third common supervisory control interface in communication with the internal data bus; and

at least one power distribution box integrating the primary, emergency and secondary power distribution subsystems,

wherein the first common supervisory control interface, the second common supervisory control interface, and the third common supervisory control interface execute a common supervisory control logic to receive commutation commands from the EPCU and to provide status back to the EPCU.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

A fourth LRM connected in the aircraft electrical power distribution system as an input/output (I/O) function LRM and having a fourth common supervisory control interface in communication with the internal data bus; and

wherein the fourth common supervisory control interface executes the common supervisory control logic to receive commutation commands from the EPCU and to provide status back to the EPCU.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein:

both the first LRM, the second LRM, and the third LRM each use the same standard of data for commutation commands and status reporting.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the first LRM for ELCU functions contains a digital signal processor (DSP) that executes logic specific to the primary power distribution subsystem and executes the common supervisory control logic.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the second LRM for SSPC functions contains a digital signal processor (DSP) that executes logic specific to the secondary power distribution subsystem and executes the common supervisory control logic.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein:

The fourth LRM contains a digital signal processor (DSP) that executes logic specific to the primary power distribution subsystem I/O functions and executes the common supervisory control logic.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein:

each of the first LRM and the second LRM is of a common type of LRM for which SSPC and ELCU functions co-exist on the common type LRM;

each SSPC channel on the first LRM is connected to a control coil of either an electromagnetic contactor or relay; and

each SSPC channel on the second LRM is connected directly to an aircraft load.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the third line replaceable module (LRM) is connected in the aircraft electrical power distribution system as an electrical load control unit (ELCU), wherein the third LRM for ELCU functions contains a first digital signal processor (DSP) that executes logic specific to the emergency power distribution subsystem and executes the common supervisory control logic; and

a fourth LRM connected in the aircraft electrical power distribution system as an input/output (I/O) function LRM and having a fourth common supervisory control interface in communication with the internal data bus, wherein the fourth LRM contains a second DSP that executes logic specific to the emergency power distribution subsystem I/O functions and executes the common supervisory control logic.

19. A method of distributing electrical power in a vehicle having a main data bus, comprising:

performing electrical load control unit (ELCU) functioning under supervisory control of an electric power control unit (EPCU) using a standard logic and a standard data format for communication between an ELCU-line replaceable module (ELCU-LRM) and the EPCU; and

performing solid state power control (SSPC) functioning under supervisory control of the EPCU using the standard logic and data format for communication between an SSPC-LRM and the EPCU;

performing input/output (I/O) function under supervisory control of the EPCU using the standard logic and data format for communication between an I/O LRM and the EPCU; and

wherein the communication between the EPCU and the ELCU-LRM and the SSPC-LRM and the I/O LRM uses a power distribution system internal data bus distinct from the vehicle main data bus, wherein the internal data bus is common to the ELCU-LRM, the SSPC-LRM and the I/O LRM.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

performing any combination of (ELCU) functioning, (SSPC) functioning, and input/output (I/O) functioning from a power distribution box (PDB).