Remote device control and power supply

• US 8,148,843 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aerovironment
• Original Assignee: Aerovironment
• Inventors: Sechrist, William Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, TOAN T
• Application Number:
  US12/565,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20100156171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 361/92
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/08 Three-wire systems; Systems having more than three wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/082 Plural DC voltage, e.g. DC supply voltage with at least two different DC voltage levels
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts

Abstract

An actuator controller with a power supply that steps down a high voltage for use by remote auxiliary loads in an aircraft is provided. A high voltage power bus running through the aircraft may use high gage or smaller diameter wiring, resulting in weight savings in the power bus. A control network running through the aircraft may use fiber optic cabling, providing further weight reductions. An actuator controller may receive the high voltage from the power bus and provide a lower voltage to a remote device. The actuator controller may facilitate communication between the control network and the remote device. The integration of control and power supply may enhance endurance, reliability, and enable localized calibration of the remote device. Modular wing components may include interface controllers, high and low power busswork, and remote devices. The modular wing components may include power and control interconnections.

Claims

1. A system for supplying power to a remote auxiliary load located in an aircraft,

a power plant configured to place a high voltage onto a high gage wire;

an actuator interface controller comprising a power supply, the power supply being interconnected with the high gage wire and a low gage wire, the high gage wire being of higher gage wiring than the low gage wire,

wherein the high gage wire acts as a high voltage power bus and provides the high voltage to the power supply;

the power supply being configured to step down the high voltage received to a low voltage that is lower than the high voltage on the high voltage power bus, and to place the low voltage onto the low gage wire that acts as a low voltage power bus;

the low voltage power bus is interconnected with a remote auxiliary load and provides the low voltage to the remote auxiliary load; and

the remote auxiliary load being located at a distance from the power plant of the aircraft such that both a length of high gage wire and a shorter length of relatively heavier low gage wire are used to supply power to the remote auxiliary load to reduce an overall weight of wiring located in the aircraft required to supply power to the remote auxiliary load by transferring the high voltage from the power plant to the power supply via the high gage wire that acts as a high voltage power bus, stepping down the high voltage to the low voltage via the power supply, and then transferring the low voltage from the power supply directly to the remote auxiliary load via the low gage wire that acts as a low voltage power bus.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises:

a local processor located in the actuator interface controller, the local processor being interconnected with a control network via an optic fiber interface; and

a signal conditioner located in the actuator interface controller, the signal conditioner being interconnected with the remote auxiliary load, wherein the power supply is configured to supply power to the local processor, and the actuator interface controller is configured to control the operation of the remote auxiliary load via the local processor directing the signal conditioner to send control signals to the remote auxiliary load.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the local processor of the actuator interface controller includes a memory with embedded software that facilitates remote calibration of the remote auxiliary load, the remote calibration being directed by the local processor in accordance with the embedded software.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the actuator interface controller is electrically interchangeable with other actuator interface controllers, and the local processor of the actuator interface controller includes mission specific software that facilitates control of the remote auxiliary load, such that depending on a particular mission, one actuator interface controller with a first mission specific software may be physically replaced by a second actuator interface controller with a second mission specific software.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the high gage wire is approximately 24 or higher gage wire, and the low gage wire is approximately 22 or lower gage wire.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the actuator interface controller, the remote auxiliary load, and the low gage wire are positioned in a modular wing tip configured to interconnect with an adjoining wing component that provides a connection to the high gage wire.

7. A system for supplying power to a remote device located in an aircraft, the system comprising:

a power plant configured to place a high voltage onto a high voltage power bus, the high voltage power bus comprising a first thickness and a first weight per unit distance;

an actuator interface controller interconnected with the high voltage power bus and having a power supply;

the power supply configured to reduce the high voltage received from the high voltage power bus to a low voltage that is lower than the high voltage on the high voltage power bus, and to place the low voltage onto a low voltage power bus exiting the actuator interface controller;

the low voltage power bus comprising a second thickness and a second weight per unit distance, the second thickness and the second weight per unit distance of the low voltage power bus being greater than the first thickness and the first weight per unit distance of the high voltage power bus such that the high voltage power bus is comparatively lighter than the low voltage power bus per unit distance; and

a remote device interconnected with the low voltage power bus and being powered from the low voltage carried by the low voltage power bus such that both the high voltage power bus and the relatively heavier low voltage power bus are used to supply power to the remote device by transferring the high voltage generated by the power plant to the actuator interface controller via the high voltage power bus, stepping down the high voltage to the low voltage via the power supply located on the actuator interface controller, and then transferring the low voltage from the actuator interface controller to the remote device via the low voltage power bus.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the actuator interface controller, the remote device, and the low voltage power bus are positioned in a modular wing tip configured to interconnect with an adjoining wing component that provides a connection to the high voltage power bus.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein power reaches the remote device being located in the wing by traversing a first distance over the high voltage power bus that is greater than a second distance over which the power traverses the relatively heavier low voltage power bus.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the interface controller comprises:

a local processor interconnected with a control network via a fiber optic interface; and

a signal conditioner configured to send control signals to, and receive feedback signals from, the remote device.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the interface controller includes a local processor configured to wirelessly transmit to and receive data from a control network.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the actuator interface controller is configured to (1) direct the operation of the remote device and (2) automatically reboot upon detecting an event that disrupts normal operation.

13. A method of controlling and supplying power to a remote device located in an aircraft, the method comprising:

providing an interface controller located at a first position in the aircraft;

interconnecting a high gage wire with the interface controller, the high gage wire running from a power plant located in the fuselage of the aircraft to the interface controller located at the first position in the aircraft for a first distance;

interconnecting a comparatively lower low gage wire with respect to the high gage wire to the interface controller, the low gage wire running from the interface controller to a remote device located at a second position in the aircraft for a second distance, the high gage wire being of less weight per unit distance and thickness than the low gage wire;

placing a high voltage generated from the power plant located in the fuselage onto the high gage wire running to the interface controller; and

stepping down the high voltage via a voltage converter associated with the interface controller to a low voltage that is lower than the high voltage and placing the low voltage onto the low gage wire to power the remote device, such that the remote device is powered via both high gage wire and low gage wire to reduce an overall weight of the wiring in the aircraft by transferring the high voltage from the power plant to the interface controller via the high gage wire acting as a high voltage power bus, stepping down the high voltage to the low voltage via the voltage converter associated with the interface controller, and then transferring the low voltage from the interface controller directly to the remote device via the low gage wire acting as a low voltage power bus.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first distance that the high gage wire runs from the power plant located in the fuselage to the interface controller located at the first position is greater than the second distance that the low gage wire runs from the interface controller to the remote device located at the second position.

15. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising providing a local processor on the interface controller, the local processor configured to control the remote device and relay feedback from the remote device to a control network of the aircraft.

16. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising rebooting the local processor on the interface controller automatically if a fault associated with the interface controller is detected.

17. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising providing a fiber optic interface for communication between a local processor on the interface controller with a control network of the aircraft.

18. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising providing the interface controller, the remote device, and the low gage wiring in a modular wing tip configured to interconnect with an adjoining wing component that provides a connection to the high gage wiring.

19. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising locally calibrating an individual remote device via calibration routines and data embedded on the interface controller.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the interface controller is interchangeable with other interface controllers, the method further comprising:

loading a mission specific interface controller with a mission specific package of software associated with directing the remote device to perform a mission specific operation; and

replacing the interface controller with the mission specific interface controller, wherein the mission specific interface controller is configured to locally calibrate the remote device such that the remote device is calibrated for use with the mission specific interface controller without the need to re-calibrate one or more other remote devices located in the wing of the aircraft that are interconnected with other interface controllers that have not been replaced.