Control system for battery charge maintenance in a power system with main AC generator control
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electrical power system comprising:
- an AC generator;
a generator control unit (GCU) for varying AC output voltage of the AC generator;
a DC bus connected to the AC generator so that DC voltage on the DC bus is directly proportional to the AC output voltage;
a battery connected directly to the DC bus; and
a control loop connected to receive battery current information and provide control signals to vary the AC output voltage so that battery charge is maintained without battery damage, wherein the control loop comprises;
a DC bus voltage comparator connected to compare DC voltage on the DC bus with a reference DC voltage and to produce a DC bus voltage correction signal;
a battery adjustment comparator interconnected with the DC bus voltage comparator to compare the DC bus voltage correction signal with battery charging current data and produce a first modified DC bus voltage correction signal; and
wherein the GCU is connected to vary the AC output voltage responsively to the first modified DC bus voltage correction signal.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electrical power system may comprise an AC generator and a generator control unit (GCU) for varying AC output voltage of the AC generator. A DC bus may be connected to the AC generator via a Transformer Rectifier Unit (TRU) so that DC voltage on the DC bus is directly proportional to the AC output voltage. A battery may be connected directly to the DC bus. A control loop may be connected to receive battery current information and provide control signals to vary the AC output voltage so that battery charge may be maintained without battery damage.
17 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. An electrical power system comprising:
-
an AC generator; a generator control unit (GCU) for varying AC output voltage of the AC generator; a DC bus connected to the AC generator so that DC voltage on the DC bus is directly proportional to the AC output voltage; a battery connected directly to the DC bus; and a control loop connected to receive battery current information and provide control signals to vary the AC output voltage so that battery charge is maintained without battery damage, wherein the control loop comprises; a DC bus voltage comparator connected to compare DC voltage on the DC bus with a reference DC voltage and to produce a DC bus voltage correction signal; a battery adjustment comparator interconnected with the DC bus voltage comparator to compare the DC bus voltage correction signal with battery charging current data and produce a first modified DC bus voltage correction signal; and wherein the GCU is connected to vary the AC output voltage responsively to the first modified DC bus voltage correction signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method for operating an electrical power system comprising the steps of:
-
generating AC power at a voltage that corresponds to an AC reference voltage; converting the AC power to DC power; applying the DC power to a DC bus; connecting a battery directly to the DC bus; charging the battery with a desired charging regimen; comparing DC voltage on the DC bus with a reference DC voltage to produce a DC bus voltage correction signal; comparing the DC bus voltage correction signal with battery charging current data and produce a modified DC bus voltage correction signal; and varying the AC reference voltage based on the modified DC bus voltage correction signal to vary DC voltage on the DC bus so that the desired charging regimen is applied to the battery. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of maintaining charge on a battery in an aircraft comprising the steps of:
-
connecting the battery directly to a DC bus of the aircraft; providing power to the DC bus from an AC generator of the aircraft; and varying output voltage of the AC generator responsively to battery charging requirements, wherein the step of varying the output voltage comprises; varying a reference voltage of a generator control unit (GCU) of the aircraft, comparing DC voltage on the DC bus to a reference DC voltage, producing a DC bus voltage correction signal, employing the DC bus voltage correction signal as a parameter for varying the reference voltage, comparing the DC bus voltage correction signal DC voltage to a battery charging current signal and producing a first modified DC bus voltage correction signal, comparing the first modified DC bus voltage correction signal DC voltage to a battery temperature signal and producing a second modified DC bus voltage correction signal, and employing the second modified DC bus voltage correction signal as a parameter for varying the reference voltage.
-
Specification