Electrical control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10000296-B2
Application number	US-201514624877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2015
Priority date	Feb 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

An example aircraft electrical system includes a generator coupled with a gas turbine engine and a controller operable to distribute power of the generator. The controller includes a first control module positioned at a first location remote from the generator and a second control module positioned at a second location proximate the generator. The first control module is configured to verify at least one output of the generator, detect a fault condition of the generator, and control operation of at least one power bus in communication with the first control module. The second control module is configured to regulate the at least one output of the generator, where the at least one output includes a voltage. An example method of operating an electrical system is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft electrical system comprising:
a generator coupled with a gas turbine engine;
a controller operable to distribute power of the generator, the controller including,
a first control module positioned at a first location remote from the generator on an aircraft, the first control module being configured to verify at least one output of the generator meets a requirement of the aircraft, detect a fault condition of the generator, and control operation of at least one power bus in communication with the first control module by controlling an amount of power passing to the at least one power bus, wherein the at least one power bus is in communication with at least one load of at least one aircraft component, and
a second control module positioned at a second location more proximate the generator than the first control module and configured to regulate the at least one output of the generator through a voltage regulator processor, wherein the at least one output of the generator includes a voltage; and

a generator line control in communication with the first control module and the second control module,
wherein the first control module is connected to a first terminal of the generator line control, and the second control module is connected to a second terminal of the generator line control, wherein the generator line control receives power from the generator, and wherein the generator line control is changed to an OFF state by receiving an OFF state signal at a corresponding terminal from either of the first control module and the second control module in response to the fault condition such that distribution of power from the generator to at least one load associated with the at least one power bus ceases.

2. The aircraft electrical system of claim 1 , wherein the second control module includes an exciter drive powered by an auxiliary power source.

3. The aircraft electrical system of claim 1 , wherein the first control module is in communication with the second control module and is operable to take the generator and the second control module offline in response to the fault condition by switching to an OFF state.

4. The aircraft electrical system of claim 1 , further including a generator control relay in communication with the first control module and the second control module, wherein the generator control relay is configured to interrupt communication between an rectifier and an exciter drive of the second control module in response to a command from the first control module or the second control module.

5. The aircraft electrical system of claim 1 , wherein the first control module and the second control module are each configured to electrically isolate the generator in response to the fault condition, wherein the fault condition includes at least one of an overvoltage condition, an undervoltage condition, an overfrequency condition, and an underfrequency condition.

6. The aircraft electrical system of claim 1 , wherein the second control module is attached to the generator, or within the generator.

7. The aircraft electrical system of claim 1 , wherein a processor of the second control module is in communication with an exciter drive of the second control module, wherein the second control module commands the exciter drive to increase or decrease excitation of the generator in response to the at least one output that is a voltage.

8. The aircraft electrical system of claim 7 , wherein the processor commands the exciter drive to increase or decrease excitation of the generator in response to at least one output that is a current from the generator.

9. A method of operating an aircraft electrical system including the steps of:
providing a generator coupled with a gas turbine engine and a controller including a first control module and a second control module;
verifying an output of the generator meets an aircraft requirement with the first control module positioned at a first location on an aircraft, wherein the first control module is operable to detect a fault condition of the generator;
regulating the output of the generator with a second control module positioned at a second location more proximate the generator than the location, wherein the output includes a voltage and the regulating is performed with a voltage regulator processor;
controlling operation of at least one power bus with the first control module by controlling an amount of power passing to the at least one power bus, wherein the at least one power bus is in communication with at least one load of at least one aircraft component; and
controlling operation of a generator line control in communication with the first control module and the second control module, wherein the first control module is connected to a first terminal of the generator line control, and the second control module is connected to a second terminal of the generator line control, wherein the controlling operation of the generator line control consists of changing the generator line control to an OFF state in response to receiving an OFF state signal at a corresponding terminal from either of the first control module and the second control module in response to the fault condition such that distribution of power from the generator to at least one load associated with the at least one power bus ceases.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising
communicating measurements of generator parameters to the first control module from the second control module; and
taking the generator offline in response to a fault condition by switching at least one of the first and second control modules to an OFF state.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising powering the exciter drive of the second control module with an auxiliary power source.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Seger Mark J
• Ralph Wes
• Hoegberg Lon R
• Bayles Robert A
• Patel Sunil S

Classifications

• F02C7/32 Primary

  Arrangement, mounting, or driving, of auxiliaries · CPC title

• H02P2101/30

  for aircraft · CPC title

• H02H7/06

  for dynamo-electric generators; for synchronous capacitors · CPC title

• F05D2220/76

  an electrical generator · CPC title

• F05D2220/323

  for aircraft propulsion, e.g. jet engines · CPC title