Multiple engine condition matching via electrical power extraction control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10038397-B2
Application number	US-201715441280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2017
Priority date	May 9, 2016
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A multi-engine power system is described that includes a load requiring a total amount of electrical power, a first engine configured to provide a first portion of the total amount of electrical power to be provided to the load, and a second engine configured to provide a second portion of the total amount of electrical power to be provided to the load. The system further includes a controller configured to determine the total amount of electrical power to be provided to the load, estimate a respective service time associated with each of the first and second engines, and control each of the first and second engines to provide the total amount of electrical power to the load and to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-engine power system comprising:
a load requiring a total amount of electrical power;
a first engine configured to provide a first portion of the total amount of electrical power to be provided to the load;
a second engine configured to provide a second portion of the total amount of electrical power to be provided to the load; and
a controller configured to:
determine the total amount of electrical power to be provided to the load;
estimate a respective service time associated with each of the first and second engines; and
control each of the first and second engines to provide the total amount of electrical power to the load and to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines.

2. The multi-engine power system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control each of the first and second engines to provide the total amount of electrical power to the load and to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines by at least adjusting at least one of a size of the first portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the first engine or a size of the second portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the second engine to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines.

3. The multi-engine power system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust the at least one of a size of the first portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the first engine or a size of the second portion of the total amount of electrical power provide by the second engine to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines by at least:
responsive to determining that the respective service time associated with the first engine occurs after the respective service time associated with the second engine:
increase the size of the first portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the first engine; and
decrease the size of the second portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the second engine.

4. The multi-engine power system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to increase the size of the first portion of the total amount of electrical power sufficiently to compensate for the decrease in the size of the second portion.

5. The multi-engine power system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control each of the first and second engines to provide the total amount of electrical power to the load and to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines by at least controlling the first and second engines to approximately match the respective service times associated with the first and second engines.

6. The multi-engine power system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to estimate the respective service time associated with each of the first and second engines by at least:
monitoring one or more respective operating parameters associated with each of the first and second engines; and
estimating, based on the one or more respective operating parameters associated with each of the first and second engines, the respective service time associated with each of the first and second engines.

7. The multi-engine power system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more respective operating parameters associated with each of the first and second engines includes at least one of temperature, shaft speed, or hours of usage.

8. The multi-engine power system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is further configured to monitor the one or more respective operating parameters associated with each of the first and second engines by at least measuring, over a prior duration of time, the one or more respective operating parameters associated with each of the first and second engines.

9. The multi-engine power system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is further configured to estimate the respective service time associated with each of the first and second engines by at least determining the respective service time associated with each of the first and second engines from a model based on the one or more respective operating parameters associated with each of the first and second engines that are measured over a prior duration of time.

10. A method comprising:
determining, by a controller of a multi-engine power system, a total amount of electrical power to be provided to a load of the multi-engine power system, wherein the multi-engine power system includes:
a first engine configured to provide a first portion of the total amount of electrical power to be provided to the load; and
a second engine configured to provide a second portion of the total amount of electrical power to be provided to the load;

estimating, by the controller, a respective service time associated with each of the first and second engines; and
controlling, by the controller, each of the first and second engines to provide the total amount of electrical power to the load and to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein controlling each of the first and second engines to provide the total amount of electrical power to the load and to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines comprises adjusting, by the controller, at least one of a size of the first portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the first engine or a size of the second portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the second engine to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein adjusting the at least one of a size of the first portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the first engine or a size of the second portion of the total amount of electrical power provide by the second engine to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines comprises:
responsive to determining that the respective service time associated with the first engine occurs after the respective service time associated with the second engine:
increasing, by the controller, the size of the first portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the first engine; and
decreasing, by the controller, the size of the second portion of the total amount of electrical power provided by the second engine.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the size of the first portion of the total amount of electrical power is increased sufficiently to compensate for the decrease in the size of the second portion.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein controlling each of the first and second engines to provide the total amount of electrical power to the load and to coordinate the respective service times associated with the first and second engines comprises controlling, by the controller, the first and second engines to approximately match the respective service times associated with the first and second engines.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein estimating the respective service time associated with each of the first and second engines comprises:
monitoring, by the controller, one or more respective operating parameters associated with each of the first and second engines; and
estimating, by the controller, based on the one or more respective operating parameters associated with each of the first and second engines, the respective s

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp
• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc

Inventors

• Cline Curtis Harvey
• Dougherty Michael P
• Skertic Richard Joseph
• Zeller Robert J

Classifications

• B64D2221/00

  Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft · CPC title

• B64D2027/005

  Aircraft with an unducted turbofan comprising contra-rotating rotors, e.g. contra-rotating open rotors [CROR] · CPC title

• F02B63/04

  for electric generators · CPC title

• F02D41/22

  Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions {(in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809)} · CPC title

• B64D2045/0085

  Devices for aircraft health monitoring, e.g. monitoring flutter or vibration · CPC title