Self sufficient galley system, method for operating electrical galley devices, and aircraft having such a galley system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10099789-B2
Application number	US-201514966776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2015
Priority date	Dec 23, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A galley system comprising at least one electrically operated galley device, a galley frame having at least one compartment for housing the at least one galley device, at least one fuel cell unit, and a power control and monitoring unit coupled with the at least one galley device and the at least one fuel cell unit. The power control and monitoring unit is adapted for receiving a power request signal from the at least one galley device, for determining, whether the at least one fuel cell unit is able to provide the requested power and for sending an acknowledgment signal to the respective galley device, when the at least one fuel cell unit is able to provide the requested power, and wherein the galley system is independent from an external power supply.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A galley system, comprising:
at least one electrically operated galley device,
a galley frame having at least one compartment for housing the at least one galley device,
at least one fuel cell unit, and
a power control and monitoring unit coupled with the at least one galley device and the at least one fuel cell unit,
wherein the power control and monitoring unit is adapted for receiving a power request signal from the at least one galley device, for determining whether the at least one fuel cell unit is able to provide the requested power and for sending an acknowledgment signal to the respective galley device, when the at least one fuel cell unit is able to provide the requested power,
wherein the galley system is independent from an external power supply,
wherein the power control and monitoring unit prioritizes provision of power to different galley devices such that power supplied to a first group of galley devices has a higher priority than power supplied to a second group of galley devices, and
wherein the power control and monitoring unit receives an override signal and, in response to receiving the override signal, interrupts, reduces, and/or reorganizes provision of power to the at least one galley device.

2. The galley system of claim 1 , wherein the first group of galley devices comprises cooling devices.

3. The galley system of claim 1 , wherein the power control and monitoring unit comprises a first communication device, wherein the at least one galley device comprises a second communication device, which first and second communication devices are couplable through a network structure.

4. The galley system of claim 3 , wherein the network structure comprises a power line communication structure.

5. The galley system of claim 1 ,
wherein the power control and monitoring unit is adapted for receiving an emergency signal from an external source, for reducing the supplied power to the galley devices and for providing electrical power to an emergency network,
wherein the fuel cell unit is couplable with the emergency network.

6. The galley system of claim 1 , further comprising a DC voltage electrical network.

7. The galley system of claim 1 , further comprising a water tank for storing water,
wherein the at least one fuel cell unit is coupled with a cooling circuit, which comprises a first heat exchanger thermally coupled with the at least one fuel cell unit and a second heat exchanger, which is immersed in the water tank,
wherein the cooling circuit is adapted for at least selectively conveying a coolant through the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger for heating water in the water tank.

8. The galley system of claim 7 , further comprising an additional through-flow heater, which is flown through by water that is to be heated,
wherein the through-flow heater comprises an electrical heater, which is coupled with the at least one fuel cell unit.

9. The galley system of claim 7 , wherein the galley system is adapted for conducting a thermal disinfection of the water in the water tank by increasing the temperature to a disinfection temperature for a predetermined time interval.

10. A method for operating at least one galley device in a galley system, comprising the steps of:
operating at least one fuel cell unit in a galley system,
sending a power supply request signal from an electrically operated galley device to a power control and monitoring unit,
receiving the power supply request signal from the at least one galley device by the power control and monitoring unit,
determining, whether the at least one fuel cell unit is able to provide the requested power,
sending an acknowledgment signal to the respective galley device, when the at least one fuel cell unit is able to provide the requested power,
operating the galley device under consumption of power of the at least one fuel cell unit,
prioritizing an electrical supply between a first group of galley devices and a second group of galley devices, and
interrupting, reducing, and/or reorganizing provision of power to the at least one galley device upon receiving an override signal.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Becker Lars-Ole
• Reiss Matthias
• Palit Yener
• Otto Thorsten

Classifications

• B64D2041/005

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H02M7/06

  using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode · CPC title

• B64D41/00

  Power installations for auxiliary purposes · CPC title

• B64D11/04 Primary

  Galleys · CPC title

• H02M7/44

  by static converters · CPC title