Aircraft steering system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10220940-B2
Application number	US-201615140002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2016
Priority date	Apr 28, 2015
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to an aircraft steering system using an aircraft ground taxi drive system whereby electrical power generated by a first motor-generator of a landing gear wheel drive system in a regenerative braking mode is supplied to a second motor-generator of a landing gear wheel drive system in a motorized driving mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft drive system, comprising:
an electrical power source;
a first landing gear having a first wheel for contacting the ground and a first motor-generator coupleable to the first wheel for applying a torque to the first wheel;
a second landing gear having a second wheel for contacting the ground and a second motor-generator coupleable to the second wheel for applying a torque to the second wheel; and
a controller for controlling the supply of electrical power between the electrical power source and the first motor-generator and the second motor-generator, wherein the controller is operable in a first mode of operation in which electrical power from the electrical power source is supplied to the first motor-generator and to the second-motor generator, and a second mode of operation in which electrical power generated by the first motor-generator in a regenerative braking mode is supplied to the second motor-generator in a motorized driving mode, wherein in the second mode the controller is configured to avoid feeding any regenerated electrical power onto an electrical power network back towards the electrical power source.

2. An aircraft drive system according to claim 1 , wherein the first motor-generator is connected to the electrical power source by a first power supply, and wherein the second motor-generator is connected to the electrical power source by a second power supply.

3. An aircraft drive system according to claim 2 , wherein the first power supply includes a first inverter, and wherein the second power supply includes a second inverter.

4. An aircraft drive system according to claim 2 , wherein the first power supply and the second power supply include a rectifier.

5. An aircraft drive system according to claim 4 , wherein the rectifier is common between the first power supply and the second power supply.

6. An aircraft drive system according to claim 5 , wherein the rectifier and transformer form part of a transformer rectifier unit (TRU).

7. An aircraft drive system according to claim 4 , wherein the transformer is common between the first power supply and the second power supply.

8. An aircraft drive system according to claim 2 , wherein the first power supply and the second power supply include a transformer.

9. An aircraft drive system according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is coupled to the first power supply and to the second power supply and in the second mode of operation is operable to provide a power transfer function between the first power supply and the second power supply.

10. An aircraft drive system according to claim 9 , wherein the controller in the second mode of operation is operable to control the electrical power supplied to the second motor-generator by supplementing the electrical power generated by the first motor-generator and supplied to the second motor-generator with electrical power from the electrical power source.

11. An aircraft drive system according to claim 10 , wherein the controller in the second mode of operation is operable to control the electrical power supplied to the second motor-generator to achieve equal and opposite torque application to the first and second wheels.

12. An aircraft drive system according to claim 2 , wherein the power supplies have insufficient energy storage capacity to store energy generated by the motor-generators.

13. An aircraft drive system according to claim 2 , wherein the electrical power source is connected to the first power supply and to the second power supply by an electrical network.

14. An aircraft drive system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a switch for switching between the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation.

15. An aircraft drive system according to claim 14 , wherein the switch is automatically controlled or is manually controlled.

16. An aircraft drive system according to claim 14 , wherein the first mode of operation corresponds to a normal mode of operation for driving an aircraft on the ground, and wherein the second mode of operation corresponds to an emergency mode of operation for steering an aircraft on the ground in the event of loss of a primary steering function for the aircraft.

17. An aircraft drive system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller includes an input device configured to receive input of an aircraft yaw demand.

18. An aircraft drive system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical power source is a generator.

19. An aircraft including the aircraft drive system according to claim 1 .

20. An aircraft according to claim 19 , wherein the aircraft has a longitudinal centre line and the first landing gear is disposed on one side of the centre line and the second landing gear is disposed on the other side of the centre line.

21. A method of controlling an aircraft, the aircraft having a drive system including an electrical power source, a first landing gear having a first wheel for contacting the ground and a first motor-generator coupleable to the first wheel for applying a torque to the first wheel, a second landing gear having a second wheel for contacting the ground and a second motor-generator coupleable to the second wheel for applying a torque to the second wheel, and a controller for controlling the supply of electrical power between the electrical power source and the first motor-generator and the second motor-generator, the method comprising: operating the controller in a first mode of operation to supply electrical power from the electrical power source to the first motor-generator and to the second-motor generator; and operating the controller in a second mode of operation to supply electrical power generated by the first motor-generator in a regenerative braking mode to the second motor-generator in a motorized driving mode, wherein in the second mode the controller is configured to avoid feeding any regenerated electrical power onto an electrical power network back towards the electrical power source.

22. A method according to claim 21 , wherein operating the controller in the second mode of operation includes controlling the electrical power supplied to the second motor-generator by supplementing the electrical power generated by the first motor-generator and supplied to the second motor-generator with electrical power from the electrical power source.

23. A method according to claim 22 , wherein operating the controller in the second mode of operation includes controlling the electrical power supplied to the second motor-generator to achieve equal and opposite torque application to the first and second wheels.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd
• Airbus Operations Sas

Inventors

• Guery Xavier
• Bradier Matthieu
• Morris James

Classifications

• B64C25/50

  Steerable undercarriages; Shimmy-damping · CPC title

• B64C25/36

  Arrangements or adaptations of wheels, tyres or axles in general · CPC title

• Y02T50/823

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B64C25/405 Primary

  Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing · CPC title

• B64C25/34

  wheeled type, e.g. multi-wheeled bogies · CPC title