System for thermal management ground service equipment and a method of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12116146-B2
Application number	US-202318121788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2023
Priority date	Mar 15, 2023
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

A system for thermal management ground service equipment and a method of use is disclosed. The system may include ground service equipment, wherein the ground service equipment may be configured to manage a temperature of a power source of an electric aircraft. The ground service equipment may include a coolant source, wherein the coolant source may include a reservoir containing a coolant. The ground service equipment may include a coolant heating system, wherein the coolant heating system may be configured to increase thermal energy of the coolant. The coolant heating system may include an electric resistance heating element. The system may include a controller communicatively connected to the ground service equipment, wherein the controller may be configured to receive an optimal temperature of the coolant and control the electric resistance heating element of the coolant heating system to increase the thermal energy of the coolant to the optimal temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal management system comprising:
ground service equipment, wherein the ground service equipment is configured to manage a temperature of a power source of an electric aircraft and comprises a coolant source, wherein the coolant source comprises a reservoir containing a coolant, and wherein the ground service equipment further comprises a spent coolant reservoir;
a controller communicatively connected to the ground service equipment, wherein the controller is configured to:
in response to a temperature of the coolant being higher than a predetermined temperature, activate a coolant cooling system configured to remove thermal energy of the coolant to the predetermined temperature, wherein the coolant cooling system includes one or more of a fan, a heat exchanger, a heat sink, or a chiller.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein in response to the temperature of the coolant being lower than the predetermined temperature, the controller activates a coolant heating system configured to increase thermal energy of the coolant to the predetermined temperature.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ground service equipment further comprises a positive pressure pump, wherein the positive pressure pump is configured to pump the coolant into the power source of the electric aircraft.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ground service equipment further comprises a negative pressure pump, wherein the negative pressure pump is configured to pump the coolant out from the power source of the electric aircraft.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ground service equipment further comprises a deionizing filter, wherein the deionizing filter is in fluidic communication with the coolant source.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive a user input from a user, wherein the user input comprises the predetermined temperature of the coolant; and
activate the coolant heating system to increase the thermal energy of the coolant to the predetermined temperature.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive a user input from the user, wherein the user input comprises a predetermined flow rate of the coolant; and
activate a positive pressure pump to pump the coolant into the power source of the electric aircraft at the predetermined flow rate.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least a sensor, wherein the at least a sensor comprises a temperature sensor.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least a sensor further comprises a flow sensor.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least a sensor is communicatively connected to the coolant source of the ground service equipment and configure to measure the temperature of the coolant.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least a sensor is communicatively connected to the power source and configured to measure the temperature of the power source.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the coolant heating system as a function of the temperature of the power source and the predetermined temperature of the coolant.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein:
the system further comprises a display device communicatively connected to the controller; and
the controller is further configured to display:
the temperature of the power source on the display device; and
the temperature of the coolant on the display device.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to display a heating status of the coolant on the display device.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ground service equipment further comprises a cable module configured to deliver the coolant from the ground service equipment to the electric aircraft.

16. The system of claim 1 , further including a pump communicatively connected to the controller and configured to apply a negative pressure to pull at least a portion of the coolant out of the battery system of the electric aircraft after a thermal management of the battery system is complete and prior to operation of the aircraft.

17. The system of claim 1 , further including a pump communicatively connected to the controller and configured to apply a negative pressure to pull the coolant out of the power source of the electric aircraft for removing the coolant from the electric aircraft, wherein the removal occurs after the charging of the electric aircraft is completed.

18. The system of claim 1 , further including a pump communicatively connected to the controller and configured to purge at least a portion of the coolant from the electric aircraft into the spent coolant reservoir.

19. A method for thermal energy management using ground service equipment configured to manage a temperature of a power source of an electric aircraft, the ground service equipment including a coolant source containing a coolant, the ground service equipment further including a spent coolant reservoir, wherein the method comprises:
in response to a temperature of the coolant being higher than a predetermined temperature of the coolant, activating, using a controller communicatively connected to the ground service equipment, a coolant cooling system of the ground service equipment; and
using the coolant cooling system, removing thermal energy of the coolant to the predetermined temperature of the coolant, wherein the coolant cooling system includes one or more of a fan, a heat exchanger, a heat sink, or a chiller.

Assignees

• Beta Air Llc

Inventors

• Palombini John Charles
• Pill Jake

Classifications

• B64D27/34

  All-electric aircraft · CPC title

• B60L58/32

  for controlling the temperature of fuel cells, e.g. by controlling the electric load · CPC title

• B60L58/33

  by cooling · CPC title

• B60L2240/545

  Temperature · CPC title

• B60L58/34

  by heating · CPC title