Aircraft comprising a hybrid electrical power distribution and data communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019044748-A1
Application number	US-201816050704-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 31, 2018
Priority date	Aug 2, 2017
Publication date	Feb 7, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

An aircraft comprises a fuselage, a set of electrical equipment items distributed in the fuselage, and a hybrid electrical power distribution and data communication network. The latter comprises a set of buses comprising at least one electrical power distribution bus extending, at least partly, in a longitudinal direction of the fuselage. A set of data links is associated with each bus of the set of buses. The bus and the associated set of data links each comprise connection points at different locations distributed along their length, forming pairs of connection points. Each of the electrical equipment items of the set of electrical equipment items is linked to a pair of connection points via a local electrical power supply link and/or via a local data link.

First claim

1 . An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage; a set of electrical equipment items, distributed in the fuselage; and a hybrid electrical power distribution and data communication network, wherein the hybrid electrical power distribution and data communication network comprises:
a set of buses, comprising at least one electrical power distribution bus; and
at least one set of data links;
the hybrid electrical power distribution and data communication network is configured in such a way that a set of data links is associated with each bus of the set of buses; each bus of the set of buses extends, at least partly, in a longitudinal direction of the fuselage; each set of data links extends substantially parallel to the bus with which it is associated; each bus of the set of buses comprises connection points at different locations distributed along its length; and each set of data links comprises connection points at different locations distributed along its length and each arranged in proximity to a connection point of the bus with which the set of data links is associated, so as to form pairs of connection points each comprising a connection point of the bus and a connection point of the associated set of data links; and
each of the electrical equipment items of the set of electrical equipment items is linked to a pair of connection points via at least one of a local electrical power supply link or a local data link.

2 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the hybrid electrical power distribution and data communication network comprises a set of junction boxes, each junction box being connected to a pair of connection points.

3 . The aircraft according to claim 2 , wherein a junction box of the set of junction boxes comprises:
at least one electrical power supply connector configured to cooperate with the connection point of the bus belonging to the pair of connection points to which the junction box is connected; at least one data link connector configured to cooperate with the connection point of the set of data links belonging to the pair of connection points to which the junction box is connected; a set of locations provided to receive interface modules; a set of electrical links extending between the electrical power supply connector and the different locations provided to receive the interface modules; and a set of data links extending between the data link connector and the different locations provided to receive the interface modules.

4 . The aircraft according to claim 3 , further comprising:
at least one of:
at least one electrical interface module in a location of the junction box, or
at least one data link interface module in a location of the junction box; and
at least one of:
at least one local electrical power supply link between said at least one electrical interface module and an electrical equipment item of the aircraft, or
at least one local data link between said at least one data link interface module and an electrical equipment item of the aircraft.

5 . The aircraft according to claim 4 , wherein the electrical interface module is chosen from the following set:
an electrical connection module; an electrical switching module; an electrical voltage conversion module; and an electrical protection module.

6 . The aircraft according to claim 4 , wherein the data link interface module is chosen from the following set:
a data link connection module; a data link conversion module; a wireless data link module; and a data acquisition and concentration module.

7 . The aircraft according to claim 4 , further comprising:
in a location of the junction box, a hybrid interface module ensuring an electrical interface module function and a data link interface module function.

8 . The aircraft according to claim 3 , wherein:
the data links of the set of data links associated with the bus correspond to optical fibres; the set of data links extending between the data link connector and the different locations provided to receive the interface modules comprises:
a data link converter;
data links by optical fibres, between the data link connector and the data link converter;
data links using electrical signals, between the data link converter and the different locations provided to receive the interface modules.

9 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least one bus of the set of buses comprises at least two modular sections arranged end-to-end and linked electrically to one another; each of the at least two modular sections of the at least one bus forms part of a modular element also comprising a set of data links extending substantially parallel to the modular section concerned; and the sets of data links of consecutive modular elements are linked to one another so as to form the set of data links associated with the bus concerned.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Sas
• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Morin Thomas
• Chabot Franck
• Hintze Hartmut
• Brownjohn Nicholas
• Faguier Vincent

Classifications

• H04L12/40 Primary

  Bus networks · CPC title

• H04L2012/4028

  the transportation system being an aircraft · CPC title

• H02J4/00 Primary

  Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as AC or DC; Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks combining AC and DC sections or sub-networks (arrangements using intermediate DC-AC-DC conversion H02J1/002; arrangements using high-voltage DC [HVDC] links H02J3/36) · CPC title

• B64D2221/00

  Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft · CPC title

• B64D47/00 Primary

  Equipment not otherwise provided for · CPC title