Electric power system architecture and fault tolerant vtol aircraft using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021339881-A1
Application number	US-202117379464-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 19, 2021
Priority date	May 31, 2018
Publication date	Nov 4, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

The power system can include: a plurality of batteries, a plurality of electric propulsion units, flight computers, and power connections. The propulsion assemblies can include a motor, a propeller, and one or more inverters. The power system can optionally include a plurality of flight actuators. However, the power system can include any other suitable set of components. The power system functions to provide aircraft propulsion and/or aircraft control authority during flight.

First claim

We claim:

1 . An electric aircraft comprising:
a battery pair comprising a first and second battery; a first propulsion assembly comprising:
a dual-wound electric motor comprising a first and second set of windings connected to the first and second batteries, respectively; and
a propeller coupled to the dual-wound electric motor;
a pair of control surfaces arranged on a first side of the mid-sagittal plane of the aircraft, the pair comprising a first and a second control surface; and a first and a second flight actuator electrically connected to the first and second batteries, respectively, wherein the first and second flight actuators are mechanically connected to the first and second control surfaces, respectively.

2 . The electric aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first flight actuator is not redundantly powered by the second battery.

3 . The electric aircraft of claim 2 , wherein aircraft is configured to equilibrate a state of charge (SoC) of the first and second batteries based on a weighted power distribution of the first and second sets of windings.

4 . The electric aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising a second and third propulsion assembly, each comprising a respective dual-wound electric motor and a respective propeller, the first and second batteries connected to a respective set of windings of the dual-wound electric motor of each of the second and third propulsion assemblies.

5 . The electric aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first motor inverter electrically coupled to the first set of windings and the first control surface; and a second motor inverter electrically coupled to the second set of windings, wherein the second battery is selectively connected to the first flight actuator in a propulsive mode of the second motor inverter and a regenerative mode of the first motor inverter.

6 . The electric aircraft of claim 1 , wherein each battery of the battery pair is sized to be capable of independently powering the first propulsion assembly above a power threshold of the motor.

7 . The electric aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first battery is arranged on the first side of the midsagittal plane and the second battery is arranged on a second side of the midsagittal plane, opposite the first side.

8 . The electric aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first battery is arranged within an inboard portion of a wing of the aircraft, wherein the second battery is arranged within an outboard portion of the wing relative to the inboard portion.

9 . The electric aircraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second battery pair comprising a third and fourth battery; a second propulsion assembly comprising:
a second dual-wound electric motor comprising a third and fourth set of windings connected to the third and fourth batteries, respectively; and
a propeller coupled to the dual-wound electric motor;
a second pair of control surfaces comprising a third and a fourth control surface symmetrically opposing the first and second control surfaces across the midsagittal plane, respectively; and a third and a fourth flight actuator electrically connected to the third and fourth batteries and mechanically connected to the third and fourth control surfaces, respectively.

10 . The electric aircraft of claim 9 , wherein during a failed state of the third actuator:
the third control surface is in a deployed position, and the first actuator is configured to actuate the first control surface to mirror the deployed position of the third control surface.

11 . The electric aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the electric aircraft comprises a plurality of propulsion assemblies comprising the first and second propulsion assemblies, wherein the electric aircraft is further configured to accommodate a failure state of the first propulsion assembly by:
reducing a first power provision to the second propulsion assembly; and increasing a respective power provision to each of a remainder of the plurality of propulsion assemblies.

12 . The electric aircraft of claim 9 , further comprising:
a fifth control surface adjacent to the first and second control surfaces and arranged on a first side of the mid-sagittal plane; and a fifth flight actuator electrically connected to the third battery and mechanically connected to the fifth control surface.

13 . The electric aircraft of claim 12 , wherein the first, second, and third control surfaces are ruddervators.

14 . The electric aircraft of claim 12 , wherein the third battery is larger than the fourth battery, wherein the third battery symmetrically opposes the first battery across the midsagittal plane.

15 . The electric aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the first and second control surfaces are duplicative.

16 . A method comprising:
determining a flight command for an electric aircraft, the electric aircraft comprising:
a battery pair comprising a first and a second battery; and
a propulsion assembly comprising a propeller coupled to a dual-wound motor, the dual wound motor having a first and a second set of windings connected to the first and second batteries of the battery pair, respectively;
determining a battery state for each battery of the battery pair; determining a weighted power distribution relative to the battery states of the first and second batteries, the weighted power distribution comprising a first weight associated with the first battery and a second weight associated with the second battery; based on the flight command and the first weight, supplying power from the first battery to the first set of windings of a propulsion assembly of the plurality; while supplying power to the first set of windings, regeneratively harvesting power from the propeller at the second set of windings based on the second weight; and supplying the regeneratively harvested power to a first flight actuator.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first and second batteries are arranged on opposing sides of a midsagittal plane of the electric aircraft and are asymmetric about the midsagittal plane.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the electric aircraft further comprises:
a second flight actuator, wherein the second and first flight actuators are electrically connected to the first and second batteries, respectively; and a duplicative pair of control surfaces arranged on a first side of the mid-sagittal plane of the aircraft, the pair comprising a first and a second control surface, wherein the first and second flight actuators are mechanically connected to the first and second control surfaces, respectively.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising cooperatively actuating the duplicative pair of actuators based on a flight command.

20 . A method comprising:
determining a flight command for an electric aircraft, the electric aircraft comprising:
a battery pair comprising a first and a second battery; and
a plurality of propulsion assemblies, each comprising a propeller coupled to a dual-wound motor, the dual wound motor having a first and a second set of windings connected to the first and second batteries of the battery pair, respectively;
a pair of control surfaces arranged on a first side of the mid-sagittal plane of the aircraft, the pair comprising a first and a second control surface; and
a first and a second flight actuator electrically connected to the first and second batteries, respectively, the first and second flight actuators mechanically connected to the first and second control surfac

Assignees

• Joby Aero Inc

Inventors

• Bevirt Joeben
• Stoll Alex
• Van Der Geest Martin
• Macafee Scott
• Ryan Jason

Classifications

• B64D27/24 Primary

  using steam or spring force (jet aircraft B64D27/16) · CPC title

• B64D27/34

  All-electric aircraft · CPC title

• B64D27/357

  using batteries · CPC title

• B64C29/0033 Primary

  the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage · CPC title

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title