Control unit for controlling the power of at least one battery, aircraft comprising said control unit, and corresponding control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025260246-A1
Application number	US-202318836307-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 1, 2023
Priority date	Feb 7, 2022
Publication date	Aug 14, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A control unit for controlling the power of a battery including at first and second incoming connections carrying a DC voltage and first and second outgoing connections delivering a DC voltage. The first incoming connection is connected to a first current sensor and to a high-voltage busbar via a protection member. The high-voltage busbar is connected to the first outgoing connection via a first controlled fuse and a second current sensor, and to a second outgoing connection via a second controlled fuse and a third current sensor. A control means is configured to switch the protection member, the first controlled fuse or the second controlled fuse based on received measurements so as to isolate an electrical fault.

First claim

1 . An aircraft provided with a battery and two electric motors, comprising a battery power management unit comprising at least first and second incoming connections carrying a DC voltage and first and second outgoing connections delivering a DC voltage, the first incoming connection being connected to a first current sensor and to a high-voltage busbar via a protection member, the high-voltage busbar being connected to the first outgoing connection via a first controlled fuse and a second current sensor, and to the second outgoing connection via a second controlled fuse and a third current sensor, the first incoming connection being connected to the battery, the first outgoing connection being connected to a first electric motor, the second outgoing connection being connected to a second electric motor, the management unit further comprising a control means designed to switch at least one out of the protection member, the first controlled fuse and the second controlled fuse based on measurements received from the first current sensor, the second current sensor or the third current sensor so as to isolate an electrical fault in the management unit, at least one of the first and second incoming connections or at least one of the first and second outgoing connections, the management unit comprising a first contactor connected on the one hand to the first current sensor and on the other hand to the protection member, the second incoming connection being connected to the first contactor via a second contactor connected to the control means, the management unit comprising a third incoming connection connected to a third contactor via a fourth current sensor, the third contactor being connected to the high-voltage busbar, the third contactor and the fourth current sensor being connected to the control means.

2 . The aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the management unit comprises a secondary busbar arranged between a current sensor and the corresponding contactor or the corresponding controlled fuse.

3 . The aircraft according claim 1 , further comprising an emergency power supply and/or being connected to a stationary recharging means, wherein the second incoming connection is connected to the stationary recharging means and the third incoming connection is connected to the emergency power supply.

4 . The aircraft according to claim 3 , further comprising two battery power management units connected in parallel via the third incoming connections.

5 . The aircraft according to claim 3 , further comprising two battery power management units connected in parallel by the second incoming connection, each battery power management unit comprising a link between the high-voltage busbar and the first outgoing connection and the second outgoing connection of the other battery power management unit, each link being provided with a second protection member controlled by the control means.

6 . A management method for an electrical power management unit arranged in the aircraft according to claim 1 , the management method comprising the following steps:
powering the electric motor via the battery, the first contactor is controlled so that it is made conductive while the second contactor and the third contactor are controlled so that they are made non-conductive, powering the electric motor via the emergency power supply, the third contactor is controlled to be made conductive while the first contactor and the second contactor are controlled to be made non-conductive, and charging the battery via the auxiliary power unit, the second contactor is controlled to be made conductive while the first contactor and the third contactor are controlled to be made non-conductive.

7 . The management method according to claim 6 , wherein, when a fault is detected in the power supply to an electric motor or group of electric motors supplied by one of the outgoing connections via the protection member, the following steps are carried out:
commanding the protection member to open in order to interrupt the current flowing from the battery, prevent the establishment of a short-circuit current and avoid thermal runaway of the battery, sending a fault message from the protection member to the control means, sending an opening command from the control means to the first contactor in order to physically isolate the battery, determining the location of the fault based on measurements from the first current sensor, the second current sensor, the third current sensor and the fourth current sensor via the control means, sending an activation command from the control means to the first controlled fuse, and after the first controlled fuse has tripped, sending a close command from the control means to the first contactor and to the protection member in order to restore power to the other electric motor.

8 . The management method according to claim 6 , wherein, when a fault is detected in the high-voltage busbar, the following steps are carried out:
commanding the protection member to open in order to interrupt the current flowing from the battery, prevent the establishment of a short-circuit current and avoid thermal runaway of the battery, sending a fault message from the protection member to the control means, sending an opening command from the control means to the first contactor in order to physically isolate the battery, comparing the measurements from the first current sensor, the second current sensor, the third current sensor and the fourth current sensor via the control means, and sending a power supply fault information message depending on the result of the comparison.

9 . The management method according to claim 6 , wherein, when a fault is detected in the battery via the control means based on the measurements from the first current sensor and/or the protection member, the following steps are carried out:
sending an opening command from the control means to the first contactor in order to physically isolate the battery, sending an opening command from the control means to the protection member, sending a close command from the control means to the third contactor in order to restore power to the electric motors, initiating a pre-charge sequence on the emergency power supply in order to charge the capacitors of the electric motors, and once the capacitors have been charged, activating the main line.

10 . The management method according to claim 6 , wherein, when a fault is detected in the emergency power supply via the control means based on the measurements from the fourth current sensor, the following steps are carried out:
sending an opening command from the control means to the third contactor in order to physically isolate the emergency power supply, and sending a power supply redundancy fault notification from the control means.

Assignees

• Safran Electrical & Power

Inventors

• Baque Franck
• Cornu Quentin
• Guerin Fabrice
• Percheron Guillaume
• Renotte Alexis

Classifications

• H02J2105/32

  for aircrafts · CPC title

• H02J7/663

  using battery or load disconnect circuits (H02J9/002 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/80

  including monitoring or indicating arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/62 Primary

  against overcurrent · CPC title

• H02J2310/44

  Electricity · mapped topic