Modular inverter rack and its control method for a set of electrical machines provided with position sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9527460-B2
Application number	US-201414158501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2014
Priority date	Jan 18, 2013
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A modular rack intended for an aircraft includes a set of electrical machines each equipped with a position sensor including inverters, a supervision member, a first communication channel to transmit to each of the inverters the inverter setpoint determined by the supervision member, and a second communication channel to transmit a position information item to each of the inverters, each of the inverters including a way to generate an electrical signal as a function of the inverter setpoint and of the position information transmitted by the supervision member. The first and second communication channels include a single link for the supervision member and the inverters, and transmitting both the inverter setpoints and the position information items.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A modular power rack intended for an aircraft comprising a set of electrical machines, each equipped with a position sensor, and an onboard electrical network, comprising:
a plurality of inverters, supplied with electrical power by the onboard electrical network,
a supervision member comprising means for:
collecting, for each electrical machine, a machine control setpoint and position information delivered by the position sensor of the electrical machine,
determining, for each inverter, an inverter setpoint from the machine control setpoints of the set of electrical machines,
a first communication channel, between the supervision member and each of the inverters, configured to transmit to each of the inverters the inverter setpoint determined by the supervision member,
a second communication channel, between the supervision member and each of the inverters, configured to transmit position information to each of the inverters,
a distribution device, which supplies to each electrical machine an electrical supply signal assembled from power electrical signals generated by the plurality of inverters, and

synchronization means which associates a date stamp with each position information item delivered by the position sensors of each of the electrical machines; the date stamp associated with position information being also transmitted via the second communication channel,
each of the inverters comprising means for generating a power electrical signal as a function of the inverter setpoint and of the position information transmitted by the supervision member respectively via the first and the second communication channels.

2. The modular power rack according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication channel consists of a bus link.

3. The modular power rack according to claim 1 , wherein the second communication channel consists of a set of bus links; a bus link linking each inverter to the supervision member.

4. The modular power rack according to claim 3 , comprising synchronization means configured to associate a date stamp with each position information item delivered by the position sensors of each of the electrical machines, the date stamp associated with position information being also transmitted via the second communication channel, and wherein the date stamp associated with a position information item is a synchronization bit in a communication frame of the bus link transmitting the position information.

5. The modular power rack according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second communication channels consist of a single bus link linking the supervision member and the plurality of inverters, and transmitting both the inverter setpoints and the position information.

6. The modular power rack according to claim 1 , wherein at least one inverter comprises means for computing, from the position information transmitted to the inverter according to a transfer frequency, an estimated position at a higher frequency than the transfer frequency; the estimated position replacing the position information to generate the power electrical signal.

7. The modular power rack according to claim 6 , wherein the estimated position (θ est ) is computed by means of a first order estimator implementing a relationship of a type:
θ est =θ 0 +ω 0 ×Δt

wherein θ est , θ 0 , ω 0 and Δt respectively represent the estimated position, the position information transmitted to the inverter, a rotation speed of a rotor estimated by the inverter, and an estimation of time elapsed since the date stamp.

8. The modular power rack according to claim 6 , wherein the estimated position (θ est ) is computed by means of a second order estimator implementing a relationship of a type:
θ est =θ 0 +ω 0 ×Δt+γ 0 ×Δt 2

wherein θ est , θ 0 , ω 0 , γ 0 and Δt respectively represent the estimated position, the position information transmitted to the inverter, a rotation speed of a rotor estimated by the inverter, an acceleration of rotation of the rotor estimated by the inverter, and an estimation of time elapsed since the date stamp.

9. The modular power rack according to claim 1 , wherein the date stamp associated with a position information item is determined by means of an additional physical signal.

10. A control method intended for an aircraft comprising a set of electrical machines each equipped with a position sensor, and a plurality of inverters supplied with electrical power by an onboard network of the aircraft, comprising:
collecting, for each electrical machine, a machine control setpoint and position information delivered by the position sensor of the electrical machine;
determining, for each inverter, an inverter setpoint from the machine control setpoints of the set of electrical machines;
generating, by each inverter, an electrical power signal as a function of the inverter setpoint and of the position information;
supplying to each electrical machine a supply electrical signal assembled from power electrical signals generated by at least one of the plurality of inverters; and
determining, from the position information transmitted to an inverter according to a transfer frequency, an estimated position at a higher frequency than the transfer frequency; the estimated position replacing the position information to generate the power electrical signal.

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Dal Arnaud
• Guguen Stéphane
• Texeira Tony

Classifications

• H02M7/493

  the static converters being arranged for operation in parallel · CPC title

• H02P5/74 Primary

  controlling two or more AC dynamo-electric motors (H02P5/46, H02P5/60 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60R16/03 Primary

  for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} · CPC title

• H02P6/14

  Electronic commutators · CPC title