System and method for controlling an aircraft cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617007-B2
Application number	US-201213434396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2012
Priority date	Sep 29, 2009
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A system for controlling a cooling system comprises an operating state detection unit adapted to detect operating signals characteristic of the operating state of the cooling system and/or the operating state of a plurality of cooling energy consumers to be supplied with cooling energy by the cooling system and a database in which priority data dependent on the operating state and characteristic of the priority to be given to the cooling energy consumers in terms of the cooling energy to be supplied in various operating states of the cooling system and/or of the cooling energy consumers, is stored for a plurality of cooling energy consumers to be supplied with cooling energy by the cooling system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for controlling a cooling system, adapted for use on board an aircraft, the cooling system comprising a cold production device to produce and supply a coolant to a plurality of energy consuming components, wherein the system comprises:
an operating state detection unit, which is adapted to detect operating state signals, which are characteristic of an operating state of the cooling system;
one or more sensors in electrical communication with the operating state detection unit and the energy consuming components;
a database, in which operating-state-dependent priority data are stored for the plurality of energy consuming components to be supplied with coolant by the cooling system, the priority data are characteristic of a priority to be given to the energy consuming components in terms of the coolant to be supplied from the cold production device in various operating states of the cooling system, wherein the stored priority data for at least one of the energy consuming components is arranged so as to cause that energy consuming component to always be given a highest priority in all operating states of the cooling system and regardless of an operating state of other ones of the energy consuming components; and
a control signal generation unit, which is adapted to generate a first to third control signals in accordance with the operating state signals detected by the operating state detection unit and the priority data stored in the database, the first control signals being routed to the cold production device for controlling operation of the cold production device, the second control signal being supplied to components of the cooling system for controlling a distribution of the coolant produced by the cold production device to the energy consuming components, and the third control signal being supplied to the energy consuming components or local controllers assigned to the energy consuming components, the third control signal exerting influence on an operation of the energy consuming components in response to detection and feedback of performance parameters of the operating state of the energy consuming components by the one or more sensors, so as to control cooling to the plurality of energy consuming components.

2. System according to claim 1 , wherein the operating state detection unit is adapted to determine with reference to the detected operating state signals whether the cooling system is in a normal operating state, in a fault mode state, or in an operating startup phase, and/or whether a energy consuming components is in a normal operating state or in a critical operating state.

3. System according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the operating-state-dependent priority data stored in the database are data that are characteristic of the priority to be given to the energy consuming components in terms of the coolant to be supplied in a normal operating state, in a fault mode state, and/or in an operating start-up phase of the cooling system, and/or wherein at least some of the operating-state-dependent priority data stored in the database are data that are characteristic of the priority to be given to the energy consuming components in terms of the coolant to be supplied in a normal operating state and/or in a critical operating state of the energy consuming components.

4. System according to claim 1 , wherein stored in the database for a plurality of energy consuming components to be supplied with coolant by the cooling system is a target temperature of a coolant to be supplied to the energy consuming components and that the control system is adapted to control the operation of the cold production device of the cooling system in such a manner that the cold production device cools the coolant to be supplied to the energy consuming components to a temperature that is adjusted to a lowest target temperature stored in the database of the energy consuming components supplied with coolant taking account of the operating-state-dependent priority data stored in the database in a certain operating state of the cooling system and/or of the energy consuming components.

5. System according to claim 1 , wherein the operating-state-dependent priority data are stored in the database for predefined groups of energy consuming components to be supplied with coolant by the cooling system.

6. A method for controlling a cooling system, adapted for use on board an aircraft, the cooling system comprising a cold production device producing coolant supplied to a plurality of energy consuming components, the method comprising the steps:
detecting operating state signals, which are characteristic of an operating state of the cooling system wherein the detecting includes one or more sensors associated with the energy consuming components;
storing operating-state-dependent priority data for the plurality of energy consuming components to be supplied with coolant by the cooling system, the operating-state-dependent priority data are characteristic of a priority to be given in terms of the coolant to be supplied from the cold production device to the energy consuming components in various operating states of the cooling system and/or of the energy consuming components, wherein the stored operating-state-dependent priority data for at least one of energy consuming components is arranged so as to cause the at least one energy consuming component to always be given a highest priority in all operating states of the cooling system and regardless of an operating state of other ones of the energy consuming components;
generating a first to third control signals in accordance with the detected operating state signals and the stored priority data;
routing the first control signals to the cold production device for controlling operation of the cold production device;
supplying the second control signal to components of the cooling system controlling a distribution of the coolant produced by the cold production device to the energy consuming components; and
supplying the third control signal to the energy consuming components or local controllers assigned to the energy consuming components, the third control signal exerting influence on an operation of the energy consuming components based on detection and feedback of performance parameters of the operating state of the energy consuming components by the one or more sensors, so as to produce and supply coolant to a plurality of energy consuming components.

7. Method according to claim 6 , wherein it is determined with reference to the detected operating state signals whether the cooling system is in a normal operating state, in a fault mode state, or in an operating start-up phase, and/or whether a component is in a normal operating state or in a critical operating state.

8. Method according to claim 6 , wherein at least some of the stored operating-state-dependent priority data are data that are characteristic of a priority to be given to the energy consuming components in a normal operating state, in a fault mode state, and/or in an operating start-up phase of the cooling system, and/or wherein at least some of the operating-state-dependent priority data stored in the database are data that are characteristic of a priority to be given in terms of the coolant to be supplied to the energy consuming components in a normal operating state and/or in a critical operating state of the energy consuming components.

9. Method according to claim 6 , wherein a target temperature of a coolant to be supplied to the energy consuming components is stored for the plurality of energy consuming components to be supplied with coolant by the cooling system, and that the operation of the cold production device

Assignees

• Hoelling Marc
• Rothammer Werner
• Dittmar Jan
• Colberg Carsten
• Noriega Wilson Willy Casas
• Uluc Ozan
• Roering Sebastian
• Wolf Holger
• Airbus Operations Gmbh

Inventors

• Hoelling Marc
• Rothammer Werner
• Dittmar Jan
• Colberg Carsten
• Noriega Wilson Willy Casas
• Uluc Ozan
• Roering Sebastian
• Wolf Holger

Classifications

• B64D13/08 Primary

  the air being heated or cooled · CPC title

• B64D2013/0655

  with zone or personal climate controls · CPC title

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• B64D13/00 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of air-treatment apparatus for aircraft crew or passengers, or freight space · CPC title

• Y02T50/56

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic