Electrical architecture for an aircraft, an aircraft, and a method of using it

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9873518-B2
Application number	US-201514799845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2015
Priority date	Jul 17, 2014
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

An electrical architecture for an aircraft having a main electrical machine connected to a fuel burning engine and a secondary electrical machine connected to a power transmission assembly. A high-voltage electrical master box is connected by a first line and by a second line to a multifunction converter, the high-voltage electrical master box connecting the first line to the secondary electrical machine, and the second line to at least the main electrical machine and the secondary electrical machine. The multifunction converter includes a supervisor connected to an avionics system and to a control system controlling the engine, and to a controller of the high-voltage electrical master box.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical architecture for an aircraft including a power transmission assembly connected to at least one lift rotor and driven by at least one fuel burning engine, the electrical architecture comprising a high-voltage electricity network including a main electrical machine for connecting to the fuel burning engine and a secondary electrical machine for connecting to the power transmission assembly, wherein the high-voltage electricity network comprises at least one high-voltage electrical master box connected to at least one source of electricity, the high-voltage electrical master box being connected by a first line and by a second line to a multifunction converter, the high-voltage electrical master box having a first connection connecting the first line to the secondary electrical machine, the high-voltage electrical master box having a second connection connecting the second line to at least the main electrical machine and to at least the secondary electrical machine, the multifunction converter including a high-voltage direct current bus connected to a bidirectional inverter, the bidirectional inverter being connected to the second line, the high-voltage direct current bus communicating electrically with the first line, the multifunction converter having a supervisor connected to an avionics system and to a control system for controlling the fuel burning engine and to a controller of the high-voltage electrical master box in order to feed electricity at least to an electrical machine and/or to take electricity via the multifunction converter from at least one of the electrical machines as a function of operating stages determined from the avionics system and from the control system.

2. An electrical architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the electricity source includes a high-voltage ground connector electrically powering a high-voltage electrical master box.

3. An electrical architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the architecture includes at least one electric motor electrically powered by the second line via the high-voltage electrical master box.

4. An electrical architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the architecture has two fuel burning engines, each fuel burning engine being connected to the multifunction converter by a respective high-voltage electrical master box, the high-voltage electrical master boxes being connected together, at least one high-voltage electrical master box being connected to a high-voltage ground connector.

5. An electrical architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the architecture includes at least one piece of electrical equipment operating with high-voltage alternating current and connected to a high-voltage electrical master box.

6. An electrical architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the architecture includes a low-voltage electricity network connected to each high-voltage electrical master box by a converter for converting between high-voltage alternating current and low-voltage direct current, the electricity source including at least one battery connected to the converter for converting between high-voltage alternating current and low-voltage direct current via a low-voltage electrical master box.

7. An electrical architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the architecture includes a low-voltage electricity network connected to each high-voltage electrical master box by a converter for converting between high-voltage alternating current and low-voltage direct current, the electricity source including at least one low-voltage ground connector connected to a low-voltage electrical master box of the low-voltage electricity network.

8. An electrical architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the multifunction converter includes a converter for converting between high-voltage direct current and low-voltage direct current, the converter being connected to a low-voltage electricity network and to the high-voltage direct current bus.

9. An electrical architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the high-voltage direct current bus communicates electrically with the first line by being connected to a converter for converting between high-voltage alternating current and high-voltage direct current, this converter for converting between high-voltage alternating current and high-voltage direct current being connected to the first line.

10. An aircraft including a power transmission assembly connected to at least one lift rotor and driven by at least one fuel burning engine, wherein the aircraft includes an architecture according to claim 1 .

11. An aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the transmission assembly comprises a power transmission gearbox driven by each fuel burning engine, and the secondary electrical machine is designed to be connected to the power transmission gearbox.

12. An aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the transmission assembly comprises a power transmission gearbox driven by each fuel burning engine, the power transmission gearbox driving an accessory gearbox, and the secondary electrical machine being designed to be connected to the accessory gearbox.

13. An aircraft according to claim 10 , wherein the transmission assembly comprises a power transmission gearbox driven by each fuel burning engine, the power transmission gearbox driving an accessory gearbox, and the architecture including an auxiliary engine driving the accessory gearbox.

14. A method of using an aircraft according to claim 10 , the method comprising the following steps:
during a step (STEP2) of starting the fuel burning engine performed during a stage of operation on the ground, taking electricity from the electricity source and conveying the electricity in the high-voltage electricity network to the multifunction converter, to a second line, and then to the high-voltage electrical master box, the main electrical machine operating in motor mode in order to start the fuel burning engine;
during a step (STEP3) of generating electricity, generating electricity with the main electrical machine operating in electricity generator mode, and transferring the electricity to the multifunction converter successively via a high-voltage electrical master box and a second line; and
in flight and during a stage (STEP4) of hybrid operation, taking electricity from the electricity source and conveying the electricity in the high-voltage electricity network to the multifunction converter, to a second line, and then to the high-voltage electrical master box, the main electrical machine operating in motor mode.

15. A method according to claim 14 , wherein during a stage (STEP1) operating on the ground, electricity is taken from the electricity source and the electricity is conveyed in the high-voltage electricity network to the secondary electrical machine successively via at least one high-voltage electrical master box, a first line, a multifunction converter, a second line, and then the high-voltage electrical master box, the secondary electrical machine operating in motor mode in order to provide the transmission assembly with at least some of its drive.

16. A method according to claim 14 , wherein during a stage (STEP1) of operating on the ground, electricity is taken from the electricity source and then the electricity is conveyed to a low-voltage electricity network successively via at least one high-voltage electrical master box, a first line, and the multifunction converter.

17. A method according to claim 14 , wherein electricity is taken from the electricity source by taking electricity from a high-voltage ground connector feeding

Assignees

• Airbus Helicopters

Inventors

• Sautreuil Matthieu
• Bezes Gilles

Classifications

• B64D35/024

  of series type · CPC title

• B64D35/02 Primary

  specially adapted for specific power plants · CPC title

• B64D35/025

  of parallel type · CPC title

• B64D31/18

  for hybrid-electric power plants · CPC title

• B64D27/33

  Hybrid electric aircraft · CPC title