WO2021245296A1

WO2021245296A1 - Electrical power distribution system and vehicle with said system

Info

Publication number: WO2021245296A1
Application number: PCT/ES2020/070370
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sergio RODRIGUEZ BENITO; Gaizka MARTINEZ ZUBIZARRETA; Fermín RODRIGUEZ LALANNE; José Martín ECHEVERRIA ORMAECHEA; Ignacio SANCHEZ-GUARDAMINO AGUIRREBENGOA
Original assignee: Asociacion Centro Tecnologico Ceit
Priority date: 2020-06-03
Filing date: 2020-06-03
Publication date: 2021-12-09

Abstract

An electrical power distribution system (111) for a vehicle, where each electrical power distribution module (112) comprises a digital signal processor (211) configured to open or close the connection of the switching means (311) of said power distribution module (112), providing an electrical power transmission path between a predetermined generator unit (115) or storage unit (117) and a predetermined load unit (116), in accordance with an electrical power distribution programme which determines the electrical power transmission path by exchanging information between digital signal processors (211) of other power distribution modules (112) of the electrical power distribution system (111) by means of a communication protocol between digital signal processors (611).

Description

DESCRIPTION

ELECTRIC ENERGY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND VEHICLE WITH SUCH SYSTEM

Technical sector

The present invention relates to a distributed electrical energy distribution system on board a vehicle such as, for example, an aircraft, as well as to said vehicle.

State of the art

A system for supplying electrical energy to electrical loads of an aircraft is known in the state of the art, where the supply system comprises a generation system which, in turn, comprises at least two sources of electrical energy supply, one electrical energy storage unit and an auxiliary power supply source, and is connected downstream to a distribution system, comprising a primary distribution and a secondary distribution that is connected to the different final loads of the aircraft.

The electrical power supply sources and the auxiliary power supply source can supply different and independent electrical distribution networks depending on the aircraft's operating mode. For example, the energy requirements of the aircraft is a function of the operating stage of the aircraft itself, if it is taxiing on an airport taxiway or if it is in any of the flight stages.

Therefore, the demand for electrical energy is different depending on the stage of operation in which the aircraft is. The ground and aircraft electrical power distribution networks are independent of each other and the different distribution networks are fed by different electrical power supply sources. The electrical power on board in the aircraft is important, being the sum of the set of electrical power supply sources on board also in the aircraft. The supply system comprises a distribution controller to manage the operating regime of each source of electric power supply in order to cover the demand for electric power requested by the aircraft's loads at all times. The increase in electrical power on board and the importance of electrical loads on board in aircraft have made the electrical system one of the most critical systems, which requires quality electrical energy with a high level of reliability, with narrow margins of variation of magnitude and high level of efficiency. This system is completely centralized in a specific place in the aircraft, where a single power bus distributes energy to the end point. In this way, a catastrophic failure of the same would prevent the supply of all the loads connected to it. To prevent this from happening, a large number of redundancies are introduced within the centralized system so that there are numerous connections between all inputs and outputs. This centralization means that the system has to be perfectly dimensioned for each one of the aircraft designs, not being possible a simple reconfiguration and causing electrical power distribution failures. Furthermore, as it is a centralized system, in the event of damage to the specific place where the power distribution system is centralized, it would be rendered useless when the redundancies are located in the same place.

Object of the invention

The present invention seeks to solve one or more of the drawbacks set forth above by means of an electrical energy distribution system for a vehicle, to transport electrical energy between an electrical energy supply system, which comprises at least one generation unit and / or the least one storage unit, and at least one electrical load unit, said electrical load being dependent on the vehicle's operating stage, for example it may be a user or consumer subsystem, vehicle interior and exterior lighting systems, systems multimedia, or the engines themselves.

The electrical energy distribution system comprising a plurality of electrical energy distribution modules, each electrical energy distribution module comprising at least one connection switch module, each module connection switch being electrically connected in an interrupted way by means of connection interruption to:

- a switch module for connecting another power distribution module,

- an adjacent connection switch module of the same power distribution module, and

- a single electrical terminal for external connection of the energy distribution module, said electrical terminal for external connection connectable to the generation unit, the storage unit or the electrical load unit.

Wherein each electrical energy distribution module comprises a digital signal processor configured to open or close the means of interrupting the connection of said energy distribution module by providing an electrical energy transport path between a predetermined generation or storage unit and a predetermined load unit, according to an electrical energy distribution program that determines the electrical energy transport path by exchanging information between digital signal processors of other energy distribution modules of the system by means of a communication protocol between digital processors of signs.

The vehicle comprising said electrical energy distribution system is also an object of the invention.

Therefore, from the energy supply sources such as in the case of an aircraft, generators or the battery, together with transformation and conversion means, electrical energy is supplied to the electrical energy distribution system that comprises a plurality of power distribution modules electrically connected to each other to supply electrical power to a certain load on board the vehicle. For this, thanks to the digital signal processors, hereinafter DSP, of each energy distribution module, the switch modules of each energy distribution module are controlled and it also serves to communicate through a protocol or connection rule (policy of connection) with the rest of the energy distribution modules of the vehicle's energy distribution system. Said communication protocol between DSPs can be, for example, by means of the CAN, ARINC or Ethernet protocol.

With the use of several connection switch modules, the redundancies of possible electrical connection lines are increased to supply electrical energy from the generation system to the electrical loads and, at the same time, distribute the power distribution modules on board the vehicle to reduce the weight of the electrical conductor network, the number of electrical cable connections required and. therefore, it provides a reduction in fuel consumption and CO ₂ footprint and the total aircraft manufacturing time of this aircraft. In addition, this mainly prevents the vehicle from stopping due to a failure since alternative paths are provided to reach the final electrical load.

Thanks to this configuration, once the information shared between DSPs of the distribution modules of the system has been obtained, an electrical energy distribution program determines the energy transport path by controlling the opening or closing of the interruption means. Thus, the number of connection interruption means that have to be electrically connected to establish an electrical power supply line from the electrical power generation system to a certain electrical load on board the vehicle is reduced, during any stage of operation. vehicle. Said power supply can also be focused on charging the battery, also providing different paths to transport electrical energy for charging.

This redundancy of possible electrical connection lines is the main advantage of the system to be fault tolerant. If any element (cables, semiconductors, connectors, sensors, etc.) of each switch module that is part of the energy transfer path suffers some damage, there would be alternative options to power the loads that require it. The system has the capacity both for the number of interruption means to be redundant, and for the DSPs to look for alternative ways to transfer the energy, increasing the reliability of the system.

The modular arrangement of the system allows the electrical energy distribution modules to be distributed throughout the vehicle by being connected to each other and arranged in the vicinity of the corresponding electrical loads. In addition, these modules are identical and interchangeable with each other, facilitating the replacement and repair process. Therefore, if any module in the enclosure is damaged or needs to be replaced, it could be replaced by another module without the need for repairs to the power distribution module or to reconfigure the entire system as in the centralized systems of the state of the enclosure. technique. A decentralized system is provided that can be implemented in state-of-the-art systems that They are centralized to implement a decentralized system with the advantages that this brings.

Another characteristic of the invention is that the DSP of each energy distribution module comprises an information storage memory that stores information about the generation unit, energy storage unit and / or load unit to which the electrical terminal of the connection of said power distribution module, as well as on the switch modules to which each switch module of said power distribution module is connected.

In this way it is possible to store the information of each energy distribution module and to what type of load or energy generation system it is connected. And therefore it is achieved that the start of the system is faster and the system is reconfigured in case of failure without the vehicle stopping, increasing safety and reliability.

Preferably, according to the invention the electrical energy distribution module is adapted to house a variable number of connection switch modules. In this way, as they are designed as plug-in modules, the addition of a specific module to a power distribution module or replacement of a module by another module, which is ready to operate, is a simple and fast operation, reducing the time invested in perform a repair and / or upgrade of the electrical power supply capacity to the vehicle's electrical loads.

The standard modular manufacture of identical modules enables standardization of power electronics and. therefore, reliability and cost reduction. The possibility of reconfiguring the association of several switch modules connected in parallel according to their operational availability makes it possible to improve the response of the distributed electrical power distribution system in the event of a fault. Additionally, preferably, the connection switch module has a T-shaped configuration where each branch comprises connection interruption means.

Preferably, the connection interrupt means comprises a pair of one-way switches connected in parallel to provide a two-way interrupt connection. Thanks to this configuration, the bi-directionality of the connections between power distribution modules is ensured. This is of great relevance in vehicles and in particular in aircraft that have a battery that must be managed, so the energy distribution modules must be able to inject and extract energy. Taking into account that all modules and enclosures must be identical and interchangeable, it is necessary to provide bi-directionality to all modules. Also, to achieve system redundancy, the power distribution modules must be bidirectional to increase the possible routes.

Preferably, the one-way switches are of the IGTB type. The switching means can also be selected among diodes, thyristors, GTOs, TRIACs, MOSFETs, BJTs, SSR solid state relays or SSC solid state contactors. According to a further characteristic of the invention, the power distribution system comprises an electrical power supply for driving the connection interruption means and / or the digital signal processor. The electrical power supply draws electrical energy from the electrical power supply system.

Therefore, the energy required to power both the control electronics of the power distribution module and the DSP will be obtained from the energy itself that circulates through the decentralized power distribution system. Additionally preferably, the electrical power supply system is adapted to transport electrical power at a predetermined fixed direct current voltage in the system. In the case of aircraft for example ± 270V or 28V.

In this way, it is possible to operate in a wide power range, as long as the maximum operating powers are respected, without replacing the elements. The system allows it to be replicated for different vehicles or environments, although it would be necessary to adapt the power and voltage of the modules to the desired application.

Description of the figures

A more detailed explanation is given in the description that follows and is based on the attached figures: Figure 1 schematically shows a distributed electrical power distribution system on board an aircraft connectable to an electrical power supply system on board an aircraft and to a plurality of electrical loads on board also distributed by the aircraft.

Figure 2 schematically shows a power distribution module comprising four connection switch modules, a DSP digital signal processor, and an electrical input terminal.

Figure 3 schematically shows a connection switch module comprising a set of connection switches electrically connected in T, where each branch of the T-shape comprises at least two switches connected in parallel. Figure 4 schematically shows four switch modules connected to each other within a power distribution module.

Detailed description of the invention In view of the aforementioned figures, and in accordance with the adopted numbering, an example of a preferred embodiment of the invention can be observed, which comprises the parts and elements that are indicated and described in detail below. continuation.

In relation now to Figure 1, an electrical power distribution system (111) is shown, in the preferred embodiment for the case of an aircraft that is capable of transporting or transferring direct current electrical energy from a power supply system. electrical power (114) to a plurality of electrical charges (116) on board.

The electrical power supply system (114) comprises two generation units (115) and at least one storage unit (117).

The electrical power distribution system (111) comprises, in the embodiment illustrated in figure 1, five power distribution modules (112) with a single external connection electrical terminal (212). In the diagram of figure 1, the energy distribution modules (112) that appear in the upper part are connected by said terminal to the corresponding generation unit (115) of the that obtain the energy (which enters the system transformed into direct current) and to the storage unit (117) from which energy is obtained in the stages prior to the operation of the generation units (115) or to which energy is supplied for Your load. Said electrical loads (116) are distributed over different sections of the aircraft and therefore the corresponding electrical power distribution modules (112) are close to them so that the system (111) is decentralized, which allows connections if damage occurs somewhere in the aircraft. Each energy distribution module (112) comprises in the preferred embodiment four connection switch modules (113) which, as can be seen in figure 1, are connected to other connection switch modules (113) of other energy distribution modules (112) . In other embodiments the power distribution module

(112) may comprise more or fewer connection switch modules (113) since it is adapted to house a variable number of connection switch modules

(113).

Referring now to Figure 2. the electrical power distribution modules (112) comprise an electrical power supply (511) to which energy from the power supply system reaches ± 270 V in DC. At the input of said voltage, a diode is polarized and feeds the electrical power supply (511) that converts the ± 270 V in DC to 28 V in DC to feed the internal circuitry of the switch modules, adapting the DSP power supply ( 512) and driver trip circuits.

The power distribution module (112) also comprises a DSP digital signal processor (211), which receives power from the power supply matching element (512), so that the DSP (211) controls the connection switch modules (113 ) and also serves to communicate through a communication protocol (611) for the preferred embodiment CAN protocol, so that information is exchanged between digital signal processors (211) of the different power distribution modules (112) to transport electrical current from generation units

(115) or storage unit (117) to the corresponding load units

(116).

Said digital signal processors (211) are bidirectionally connected to each other to execute a connection rule ("policy of connection") to supply Redundant power lines that electrically connect the generation units (115) or storage unit (117) with an electrical load unit (116), during any stage of operation of the same aircraft, whether taxiing or in flight.

As can be seen in Figure 3, referring to a connection switch module (113), it comprises connection interruption means (311) in the case of the preferred embodiment being IGTB switches although they can be of another type such as MOSFETs or BJTs.

As can be seen in figure 4, each connection switch module (113) is electrically interruptibly connected by the connection interruption means (311) to a connection switch module (113) of another power distribution module (112 ), to an adjacent connection switch module (113) of the same power distribution module (112) and to a single external connection electrical terminal (212) of the power distribution module (112), said external connection electrical terminal (212) connectable to the generation unit (115), to the storage unit (117) or to the electrical charging unit (116).

In this way, a redundancy capacity is provided that, thanks to the bidirectionality of the system, provides different paths to reach the electrical load unit (116), so that in the event of a failure, the electrical energy can be distributed by another path. To do this, the DSP digital signal processors (211) transmit information to each other to close and open the connection interruption means (311) in order to establish electrical power distribution lines from the power generation system side to the side of the electric charge units (116). Said path will be determined by an electrical energy distribution program that determines with the information provided by the DSPs (211) the electrical energy transportation path between a predetermined generation (115) or storage unit (117) and a unit of default load (116).

In figure 4 the electrical connection in parallel of the connection switch modules (113) can be visualized, so that the connection interruption means (311) included within the connection switch module (113) are connected in a way type T, where each branch comprises at least two means of interruption connection (311) in parallel, providing a bidirectional branch. Where, a first branch (412) is connectable to the external connection electrical terminal (212), a second branch (413) is connectable to the connection node of the T-shape of a contiguous connection switch module (113) to form the Parallel connection and a third branch (414) of the T-shape of the connection switch module (113) is connectable to an electrical load unit (116).

Thus, as a practical example for an operation of the electrical power distribution system (111), the operating regime of the aircraft being known, that is, knowing the electrical power supply system (114) and knowing the type of load unit electrical (116), the DSP digital signal processors (211) can execute the connection rule to establish the corresponding electrical lines to supply electrical power to the corresponding electrical loads of the aircraft operating stage. At first the DSPs (211) will remain off until one of their inputs is energized.

First, when the DSP (211) is turned on for the first time it obtains information from the power distribution module (112). The program performs a mapping of the first power distribution module (112) making sure that it begins with the DSP (211) that is connected to a generation unit (115) or a storage unit (117) and that it was turned on in the initial moment. For this, the DSP (211) comprises an information storage memory.

Once the information has been obtained (mapping), the rest of the power distribution modules (112) and their corresponding connection switch modules (113) are checked. With this mapping, the connection switch modules (113) containing the energy distribution module (112) and its connection interruption means (311) IGBTs are represented, that is, a map of the paths of all the energy distribution modules (112) of system (111).

Next, the connections between connection switch modules (113) and power distribution modules (112) are checked by activating the same. Each DSP (211) looks for a way to transmit electrical energy to the load units (116) starting from them. Once the path has been found in case it shared a path with another DSP (211) given the communication between the different DSPs (211), the program reaches a consensus and the path with the least number of IGBTs (311) is chosen and in that case will be activated. Finally, it is verified with current sensors that the energy is transmitted to the load. If a failure occurs, the path with the lowest number of IGBTs (311) will be recalculated, eliminating the one that fails.

Claims

1.- Electrical energy distribution system (111) for a vehicle, to transport electrical energy between an electrical energy supply system (114), comprising at least one generation unit (115) and / or at least one unit storage (117), and at least one electrical load unit (116), the electrical energy distribution system (111) comprising a plurality of electrical energy distribution modules (112), each electrical energy distribution module (112) comprising at least one connection switch module (113), each connection switch module (113) being electrically connected in an interrupted manner by means of connection interruption (311) to

- a connection switch module (113) of another electrical power distribution system (111),

- an adjacent switch module (113) of the same power distribution module (112), and

- a single electrical external connection terminal (212) of the energy distribution module (112), said electrical external connection terminal (212) connectable to the generation unit (115), to the storage unit (117) or to the unit load (116), characterized in that each electrical energy distribution module (112) comprises a digital signal processor (211) configured to open or close the connection interruption means (311) of said energy distribution module (112 ) providing an electrical energy transportation path between a predetermined generation (115) or storage (117) unit and a predetermined load unit (116), in accordance with an electrical energy distribution program that determines the transportation path of electrical energy exchanging information between digital signal processors (211) of other energy distribution modules (112) of the electrical energy distribution system (111) per m means of a communication protocol between digital signal processors (611).

2.- Electrical energy distribution system (111) for a vehicle, according to claim 1, characterized in that the digital signal processor (211) of each energy distribution module comprises an information storage memory that stores information on the power generation, storage and / or load unit to which the electrical connection terminal of said power distribution module is connected, as well as on the switch modules to which each switch module of said module is connected power distributor.

3. Electric power distribution system (111) for a vehicle, according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the electric power distribution module (112) is adapted to house a variable number of switch modules. Connection.

4.- Electric power distribution system (111) for a vehicle, according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the connection switch module (113) has a T-shaped configuration where each branch is shaped of T comprises connection interruption means (311).

5. Electric power distribution system (111) for a vehicle, according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the connection interruption means (113) comprise a pair of unidirectional switches connected in parallel to provide a connection interrupted him bi-directionally.

6. Electric power distribution system (111) for a vehicle, according to claim 5 characterized in that the one-way switch is of the IGTB type.

7. Electric power distribution system (111) for a vehicle, according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises an electrical power source (511) for actuating the interruption means (331) connection and / or the digital signal processor (211).

8. Electrical energy distribution system (111) for a vehicle, according to claim 7, characterized in that the electrical power source (511) extracts the electrical energy from the electrical power supply system (111).

9. Electrical energy distribution system (111) for a vehicle, according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the electrical energy supply system (111) is adapted to transport electrical energy at a voltage of predetermined fixed direct current in the electrical power distribution system (111).

10. Vehicle, characterized in that it comprises an electrical power supply system (114) to transport electrical energy between an electrical power supply system (114), comprising at least one generation unit (115) and / or to the least one storage unit (117), and at least one electrical charging unit (116) on board the vehicle according to one of the preceding claims.