Pratt-whitney Canada Corp

Other

Michael R Mark

Leonid Guerchkovitch

Paul C Imel

Richard Ullyott

Ion Dinu

James Robert Jarvo

Brant Duke

Mario Guerra

Joseph Kehoe

Manuel Acuna

A hybrid powerplant is provided for an aircraft. This hybrid powerplant includes a housing, an electric machine, a machine fluid circuit, a heat engine and a geartrain. The housing includes a machine containment zone and an engine compartment outside of the machine containment zone. The electric machine is arranged within the machine containment zone. The machine fluid circuit services the electric machine. The machine fluid circuit extends in the machine containment zone and is arranged outside of the engine compartment. The heat engine is arranged within the engine compartment. The geartrain is operatively connected to the electric machine and the heat engine.

Containment zone for an electric machine in a hybrid powerplant for an aircraft

A hybrid electric propulsion (HEP) system can include a heat engine torque sensor connected between a heat engine and a combining gear box to sense a heat motor input torque input to the combining gear box, an electric motor torque sensor connected between an electric motor and the combining gear box to sense an electric motor input torque input to the combining gear box, and a combining gear box torque sensor connected to an output of the combining gearbox. The system can include a HEP controller operatively connected to each of the heat engine torque sensor, the electric motor torque sensor, and the combining gear box torque sensor to receive one or more torque signals therefrom. The controller can be configured to output one or more output signals as a function of the signals from each of the heat engine torque sensor, the electric motor torque sensor, and the combining gear box torque sensor.

Hybrid electric powerplant systems and controllers

A hybrid electric system for a rotorcraft can include a first thermal engine, a second thermal engine, and an electrical machine. The first thermal engine can be sized to produce a maximum first thermal engine power that is below a one-or-more-engine-inoperative (OEI) requirement power and the second thermal engine can be sized to produce a maximum second thermal engine power that is below the OEI requirement power. The electrical machine can be sized to provide at least a remaining power needed to reach the OEI requirement power in an OEI state.

Hybrid electric systems for rotorcraft

A control system for a hybrid electric powerplant of an aircraft can include a throttle controller configured to receive one or more power settings and to output a heat engine setting and an electric motor setting, a heat engine controller operatively connected to the throttle controller. The heat engine controller can be configured to receive the heat engine setting and to control a heat engine system as a function of the heat engine setting to control torque output by a heat engine. The system can include a heat engine protection module that is part of or connected to the heat engine controller and configured to provide one or more protection commands to directly control one or more heat engine protection systems. The system can include an electric motor controller operatively connected to the throttle controller. The electric motor controller can be configured to receive the electric motor engine setting and to control an electric motor system as a function of the electric motor setting to control torque output by an electric motor. The system can include an electric motor protection module that is part of or connected to the electric motor controller and configured to provide one or more protection commands to directly control one or more electric motor protection systems.

Control systems for hybrid electric power plants

A control system for a hybrid electric powerplant of an aircraft can include a heat engine controller configured to receive one or more power settings and to determine a heat engine setting and an electric motor setting. The heat engine controller can be configured to use the heat engine setting to control a heat engine system as a function of the heat engine setting to control torque output by a heat engine. The heat engine controller can be configured to output the electric motor setting. The system can include an electric motor controller can be operatively connected to the heat engine controller. The electric motor controller configured to receive the electric motor engine setting from the heat engine controller and to control an electric motor system as a function of the electric motor setting to control torque output by an electric motor. The system can include a system protection module that can be part of or connected to the heat engine controller and can be configured to provide one or more protection commands to directly control one or more heat engine protection systems and one or more electric motor protection systems.

A hybrid powerplant is provided for an aircraft. This aircraft hybrid powerplant includes a housing, an electric machine, a heat engine and a geartrain. The housing includes a containment zone located within the housing. The electric machine is arranged within the containment zone. The heat engine is arranged partially or completely within the housing and outside of the containment zone. The geartrain is arranged partially or completely within the housing and partially or completely outside of the containment zone. The electric machine, the heat engine and the geartrain are operatively interconnected.

Methods and systems for method for managing a hybrid-electric powerplant (HEP) comprising a thermal engine and an electric motor are described. The method comprises transmitting a thermal power command to the thermal engine to generate a thermal power output; transmitting an electric power command to the electric motor to generate an electric power output; comparing the thermal power output to the thermal power command and the electric power output to the electric power command; detecting a fault when the thermal power output deviates from the thermal power command or when the electric power output deviates from the electric power command; and accommodating the fault by modulating the thermal power command in response to a deviation in the electric power output and modulating the electric power command in response to a deviation in the thermal power output.

Methods and systems for power management of a hybrid electric powerplant

A system includes a thermal engine operatively connected to drive a propeller. An electric motor is operatively connected to the thermal engine to drive the propeller together with the thermal engine. An external input system is configured to accept input and output a thrust command. A protection function module is configured to enforce limits on the thermal engine, electric motor, and propeller. A low select module is operatively connected to receive input from the external input system and form the protection function module and to output the lower of input from the protection function module and external input system to the thermal engine, the electric motor, and the propeller.

Hybrid electric powerplant (HEP) control architecture

A control system for a hybrid electric powerplant of an aircraft can include a master controller configured to receive one or more power settings and to output a heat engine setting and an electric motor setting and a heat engine controller operatively connected to the master controller. The heat engine controller can be configured to receive the heat engine setting and to control a heat engine system as a function of the heat engine setting to control torque output by a heat engine. The system can include an electric motor controller operatively connected to the master controller. The electric motor controller configured to receive the electric motor engine setting and to control an electric motor system as a function of the electric motor setting to control torque output by an electric motor. The master controller can include a protection control module configured to provide one or more protection commands to directly control one or more heat engine protection systems and one or more electric motor protection systems.

Control systems for hybrid electric powerplants

An aircraft navigational system for a multiengine aircraft can include a flight planning module configured to receive two or more navigational points defining a route and determine if a first degraded operation ceiling is high enough to travel along the route based on obstacle data defining relative location of one or more obstacles and one or more obstacle clearance standards. The module can be configured to receive a status and/or performance limitation of an electric motor system of the aircraft. The module can be configured to determine if the electric motor system is or will be able to provide temporary additional power to produce a second degraded operation ceiling for at least a required time based on the status and/or performance limitation of the electric motor system if the first degraded operation ceiling is not high enough to permit travel along the route. The second degraded operation ceiling can be high enough to travel along the route based on the obstacle data and the one or more obstacle clearance standards.

Aircraft degraded operation ceiling increase using electric power boost

A system and method for blade angle position feedback. The system comprises an annular member operatively connected to rotate with a propeller, a sensor fixedly mounted adjacent the annular member and configured for detecting a passage of each singularity as the annular member is rotated and axially displaced and for generating a sensor signal accordingly, the annular member and sensor configured for relative axial displacement between a first relative axial position and a second relative axial position respectively corresponding to the first and the second mode of operation, and a detection unit connected to the sensor for receiving the sensor signal therefrom, determining on the basis of the sensor signal a time interval elapsed between the passage of successive singularities, and computing from the time interval blade angle position.

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Montreal, Canada

Michael R Mark