Lucas Aerospace Power Equipment Corporation

Other

Trw Limited

Ronald W Roseman

Kevin E Rice

Charles A Green

Dean A Snider

A bearing failure detector for an electrical generator includes a disc located within the bearing assembly near the location of the main bearings. The disc has a central opening through which the shaft extends, and the disc includes a thin, electrically conductive ring which is plated or formed as a film inside the central opening. The ring is exposed to the shaft along inside diameter of the detector disc adjacent to the periphery of the shaft, but a gap is normally provided around the shaft when the shaft is properly supported by the main bearings, so that the shaft does not contact the ring unless the bearings are significantly worn. The ring provides a closed circuit, and it is connected to a control circuit which monitors the closed circuit at all times. When the internal clearance of the main bearings has been enlarged by a predetermined amount, the ring contacts the shaft, causing the thin ring to be quickly worn away. This causes an open circuit through the detector, which is sensed by the control circuit to provide an indication that the bearings need replacement. The closed circuit in the detector provides a positive indication that the detector is operating as well as an indication of bearing function. In addition, the open circuit produced by the main bearing failure is continuous rather than intermittent and is easily sensed.

Bearing failure detector for electrical generator

A controller for a starter/generator used with an aircraft engine, includes means for monitoring field return current in a generator field winding; means for monitoring generator voltage; and microprocessor control means for adjusting generator field current as a function of the field current and voltage and field return current. The field return current and output voltage monitoring functions allow for open field, field integrity, over voltage, field weakening and torque limiting functions to be realized in an integrated programmable system configuration.

Ground fault detection circuit

A starter cutoff control apparatus and method for a starter/generator used on an engine includes a circuit for detecting starter/generator armature current during an engine start operation, comparing the armature current to an armature current setpoint to produce an error signal; using the error signal to produce a field weakening control signal; and a circuit for producing a starter cutoff signal as a function of the field weakening control signal.

Starter/generator speed sensing using field weakening

Method and apparatus for limiting starting torque in a starter/generator

Fail-safe regulator biasing circuit

Drive overload protection circuit

Apparatus and method for connecting a generator to an energized bus includes a circuit for determining voltage differential between the generator voltage and the bus voltage; a circuit for connecting the generator to the bus when the voltage differential reaches a predetermined threshold; a circuit for limiting the generator field current during build-up so that the generator reaches a predetermined speed before the generator is connected to the bus.

Field current control for generator during build-up

A system for actively controlling the charging profile of a battery uses a software-based generator control unit to control the charging voltage. The voltage may be initially reduced following battery discharge to prevent large current inrush transients. The voltage may then be raised above a normal charging level to increase the battery charging rate. The control system provides better control over battery charging prevent overheating of the battery and generator and allows the battery to be recharged more quickly.

Growing community of inventors

Walton Hills, OH, United States of America

Ronald W Roseman