Honeywell International Inc.

Wenjiang Yu

Zhenning Liu

Yang Ye

Randy Fuller

Daniel G Filimon

Boris Plivcic

Guangjun Liu

Rocco DiVito

Ted J Gayowsky

That Nguyen

Yuanli Kathy Kang

Anita Ramroop

Shaobin Cheng

A power line communication-based aircraft power distribution system may allow for both power line communication (PLC) technology and spread spectrum time domain reflectometry (SSTDR) technology to be utilized in aircraft power distribution systems to achieve key maintenance functions. Unlike conventional power distribution systems, which may, for example, use only SSTDR for fault detection, the present invention includes a hardware platform that may allow both the PLC and the SSTDR to be utilized in aircraft power distribution systems to achieve key maintenance functions, such as real time wire fault location, and cost and weight savings. Further, unlike conventional power distribution systems, which may only detect and locate damage in feeder conductor wire sections before the power is applied to the load, the power distribution system of the present invention may permit real time wire fault location.

Power line communication based aircraft power distribution system with real time wiring integrity monitoring capability

A contactor may operate to interrupt current in a circuit while the circuit is operating under load. A shunt is provided to by-pass surge power current around contacts to reduce arcing. The shunt includes a solid-state switch that may be operated in a series of pulses during movement of the contacts. The pulse control unit may detect a potential for arcing and then provide for periodic pulsing operation of the shunt. Because the solid-state switch may operate discontinuously, the contactor may be constructed with a switch that is selected on a basis of its pulse rating.

Hybrid high voltage DC contactor with arc energy diversion

An AC/DC power converter has, as its first stage, a capacitor divider and rectifier and, as the second stage, a switch mode power supply. This configuration may be suitable for low power low voltage aerospace applications. The benefits of the circuit may include small reactive component size; near sinusoidal input current, low EMI emissions resulting from low inrush current; intrinsic current limiting that may eliminate the need for short circuit protection; and low overall component count.

Method and apparatus of capacitor divider based offline AC-DC converter

Methods and apparatuses implement a thermal memory effect for a solid state power controller. A solid state power controller trip apparatus with thermal memory according to one embodiment comprises: a trip module including a first capacitor () and a counter (), wherein the first capacitor () charges multiple times, when an over current event occurs, and the counter () accumulates a count related to the charging of the first capacitor () for the multiple times, to detect a trip condition; and a discharging module connected to the trip module, the discharging module including a resistor () and a second capacitor (), wherein an electrical parameter associated with the count decays with time using the resistor () and the second capacitor ().

SSPC technology incorporated with thermal memory effects to achieve the fuse curve coordination

An electrical power distribution system comprises a solid state power controller in communication with an aircraft system main data bus via a gateway module and a condition based maintenance module in communication with the solid state power controller via a communication network distinct from the main data bus. A method of load/feeder health assessment for an electrical power distribution system includes applying a controlled excitation to a load; sampling information from the load/feeder system for the load; characterizing a normal behavior of the load/feeder system for the load; determining if the load characteristics are within the normal behavior profile for the load; and shutting down power to the load if load characteristics are not within the profile when immediate action is indicated or generating a health message for the load when immediate action is not required.

Intelligent aircraft secondary power distribution system that facilitates condition based maintenance

A system and method for control of an electric power distribution system is provided, which uses a communication network for centralized monitoring and control of the supply of electricity to a load. In one embodiment, the invention may use a wireless communication system connecting control nodes and master nodes to control and monitor a solid state power controller. As a result, the master node may remotely turn on and off the electrical power to the load. Also the control node may sense the current being supplied to the load and may turn off the supply of electrical power in the event of an over current situation. The control node may also report the state of the sensed current to the master node. In another embodiment, the communication system may be a power line carrier network.

Network-based aircraft secondary electric power distribution system

The invention provides an apparatus for shunting leakage current of a solid state switching device (SSSD) (). The apparatus selectively provides a shunt pathway to divert current away from the output load based on the switching state of the SSSD. The apparatus may include a shunt impedance component () connected to the SSSD, and a switching element () for selectively connecting the other end of the shunt impedance component to ground based on the switching state of the SSSD. Accordingly, when the SSSD is turned off, the switching element is switched to a state that connects the shunt impedance component to ground, thereby shunting leakage current.

Leakage current shunt in an electrical power distribution system utilizing solid state relays

Redundant functionality is implemented in a control of solid state power switching controller (SSPC) () to ensure that each power switching channel operates according to a default configuration in case of failure. Each power switching channel in the SSPC includes a solid state switching device (SSSD) () that is controlled by a supervisory controller () to perform power switching functions for a corresponding load. The SSPC further includes a nonvolatile memory device () that stores default commands for controlling the SSSDs in case the SSPC enters into a backup mode, e.g., due to a failure in the supervisory controller. The nonvolatile memory device may be assembled on the same SSPC circuit board as the power switching channels, thereby ensuring that backup control is performed locally in the SSPC device.

Backup control for solid state power controller (SSPC)

A method and apparatus detect arc faults. The method and apparatus may digitally detect current and voltage signals at a master node () positioned at a first point in a wiring system (). At a second point in the wiring system (), a slave node () may digitally detect current and voltage signals. An arc fault that develops between the first and second points in the wiring system () may be detected by comparing the current signals from the master node () and from the slave node (), and comparing the voltage signals from the master node () and from the slave node ().

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Mississauga, Canada

Wenjiang Yu