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CN-122001037-A - Modular power electronics system for an aircraft comprising several inverter sub-modules with energy storage means

CN122001037ACN 122001037 ACN122001037 ACN 122001037ACN-122001037-A

Abstract

A power electronics system (14) for providing power to aircraft components, a powertrain for an aircraft (10), an aircraft, and a method for operating a power electronics system are provided. In order to provide a novel inverter architecture with high flexibility in terms of installation flexibility and with improved redundancy and fail-safe operation capabilities, the invention provides a power electronics system (14) for providing power to aircraft components, the power electronics system (14) comprising a plurality of sub-modules (SM 1 to SM6, SM), each sub-module comprising an energy storage device (26) and an inverter (28). In a preferred embodiment, each sub-module further comprises a miniature output filter (38).

Inventors

  • Florian Kaboun
  • MAREK GALEK

Assignees

  • 空中客车简化股份公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20251016
Priority Date
20241108

Claims (15)

  1. 1. A power electronics system (14) for providing power to aircraft components, the power electronics system (14) comprising a plurality of sub-modules (SM 1 to SM6, SM), each sub-module (SM 1 to SM6, SM) comprising an energy storage device (26) and an inverter (28).
  2. 2. The power electronics system (14) according to claim 1, wherein each sub-module (SM 1 to SM6, SM) comprises an output filter (38), the output filter (38) preferably being at the output of the inverter (28).
  3. 3. The power electronics system (14) according to claim 2, wherein the output filter (38) is: 3.1 Low pass filter, or 3.2 Filters with PT1 behaviour, in particular low-pass filters, or 3.3 Sine filter, or 3.4 LC filter with PT2 behavior.
  4. 4. The power electronics system (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inverter (28) is configured to invert DC power of the energy storage device (26) to AC power for the aircraft component.
  5. 5. The power electronics system (14) according to any of the preceding claims, comprising at least a first and a second sub-module (SM 1, SM 2) connected in series.
  6. 6. The power electronics system (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, the power electronics system (14) being configured as a multi-phase power system, wherein each phase (u, v, w) comprises a plurality of the sub-modules (SM 1 to SM6, SM), in particular such that each phase (u, v, w) comprises the same number of sub-modules (SM 1 to SM6, SM).
  7. 7. The power electronics system (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein 7.1 The energy storage device (26) of each sub-module (SM 1 to SM6, SM) comprises at least one or several battery cells (32) and/or 7.2 The inverter (28) of each sub-module is configured to operate bi-directionally, and/or 7.3 Wherein each sub-module (SM 1 to SM6, SM) comprises a capacitor (34), which capacitor (34) is connected in parallel with a DC link to the energy storage device (26).
  8. 8. The power electronics system (14) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the submodules (SM 1 to SM6, SM) are connected with a bus (40) for carrying only sinusoidal currents.
  9. 9. The power electronics system (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, the power electronics system (14) being configured such that DC power is only transmitted within the sub-modules (SM 1 to SM6, SM).
  10. 10. Sub-module (SM 1 to SM6, SM) for a power electronic system (14) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a DC energy storage device (26) and an inverter (28), and optionally an output filter (38), the inverter (28) being for inverting the DC power of the energy storage device (26) to AC power at the output of the sub-module (SM 1 to SM6, SM).
  11. 11. A powertrain (18 a to 18 d) for an aircraft (10) comprising a powered device (12) and a power electronics system (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 for supplying AC power to the powered device.
  12. 12. The powertrain (18 a to 18 d) of claim 11, wherein the powered device (12) comprises an electric motor (M, 16), in particular an electric motor (M, 16) for a propulsion component (22 a to 22 d) of the aircraft (10).
  13. 13. An aircraft (10) comprising a power electronics system (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or a powertrain (18 a to 18 d) according to any one of claims 11 or 12.
  14. 14. The aircraft (10) of claim 13, comprising propulsion components (22 a-22 d) on a wing (24 a, 24 b) of the aircraft (10) or in a wing (24 a, 24 b) of the aircraft (10), wherein the propulsion components (22 a-22 d) are driven by the power electronics system (18 a-18 d), and wherein sub-modules (SM 1-SM 6, SM) of the power electronics system (18 a-18 d) are distributed within the wing (24 a, 24 b).
  15. 15. A method for operating a power electronics system (14) according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the submodules (SM 1 to SM6, SM) are controlled like a multilevel inverter.

Description

Modular power electronics system for an aircraft comprising several inverter sub-modules with energy storage means Technical Field The present invention relates to a power electronic system for providing electric power to aircraft components, in particular to a drive train. Furthermore, the invention relates to a sub-module for such a power electronic system. Furthermore, the invention relates to a powertrain for an aircraft and an aircraft equipped with such a power electronics system, as well as a method of operating the same. Background For technical background, reference is made to the following documents: [1] Wikipedia, PT2-Glied, 10 th 2023, was downloaded from https:// de.wikipedia.org/w/index.phptile=PT 2-Glied & oldid = 229466572. Prior art power electronics systems for e.g. driveline applications consist of a centralized energy storage system (large battery) in combination with at least one inverter. Disclosure of Invention It is an object of the present invention to provide a new inverter architecture with high flexibility in terms of installation flexibility and with improved redundancy and fail-safe operation capabilities. To achieve such an object, the invention provides a power electronic system according to claim 1. Accordingly, preferred uses of such power electronic systems and sub-modules are the subject matter of the further independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a power electronic system for providing power to an aircraft component, the power electronic system comprising a plurality of sub-modules, each sub-module comprising an energy storage device and an inverter. In some embodiments, the inverter is configured to invert DC power of the energy storage device to AC power for the aircraft component. In some embodiments, the power electronics system includes at least a first sub-module and a second sub-module connected in series. In some embodiments, the power electronics system is configured as a multi-phase power system, wherein each phase comprises a plurality of sub-modules, in particular such that each phase comprises the same number of sub-modules. In some embodiments, the energy storage device of each sub-module comprises at least one battery cell or several battery cells. In particular, the inverter of each sub-module is configured to operate bi-directionally. In some embodiments, each sub-module includes a capacitor connected in parallel to the energy storage device. In a preferred embodiment, each sub-module includes an output filter. Preferably, the output filter is provided at the output of the inverter. In some implementations, the output filter is an LC filter with PT2 behavior. For definition of PT2 behavior, see, e.g., document [1]. In some embodiments, the output filter is a sinusoidal filter. In some embodiments, the output filter is a low pass filter, particularly with PT1 behavior. In some embodiments, the sub-modules are connected to a bus for carrying only sinusoidal currents. In some implementations, the power electronics system is configured such that DC power is only transmitted within the sub-modules. According to another aspect, the invention provides a sub-module for a power electronics system according to any of the preceding embodiments, comprising a DC energy storage device and an inverter for converting DC power of the energy storage device to AC power at an output of the sub-module. According to another aspect, the invention provides a powertrain for an aircraft comprising a powered device and a power electronics system according to any one of claims 1 to9 for supplying AC power to the powered device. In some embodiments, the electrical consumer comprises an electric motor, in particular for a propulsion component of an aircraft. According to another aspect, the invention provides an aircraft comprising a power electronic system according to any of the preceding embodiments or a powertrain according to any of the preceding embodiments. In some embodiments, the aircraft comprises a propulsion component on or in a wing of the aircraft, wherein the propulsion component is driven by the power electronics system, wherein its sub-modules are distributed within the wing. According to another aspect, the invention provides a method for operating a power electronic system according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the sub-modules are controlled like a multi-level inverter. The preferred embodiments of the present invention relate to a battery cell-based inverter for aircraft applications. The preferred embodiments of the present invention relate to power electronics systems and optimized inverters. The prior art multilevel inverter consists of a plurality of switching cells (submodules (SM)) placed in series to overcome the voltage limitation of a single semiconductor device. In addition, the multi-level system allows finer grading of t