U.S. patent number 9,271,423 [Application Number 13/421,233] was granted by the patent office on 2016-02-23 for power distribution unit and method of distributing high density power.
This patent grant is currently assigned to HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION. The grantee listed for this patent is Michael Krenz, Mark J. Seger, Massoud Vaziri, Jeffrey T. Wavering, Donald A. Zwiefelhofer. Invention is credited to Michael Krenz, Mark J. Seger, Massoud Vaziri, Jeffrey T. Wavering, Donald A. Zwiefelhofer.
United States Patent |
9,271,423 |
Krenz , et al. |
February 23, 2016 |
Power distribution unit and method of distributing high density
power
Abstract
A power distribution unit includes a first solid state power
module comprising a first plurality of solid state power
controllers, where the first solid state power module comprises a
first set of power characteristics. Also included is a second solid
state power module comprising a second plurality of solid state
power controllers. The second solid state power module comprises a
second set of power characteristics. Also, the first solid state
power module and the second solid state power module are
interchangeably coupled to a first location of a common
chassis.
Inventors: |
Krenz; Michael (Roscoe, IL),
Seger; Mark J. (Rockford, IL), Wavering; Jeffrey T.
(Rockford, IL), Zwiefelhofer; Donald A. (Rockford, IL),
Vaziri; Massoud (Redmond, VA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Krenz; Michael
Seger; Mark J.
Wavering; Jeffrey T.
Zwiefelhofer; Donald A.
Vaziri; Massoud |
Roscoe
Rockford
Rockford
Rockford
Redmond |
IL
IL
IL
IL
VA |
US
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
(Windsor Locks, CT)
|
Family
ID: |
46027548 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/421,233 |
Filed: |
March 15, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20120235496 A1 |
Sep 20, 2012 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61453249 |
Mar 16, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K
7/1457 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H02J
4/00 (20060101); H05K 7/14 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;307/10.1,43,80 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tran; Thienvu
Assistant Examiner: Baxter; Brian K
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Cantor Colburn LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application
No. 61/453,249, filed Mar. 16, 2011.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A power distribution unit comprising: a first solid state power
module comprising a first plurality of solid state power
controllers, wherein the first solid state power module comprises a
first set of power characteristics; a second solid state power
module comprising a second plurality of solid state power
controllers, wherein the second solid state power module comprises
a second set of power characteristics, wherein the first solid
state power module and the second solid state power module are
interchangeably coupled to a first location of a common chassis; a
first side and a second side of the each of the solid state power
modules, the first side having at least one first side mounting
component, the second side having at least one second side mounting
component, wherein the first and second plurality of solid state
power controllers are configured to mount to the first side and the
second side of the solid state power modules; a plurality of common
chassis locations, wherein a plurality of interchangeable solid
state power modules are interchangeably coupled to the plurality of
common chassis locations; and a plurality of remote data
concentration modules and a plurality of remote power control
modules, wherein the control interface is configured to control the
plurality of remote data concentration modules and the plurality of
remote power control modules.
2. The power distribution unit of claim 1, further comprising a
control interface in operable communication with the power
distribution unit, wherein the control interface is configured to
control the first solid state power module and the second solid
state power module.
3. The power distribution unit of claim 2, wherein the control
interface is configured to control the plurality of remote data
concentration modules and the plurality of remote power control
modules.
4. The power distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the solid state
power module comprises a common backplane.
5. A method of distributing high density power comprising:
packaging a first plurality of solid state power controllers to
form a first solid state power module, wherein the first solid
state power module comprises a first set of power characteristics,
wherein the first solid state power controllers are configured to
be mounted to a first side of the first solid state power module
and a second side of the first solid state power module; packaging
a second plurality of solid state power controllers to form a
second solid state power module, wherein the second solid state
power module comprises a second set of power characteristics,
wherein the second solid state power controllers are configured to
be mounted to a first side of the second solid state power module
and a second side of the second solid state power module;
selectively placing the first solid state power module and the
second solid state power module within respective positions of a
plurality of positions of a chassis, wherein the first solid state
power module and the second solid state power module are
interchangeably mounted to the plurality of positions of the
chassis; controlling one of the first solid state power module and
the second solid state power module with a control interface;
interchangeably mounting the first solid state power controllers
and the second solid state power controllers to the first solid
state power module and the second solid state power module to
provide reconfigurable power characteristics of the solids state
power modules; integrating at least one remote data module and at
least one remote power control module; and controlling the at least
one remote data module and the at least one remote power control
module with the control interface.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising selectively packaging
a plurality of solid state power modules to form a solid state
power module family, wherein the solid state power module family
comprises a plurality of alternative configurations.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising controlling the power
block with the control interface.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to power distribution systems, and
more particularly to high density power systems and methods of high
density power distribution.
Applications requiring power distribution often have severe space
constraints for power distribution system components. An example of
such an application is a vehicle, such as an aircraft. The limited
space available for system components drives the requirement for
high density power distribution. The power distribution system must
be sufficiently compact, while still being adequately configured to
distribute power to typically several loads. The loads include
various types of protection against over-current, over and
under-frequency, arc fault, and ground fault, to name a few
potential sources of disruptions to load functionality. Circuit
breaker panels are sized to attempt to fit into the space
constrained areas, which are often unavailable during flight and
are difficult to access on the ground, in the case of an
aircraft.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to one embodiment, a power distribution unit includes a
first solid state power module comprising a first plurality of
solid state power controllers, where the first solid state power
module comprises a first set of power characteristics. Also
included is a second solid state power module comprising a second
plurality of solid state power controllers. The second solid state
power module comprises a second set of power characteristics. Also,
the first solid state power module and the second solid state power
module are interchangeably coupled to a first location of a common
chassis.
According to another embodiment, a method of distributing high
density power is provided. The method includes packaging a first
plurality of solid state power controllers to form a first solid
state power module, where the first solid state power module
comprises a first set of power characteristics. Also included is
packaging a second plurality of solid state power controllers to
form a second solid state power module, where the second solid
state power module comprises a second set of power characteristics.
Further included is selectively placing one of the first solid
state power module and the second solid state power module within a
first position of a chassis, where the first solid state power
module and the second solid state power module are interchangeable.
Yet further included is controlling one of the first solid state
power module and the second solid state power module with a control
interface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is
particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at
the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other
features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a power distribution unit having a
logic section and a power section;
FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a plurality of solid state
power modules;
FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a power block arranged in a
first configuration;
FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of the power block arranged in a
second configuration; and
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of distributing high
density power.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a power distribution unit is generally
schematically illustrated with reference numeral 10. The power
distribution unit 10 may be employed in a variety of applications,
such as an aircraft or another vehicle (not illustrated), for
example. The vehicle includes a plurality of powered vehicle
systems 12, 14, 16. The power distribution unit 10 provides power
to the powered vehicle systems 12, 14, 16 and is supplied power by
a power supply 18.
The power distribution unit 10 comprises a logic section 20 and a
power section 22, with the power section 22 being made up, at least
in part, by one or more solid state power modules (SSPMs) 24, each
having a plurality of solid state power controllers (SSPCs) 26. The
SSPCs 26 employs transistors to provide a switching function and
use electronics to provide a circuit breaker function to protect
wiring associated with the power vehicle systems 12, 14, 16. The
SSPMs 24, based on the composition of SSPCs 26, provide a variety
of system protections including, but not limited to, integrated
current sensing, over-current, and over-temperature protection, to
name simply a few illustrative examples. Individually, the SSPCs 26
function as arc fault protection, ground fault protection, and when
used as part of a larger protection network, provide differential
current protection. Each of the SSPCs 26 includes a power supply
(not shown) that facilitates operation of the SSPCs 26. The SSPMs
24 include a first side and a second side and the SSPCs 26 are
configured to mount to either the first side or the second side of
the SSPMs 24, thereby providing a more compact packaging of the
SSPCs 26 and making more efficient use of limited space provided
for the power distribution unit 10. The plurality of SSPCs 26 that
are mounted to, or packaged as, each SSPM 24 comprise a specific
set of power characteristics for each SSPM 24. The power
characteristics vary between distinct SSPMs 24 and provide various
functionalities, depending on the assembly of SSPCs 26. In
operation, the logic section 20 senses current at various locations
proximate the SSPCs 26 to determine if appropriate functionality is
occurring. In the event of a disruptive condition, the SSPCs 26 may
be switched to an "off" condition. Specifically, the logic section
20 and the SSPCs 26 may include various components that are
configured to receive and transmit data related to operation of the
SSPCs 26, among other things. Such components may include
microcontrollers and communications interfaces.
Referring to FIG. 2, one or more SSPMs 24 are placed within a
common chassis 30 and a common backplane 32. As described above,
SSPMs 24 having a variety of power characteristics that are
available for assembly and can be interchangeably used at various
locations within the power distribution unit 10 (FIG. 1), and more
specifically within the power section 22 (FIG. 1). The ability to
selectively configure the SSPMs 24 having various power
characteristics provides assembling flexibility and a more diverse
set of power characteristics to employ in the power distribution
unit 10. It is to be appreciated that the SSPMs 24 are reusable
clusters that may be installed in various configurations on the
common chassis 30 and the common backplane 32.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a first SSPM family 40 and a second
SSPM family 42 are illustrated and it is shown that the first SSPM
family 40 and the second SSPM family 42 each include distinct SSPMs
24 that are interchangeable, such that a first SSPM 24 could be
positioned in replacement of a second SSPM 24, if an alteration of
power characteristics for a particular application was desired.
Irrespective of the particular installation configuration of the
SSPMs 24, a consistent communication control interface is employed.
By providing consistent communication control, regardless of the
specific SSPM 24 arrangement, greater assembly flexibility is
available without requiring rearrangement or alteration of the
control interface. It is to be understood that the illustrated
embodiments include two SSPMs, however, any number of SSPMs may be
employed to comprise the SSPM family.
The SSPM families 40, 42 may be part of a power block that provides
functionality within the power distribution unit 10. The term
"power block" conceptually refers to hardware structure that
functionally monitors and protects at least one load, but typically
a plurality of load circuits. Nominally, this may include solid
state power controllers (SSPCs), control logic, processing logic,
internal communications busses, and power supplies to power various
control elements. The protected load is any device that consumes
power. This can be as simple as a resistive heating element in an
air data probe, a light bulb disposed in the application, such as
an aircraft, or as complex as a motor controller used to drive a
hydraulic pump. By monitoring and controlling operating conditions
that loads and power distribution units are encountering, the SSPCs
26 have the ability to quickly and flexibly switch power sources
and limit or disrupt power to selected loads in the event of
harmful operating conditions.
The power distribution unit 10 also includes a combination of
remote data concentration modules and remote power control modules
that are not in direct contact with the power distribution unit 10,
but are in operable communication with the power distribution unit.
The remote data concentration modules and the remote power control
modules are configured to facilitate remote control of the various
circuit protections that the power distribution unit 10 provides.
This is particularly useful in applications such as the instant
case, where the spaces in which the power distribution unit 10 is
disposed may be difficult to access, or even completely
inaccessible during operation.
Referring to FIG. 5, a method of distributing high density power is
illustrated. The power distribution unit 10 has been previously
described and specific components need not be described in further
detail. The method includes packaging a first plurality of SSPCs 50
to form a first SSPM. As described above, the specific SSPCs
packaged to form the first SSPM provides a first set of power
characteristics. Similarly, packaging a second plurality of SSPCs
52 to form a second SSPM provides a second set of power
characteristics. Based on the application of use, at least one of
the first SSPM and the second SSPM is selectively placed 54 within
the chassis to form a power block. Irrespective of whether the
first SSPM or the second SSPM is placed on a particular location of
the chassis, the method includes controlling 56 a SSPM family with
a control interface that provides consistent communication control.
Additionally, the SSPM may be remotely controlled 58 with a remote
data module and/or a remote power control module.
Accordingly, the previously described packaging scheme for the
power distribution unit 10 adequately addresses tight spatial
constraints imposed in certain applications, while also providing a
consistent communication control with the control interface that
communicates with the power block.
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with
only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily
understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed
embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate
any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent
arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate
with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while
various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to
be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some
of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to
be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only
limited by the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *