Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090174188 | AIRCRAFT ENGINE STARTER/GENERATOR AND CONTROLLER - An aircraft starting and generating system includes a starter/generator that includes a main machine, an exciter, and a permanent magnet generator. The system also includes an inverter/converter/controller that is connected to the starter/generator and that generates AC power to drive the starter/generator in a start mode for starting a prime mover of the aircraft, and that converts AC power, obtained from the starter/generator after the prime mover have been started, to DC power in a generate mode of the starter/generator. The exciter includes a stator and a rotor, and wherein the exciter rotor includes a three-phase AC winding. | 07-09-2009 |
20100127647 | ELECTRIC ENERGY STORAGE INTEGRATED WITHIN OR PROXIMATE TO ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN FLIGHT CONTROL ACTUATORS - An apparatus for use with a flight control actuator and method for assembling the same is provided. The apparatus includes a motor drive system and a control unit. The motor drive system includes a capacitor-based energy storage configured to store and provide energy within or proximate to the actuator. The control unit is coupled to the motor drive system and is configured to facilitate managing power within or proximate to the actuator. | 05-27-2010 |
20100164428 | METHOD AND SYSTEMS FOR AN ENGINE STARTER/GENERATOR - A method and system for an engine starter/generator is provided. The starter/generator system includes a three phase squirrel cage induction machine, a three phase inverter/converter electrically coupled to the three phase squirrel cage induction machine. The starter/generator system also includes a bidirectional DC-DC converter electrically coupled to the three phase inverter/converter, and a digital control board configured to sensorlessly determine a rotor angle from a plurality of phase currents to the induction machine during a start mode. During the start mode, logic in the digital control board configures the starter/generator system into a combination of an induction motor, a three phase DC-AC inverter, and a DC-DC boost converter, and during a generate mode, the logic in the digital control board configures the starter/generator system into a combination of an induction generator, a three phase AC-DC converter, and a DC-DC buck converter. | 07-01-2010 |
20100295301 | AIRCRAFT ENGINE STARTING/GENERATING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROL - A starting and generating system for use with an aircraft engine includes a starter/generator and an inverter/converter/controller (ICC) coupled to the starter/generator. The starter/generator is configured to start the aircraft engine in a start mode and to generate AC power in a generate mode. The starter/generator includes an exciter and a rotational shaft. The ICC is configured to provide AC power at a first frequency the starter/generator in the start mode and to control the exciter during the generate mode such that the generate mode AC power has a second frequency, wherein the first frequency is based on a shaft speed of the shaft. | 11-25-2010 |
20100302823 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL BUS CENTERING - A bus centering device for use in an aircraft electrical power distribution system that includes a positive bus rail, a negative bus rail, and a ground is described. The device includes a central node, a first and second switching component configured to couple the central node to the positive rail and the negative rail for a first and second predetermined duty cycle, respectively. The device includes an inductive component coupled between the central node and ground, and is configured to maintain a voltage at the central node substantially equal to ground, wherein a voltage between the positive rail and the central node is maintained substantially equal to a voltage between the negative rail and the central node. The device includes a first and second current limiting device configured to maintain a continuity of current from the inductive component when the first and second switching components are turned off. | 12-02-2010 |
20110252807 | ACCESSORY GEARBOX WITH A STARTER/GENERATOR - An assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising an accessory gearbox comprising a drive gear and a starter/generator mechanically mounted to the accessory gearbox. The starter/generator comprising a rotatable shaft, a pinion gear carried by the shaft, a main machine carried by the shaft, a permanent magnet generator (PMG) carried by the shaft and an exciter carried by the shaft. | 10-20-2011 |
20120159964 | ACCESSORY GEARBOX WITH A STARTER/GENERATOR - An assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising an accessory gearbox comprising a drive gear and pinion gear and a starter/generator mechanically mounted to the accessory gearbox. The starter/generator comprising a housing and a portion of a rotatable shaft with a safety disconnect where the safety disconnect is located within the housing of the starter/generator. | 06-28-2012 |
20120161684 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SYNCHRONOUS MACHINE HEALTH MONITORING - A method, system and computer program product for monitoring health of a synchronous machine is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of phase voltage values and a plurality of phase current values. The method then computes a negative sequence voltage (Vn) based on the plurality of phase voltage values. The method also computes one or more operating parameters based on at least one of the plurality of phase voltage values and the plurality of phase current values. The method retrieves from a data store, one or more known Vn based on the one or more operating parameters. The method then computes a machine health indicator based on the computed Vn and the one or more known Vn, and raises an alarm based on the machine health indicator. | 06-28-2012 |
20130088017 | GENERATOR - A generator, such as for a gas turbine engine, includes an integrated auto transformer unit having secondary windings connected to a main windings. | 04-11-2013 |
20130088019 | APPARATUS FOR GENERATING POWER FROM A TURBINE ENGINE - An apparatus for powering an aircraft by generating power from a pressure spool of a turbine engine. AC power can be extracted from the turbine engine by a generator having an integrated autotransformer unit, and converted to DC power. | 04-11-2013 |
20130154359 | APPARATUS FOR GENERATING POWER FROM A TURBINE ENGINE - An electrical architecture for an aircraft providing power for the aircraft by generating power from a high pressure spool and a low pressure spool of a turbine engine. The spools can be used to drive corresponding generators; the power from which can be used to supply the various loads of the aircraft. | 06-20-2013 |
20130207395 | AIRCRAFT ENGINE STARTER/GENERATOR - An assembly for a gas turbine engine includes a S/G having a rotatable shaft, a main machine, a PMG, and an exciter wherein at least one of the main machine, PMG, and exciter includes a rotor mounted to the shaft and having multiple rotor poles, a stator having multiple stator poles and at least one of the rotor poles and stator poles being formed by a core with a post and wire wound about the post to form a winding, with the winding having at least one end turn, and a layer to increase cooling capabilities of a portion of at least one of the stator and the rotor. | 08-15-2013 |
20130232941 | APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING INPUT POWER FROM THE LOW PRESSURE SPOOL OF A TURBINE ENGINE - An apparatus for powering an aircraft by generating power from a pressure spool of a turbine engine includes a speed range reduction assembly that reduces the higher speed ranges of a low pressure spool to lower speed ranges within the tolerances of the same DC or VF generators used with the high pressure spool. | 09-12-2013 |
20140117894 | METHOD FOR STARTING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR - A method for starting an electric motor, the motor having a main machine, exciter, and permanent magnet generator (PMG), each having a stator and a rotor, with each rotor mounted to a common shaft, the method comprising starting the main machine in an asynchronous mode by applying a starting current to the stator of the main machine to induce a damper current in a damper winding of the main rotor to generate a starting torque that initiates the rotation of the common shaft, and then running the main machine in synchronous mode by supplying running current from the exciter rotor to the main machine rotor. | 05-01-2014 |
20140210320 | ELECTRIC MACHINE AND RECTIFIER ASSEMBLY THEREFOR - An electric machine having a rectifier assembly placed within a rotating shaft of the electric machine to convert the AC output of the electric machine to DC prior to transmission of the electricity from the electric machine. | 07-31-2014 |
20140239777 | ROTATING RECTIFIER ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRIC MACHINE - An electric machine having a rectifier assembly placed within a rotating shaft of the electric machine to convert the AC output of the electric machine to DC prior to transmission of the electricity from the electric machine. | 08-28-2014 |
20150035406 | ELECTRIC MACHINE WITH A SLOT LINER - An electrical machine includes a rotor, a stator having a slot liner including an electrical insulator which extends beyond the stator ends, and a strengthening element provided at each of the slot liner ends, wherein the strengthening strip reduces the splitting of the corresponding slot liner end. | 02-05-2015 |
20150054283 | AIRCRAFT ENGINE CONSTANT FREQUENCY STARTER/GENERATOR - A constant frequency starter/generator for a turbine engine includes a first inverter/converter, a second inverter/converter, a DC link electrically connecting the first inverter/converter to the second inverter/converter, and an electric machine having a synchronous main machine, wherein the constant frequency starter/generator is operable in a start mode and a run mode. | 02-26-2015 |