US 12,312,095 B2
Auxiliary power system
Benjamin David, Madrid (ES); Marcos Javier Chiabrando, Madrid (ES); María Cruz Zamarro Martín, Madrid (ES); Francisco Manuel Andreu Fernández, Madrid (ES); and Carlos Casado Montero, Madrid (ES)
Assigned to AIRBUS OPERATIONS, S.L.U., Madrid (ES)
Filed by AIRBUS OPERATIONS, S.L.U., Madrid (ES)
Filed on Nov. 29, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/523,042.
Claims priority of application No. 22383210 (EP), filed on Dec. 13, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0190581 A1, Jun. 13, 2024
Int. Cl. B64D 41/00 (2006.01); B60L 3/00 (2019.01); B60L 50/00 (2019.01); F02C 7/26 (2006.01); H02J 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 41/00 (2013.01) [B60L 3/0092 (2013.01); B60L 50/00 (2019.02); F02C 7/26 (2013.01); H02J 3/0073 (2020.01); B60L 2200/10 (2013.01); F05D 2220/76 (2013.01); F05D 2260/85 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A redundant auxiliary power system for an aircraft comprising:
an auxiliary power unit (APU) for supplying power to the aircraft;
a normal electric busbar network in the aircraft;
an emergency electric busbar network in the aircraft;
a normal starter in the aircraft configured to start the APU;
an emergency starter in the aircraft configured to start the APU;
a normal electric power generator in the aircraft configured to be driven by the APU to generate electrical power supplied to the normal electric busbar; and
an emergency electric power generator in the aircraft configured to be driven by the APU to generate electric power supplied to the emergency busbar network;
an electrical power controller in the aircraft configured to control electrical operational parameters of the normal electric busbar network and the emergency electric busbar networks; and
an APU controller in the aircraft operatively connected to the electrical power controller and configured to control the APU to selectively operate in a normal mode and an emergency mode based information received by the APU controller, wherein the information is contained in at least one of: data received by the APU controller from the electrical power controller, data received by the APU controller and that is indicative of aircraft operational parameters or a signal received by the APU controller from a manually activated device;
wherein the normal starter and the emergency starter are each configured to start the APU to operate the normal electric power generator and/or the emergency electric power generator; and
wherein the redundant auxiliary power system is configured to operate in:
the emergency mode during which the APU controller and the electrical power controller are jointly configured to activate the emergency starter to start the APU and activate the emergency electric power generator to supply electric power to the emergency electric busbar network; and
in the normal mode during which the APU controller is configured to select the normal starter or the emergency starter to start the APU; select the normal electric power generator or the emergency electric power generator, and select whether power from the normal or emergency electric power generator is to be applied to the normal electric busbar network or the emergency electric busbar network.