US 12,142,149 B2
Method for authorizing the flight of an aircraft having a hybrid power plant provided with at least one electric motor and at least one heat engine
Jeremy Camus, Ensues la Redonne (FR); and Julien Laurent, Toulouse (FR)
Assigned to AIRBUS HELICOPTERS, Marignane (FR); and AIRBUS DEFENSE & SPACE SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Filed by AIRBUS HELICOPTERS, Marignane (FR); and AIRBUS DEFENSE & SPACE SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Filed on Oct. 16, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/380,252.
Claims priority of application No. 2212089 (FR), filed on Nov. 21, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0169845 A1, May 23, 2024
Int. Cl. G08G 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC G08G 5/0026 (2013.01) 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for authorizing the flight of an aircraft provided with a hybrid power plant, the hybrid power plant having at least one heat engine and at least one electric motor that are each able to set a mechanical system in motion, the electric motor being electrically connected to an electrical energy source comprising a number of electrical accumulators greater than or equal to two,
wherein the method comprises the following steps:
extracting, while the aircraft is on the ground, an electrical energy or an electrical power to be extracted from the electrical energy source during a predetermined time period;
measuring, with a sensor for the electrical accumulators, initial values of an operating parameter of the respective electrical accumulators;
calculating, with a controller in communication with the sensor, an average value from the initial values;
determining, with the controller, a minimum value, the minimum value being equal to the lowest of the measured initial values;
adjusting, by the controller, an amount of the electrical energy or the electrical power to be extracted from the electrical energy source during the predetermined time period as a function of a value of at least one parameter, the at least one parameter including a temperature in the electrical energy source, a state of charge of the electrical energy source, and an age of the electrical energy source; and
prior to take-off of the aircraft from the ground, authorizing the aircraft to fly by transmitting a flight authorization signal from the controller to an alerter when a difference between the average value and the minimum value is less than a threshold and generating with the alerter, in response to the flight authorization signal, an audio, visual, and/or tactile authorization alert for a pilot of the aircraft to deduce therefrom that the aircraft is authorized to fly, and prohibiting the aircraft from flying by transmitting a flight prohibition signal from the controller to the alerter when the difference between the average value and the minimum value is greater than or equal to the threshold and generating with the alerter, in response to the flight prohibition signal, an audio, visual, and/or tactile prohibition alert for the pilot of the aircraft to deduce therefrom that the aircraft is prohibited from flying.