System and method for electric power distribution inside an aircraft

1. A system for distribution of electric power inside an aircraft, comprising:

at least two systems to distribute electric power from at least one power source to electric loads of the aircraft via electric and/or electronic protection/switching components, the components being configurable and commandable by dedicated electronics, wherein

each electric distribution system includes the dedicated electronics in which a configuration file is downloaded, the configuration file allocates an installation status to each of the protection/switching components, and the installation status indicates whether a command from a terminal is allowed to change a value of a parameter associated with the corresponding protection/switching components.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the installation status is hard encoded in each of the configuration files, for each of the electric loads.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein each electric load is identified as configurable normal or configurable plug and fly in a configuration database of the aircraft.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein a default installation status is allocated to each electric load via the configuration file.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein, for an electric load identified as configurable normal, the installation status is set at a fixed value that is a default value.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein, for an electric load identified as configurable plug and fly, the installation status is a variable parameter in relation to the command arriving from the terminal and in relation to a default value.

7. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising an interface including the terminal, which allows data display and entry, and an intelligence part, which allows commanding of the installation statuses of the electronic protection/switching components.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the interface further includes means for sending at least one install or uninstall command enabling dynamic modification of a programmed installation status.

9. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the aircraft is an airplane.

10. A method for distribution of electric power inside an aircraft, comprising:

distributing electric power from at least one power source by at least two electric distribution systems towards electric loads of the aircraft via electric and/or electronic protection/switching components, the components being configurable and commandable by dedicated electronics; and

downloading a configuration file to each of the protection/switching components, the configuration file allocates an installation status to each of the protection/switching components, and the installation status indicates whether a command from a terminal is allowed to change a value of a parameter associated with the corresponding protection/switching components.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the installation status is hard encoded in each of the configuration files, for each of the electric loads.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein each electric load is identified as configurable normal or configurable plug and fly.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein a default installation status is allocated to each electric load.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein, for each electric load identified as configurable normal, the installation status is set at a fixed value that is a default value.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein, for each electric load identified as configurable plug and fly, the installation status is a variable parameter in relation to the command arriving from the terminal and in relation to a default value.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the terminal gives an install/uninstall command:

if the load is identified as configurable normal, the interface does not authorize access to an install/uninstall command page and alerts the operator thereof,

if the load is identified as configurable plug and fly, the interface proposes access to a command page allowing modification of the installation status of the protection/switching components.

17. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the aircraft is an airplane.

18. An aircraft comprising:

at least two systems to distribute electric power from at least one power source to electric loads of the aircraft via electric and/or electronic protection/switching components, the components being configurable and commandable by dedicated electronics, wherein

each electric distribution system includes the dedicated electronics in which a configuration file is downloaded, the configuration file allocates an installation status to each of the protection/switching components, and the installation status indicates whether a command from a terminal is allowed to change a value of a parameter associated with the corresponding protection/switching components.

19. An aircraft comprising:

a system configured to

distribute electric power from at least one power source by at least two electric distribution systems towards electric loads of the aircraft via electric and/or electronic protection/switching components, the components being configurable and commandable by dedicated electronics, and

download a configuration file to each of the protection/switching components, the configuration file allocating an installation status to each of the protection/switching components, and the installation status indicating whether a command from a terminal is allowed to change a value of a parameter associated with the corresponding protection/switching components.