SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR AIRCRAFT ENERGY OPTIMIZATION
Disclosed embodiments generally relate to systems and methods for flight control of aircrafts. In some embodiments, a flight control system is configured to determine desired commands for the electric aircraft, determine at least one reference command for an effector based on the desired commands and one or more aircraft conditions, monitor energy states of the plurality of battery packs, where at least a first battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is electrically isolated from at least a second battery pack of the plurality of battery packs, adjust the at least one reference command based on the monitored energy states of the plurality of battery packs, generate control commands for the plurality of effectors based on the adjusted at least one effector reference command, and control the plurality of effectors according to the generated control commands to meet the one or more desired commands of the electric aircraft.
1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
determining, using at least one hardware processor, a desired command for an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft;
monitoring, using the at least one hardware processor, battery information of a plurality of battery packs of the eVTOL aircraft, wherein at least a first battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is electrically isolated from at least a second battery pack of the plurality of battery packs;
generating, using the at least one hardware processor and based on the desired command and a remaining discharge time that is based on the monitored battery information, a control command for an effector, wherein the effector comprises at least one of an actuator, a control surface, or an electric propulsion unit (EPU); and
controlling, using the at least one hardware processor, the effector according to the generated control command to meet the desired command for the eVTOL aircraft.
2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein at least one battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is installed in a wing of the eVTOL aircraft.
3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one battery pack powers an EPU mounted to an opposite wing of the eVTOL aircraft.
4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the EPU mounted to the opposite wing is mounted via a boom.
5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the EPU mounted to the opposite wing is a forward EPU positioned predominantly towards a leading edge of the opposite wing.
6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the EPU mounted to the opposite wing is an aft EPU positioned predominantly towards a trailing edge of the opposite wing.
7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the eVTOL aircraft includes a plurality of EPUs; and
at least one EPU of the plurality of EPUs are configured to tilt.
8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one EPU is a forward EPU positioned predominantly towards a leading edge of a wing of the eVTOL aircraft.
9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of battery packs comprises at least four battery packs.
10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein at least one battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is electrically connected to and provides power to multiple EPUs of the eVTOL aircraft.
11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one battery pack of the plurality of battery packs powers a forward EPU positioned predominantly towards a leading edge of a wing of the eVTOL aircraft and an aft EPU positioned predominantly towards a trailing edge of the wing of the eVTOL aircraft.
12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each battery pack is connected to at least one battery management system.
13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one battery management system is configured to protect against a fault condition using a fuse.
14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the monitored battery information is received from a single battery management system configured to manage all battery packs on the eVTOL aircraft.
15 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the monitored battery information comprises at least one of a state of charge, a state of health, a state of power, a state of energy, a usable energy, or a state of temperature of at least one battery pack of the plurality of battery packs, and wherein the usable energy is computed based on one or more of the state of charge, the state of health, the state of power, the state of energy, or the state of temperature of the at least one battery pack.
16 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the monitored battery information comprises a failure condition indicating whether a battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is active, functional, dysfunctional, or failed.
17 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the remaining discharge time is associated with at least one of the plurality of battery packs.
18 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the remaining discharge time is associated with the plurality of battery packs.
19 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the monitored battery information includes a remaining discharge time associated with one or more high voltage channels.
20 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the monitored battery information includes a difference in energy states between at least two battery packs of the plurality of battery packs.
21 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the monitored battery information includes a difference in power draw between at least a first EPU and a second EPU of a plurality of electric propulsion units of the eVTOL aircraft.
22 . The computer-implemented method of claim 21 , wherein the first EPU has a lower power draw than the second EPU, and wherein the generated control command causes a reduction in power draw from the second EPU.
23 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the control command is further based on a state of one or more EPUs of a plurality of electric propulsion units of the eVTOL aircraft.
24 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the control command for the effector is further based on one or more aircraft conditions comprising at least one of vehicle dynamics, flight conditions, or a status of at least one aircraft component.
25 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the control command is further based on a prediction of power usage by one or more components of the eVTOL aircraft.
26 . The computer-implemented method of claim 25 , wherein the prediction of power usage is determined using simulation or historical data, the simulation or historical data comprising at least one of flight test data, weather data, route data, expected discharge data, range data, or battery health data.
27 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the control command is further based on a prediction of power usage by one or more components of the eVTOL aircraft.
28 . The computer-implemented method of claim 27 , wherein the prediction of power usage is determined using simulation or historical data, the simulation or historical data comprising at least one of flight test data, weather data, route data, expected discharge data, range data, or battery health data.
29 . An electric aircraft comprising:
at least one hardware processor configured to perform steps comprising:
determining, using at least one hardware processor, a desired command for an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft;
monitoring, using the at least one hardware processor, battery information of a plurality of battery packs of the eVTOL aircraft, wherein at least a first battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is electrically isolated from at least a second battery pack of the plurality of battery packs;
generating, using the at least one hardware processor and based on the desired command and a remaining discharge time that is based on the monitored battery information, a control command for an effector, wherein the effector comprises at least one of an actuator, a control surface, or an electric propulsion unit (EPU); and
controlling, using the at least one hardware processor, the effector according to the generated control command to meet the desired command for the eVTOL aircraft.
30 . A flight control apparatus comprising:
at least one hardware processor configured to perform steps comprising:
determining, using at least one hardware processor, a desired command for an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft;
monitoring, using the at least one hardware processor, battery information of a plurality of battery packs of the eVTOL aircraft, wherein at least a first battery pack of the plurality of battery packs is electrically isolated from at least a second battery pack of the plurality of battery packs;
generating, using the at least one hardware processor and based on the desired command and a remaining discharge time that is based on the monitored battery information, a control command for an effector, wherein the effector comprises at least one of an actuator, a control surface, or an electric propulsion unit (EPU); and
controlling, using the at least one hardware processor, the effector according to the generated control command to meet the desired command for the eVTOL aircraft.