Patent Abstract:
A distributed electrical system includes a plurality of engine components each in electrical communication with one of a plurality of docking stations. An electronic engine control is positioned remote from the engine components and is configured to communicate wirelessly with each of the plurality of engine components.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Numerous distributed control architectures have been envisioned and proposed in the past for aircraft. However, reliability concerns and the need to protect electronics from harsh environments led to modern federated architecture as the industry standard. Typically, large military and commercial engines are controlled by an Electronic Engine Controller (EEC) or a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC), housed in a centralized location. Commercial requirements have evolved toward a singular electronic control mounted in the relatively benign environment of the fan case. Fan case mounting necessitates long wiring harnesses that must extend between the fan case and the engine core through an airfoil. 
         [0002]    By default, the centralized EEC included all the connections for the engine and airframe. In this federated architecture, the EEC receives input from various sensors and issues commands to the appropriate actuators or subsystems, such as the fuel system. Electronic feedback is provided back to the EEC to confirm proper operation. The EEC performs inner-loop control of an actuator or subsystem, for example. As a result, modern EEC&#39;s are very large, heavy and application-specific making redesigns very costly. The interconnecting harnesses, likewise, are heavy, limit external packaging, inhibit easy component maintenance, subject to durability concerns and often aesthetically unpleasing. Therefore, there is a need to reduce the complexity and weight of the current systems. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    In one exemplary embodiment, a distributed electrical system includes a plurality of engine components each in electrical communication with one of a plurality of docking stations. An electronic engine control is positioned remote from the engine components and is configured to communicate wirelessly with each of the plurality of engine components. 
         [0004]    In a further embodiment of the above, an electrical wiring harness electrically connects each of the plurality of docking stations with a power source. 
         [0005]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the power source is a permanent magnet alternator driven by a gearbox. 
         [0006]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the electrical wiring harness extends through internal passages in the gearbox to connect one of the plurality of engine components on the gearbox to the power source. 
         [0007]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, a communications harness connects the electronic engine control to a wireless hub remote from the electronic engine control. 
         [0008]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the electronic engine control includes a wireless device that is configured to communicate wirelessly with each of the plurality of engine components. 
         [0009]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the wireless device is a radio frequency wireless device. 
         [0010]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the plurality of engine components includes at least one of a fuel pump, an actuator, and a sensor. 
         [0011]    In another exemplary embodiment, a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of docking stations connected to an electrical wiring harness. An electronic engine control is connected to the docking stations. A plurality of engine components are each connected to one of the plurality of docking stations. The electronic engine control is configured to communicate wirelessly with each of the plurality of engine components. 
         [0012]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the electrical wiring harness is connected to a permanent magnet alternator driven by a gearbox. 
         [0013]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, a communications harness connects the electronic engine control to a wireless hub. 
         [0014]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the wireless hub is located adjacent a core engine case. 
         [0015]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the electronic engine control includes a wireless device that is configured to communicate wirelessly with each of the plurality of engine components. 
         [0016]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the plurality of engine components includes at least one of a fuel pump, an actuator, or a sensor. 
         [0017]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the electronic engine control is located on one of a fan case, a plyon, or an aircraft. 
         [0018]    In another exemplary embodiment, a method of operating a distributed electrical system includes powering an electronic engine control and at least one engine component with an electrical wiring harness. There is communication between the electronic engine control and the at least one engine component with at least one wireless signal. 
         [0019]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the electronic engine control and at least one engine component is connected to a docking station. 
         [0020]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the electronic engine control and the at least one engine component are powered by a permanent magnet alternator driven by a gearbox. 
         [0021]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the method includes communicating between the electronic engine control and the at least one engine component through a wireless hub connected to the electronic engine control through a dedicated communications harness. 
         [0022]    In a further embodiment of any of the above, the electronic engine control is located adjacent a fan case and the wireless hub is located adjacent a core engine case. 
         [0023]    The various features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an example gas turbine engine. 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of an electrical architecture for the gas turbine engine of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]      FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a gas turbine engine  20 . The gas turbine engine  20  is disclosed herein as a two-spool turbofan that generally incorporates a fan section  22 , a compressor section  24 , a combustor section  26  and a turbine section  28 . The fan section  22  drives air along a bypass flow path B in a bypass duct defined within a fan case  15  and located radially outward from a core engine case  17 . The compressor section  24  drives air along a core flow path C for compression and communication into the combustor section  26  then expansion through the turbine section  28 . 
         [0027]    The exemplary gas turbine engine  20  generally includes a low speed spool  30  and a high speed spool  32  mounted for rotation about an engine central longitudinal axis A relative to an engine static structure  36  via several bearing systems  38 . In the subject application, radial or radially is in reference to the engine central longitudinal axis A unless stated otherwise. The low speed spool  30  is in communication with a speed change mechanism  40 , such as an epicyclic gear train, that allows a fan  42  on the fan section  22  to rotate at a lower speed than the low speed spool  30 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example distributed electrical architecture  50  for the gas turbine engine  20 . The electrical architecture  50  provides power to an electronic engine control (EEC)  52  and multiple other engine components  54 , such as actuators, fuel pumps, and sensors. The electrical architecture  50  utilizes a power source, such as a permanent magnet alternator (PMA)  56  driven by a gearbox  58 , driven by one of the low speed spool  30  or the high speed spool  32 . The PMA  56  provides power to the EEC  52  and the engine components  54 . The power generated by the PMA  56  is directed to multiple docking stations  60  on an exterior surface of the fan case  15  and an exterior surface of the core engine case  17 . 
         [0029]    The docking stations  60  are electrically connected to the PMA  56  by an electrical wiring harness  62 . The wiring harness  62  may directly connect the docking station  60  to the PMA  56  or connect a series of docking stations  60  together. In the illustrated example, the wiring harness  62  includes a positive lead and negative lead. In another example, the wiring harness  62  includes a positive lead, a negative lead, and a neutral lead. The PMA  56  directs power through the wiring harness  62 . The wiring harness  62  only provides electrical power between the PMA  56  and the docking stations  60  and does not provide communication between the docking stations  60  and the engine components  54 . 
         [0030]    The EEC  52  communicates with the other engine components  54  through at least one wireless connection formed between a wireless device integrated into the EEC  52  and a wireless device integrated into each of the engine components  54 . The wireless connection could be created through the use of radio frequency technology. By utilizing wireless communication between the EEC  52  and the engine components  54 , the size and complexity of the EEC  52  is greatly reduced. The wireless communication eliminates the need for a hard wire communications connection between the EEC  52  and each of the engine components  54 . 
         [0031]    By eliminating the hard wire communications connection, the need to dedicate a large portion of the EEC  52  to I/O ports is eliminated. This reduces the space required on the fan case  15  required to accept the EEC  52  as well as the complexity of installation and the need to route communications lines between the EEC  52  and all of the engine components  54  located both on the fan case  15  and the core engine case  17 . 
         [0032]    When the EEC  52  must communicate with other engine components  54  on the fan case  15 , the wireless connection from the EEC  52  is sufficient to reach and communicate with the other engine components  54  on the fan case  15 . When a distance between the EEC  52  and the engine component  54  is too large or a structure of the gas turbine engine  20  between the EEC  52  and the engine components  54  is blocking the wireless communication, a dedicated communications harness  64  can be utilized to connect the EEC  52  to a wireless hub  66 . The EEC  52  will require at least as many I/O ports as there are wireless hubs  66  used on the gas turbine engine  20 . 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the EEC  52  is located on the fan case  15  and only has a limited ability to transmit and receive wireless signals to and from engine components  54  of the core of the gas turbine engine  20 . The EEC  52  can then use at least one wireless signal to communicate with the engine components  54  on the core engine case  17  by first transmitting the signal through the dedicated communications harness  64  to the wireless hub  66 . The wireless hub  66  can then convert the signals from the EEC  52  to wireless signals, which can be sent to the appropriate engine component  54  on the core engine case  17 . 
         [0034]    Additionally, multiple wireless hubs  66  could be used on the core engine case  17  or even on the fan case  15  to communicate with engine components  54  on an opposite side of the fan case  15  from the EEC  52 . 
         [0035]    Each docking station  60  can provide power to one or more engine components  54  such that each engine component  54  does not require an individual docking station  60 . By having each docking station  60  power more than one engine component  54 , the number of docking stations  60  can be reduced. Linking multiple engine components  54  to a single docking station  60  is particularly useful for tightly packaged systems, such as fuel systems, which have multiple components that each require electrical power and must send and receive information from the EEC  52 . 
         [0036]    Some of the engine components  54  may also be mounted directly to the gearbox  58 . By mounting the engine components  54  directly to the gearbox  58 , a portion of the wiring harness  62  may be run internally through the gearbox  58 . By running the portion of the wiring harness  62  internally through the gearbox  58 , wires that would normally be susceptible to abrasion or damage on the exterior of the gearbox  58  can be protected inside the gearbox  58 . Moreover, locating a portion of the wiring harness  62  internal to the gearbox  58  simplifies servicing the engine components  54  on the gearbox  58  by reducing the number of wires on an exterior of the gearbox  58 . 
         [0037]    The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure. The scope of legal protection given to this disclosure can only be determined by studying the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5