An aircraft has a first antenna arrangement, a payload and a processing unit. The first antenna arrangement is designed to wirelessly receive electromagnetic signals. The processing unit is coupled to the first antenna arrangement, on the one hand, and to the payload, on the other hand. The processing unit is designed to modulate an electromagnetic signal received by the first antenna arrangement and thereby to generate a first modulated signal and to forward it to the payload. The payload is designed to use the first modulated signal as working signal. A radiofrequency power signal on an uplink is thus remodulated into a payload working signal, such that the payload working signal is able to be used directly by the payload without rectification into a DC voltage.

A connector with overvoltage protection, and methods of use, for charging an electric aircraft. The connector includes a housing, at least a current conductor, a protection circuit, at least a sensor and a controller. The housing is configured to mate with an electric aircraft port of the electric aircraft. The at least a current conductor is configured to conduct a current. The protection circuit is configured to control transmission of electrical power through the connector. The at least a sensor is configured to detect an output voltage of the connector. The controller is communicatively connected to the at least a sensor. The controller is configured to determine an overvoltage output as a function of the output voltage, and activate the protection circuit based on detection of the overvoltage output.

In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a method for power distribution and load management in an aircraft can include budgeting a designated current for one or more loads in one or more respective power districts in a power distribution system based on a nominal load draw for each of the one or more loads, determining a system condition of the power distribution system, prioritizing each of the one or more loads based on the system condition, and distributing power from each of the one or more power districts to the respective one or more loads in order of priority until a total budgeted designated current for the respective power district has been exhausted, and leaving any remaining loads in the one or more power districts unpowered.

A system includes a transformer rectifier unit (TRU) including a backfeed sense module. A contactor is operatively connected to the TRU for selectively supplying DC power to a DC bus from the TRU with the contactor closed and isolating the DC bus from the TRU with the contactor opened. A contactor driver is operatively connected to receive a signal from the backfeed sense module and to control opening and closing of the contactor based on the signal. The contactor driver is configured to open the contactor upon receipt of the signal indicative of backfeed detected in the TRU.

An electric aircraft battery pack that includes an integrated battery management component, which determines if a power supply connection between the battery pack and the electric aircraft should be terminated due to a failure, defect, or malfunction of the battery pack, such as a failure of a battery module of the battery pack.

A system for charging multiple power sources including a plurality of batteries. The system also including a plurality of diodes, each diode of the plurality of diodes electrically connected in series with at least a battery of the plurality of batteries, wherein each diode of the plurality of diodes restricts current flow into the plurality of batteries and the plurality of diodes permits current flow from the plurality of batteries. The system includes a bus element connecting the batteries in parallel, having a cross tie element having an engaged state and disengaged state. The bus element disconnects a first battery from a second battery of the plurality of when the cross-tie element is in the disengaged state, and connects the first battery to the second battery when the cross tie element is in the engaged state. The system includes a load electrically connected to the plurality of diodes.

The disclosure is directed to methods and systems for provisioning mobile electric vehicles with various operational settings data transmitted over the air. A vehicle or its components may operate according to operational settings corresponding to operational settings data included in the vehicle components. A server that is remote to the vehicle may comprise operational settings data and may transmit operational settings data to the vehicle. The server may transmit operational settings data automatically, such as on a periodic basis, in response to a request, such as from a user or from a vehicle component or anytime new or updated operational settings data are available for the vehicle or its components.

Electrical power systems for distributing electrical power in aircraft are described. One such electrical power system comprises: an electrical power source configured to output a number R≥2 of dc power channels, each dc power channel having a respective index r=(1, . . . , R); and a group of N dc load channels connected to the R dc power channels by a switching arrangement, wherein each dc load channel has a respective index n=(1, . . . , N) and R<N≤2R. The switching arrangement is operable to connect the r-th power channel to the n-th load channel according to a relationship r(n).

An aircraft with an electrical network including electrical subnetworks; a turbo generator including a gas turbine, an electricity generator with permanent magnets having phase groups respectively connected to the electrical subnetworks, and, for each phase group, an isolation device; and a control device designed to detect a short circuit in at least one of the phase groups, each phase group in which a short circuit is detected being described as defective and each other phase group being described as healthy and, in response to the detection of the short circuit, to disconnect this defective phase group from its associated electrical subnetwork and to command the shutdown of the gas turbine. The control device is also designed, in response to the detection of the short circuit, to keep each healthy phase group connected to its electrical subnetwork.

An energy storage apparatus used in a flight vehicle includes battery circuits connected in series, through which current flows during charge and discharge of the energy storage apparatus. Each of the battery circuits includes: a first electrical path; an energy storage cell connected to an adjacent battery circuit through the first electrical path; a first switch that includes a diode and is provided in the first electrical path such that a forward direction of the diode is a charge direction of the energy storage apparatus; a second electrical path connected to the adjacent battery circuit in parallel with the energy storage cell and the first switch; and a second switch that includes a diode and is provided in the second electrical path such that a forward direction of the diode is a discharge direction of the energy storage apparatus, and is turned on when the first switch is turned off.