# US 12,759,407 B2 · Control device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,407 B2 - Document ID: US12759407B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/776,912 - Filed: 2024-07-18 - Published: 2024-11-07 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2022-01-19 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Yuichi Takemura; Keita Fujii; Masato Fukushi; Shinsuke Kawazu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759407B2 ## CPC - B60L 3/04: Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions (protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H) - B64D 27/30: Aircraft characterised by electric power plants - B64D 27/34: All-electric aircraft - B64D 31/06: actuated automatically - B64D 31/16: for electric power plants - B60L 2200/10: Air crafts - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT ## Abstract In a control device including a control unit that controls an EPU for powering a rotor included in an electric aircraft, the EPU includes a motor, an inverter, a control circuit, and a first sensor that detects an operation-related value. If there is no a sudden change in the operation-related value detected by the first sensor, the control unit controls the EPU based on the operation-related value detected by the first sensor. When the sudden change occurs, the control unit stops using the operation-related value detected by the first sensor to control the EPU. After the occurrence of the sudden change, when the sudden change ends before a predetermined period elapses, the control unit resumes using the operation-related value detected by the first sensor to control the EPU, and when the sudden change has not ended, the control unit continues the stoppage. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control device comprising: a control unit configured to control an electric propulsion unit for powering a rotor included in an electric aircraft, wherein the electric propulsion unit includes a motor configured to rotate the rotor, an inverter configured to supply AC power to the motor, a control circuit configured to control the inverter, and a first sensor configured to detect an operation-related value related to an operation state of the electric propulsion unit including an operation of the motor, and the control unit is configured to: detect whether a sudden change in the operation-related value detected by the first sensor is beyond a predetermined range within a predetermined time; upon detecting the sudden change, detect further whether the sudden change ends, and stop using the operation-related value detected by the first sensor to control the electric propulsion unit: until the sudden change ends, when detected that the sudden change ends before a predetermined period ends, or beyond the ending of the predetermined time period, when detected that the sudden change has not ended after the predetermined time period ends, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine that an abnormality has occurred in the first sensor when detected that the sudden change has not ended after the predetermined time period elapses. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a storage, wherein the control unit is configured to, when the sudden change is detected, record sudden change related information into the storage, the sudden change related information being related to the occurrence of the sudden change. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The control device according to claim 2, wherein the electric aircraft includes a plurality of the electric propulsion units, the control unit is configured to control the plurality of electric propulsion units, and the sudden change related information includes information for identifying the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected among the plurality of electric propulsion units. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The control device according to claim 2, wherein the sudden change related information includes at least one of (i) a time of the detecting of the sudden change and (ii) location information about the electric aircraft at the time of the detecting of the sudden change. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to: when the sudden change is detected in a steady state in which a target value of power supplied from the electric propulsion unit does not change beyond a predetermined range within a predetermined time, perform the stoppage, in the steady state, after the detecting of the sudden change, when the sudden change ends before a predetermined period elapses, resume using the operation-related value detected by the first sensor to control the electric propulsion unit, and in the steady state, after the detecting of the sudden change, when the sudden change has not ended after the predetermined period elapses, continue the stoppage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein each of the electric propulsion units includes a second sensor being a sensor configured to detect the operation-related value and different from the first sensor, and the control unit is configured to, when the sudden change is detected, control the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected by using the operation-related value detected by the second sensor included in the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change has occurred. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the electric aircraft includes a plurality of the electric propulsion units, and the control unit is configured to, when the sudden change is detected, control the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected by using the operation-related value detected by a third sensor configured to detect the operation-related value and included in another electric propulsion unit than the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to, when the sudden change is detected, stop power supply to the rotor from the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the electric aircraft includes: as the rotor, a hovering rotor and a cruising rotor, and as the electric propulsion unit, a hovering propulsion unit being an electric propulsion unit for powering the hovering rotor and a cruising propulsion unit being an electric propulsion unit for powering the cruising rotor, the hovering propulsion unit includes a second sensor being a sensor configured to detect the operation-related value and different from the first sensor, and the control unit is configured to: when the sudden change is detected and the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected is the hovering propulsion unit, control the hovering propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected by using the operation-related value detected by the second sensor, and when the sudden change is detected and the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected is the cruising propulsion unit, stop power supply from the cruising propulsion unit to the cruising rotor in which the sudden change is detected. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the electric aircraft includes, as the rotor, a plurality of hovering rotors and a cruising rotor, and as the electric propulsion unit, a plurality of hovering propulsion units being electric propulsion units for powering the plurality of hovering rotors and a cruising propulsion unit being an electric propulsion unit for powering the cruising rotor, and the control unit is configured to: when the sudden change is detected and the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected is the hovering propulsion unit, control the hovering propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected by using the operation-related value detected by a third sensor being a sensor included in another hovering propulsion unit than the hovering propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected, and when the sudden change is detected and the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected is the cruising propulsion unit, stop power supply from the cruising propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected to the cruising rotor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the electric aircraft includes: as the rotor, a first rotor and a second rotor nearer to a body gravity center of the electric aircraft than the first rotor, and as the electric propulsion unit, a first propulsion unit being an electric propulsion unit for powering the first rotor and a second propulsion unit being an electric propulsion unit for powering the second rotor, the first propulsion unit includes a second sensor being a sensor configured to detect the operation-related value and different from the first sensor, and the control unit is configured to: when the sudden change is detected and the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected is the first propulsion unit, control the first propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected by using the operation-related value detected by the second sensor, and when the sudden change is detected and the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected is the second propulsion unit, stop power supply from the second propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected to the second rotor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the electric aircraft includes: as the rotor, a plurality of first rotors and a second rotor nearer to a body gravity center of the electric aircraft than the plurality of first rotors, and as the electric propulsion unit, a plurality of first propulsion units being electric propulsion units for powering the plurality of first rotors and a second propulsion unit being an electric propulsion unit for powering the second rotor, and the control unit is configured to: when the sudden change is detected and the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected is a first propulsion unit, control the first propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected by using the operation-related value detected by a third sensor being a sensor included in another first propulsion unit than the first propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected, and when the sudden change is detected and the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected is the second propulsion unit, stop power supply from the second propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected to the second rotor. ### Claim 13 A control device comprising: a control unit configured to control an electric propulsion unit for powering a rotor included in an electric aircraft, wherein the electric propulsion unit includes a motor configured to rotate the rotor, an inverter configured to supply AC power to the motor, a control circuit configured to control the inverter, and a first sensor configured to detect an operation-related value related to an operation state of the electric propulsion unit including an operation of the motor, wherein the control unit is configured to: detect whether a sudden change in the operation-related value detected by the first sensor is beyond a predetermined range within a predetermined time; upon detecting the sudden change, detect further whether the sudden change ends, and stop power supply that depends on a first target value to the rotor from an anomalous unit being the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected, attempt to drive the anomalous unit with a second target value smaller than the first target value and further determine whether the anomalous unit is normal based on the operation-related value detected by the first sensor, when the anomalous unit is determined to be normal, resume using the operation-related value detected by the first sensor to control the electric propulsion unit, and when the anomalous unit is determined to be not normal, continue the stoppage. ### Claim 14 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program controlling an electric propulsion unit configured to power a rotor included in an electric aircraft, wherein the electric propulsion unit includes a motor configured to rotate the rotor, an inverter configured to supply AC power to the motor, a control circuit configured to control the inverter, and a first sensor configured to detect an operation-related value related to an operation state of the electric propulsion unit including an operation of the motor, and the computer program causes a computer to implement: detecting whether a sudden change in the operation-related value detected by the first sensor is beyond a predetermined range within a predetermined time; upon detecting the sudden change, detecting further whether the sudden change ends, and stopping using the operation-related value detected by the first sensor to control the electric propulsion unit; until the sudden change ends, when detected that the sudden change ends before a predetermined period ends; or beyond the ending of the predetermined time period, when detected that the sudden change has not ended after the predetermined time period ends; and determining that an abnormality has occurred in the first sensor when detected that the sudden change has not ended after the predetermined time period elapses. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program controlling an electric propulsion unit configured to power a rotor included in an electric aircraft, wherein the electric propulsion unit includes a motor configured to rotate the rotor, an inverter configured to supply AC power to the motor, a control circuit configured to control the inverter, and a first sensor configured to detect an operation-related value related to an operation state of the electric propulsion unit including an operation of the motor, and the computer program causes a computer to implement: detecting whether a sudden change in the operation-related value detected by the first sensor is beyond a predetermined range within a predetermined time; upon detecting the sudden change, detecting further whether the sudden change ends, and a function of stopping power supply that depends on a first target value to the rotor from an anomalous unit being the electric propulsion unit in which the sudden change is detected, attempting to drive the anomalous unit with a second target value smaller than the first target value and further determine whether the anomalous unit is normal based on the operation-related value detected by the first sensor, when the anomalous unit is determined to be normal, resuming using the operation-related value detected by the first sensor to control the electric propulsion unit; and when the anomalous unit is determined to be not normal, continuing the stoppage.