Method and apparatus for initializing a power distribution circuit
AssigneeGE Aviation Systems LLC
InventorsDavid Alan Elliott, James Angelo Elder, Peter James Handy, Denis Vaughan Weale
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Abstract
A power distribution node and method of associating a permanent identity includes a node communication input port and a node communication output port, a first power controller having a first switchable element and a first controller module configured to operate the first switchable element, the first controller module having a first communication input port connected with the node communication input port and a first communication output port, and a second power controller having a second switchable element.
Claims20
A power distribution node comprising:
- a node communication input port and a node communication output port;
- a first power controller having a first switchable element and a first controller module configured to operate the first switchable element, the first controller module having a first communication input port connected with the node communication input port and a first communication output port;
- and
- a second power controller having a second switchable element and a second controller module configured to operate the second switchable element, the second controller module having a second communication input port connected with the first communication output port and a second communication output port connected with the node communication output port;
- wherein the first and second power controllers are adapted to be identified with a permanent identity by way of a transmittable data signal receivable at the node communication input port and sequentially received by the first and second power controllers.
A method of associating a permanent identity with a set of power switches, the method comprising:
- A) receiving an identifying data signal to a communications input of a power distribution node including the set of power switches and respective set of controller modules arranged in a communication sequence;
- B) supplying the identifying data signal to one of the set of controller modules;
- C) permanently identifying the one of the set of controller modules with a unique identity;
- and
- D) repeating steps B) and C) sequentially in the next of the set of controller modules in the communication sequence.
A power distribution node programming assembly comprising:
- a node communication input port, and a node communication output port;
- a power distribution node having a set of power controllers, each power controller including a switch controller module having a communication input port and communication output port, wherein the set of power controllers are sequentially arranged such that the node communication input port is connected with the first of the sequentially arranged switch controller modules, and each successive switch controller module input communication input port is connected with the communication output port of the preceding switch controller module, and wherein the communication output port last of the sequentially arranged switch controller modules is connected with the node communication output port;
- and
- a programming controller module configured to generate a programming data signal supplied to the node communication input port, wherein the programming data signal is configured to sequentially identify each of the set of power controllers with a permanent identity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.