Patents by Inventor Didier Poirier

Didier Poirier has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240294262
    Abstract: An autonomous air conditioning system for an aircraft includes a compressor compressing ambient air and supplying compressed air, a first portion of the compressed air being injected into a cabin of the aircraft so as to condition the cabin air in terms of pressure and of temperature. The autonomous system further includes an electric motor providing mechanical energy to the compressor. The system includes a fuel cells stack supplied with air by a second portion of the compressed air supplied by the compressor and supplying electrical energy, the electric motor being electrically powered with electrical energy supplied by the fuel cells stack. Thus, the cabin air conditioning is performed autonomously, avoiding the need to modify a pre-existing electrical network of the aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2023
    Publication date: September 5, 2024
    Inventors: Thomas JOSSET, Didier POIRIER, Holger BAMMANN
  • Patent number: 12054281
    Abstract: An auxiliary power unit for an aircraft. It includes an air compressor coupled to an air-drawing device for drawing in air from outside the aircraft, the compressor supplying compressed air to a manifold. The manifold is configured to supply air to an environmental control system and a start-up module of at least one propulsion system of the aircraft running on hydrogen. The manifold is also configured to supply air to a fuel cell stack arranged to provide an electric generation function configured to power non-propulsive systems of the aircraft, the fuel cell stack also being supplied with hydrogen from a tank supplying hydrogen to the at least one propulsion system of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignees: Airbus Operations SAS, Airbus SAS, Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Josset, Didier Poirier, Holger Bammann, Thomas Scherer
  • Patent number: 11840350
    Abstract: A system for controlling idle speed and power draw includes a determination unit configured to determine a current available power value, a determination unit configured to determine a current power consumption value, a determination unit configured to determine a future power requirement variation value, a computation unit configured to calculate a future estimated total power requirement value, a computation unit configured to calculate a future estimated available power value, an optimization unit configured to determine an optimization result by comparing the estimated total power requirement value with a power value associated with an optimization criterion and a controller configured to send an order to adapt an idle speed of the engine, an order to adapt the estimated total power requirement or no order as a function of the optimization result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignees: AIRBUS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventors: Nicolas Rapin, Didier Poirier, Etienne Foch, Paul-Emile Roux, Emmanuelle Escorihuela, Caroline Barnier, Guillaume Alix
  • Publication number: 20230159180
    Abstract: A method for managing power drawn from power units of propulsion units of an aircraft, wherein the method includes a step of increasing the amount of power drawn from a second power unit that is time shifted, with respect to a step of increasing the amount of power drawn from a first power unit, for a duration that at least allows the operational state or the non-operational state of the first power unit to be determined. This solution allows simultaneous switching to the non-operational state of the two power units to be avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Inventors: Patrick Zaccaria, Pierre Daste, Paul-Emile Roux, Didier Poirier, Guillaume Alix, David Boyer, Lucie Coue, Souhaib Boukayoua
  • Publication number: 20230147038
    Abstract: An auxiliary power unit for an aircraft. It includes an air compressor coupled to an air-drawing device for drawing in air from outside the aircraft, the compressor supplying compressed air to a manifold. The manifold is configured to supply air to an environmental control system and a start-up module of at least one propulsion system of the aircraft running on hydrogen. The manifold is also configured to supply air to a fuel cell stack arranged to provide an electric generation function configured to power non-propulsive systems of the aircraft, the fuel cell stack also being supplied with hydrogen from a tank supplying hydrogen to the at least one propulsion system of the aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas JOSSET, Didier POIRIER, Holger BAMMANN, Thomas SCHERER
  • Patent number: 11643220
    Abstract: An electricity production system for an aircraft comprising a fuel cell, with an anode and a cathode, supplying an electric motor, a first feed pipe between the anode and a hydrogen source, a compressor, a second feed pipe between the inlet of the compressor and an oxygen source, a first transfer pipe between the outlet of the compressor and the cathode, a valve, an upstream pipe between the outlet of the compressor and the valve, a downstream pipe between the valve and an air outlet, and a controller which controls the position of the valve and the flow rate of the compressor. Such an electricity production system thus provides better control of the air flow supplied to the fuel cell on the basis of the electrical power required for the electric motor providing propulsion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS SAS
    Inventor: Didier Poirier
  • Patent number: 11578700
    Abstract: A method for managing the offtake of power produced by an auxiliary power unit of an aircraft. The method comprises a step of calculating a maximum capacity for offtake of mechanical power that the auxiliary power unit can provide to the aircraft, a step of determining an actual offtake of mechanical power taken off by a first mechanical power offtake system of the auxiliary power unit, a step of comparing the maximum capacity for offtake of mechanical power and the actual offtake of mechanical power, a step of optimizing the offtake of mechanical power which step, based on the comparison of the maximum capacity for offtake of mechanical power and the actual offtake of mechanical power, determines at least one corrective action. A device for managing the offtake of power produced by an auxiliary power unit of an aircraft and an aircraft including such a device are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignees: Airbus Operations SAS, Airbus SAS, Airbus Operations S.L.
    Inventors: Didier Poirier, Etienne Foch, Guillaume Alix, Nicolas Chauvet, Paul-Emile Roux, Souhaib Boukaya, Marcos Javier Chibrando
  • Patent number: 11462763
    Abstract: A system of fuel cells for an aircraft including a plurality of fuel cells, a hydrogen circuit, a cooling circuit and a first air circuit configured to supply oxygen to a first subset of fuel cells having at least two cells. The first air circuit includes an air flow restrictor at each fuel cell inlet of the first subset and configured to distribute the air between the fuel cells of the first subset, and an outlet valve connected to the outlet of the fuel cells of the first subset, the opening of the outlet valve being controlled by a computer as a function of an electrical power that is to be produced by the fuel cells of the first subset. The use of the same air circuit to supply oxygen to several fuel circuits makes it possible to limit the bulk of the fuel cells system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignees: Airbus SAS, Airbus Operations SAS, Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Didier Poirier, Guido Klewer, Anthony Roux, Olivier Raspati, Matthieu Thomas, Olivier Verseux, Manuel Silvestre Salas
  • Publication number: 20220268218
    Abstract: A system for controlling idle speed and power draw includes a determination unit configured to determine a current available power value, a determination unit configured to determine a current power consumption value, a determination unit configured to determine a future power requirement variation value, a computation unit configured to calculate a future estimated total power requirement value, a computation unit configured to calculate a future estimated available power value, an optimization unit configured to determine an optimization result by comparing the estimated total power requirement value with a power value associated with an optimization criterion and a controller configured to send an order to adapt an idle speed of the engine, an order to adapt the estimated total power requirement or no order as a function of the optimization result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Nicolas RAPIN, Didier POIRIER, Etienne FOCH, Paul-Emile ROUX, Emmanuelle ESCORIHUELA, Caroline BARNIER, Guillaume ALIX
  • Patent number: 11420761
    Abstract: An autonomous propeller propulsion system for an aircraft. The autonomous system comprises a chassis with first attachment systems which engage with second attachment systems of the wing to ensure detachable attachment of the autonomous system, a fuel cell attached to the chassis, an electric motor attached to the chassis and having an output shaft, a propshaft rotated by the output shaft, a propeller attached to the propshaft, a controller converting an electric current delivered by the fuel cells into an electric current delivered to the electric motor, a hydrogen feed duct and an air feed duct, a set of auxiliary equipment, and a first connection arrangement, which connects with a second connection arrangement of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignees: AIRBUS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
    Inventors: Matthieu Thomas, Anthony Roux, Didier Poirier, Olivier Verseux, André Anger, Benedikt Bammer, Guido Klewer, Guillaume Gallant, Florian Vogel, Christian Wehle
  • Patent number: 11408338
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system, including a turbojet and a heat exchanger system including a main heat exchanger, a hot air supply pipe and regulating valve, a high pressure pipe bleeding high pressure stage hot air through a first valve, an intermediate pressure pipe bleeding intermediate pressure stage hot air through a second valve, a pipe transferring hot air to an air management system, a main supply pipe supplying fan duct cold air including a main regulating valve, an evacuation pipe expelling air to the outside, a sub heat exchanger, wherein the supply pipe from the regulating valve goes through the sub heat exchanger, a sub supply pipe supplying cold air from the main supply pipe, a sub evacuation pipe expelling air to the fan duct, a temperature sensor measuring hot air temperature exiting the main heat exchanger, and a controller controlling the valves according to the measured temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignees: AIRBUS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS S.L.
    Inventors: Bruno Medda, Esteban Martino-Gonzalez, Thomas Stevens, Julien Cayssials, Juan Tomas Prieto Padilla, Adeline Soulie, Didier Poirier, Pierre-Alain Pinault, Diego Barron Vega
  • Patent number: 11322763
    Abstract: A system of fuel cells for an aircraft includes a plurality of fuel cells, a hydrogen circuit, an air circuit, and a first cooling circuit configured to cool a first subset of cells including at least two cells. The first cooling circuit includes a computer-controlled device for mixing a first liquid coolant at a first temperature with a second liquid coolant at a second temperature lower than the first temperature to obtain a liquid coolant having a target temperature, a liquid coolant restrictor configured to distribute the liquid coolant between the cells of the first subset, and an outlet valve, the opening of which is controlled by the computer as a function of the cooling needs of the cells of the first subset. The use of a cooling circuit to cool several fuel circuits makes it possible to limit the bulk of the fuel cells system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignees: AIRBUS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH
    Inventors: Didier Poirier, Guido Klewer, Anthony Roux, Olivier Raspati, Matthieu Thomas, Olivier Verseux, Manuel Silvestre Salas
  • Publication number: 20220042492
    Abstract: A method for managing the offtake of power produced by an auxiliary power unit of an aircraft. The method comprises a step of calculating a maximum capacity for offtake of mechanical power that the auxiliary power unit can provide to the aircraft, a step of determining an actual offtake of mechanical power taken off by a first mechanical power offtake system of the auxiliary power unit, a step of comparing the maximum capacity for offtake of mechanical power and the actual offtake of mechanical power, a step of optimizing the offtake of mechanical power which step, based on the comparison of the maximum capacity for offtake of mechanical power and the actual offtake of mechanical power, determines at least one corrective action. A device for managing the offtake of power produced by an auxiliary power unit of an aircraft and an aircraft including such a device are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Didier POIRIER, Etienne FOCH, Guillaume ALIX, Nicolas CHAUVET, Paul-Emile ROUX, Souhaib BOUKAYA, Marcos Javier CHIBRANDO
  • Patent number: 11215118
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system including a turbojet and heat exchanger system including a heat exchanger. A supply connection and evacuation connection are forward, and aft are a transfer connection and a scoop connection, a supply pipe connected to the supply connection, and which bleeds hot air from the compression stages. A transfer pipe connected to the transfer connection transfers hot air to an air management system. A scoop connected to a scoop connection bleeds cold air from a fan duct and an evacuation pipe, including an inlet connected to the evacuation connection and an outlet, which emerges on the outside, where hot air through the heat exchanger from the supply pipe to the transfer pipe passes along a first transfer direction and cold air passes through the heat exchanger from each scoop to the inlet along a second transfer direction parallel to the first transfer direction in the opposite direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignees: Airbus (S.A.S.), Airbus Operations (S.A.S.), Airbus Operations, S.L.
    Inventors: Bruno Medda, Thomas Stevens, Julien Cayssials, Adeline Soulie, Didier Poirier, Pierre-Alain Pinault, Esteban Martino González, Juan Tomas Prieto Padilla, Diego Barron Vega
  • Patent number: 11136921
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system, including a turbojet and a heat exchanger system which includes a main heat exchanger, a hot air supply pipe, a transfer pipe transferring hot air to an air management system, a main supply pipe supplying cold air from the fan duct, an evacuation pipe expelling air to the outside, a sub heat exchanger with a high pressure pipe going therethrough, a sub supply pipe supplying cold air and including a sub regulating valve, a sub evacuation pipe expelling air, a temperature sensor, and a controller controlling the system according to the temperature measured The sub regulating valve comprises a door articulated between closed and open positions, a return spring constraining the door in the open position, and a realizing system, controlled by the controller, mobile between a blocking position and a realizing position in which the door is released to move to the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignees: AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS, AIRBUS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS S.L.
    Inventors: Bruno Medda, Esteban Martino-Gonzalez, Thomas Stevens, Julien Cayssials, Juan Tomas Prieto Padilla, Adeline Soulie, Didier Poirier, Pierre-Alain Pinault, Diego Barron Vega
  • Publication number: 20210098810
    Abstract: A system of fuel cells for an aircraft including a plurality of fuel cells, a hydrogen circuit, a cooling circuit and a first air circuit configured to supply oxygen to a first subset of fuel cells having at least two cells. The first air circuit includes an air flow restrictor at each fuel cell inlet of the first subset and configured to distribute the air between the fuel cells of the first subset, and an outlet valve connected to the outlet of the fuel cells of the first subset, the opening of the outlet valve being controlled by a computer as a function of an electrical power that is to be produced by the fuel cells of the first subset. The use of the same air circuit to supply oxygen to several fuel circuits makes it possible to limit the bulk of the fuel cells system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Didier POIRIER, Guido KLEWER, Anthony ROUX, Olivier RASPATI, Matthieu THOMAS, Olivier VERSEUX, Manuel SILVESTRE SALAS
  • Publication number: 20210098805
    Abstract: A system of fuel cells for an aircraft includes a plurality of fuel cells, a hydrogen circuit, an air circuit, and a first cooling circuit configured to cool a first subset of cells including at least two cells. The first cooling circuit includes a computer-controlled device for mixing a first liquid coolant at a first temperature with a second liquid coolant at a second temperature lower than the first temperature to obtain a liquid coolant having a target temperature, a liquid coolant restrictor configured to distribute the liquid coolant between the cells of the first subset, and an outlet valve, the opening of which is controlled by the computer as a function of the cooling needs of the cells of the first subset. The use of a cooling circuit to cool several fuel circuits makes it possible to limit the bulk of the fuel cells system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Didier POIRIER, Guido KLEWER, Anthony ROUX, Olivier RASPATI, Matthieu THOMAS, Olivier VERSEUX, Manuel SILVESTRE SALAS
  • Publication number: 20210078719
    Abstract: An autonomous propeller propulsion system for an aircraft. The autonomous system comprises a chassis with first attachment systems which engage with second attachment systems of the wing to ensure detachable attachment of the autonomous system, a fuel cell attached to the chassis, an electric motor attached to the chassis and having an output shaft, a propshaft rotated by the output shaft, a propeller attached to the propshaft, a controller converting an electric current delivered by the fuel cells into an electric current delivered to the electric motor, a hydrogen feed duct and an air feed duct, a set of auxiliary equipment, and a first connection arrangement, which connects with a second connection arrangement of the aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Matthieu THOMAS, Anthony ROUX, Didier POIRIER, Olivier VERSEUX, André ANGER, Benedikt BAMMER, Guido KLEWER, Guillaume GALLANT, Florian VOGEL, Christian WEHLE
  • Publication number: 20210009280
    Abstract: An electricity production system for an aircraft comprising a fuel cell, with an anode and a cathode, supplying an electric motor, a first feed pipe between the anode and a hydrogen source, a compressor, a second feed pipe between the inlet of the compressor and an oxygen source, a first transfer pipe between the outlet of the compressor and the cathode, a valve, an upstream pipe between the outlet of the compressor and the valve, a downstream pipe between the valve and an air outlet, and a controller which controls the position of the valve and the flow rate of the compressor. Such an electricity production system thus provides better control of the air flow supplied to the fuel cell on the basis of the electrical power required for the electric motor providing propulsion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventor: Didier POIRIER
  • Publication number: 20200347782
    Abstract: An aircraft propulsion system, including a turbojet and a heat exchanger system including a main heat exchanger, a hot air supply pipe and regulating valve, a high pressure pipe bleeding high pressure stage hot air through a first valve, an intermediate pressure pipe bleeding intermediate pressure stage hot air through a second valve, a pipe transferring hot air to an air management system, a main supply pipe supplying fan duct cold air including a main regulating valve, an evacuation pipe expelling air to the outside, a sub heat exchanger, wherein the supply pipe from the regulating valve goes through the sub heat exchanger, a sub supply pipe supplying cold air from the main supply pipe, a sub evacuation pipe expelling air to the fan duct, a temperature sensor measuring hot air temperature exiting the main heat exchanger, and a controller controlling the valves according to the measured temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: Bruno MEDDA, Esteban MARTINO-GONZALEZ, Thomas STEVENS, Julien CAYSSIALS, Juan Tomas PRIETO PADILLA, Adeline SOULIE, Didier POIRIER, Pierre-Alain PINAULT, Diego BARRON VEGA