When it comes to getting people up and down, Otis Elevator and Boeing's 7E7 Dreamliner will have one thing in common—power electronics.
"There's so much electronics on the aircraft that power electronics (solid-state switches to control motor drives) is a significant cost," says Ron McKenna, president of Hamilton Sundstrand. "So we turned to Otis Elevator (a sister UTC company) because technology in power electronics and ways to densely package components has moved faster there than in aerospace. We applied their technology to the 7E7 to get the costs down."
Hamilton Sundstrand has also been studying the auto industry to see how it integrates and modularizes components. "It's not rocket science but they have found ways to get the cost of manufacturing down," he says.
A major challenge on the 7E7 will be making the engine generators double as starters. In addition, Boeing wants sensors eliminated to improve reliability. "How do you control an active start without an electro-mechanical sensor? Our answer is an electrical control algorithm," says McKenna, noting "this is a very tough requirement."
Hamilton Sundstrand's solutions for the 7E7 will incorporate its own technology as well as that from Otis Elevator and the UTC research labs, says McKenna. Hamilton Sundstrand can be found at the UTC exhibit in Hall 4, Stand F9 and Chalet D16-18.
