METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETECTING RIME AND/OR RIME CONDITIONS ON A FLYING AIRCRAFT
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Abstract
According to the invention, the method comprises exposing a surface (3) sensitive to relative wind and monitoring the thermal flow variations between the surface (3) and the aerodynamic flow, said variations resulting from that of the forced-convection thermal exchange coefficient between the surface (3) and the aerodynamic flow depending on the rime or ice build-up, using the temperature sensor (12) under the surface (3), considering that stripping occurs by the flow of an ice layer formed on the surface (3) if it is detected, preferably after heating by at least one heater (4), that there is a brisk rise of the flow at a temperature close to 0° C., and supplying after the detection of ice stripping, a signal indicating the presence of rime or rime conditions. A cooler (5) may cool the surface (3) for anticipating the formation of ice with a heating process. The invention can be used for detecting rime and/or rime conditions on a flying aircraft.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1-17. -17. (canceled)
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18. A method of detecting frost and/or frosty conditions on an aircraft in flight, on which at least one free external surface, exposed to an aerodynamic flow around the aircraft, on a skin of one of the aircraft and a probe projecting from the aircraft into the aerodynamic flow, is reserved as a detection-sensitive surface, on which a build-up of frost or ice is likely to be formed in flight in frosty conditions, the method including at least one cycle with at least the following steps, comprising:
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monitoring variations of a thermal flux between said sensitive surface and the aerodynamic flow, which are caused by variations of a forced convection thermal exchange coefficient between said sensitive surface and the aerodynamic flow according to a build-up of frost or ice, considering that the aerodynamic flow has caused a film of frost or ice formed on said sensitive surface to tear off if, after a time interval during which a slow or substantially zero reduction of said thermal flux is observed, an abrupt increase) is detected in said thermal flux, at a temperature close to the melting point of the frost or ice, and following a detection of a tearing-off of frost or ice, delivering a signal indicating the presence of frost or frosty conditions. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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- 30. A device for detecting frost and/or frosty conditions on an aircraft in flight, which comprises at least one external surface sensitive to build-up of frost or ice when the aircraft is flying in frosty conditions, at least one heater with which said external surface is selectively placed in a thermal exchange relationship, and at least one temperature sensor detecting a temperature mirroring the temperature of said external surface, said at least one temperature sensor and said at least one heater being linked to respective measurement and regulation electronic circuits, in communication with a data processing unit capable of delivering a frost detection signal, wherein the device further comprises at least one thermal exchange effect sensor, with at least one heat conducting sensitive element having a free surface, designed to be exposed to an aerodynamic flow around the aircraft when said exchange effect sensor is incorporated in a skin of one of the aircraft and a probe mounted to project from the aircraft into the aerodynamic flow around the aircraft, so that said free surface of said sensitive element constitutes said sensitive external surface, said at least one temperature sensor making it possible to track a thermal flux over time, being positioned in said sensitive element, close to said sensitive surface, and said sensitive element being placed in thermal contact with said at least one heater and at least one cooler, by being mounted with said heater and said cooler in a heat-conducting casing, and provided with a thermal drain, making it possible to dispel the heat extracted from said sensitive element through said at least one cooler, said at least one cooler being also linked to said electronic regulation circuit, so that said data processing unit is able to deliver a signal indicating the detection of frosty conditions.
Specification