DE-ICING OR DEFOGGING SYSTEM FOR OPTICAL INSTRUMENT AND IMAGE ACQUISITION DEVICE PROVIDED WITH SAID SYSTEM

• US 20110062135A1
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Bramoulle, Philippe, Duchayne, Laurence
• Granted Patent: US 8,445,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/201
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/84 Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a defogging or de-icing system for an optical instrument including a protection housing. According to the disclosed embodiments, the system includes: a porthole covered on at least one face thereof with a heat conducting film provided at the edge of the useful area of said porthole, the porthole being mounted on the protection housing, heating members placed in contact with the film for heating said film, and a power supply circuit for the heating members.

Claims

1. A defogging or de-icing system for an optical instrument having a protective casing, characterized in that it comprises:

a porthole (2) covered on at least one of its faces with a heat conducting film (7) placed at the edge of the useful area of said porthole (2), said porthole being designed to be mounted on said protective casing (1),

heating elements (8) designed to be placed in contact with said film in order to heat said film, and

an electrical supply circuit (9, 10) for said heating elements (8).

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said conducting film is a heat conducting film (7) that is mechanically deformable in order to fit onto the surfaces of said heating elements (8).

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said conducting film (7) comprises a substrate having glass fibers and on its outer faces layers comprising silicone polymers filled with heat conducting particles.

4. The system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said electrical supply circuit (9, 10) includes a printed circuit (9) on which the heating elements (8) are mounted, said printed circuit being designed to supply said heating elements (8) with power.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said printed circuit (9) has an annular form.

6. The system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said heating elements (8) are resistances designed to cover said heat conducting film (7), at least partially, and of which the width and length are defined relative to the transverse dimension and which form the heat conducting film (7).

7. The system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it includes another heating element (12) designed to be placed in said casing.

8. An image acquisition device having a protective casing (1) in which at least one sensor (4) is placed, said casing having a porthole (2) placed in front of the sensor (4), characterized in that it includes a defogging or de-icing system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that said casing is a watertight casing (1) filled with nitrogen.

10. An aircraft equipped with an image acquisition device as claimed in claim 8 or 9.