Smart skin ice detection and de-icing system
First Claim
1. A distributed system for detecting ice on a surface capable of vibrating in at least one vibrational mode, comprising:
- piezoelectric sensor array means located a distance from a formation of said ice, said array means responsive to strain caused by vibration of said surface for generating sensor signals proportional to said strain; and
processor means for processing said sensor signals to determine the resonant characteristics of said surface so as to determine the presence of ice on said surface.
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Abstract
The de-icing system of the present invention comprises a piezoelectric sensor means and a processor means. A piezoelectric film is the preferred sensor means and a microprocessor is the preferred processor means. In a preferred embodiment, a strip of piezoelectric film placed at a point of model kinetic energy such as the boundary layer transition point or the vortex generator of the aircraft. Such placement of the strip provides adequate airflow to excite the piezoelectric film without using a power source, thus providing a passive system. The sensor allows measurement of distributed
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DAAH01-87-C-0860 awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Agency (DoD), Defense Small Business Innovation Research Program. The Government has certain rights in this invention.
105 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A distributed system for detecting ice on a surface capable of vibrating in at least one vibrational mode, comprising:
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piezoelectric sensor array means located a distance from a formation of said ice, said array means responsive to strain caused by vibration of said surface for generating sensor signals proportional to said strain; and processor means for processing said sensor signals to determine the resonant characteristics of said surface so as to determine the presence of ice on said surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A distributed system for detecting ice on a surface capable of vibrating in at least one vibration mode, comprising:
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a) piezoelectric sensor array means for sensing the vibration characteristics of such surface; and b) processor means for processing signals generated by the sensor array means to determine the presence of ice on such surface, said processor means including; i) a microprocessor with the capability of performing Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) on the signals generated by the sensor array means. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A distributed system for detecting ice on a surface capable of vibration in at least one vibrational mode, comprising:
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a) piezoelectric sensor array means for sensing the vibration characteristics of such surface; and b) processor means for performing a spectral analysis on the signals generated by the sensor array means to determine the presence of ice on such surface. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A distributed system for detecting ice on a surface capable of vibrating in at least one vibration mode, comprising:
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a) piezoelectric sensor array means for sensing the vibration characteristics of such surface; b) processor means for processing signals generated by the sensor array means to determine the presence of ice on such surface, said processor means including; i) a microprocessor with the capability of performing Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) on the signals generated by the sensor array means; and ii) storage means for storing information on the vibration characteristics of the surface as a function of ice loading and on one or more additional environmental parameters; and c) means for comparing the stored information on the vibration characteristics of the surface, and the Fast Fourier Transforms of the signals generated by the sensor array means so as to determine the thickness and density of ice on the surface.
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12. A distributed system for detecting ice on a surface capable of vibrating in at least one vibrational mode, comprising:
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piezoelectric sensor array means responsive to strain caused by deformation of said surface for generating sensor signals proportional to said strain; and processor means for processing said sensor signals to determine the resonant characteristics of said surface so as to determine the presence of ice on said surface.
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Specification