Anti-icing / de-icing system and method and aircraft structure incorporating this system
First Claim
1. An anti-icing system using ultrasound waves for an external surface of a structure likely to be iced, such as a wing or an engine nacelle of an aircraft, this system comprising a plurality of piezoelectric transducers with which the structure is equipped facing this external surface, and comprising means for scanning at least one matrix of elementary meshes predefined in this surface related to a regular arrangement of a group of these transducers, these scanning means being able to focus the waves emitted by all or some of the transducers of the or each group on these meshes one after the other, via means for summing signals coupled to these scanning means and able to produce, for each mesh, a summation of the signals obtained from the transducers emitting these waves.
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Abstract
The present invention provides an anti-icing/de-icing system and method using ultrasound waves for an external surface of a structure likely to be iced, such as an aircraft wing or engine nacelle, and such a structure incorporating this system. The system comprises a plurality of piezoelectric transducers with which the structure is fitted, opposite this external surface, and this system is such that it comprises scanning devices at least one matrix of elementary meshes predefined in this surface in relation to an even arrangement of a group of these transducers, these scanning devices being able to focus the waves emitted by all or some of the transducers of the or each group on these meshes one after the other, via signal summing devices coupled to these scanning devices and able to produce, for each mesh, a summation of the signals obtained from the transducers emitting these waves.
24 Citations
30 Claims
- 1. An anti-icing system using ultrasound waves for an external surface of a structure likely to be iced, such as a wing or an engine nacelle of an aircraft, this system comprising a plurality of piezoelectric transducers with which the structure is equipped facing this external surface, and comprising means for scanning at least one matrix of elementary meshes predefined in this surface related to a regular arrangement of a group of these transducers, these scanning means being able to focus the waves emitted by all or some of the transducers of the or each group on these meshes one after the other, via means for summing signals coupled to these scanning means and able to produce, for each mesh, a summation of the signals obtained from the transducers emitting these waves.
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17. An anti-icing method using ultrasound waves for an external surface of a structure likely to be iced, such as an aircraft wing or engine nacelle, this method using a plurality of piezoelectric transducers with which the structure is equipped adjacent to this surface, said method comprising:
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emitting traveling waves, in at least one matrix of elementary meshes predefined in this external surface in relation to an even arrangement of a group of these transducers, by all or some of the waves, summing, for each mesh of this matrix, signals obtained from the transducers emitting these waves and representative of the latter, and at least one scan of this matrix, to focus the resultant traveling waves emitted these meshes one after the other. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification