Aircraft ice protection optimization based on ice-detection input

• US 9,555,894 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Botura, Galdemir Cezar, Sweet, Dave Bert, Hindel, James Thomas, Jackson, Darren Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Hara, Brian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kreiner, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/871,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20130284856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/12 by electric heating electric heating elements in general H05B
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/20 Means for detecting icing or initiating de-icing
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/22 Automatic initiation by icing detector

Abstract

An aircraft ice protection system (10) comprises an ice protection device (21), an onboard power source (30), a supply line (31) from the power source (30) to the device (21), a controller (41) which controls the line (31), and an optimizer (50) which conveys operation-optimizing instructions (51) to the controller (41). An ice detector (60) provides an input (70) to the optimizer (50) and this ice-condition input (70) is used to generate the operation-optimizing instructions (51).

Claims

1. An ice protection system adapted to protect at least one ice-susceptible region of an aircraft, said system comprising:

an ice protection device associated with each region;

an onboard power source;

a supply line connecting the onboard power source to each ice protection device;

a controller for each ice protection device, which controls power supply through the supply line based on an ice-condition input and historical data of ice-condition input;

an optimizer which conveys instructions to each controller; and

an ice detector which provides an ice-condition input, wherein the ice condition input includes a thickness of ice on a surface of the at least one ice-susceptible region of the aircraft;

wherein the optimizer uses the ice-condition input and the historical data of ice-condition input to generate the instructions, wherein the instructions include operating in a deicing cycle when the thickness of the ice is below a first threshold thickness and above a second threshold thickness.

2. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the optimizer uses the ice-condition input to determine an optimum power level and conveys this power level in the instructions, and wherein each controller controls power supply at a level corresponding to these instructions.

3. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the ice protection device operates in a fully-evaporative anti-icing mode.

4. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 3, characterized by the optimizer not using input from surface temperature sensors to determine an optimum power level.

5. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the ice detector is an optical ice detector which analyzes circularly polarized light scattered from airborne cloud particles.

6. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 1, adapted to protect a plurality of ice-susceptible regions of the aircraft, wherein the optimizer uses the ice-condition input to determine icing severity and compares this determination to a threshold to produce the instructions;

and wherein the threshold varies among the ice protection devices.

7. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 6, characterized by the absence of temperature sensors on the ice-susceptible regions.

8. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the ice detector is an optical ice detector which analyzes circularly polarized light scattered from airborne cloud particles.

9. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the optimizer comprises an algorithm contained within a microprocessor installed in each controller.

10. An ice protection system as set forth in claim 1, wherein each ice protection device comprises a heating element which converts electric power into heat.