# US 10,871,151 B2 · Method for detecting icing and de-icing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,871,151 B2 - Document ID: US10871151B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/468,863 - Filed: 2017-12-13 - Published: 2020-01-16 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-12-13 - Assignees: Electricite de France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Ecole Normale Superieure De Cachan - Applicants: Electricite de France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Ecole Normale Superieure De Cachan - Inventors: Frédéric Taillade; Franck Daout; Francoise Schmitt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871151B2 ## CPC - F03D 80/40: Ice detection; De-icing means - F05B 2260/80: Diagnostics - Y02E 10/72: Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction - F03D: WIND MOTORS - F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract The invention relates to a device for detecting icing and de-icing of a wind turbine blade, characterized in that it comprises: a sensor, placed on the surface of a blade, and comprising a first so-called “receiving” antenna, a second so-called “emitting” antenna, and a frequency divider inserted between said first and second antennas; and an interrogator, configured to emit an electromagnetic wave towards the receiving antenna of said sensor, and to receive an electromagnetic wave from the emitting antenna of said sensor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for detecting icing and deicing of a wind turbine blade, the device comprising: on the one hand, a sensor placed on a surface of a blade, and comprising: O-a first antenna, called “receiving antenna”, O-a second antenna, called “emitting antenna”, O-a frequency doubling device interposed between said first and second antennas, and on the other hand, an interrogator configured to emit an electromagnetic wave towards the receiving antenna of said sensor, and to receive an electromagnetic wave originating from the emitting antenna of said sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the interrogator comprises an emitting antenna and a receiving antenna. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The device according to claim 2, wherein the antennas of the interrogator emit and receive polarized waves. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein the antennas of the sensor emit and receive polarized waves, whose polarizations correspond to the respective polarizations of the antennas of the interrogator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the interrogator further comprises a synthesizer feeding an emitting antenna of the interrogator, and a receiver configured to analyze the received power originating from the emitting antenna of the sensor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the interrogator is powered with electrical energy. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the antennas of the sensor are patch antennas. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein a resonance frequency of the receiving antenna of the sensor is close to 2.5 GHz. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency doubler comprises a non-linear junction acting as a doubler. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is composed of an array of antennas in order to improve a signal-to-noise ratio within the device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A method implementing a device for detecting the icing and deicing of a wind turbine blade according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: illuminating the sensor at a fixed frequency, corresponding to a resonance frequency of the receiving antenna when the sensor is in contact with air, measuring a received power, originating from the emitting antenna of the sensor, at a frequency equal to twice the fixed illumination frequency, and based on a received power threshold, sending back alerts to a wind turbine control system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the received power threshold comprises three distinct levels which depend on a prior parameterization of the device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein if: the received power level is comprised between S1 and S0, then the blade not being considered as iced, no alert is sent back to the wind turbine control system, the received power level is comprised between S2 and S1, then the blade being considered as iced, an icing alert is sent back to the wind turbine control system, and the received power level is lower than S2, then the blade being considered as covered with water, a de-icing alert is sent back to the wind turbine control system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11 wherein several sensors disposed along a blade are simultaneously interrogated.