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US 10,894,610 B2Granted
Jet stream lightning protection apparatus, system, and method the same
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsOm Prakash, Kanakasabapathi Subramanian, Shantanu Pal, Radhakrishnan Anbarasan
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Abstract
A lightning protection apparatus and related methods are described. The lightning protection apparatus includes a housing that defines a cavity, a gas generating device disposed within the housing, and a signal acquisition device. The housing is coupled to an aircraft. The signal acquisition device is configured to detect a lightning arc and responsively activate the gas generating device to emit a stream of gas to suppress the lightning arc.
Claims20
A lightning protection apparatus, comprising:
- a housing coupled to an aircraft, wherein the housing defines a cavity having a base exposed to ambient environment of the lightning protection apparatus;
- a gas generating device disposed within the housing at the base of the cavity;
- and
- a signal acquisition device to:
- detect a lightning arc, and
- responsively activate the gas generating device to emit a stream of gas toward the cavity and out of the housing into the ambient environment of the lightning protection apparatus to suppress the lightning arc.
3 more elements
A method for suppressing a lightning arc, comprising:
- detecting a lightning arc using a lightning protection apparatus coupled to an aircraft, wherein detecting the lightning arc comprises detecting one or more of:
- an electric current caused by the lightning arc, an electric field caused by the lightning arc, and an ionization level caused by the lightning arc, and wherein detecting the lightning arc comprises detecting the lightning arc before the lightning arc strikes the aircraft, and wherein the lightning protection apparatus comprises a housing coupled to the aircraft and the housing defines a cavity having a base exposed to ambient environment of the lightning protection apparatus;
- and
- after detecting the lightning arc, the lightning protection apparatus emitting a stream of gas toward the cavity and out of the housing so as to emit the stream of gas into ambient environment of the lightning protection apparatus to suppress the lightning arc.
1 more element
A system, comprising:
- an aircraft;
- and
- a lightning protection apparatus coupled to the aircraft, comprising:
- a housing, wherein the housing defines a cavity having a base exposed to ambient environment of the lightning protection apparatus;
- a gas generating device disposed within the housing at the base of the cavity;
- and
- a signal acquisition device to:
- detect a lightning arc, and
- responsively activate the gas generating device to emit a stream of gas toward the cavity and out of the housing into the ambient environment of the lightning protection apparatus to suppress the lightning arc.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.