System and method for de-icing of a carbon composite propeller
AssigneeUBIQ Aerospace AS
InventorsShibarchi Majumder, Nicolas Müller, Kasper Borup
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Abstract
A propeller blade comprising a de-icing system is described, wherein the propeller blade comprises a blade body 1 comprising a carbon fiber fabric skin, a leading edge 11, a trailing edge 12, a hub end 9 and a tip end 10. The blade body 1 comprises a resistive wire 4 that extends along the leading edge 11 to a conductive glue 6. The resistive wire 11, the conductive glue 6 and the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body 1 form a conductive path for an electrical current. A propeller comprising a plurality of the propeller blades, a UAV comprising one or more of the propellers are also described.
Claims21
A propeller blade for a UAV, the propeller blade comprising:
- a hub end;
- a tip end;
- a blade body comprising a skin of carbon fiber fabric;
- a conductive glue fixed at a point along the propeller blade;
- and
- a carbon fiber patch extending along the leading edge of the blade body from a point proximate the hub end to the conductive glue;
- wherein the carbon fiber patch, the conductive glue and the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body provide a conductive path for an electrical current in an electrical circuit through the carbon fiber patch to the conductive glue, and then from the conductive glue to the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body;
- wherein the carbon fiber patch is electrically isolated from the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body by an insulating section;
- wherein the thickness of the carbon fiber patch varies along the length of the leading edge of the blade body in a stepwise manner, such that the thickness is constant for a first discrete portion of the carbon fiber patch, and the thickness is different for a second discrete portion of the carbon fiber patch;
- wherein the thickness of the carbon fiber patch at a hub end of the blade body is larger than the thickness of the carbon fiber patch along the rest of the leading edge.
A propeller for a UAV comprising a plurality of propeller blades, each propeller blade of the plurality of propeller blades comprises:
- a hub end;
- a tip end;
- a blade body comprising a skin of carbon fiber fabric;
- a conductive glue fixed at a point along the propeller blade;
- and
- a carbon fiber patch extending along the leading edge of the blade body from a point proximate the hub end to the conductive glue;
- wherein the carbon fiber patch, the conductive glue and the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body provide a conductive path for an electrical current in an electrical circuit through the carbon fiber patch to the conductive glue, and then from the conductive glue to the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body;
- wherein the carbon fiber patch is electrically isolated from the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body by an insulating section;
- wherein the thickness of the carbon fiber patch varies along the length of the leading edge of the blade body in a stepwise manner, such that the thickness is constant for a first discrete portion of the carbon fiber patch, and the thickness is different for a second discrete portion of the carbon fiber patch;
- wherein the thickness of the carbon fiber patch at a hub end of the blade body is larger than the thickness of the carbon fiber patch along the rest of the leading edge.
A UAV comprising one or more propeller, each propeller of the one or more propellers comprises a plurality of propeller blades, each propeller blade of the plurality of propeller blades comprises:
- a hub end;
- a tip end;
- a blade body comprising a skin of carbon fiber fabric;
- a conductive glue fixed at a point along the propeller blade;
- and
- a carbon fiber patch extending along the leading edge of the blade body from a point proximate the hub end to the conductive glue;
- wherein the carbon fiber patch, the conductive glue and the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body provide a conductive path for an electrical current in an electrical circuit through the carbon fiber patch to the conductive glue, and then from the conductive glue to the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body;
- wherein the carbon fiber patch is electrically isolated from the carbon fiber fabric in the skin of the blade body by an insulating section;
- wherein the thickness of the carbon fiber patch varies along the length of the leading edge of the blade body in a stepwise manner, such that the thickness is constant for a first discrete portion of the carbon fiber patch, and the thickness is different for a second discrete portion of the carbon fiber patch;
- wherein the thickness of the carbon fiber patch at a hub end of the blade body is larger than the thickness of the carbon fiber patch along the rest of the leading edge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.