US 12,729,003 B1Granted

Nacelle inlet nested three-phase electrothermal heater

AssigneeGoodrich Corporation

InventorsRichard J. Carpino, II, Sarah Marie Kassinger

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Abstract

A nested three-phase heater is disclosed herein. The nested three-phase heater includes a three-phase power supply, a set of three heating elements, and a controller. The set of three heating elements coupled to an aircraft part, each heating element of the set of three heating element coupled to a respective phase of the three-phase power supply. The controller is coupled to the three-phase power supply and the set of three heating elements. The controller is configured to control each of the phases of the three-phase power supply such that responsive to all heating elements of the set of three heating element being operational, the controller switches the phases to correspond to a respective predetermined time period in order that only two phases of the three-phase power supply are active and providing power during the predetermined time period.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A nested three-phase heater for an aircraft part, the nested three-phase heater comprising:

a three-phase power supply;
a set of three heating elements, each heating element of the set of three heating elements coupled to a respective phase of the three-phase power supply;
a controller coupled to the three-phase power supply and the set of three heating elements and configured to control each of the phases of the three-phase power supply, wherein the controller is configured to, responsive to all heating elements of the set of three heating elements being operational, switch the phases such that:
for a first predetermined time period, activate and provide power from a first phase and a second phase of the three-phase power supply to a first heating element and a second heating element of the set of three heating elements, respectively;
for a second predetermined time period, activate and provide power from the second phase and a third phase of the three-phase power supply to the second heating element and a third heating element of the set of three heating elements, respectively;
and
for a third predetermined time period, activate and provide power from the first phase and the third phase of the three-phase power supply to the first heating element and the third heating element of the set of three heating elements, respectively.

4 more elements

A system, the system comprising:

a surface of an aircraft;
a three-phase power supply;
a nested three-phase heater coupled to the surface of the aircraft and comprising a set of three heating elements, each heating element of the set of three heating elements coupled to a respective phase of the three-phase power supply;
and
a controller, the controller coupled to the three-phase power supply and the nested three-phase heater and configured to control each of the phases of the three-phase power supply,
wherein the controller is configured to, responsive to all heating elements of the set of three heating elements being operational, switch the phases such that:
for a first predetermined time period, activate and provide power from a first phase and a second phase of the three-phase power supply to a first heating element and a second heating element of the set of three heating elements, respectively;
for a second predetermined time period, activate and provide power from the second phase and a third phase of the three-phase power supply to the second heating element and a third heating element of the set of three heating elements, respectively;
and
for a third predetermined time period, activate and provide power from the first phase and the third phase of the three-phase power supply to the first heating element and the third heating element of the set of three heating elements, respectively.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.