# US 2014/0191083 A1 · Ice protection system

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- Number: US 2014/0191083 A1
- Document ID: US20140191083A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/955,835
- Filed: 2013-07-31
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2012-07-31
- Assignees: Goodrich Corporation
- Applicants: Goodrich Corporation
- Inventors: Richard Joseph Carpino, II
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191083A1

## CPC

- B64D 15/12: by electric heating (heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas H05B3/84)
- B64D 15/22: Automatic initiation by icing detector
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT

## Abstract

An ice protection system (20) comprising an electrothermal device (30) responsible for maintaining an aircraft surface (14) at an anti-ice temperature greater than 0° C. An optimum power input to the electrothermal device (30) is based on outside air temperature sensed by an OAT sensor (30) and on liquid water content detected by an LWC detector (50). The system (20) can be preferably characterized by the absence of surface-temperatures sensors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of supplying power to an electrothermal device (20) to maintain a surface (14) at a predetermined anti-ice temperature, the method comprising:
sensing outside air temperature with an OAT sensor (30);
detecting liquid water content with an LWC detector (40);
determining an optimum power input based on an OAT constituent and an LWC constituent; and
supplying power to the electrothermal device (20) at the determined optimum power input.

### Claim 2

A method as set forth in the preceding claim, wherein said optimum-power-determining step is characterized by the absence of surface-temperature-measurement inputs.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the OAT constituent corresponds to a power input required to maintain the surface (14) at the anti-icing temperature with the sensed outside air temperature and zero liquid water content.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the LWC constituent corresponds to an additional power input required to maintain the surface (14) at the anti-ice temperature with the sensed outside air temperature and the detected liquid water content.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

A method as set forth claim 4, where the LWC and OAT constituents are together as a combined set for power determination.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

A method as set forth in claim 5, where aircraft velocity is a third constituent to the power input determination.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the anti-icing temperature is greater than 0° C., greater than 2° C., and/or greater than 4° C.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the anti-icing temperature is greater than 80° C., greater than 90° C., and/or greater than 100° C.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the surface (14) is on an aircraft (10).

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the aircraft (10) is a helicopter.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the surface (14) is a rotary blade.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the surface (14) is part of a tail rotor (13).

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

An ice protection system for performing the method set forth in any of in claim 1, comprising an electrothermal device (30), an OAT sensor (40) which senses the outside air temperature, and an LWC detector (50) which detects the liquid water content.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A system as set forth in claim 13, further comprising an aircraft velocity sensor.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

A system as set forth in claim 13, characterized by the absence of temperature sensors which sense the temperature of the surface (14).

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

A system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the OAT sensor (30) is mounted remote from the electrothermal device (20).

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

A system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the LWC detector (40) is mounted remote from the electrothermal device (20).