Means and techniques useful in detecting ice on aircraft surfaces
AssigneeGeoscience Ltd.
InventorCullen M. Sabin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Ice formation on an aircraft surface swept of an air flow is detected by using an electrical heater which produces a small limited amount of heat to, on the one hand a heat flow meter and, on the other hand to a heat sink. When there is no ice on the transducer it produces a large output signal but when ice forms on the transducer the ice, due to its high resistance to heat flow, causes a change in balance between the two heat flows and a change in output of the heat flow measuring transducer.
Claims10
The method of detecting the presence of ice on a surface, mounting a heat flow transducer flush with such surface, mounting a heater below said surface to produce a first heat flow therefrom in a first path that extends from said heater to and through said transducer,
- mounting a heat sink to produce a second heat flow from said heater in a second path, opposite from said first path, to said heat sink,
- limiting the amount of total heat produced by said heater so that the presence of ice on said transducer, due to the high impedance of the ice, causes a change in balance between said first and said second heat flows and a lessening of the output of said transducer.
In an ice detection system, the combination including,
- a heat flux transducer for indicating the flow of heat therethrough,
- a heat sink,
- heat producing means mounted between said transducer and said heat sink to produce two heat flows in opposite directions extending, on the one hand, in a first path from said heat producing means to a first side of said transducer and, on the other hand, in a second path extending from said heat producing means to said heat sink,
- and means mounting said transducer such that a second side opposite to said first side is exposed to ice formation conditions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.