Rosemount Aerospace Limited

The B. F. Goodrich Company

John Albert Severson

Kenneth James Schram

Floyd W Hagen

Dennis J Cronin

Darren Glenn Jackson

Matthew J Hansen

Pennelle J Trongard

Gregg A Hohenstein

Robert D Rutkiewicz

Kenneth Freeman

John Timothy Otto

David George Owens

Dana A Kromer

Joseph Michael Fanska

Bruce B Chenoweth

A sensor for detecting icing conditions in an airstream includes a flow housing mounted on an aircraft and in which one or more probes are mounted. At least one of the probes subjected to impingement of the airstream and liquid moisture droplets in such airstream. The heat removal, or cooling effect on the probe in the airstream carrying liquid droplets is determined. A temperature signal indicating the airstream temperature is combined with signals from the at least one probe for determining whether or not icing conditions are present.

Thermal icing conditions detector

Systems and methods for detecting ice particle accumulation is disclosed herein. In one exemplary implementation, a method for detecting ice is described in which a parameter within an interior volume of a heated conduit is measured. The method also includes detecting the presence of an accumulation of ice particles based on the parameter measured within the interior volume of the heated conduit.

Detecting ice particles

An ice detector for providing a signal indicating ice formation includes a probe protruding into an airflow. The probe extends into the airflow from a strut. The strut has one or more features which allow the probe to accrete ice at a higher temperature than would conventionally be possible. Strut features can include a notch formed therein in an upwind direction relative to the probe, and a curved surface adjacent a point of extension of the probe from the strut.

Ice detector for improved ice detection at near freezing condition

A temperature sensor is provided with at least two thermometers or temperature sensing elements that have different recovery factors, and which are in the same airflow. The recovery factors for the respective thermometers are determined for the sensor and stored in a memory of a processor. The temperature measured by each of the thermometers is provided to the processor, and the processor establishes ratios using the recovery factors and measured temperatures to determine total temperature and static temperature of the airflow in which the thermometers are placed.

Sensor assembly for determining total temperature, static temperature and Mach number

The present invention relates to providing a temperature sensor that is mountable on an aircraft and includes a thermometer or temperature sensing element for sensing temperature of airflow. A heater is provided on the probe to bias the temperature sensed by the thermometer or temperature sensing element, in a manner such that the temperature measured is at a substantially known offset from the static temperature surrounding the temperature sensor. Control of the offset can be achieved by regulating airflow or heat provided. The heating effect is controlled to be a substantially equal and opposite match to the decreased total temperature resulting from lower airspeed or decreased airflow. In this manner, the thermometer or temperature sensing element will essentially operate at a fixed offset above static temperature, that is the temperature in undisturbed air in which the aircraft is operating, over a fairly wide range of flow rates.

Temperature sensor with controlled thermal offset for determining static temperature

Ice accretion on a probe is detected by determining the change of frequency of a vibrating type ice detector or sensor as ice starts to build up. The rate of change of frequency is determined and is combined with parameters including air velocity and air temperature for providing a signal that indicates liquid water content in the airflow as well as ice accretion on the ice detector.

Liquid water content measurement apparatus and method

An ice detector has a pair of probes, each of which is used for determining the accretion of ice thereon. One of the probes in the assembly is configured so the smaller droplets of supercoooled water are inertially separated and flow away from the one probe. The ice accretion on the one probe is primarily from large (50 microns or greater) supercooled droplets. The ice accreting on the one probe is therefore biased to supercooled large droplets. The probes are connected to detection circuitry that will determine the ratio of the rates of icing between the probes so the presence of supercooled large droplets can be determined. In one form, a flow guide is arranged to create an airflow that carries smaller droplets past one of the probes without impinging on the probe, but the higher inertia, supercooled large droplets will impinge on that one probe.

Inflight ice detector to distinguish supercooled large droplet (SLD) icing

A smart probe system for an aircraft receives an input from a heated total air temperature sensor. When on the ground, the heater for the total air temperature probe is cycled so that when a preselected temperature is indicated by the temperature sensing element in the total air temperature probe, the heater power is turned off, and as the total air temperature probe cools, changes. Changes in indicated temperature from the temperature sensing element are measured and the changes analyzed and used for determining outside air temperature. The outside air temperature can be calculated by determining the rate of change in the temperature while the probe cools. A complimentary method is to determine when the indicated temperature stabilizes, after the heater is turned off, and deriving outside air temperature from the stabilized temperature signal from the sensing element.

Integrated total temperature probe system

An aerodynamic air data sensing probe adapted for mounting to an air vehicle and capable of generating signals related to a fluid flowing relative to the air vehicle. A fluid inlet positioned on a first end of the strut faces generally transverse to the fluid flow selectively admits fluid to an internal strut cavity due to a pressure differential thereacross. In operation, the pressure differential forms between the first end surface of the aerodynamically-shaped, forward-inclined strut and probe exhaust ports. A temperature sensing element disposed in the internal strut cavity registers the temperature of the fluid and the sensed fluid is expelled from the internal strut cavity through the exhaust ports. In another embodiment, a barrel-shaped probe head adapted to sense fluid pressure connects to a portion of the leading edge of the strut to form an aerodynamic multifunction air data sensing probe.

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Eagan, MN, United States of America

John Albert Severson