Battelle Memorial Institute

Matthew E Huntwork

Douglas Anthony Thornton

Raphael Joseph Welsh

Daniel G Loesch

Brett R Burton

John Bartholomew

Erik W Edwards

David R Chase

Curt Hudberg

Thomas Lloyd Moffitt

Gabe J Stout

Mackenzie Jordan Hawkins

Micah John Meleski

Donald R Hohe

Katherine M Armitage

An air interface plane (AIP) of a radio frequency (RF) aperture includes: a circuit board having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; and a matrix of tapered elements arranged on the first side of the circuit board and secured to the circuit board, the matrix of tapered elements cooperating to at least one of receive or transmit an over-the-air RF signal. Suitably, each tapered element of the matrix has: a central hub extending along a longitudinal axis from a hub base which is proximate to the first side of the circuit board to an apex of the tapered element which is distal from the first side of the first circuit board; and a plurality of arms extending from the central hub at the apex of the tapered element, each of the plurality of arms including a first portion that projects the arm radially away from the longitudinal axis and a second portion that projects the arm longitudinally toward the first side of the circuit board.

Modular radio frequency aperture

An ice protection system and method capable of anti-icing and de-icing aerodynamic structures and surfaces is provided comprising a Resistive Heat Coat (RHC) controller and a heating device. The RHC controller comprises a RHC power circuit topology having a processor and a buck converter. The RHC controller further comprises a RHC control algorithm. The heating device comprises a plurality of resistive heating elements, such as CNT-based resistive heaters. The ice protection systems and methods disclosed can achieve an efficiency of 98% or greater while employing a direct current (DC) power supply and 'hard switching' with a switching frequency of at least 500 kHz.

Ice protection system and controller

Growing community of inventors

Baltimore, OH, United States of America

Matthew E Huntwork