Thin film heater on a sleeve outer surface in a strut portion and/or a probe head of an air data probe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11585826-B2
Application number	US-201916695874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2019
Priority date	Jul 19, 2019
Publication date	Feb 21, 2023
Grant date	Feb 21, 2023

Abstract

An air date probe includes a base portion, a strut portion extending from the base portion, and a tube assembly secured to an extending from the strut portion. One or more of the tube assembly or the strut portion includes a sleeve member having a sleeve outer surface positioned at a sleeve frustum angle relative to a sleeve member axis. A thin film heater is positioned at the sleeve outer surface, and the tin film heater and the sleeve member are positioned in a housing member. The housing member has a housing inner surface having a housing frustum angle such that the thin film heater is retained by compression between the housing member inner surface and the sleeve member outer surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air date probe, comprising: a base portion; a strut portion extending from the base portion; and a tube assembly secured to and extending from the strut portion; wherein one or more of the tube assembly or the strut portion includes: a sleeve member having a sleeve outer surface positioned at a sleeve frustum angle relative to a sleeve member axis; a thin film heater disposed at the sleeve outer surface; and a housing member into which the sleeve member and thin film heater are installed, the housing member having a housing inner surface having a housing frustum angle such that the thin film heater is retained by compression between the housing member inner surface and the sleeve member outer surface; wherein the sleeve member of the tube assembly includes a tube inlet at a first end of the sleeve member of the tube assembly; wherein the sleeve frustum angle is configured such that the sleeve outer surface has a reducing radial distance from the sleeve axis with reducing distance from the tube inlet.

2. The air data probe of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve frustum angle is substantially equal to the housing frustum angle.

3. The air data probe of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve frustum angle and the housing frustum angle are between 0.5 and 20 degrees.

4. The air data probe of claim 1 , wherein the thin film heater is one of a positive temperature coefficient heater based on carbon black/polymer composites or a carbon nanotube/silicone nano-composite heater.

5. The air data probe of claim 1 , wherein the thin film heater has a thickness of about 0.03″.

6. The air data probe of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive layer applied to the thin film heater to ensure contact with the inner housing surface.

7. The air data probe of claim 1 , further comprising a step in the sleeve outer surface at a throat of the sleeve member.

8. The air data probe of claim 1 , wherein the thin film heater includes one or more insulation layers.

9. The air data probe of claim 1 , further comprising a sealant applied to the air data probe to prevent corrosive material intrusion between the housing member and the sleeve member.

10. The air data probe of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the sleeve member or the housing member is formed from a metallic material.

11. A method of forming an air data probe comprising:
applying a thin film heater to a sleeve outer surface of a sleeve member, the sleeve outer surface having a sleeve frustum angle relative to a sleeve central axis; and
installing a housing member over the thin film heater, the housing member having a housing inner surface at a housing frustum angle thereby securing the thin film heater via compression between the housing inner surface and the sleeve outer surface;
wherein the housing member is one of a strut housing or a tube housing of an air data probe;
wherein the sleeve member of the tube assembly includes a tube inlet at a first end of the sleeve member of the tube assembly;
wherein the sleeve frustum angle is configured such that the sleeve outer surface has a reducing radial distance from the sleeve axis with reducing distance from the tube inlet.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising applying an adhesive to the thin film heater prior to installing the housing member to ensure contact with the inner housing surface.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising applying a sealant to prevent corrosive material intrusion between the housing member and the sleeve member.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sleeve frustum angle is substantially equal to the housing frustum angle.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the thin film heater is one of a positive temperature coefficient heater based on carbon black/polymer composites or a carbon nanotube/silicone nano-composite heater.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising applying one or more insulation layers to the thin film heater.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sleeve frustum angle and the housing frustum angle are between 0.5 and 20 degrees.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the thin film heater has a thickness of about 0.03″.

Assignees

• Rosemount Aerospace Inc

Inventors

• Jacob Robin
• Mahapatra Guru Prasad

Classifications

• B64D15/12 Primary

  by electric heating (heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas H05B3/84) · CPC title

• H05B3/46

  heating conductor mounted on insulating base · CPC title

• G01P5/165 Primary

  Arrangements or constructions of Pitot tubes · CPC title

• G01F1/46

  Pitot tubes · CPC title

• H05B3/44

  heating conductor arranged within rods or tubes of insulating material · CPC title