Integrated ice protection with prognostics and health management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12492003-B2
Application number	US-202117459168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2021
Priority date	Aug 27, 2021
Publication date	Dec 9, 2025
Grant date	Dec 9, 2025

Abstract

Provided are embodiments for method and system for performing an integrated ice protection with prognostics and health management using fiber optic sensors. Embodiments can include reading a signal from each sensor of an array of sensors installed on a surface of a structure or equipment, wherein each sensor is a fiber optic sensor, and generating a map based on reading the signal from each sensor, wherein the map monitors a condition of the surface detected by each sensor. Embodiments can also include determining at least one of an abnormal condition or a failure based at least in part on reading the signal from each sensor; and performing at least one of adjusting power control for the structure or equipment or communicating the abnormal condition or failure of the structure or equipment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
reading, at a controller, a signal from each sensor of an array of sensors installed in a protected zone within proximity of heating equipment on a surface of an aircraft structure and in a non-protected runback zone on the surface of the aircraft to monitor runback of melted ice, wherein the runback zone is a region behind the aircraft structure where melted ice will runback during flight, wherein each sensor is a fiber optic sensor and wherein sensors in the runback zone are connected by fiber optic cables to sensors in the protected zone; generating a map based on reading the signal from each sensor, wherein the map monitors a condition in the protected zone and in the non-protected runback zone; determining at least one of an abnormal condition or a failure based at least in part on reading the signal from each sensor; and adjusting power control for the heating equipment based on information from sensors on the structure that are in the non-protected runback zone.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the map is a temperature map.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein reading the signal from each sensor comprises reading the signal transmitted over a fiber optic cable.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein a plurality of sensors is coupled to each fiber optic cable.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the array of sensors is formed by a plurality of fiber optic cables, the method further comprising arranging each fiber optic cable to monitor a zone of the structure.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the map further indicates a sensor type for each sensor.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the sensor types include temperature sensors and strain sensors.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining health of the equipment by comparing historical readings of the sensors to real-time readings of the sensors.

9 . A system comprising:
a sensor array configured to be installed in a protected zone within proximity of heating equipment on a surface of an aircraft structure and in a nonprotected zone on the surface of the aircraft to monitor runback of melted ice, wherein the runback zone is a region behind the aircraft structure where melt ice will runback during flight and wherein sensors in the runback zone are connected by fiber optic cables to sensors in the protected zone; a controller coupled to the sensor array configured to:
read signals from each sensor of the sensor array installed on a surface of a structure or equipment, wherein each sensor is a fiber optic sensor;
generate a map based on reading the signal from each sensor, wherein the map monitors the surface and a condition of the surface detected by each sensor;
determine at least one of an abnormal condition or a failure based at least in part on reading the signal from each sensor; and
adjust power control for the heating equipment based on information from sensors in the non-protected run-back zone.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein a display device displays a temperature map based on reading signals from each sensor of the sensor array.

11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein reading the signals from each sensor comprises reading the signal transmitted over a fiber optic cable.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein a plurality of sensors is coupled to each fiber optic cable.

13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the map further indicates a sensor type for each sensor.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the sensor types include temperature sensors and strain sensors.

15 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to determine health of the equipment by comparing historical readings of the sensors to real-time readings of the sensors.

Assignees

• Goodrich Corp

Inventors

• Botura Galdemir Cezar
• Slane Casey
• Hein Brandon
• Carini Peter J

Classifications

• G02B2006/12138

  Sensor · CPC title

• G02B6/12

  of the integrated circuit kind (electric integrated circuits H10B, H10D84/00 - H10D89/00, H10F19/00, H10F39/00, H10H29/00, H10K19/00, H10K39/00, H10K59/00, H10N19/00, H10N39/00, H10N59/00, H10N69/00, H10N79/00, H10N89/00) · CPC title

• G01D21/00

  Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G01D9/28

  Producing one or more recordings, each recording being of the values of two or more different variables (G01D9/38, G01D9/40 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65D43/00

  Lids or covers for rigid or semi-rigid containers · CPC title