초록 ▼

There is disclosed a system comprising Raman spectroscopy used to detect key characteristics of ice formation on aircraft wings and engines in real time. This disclosure provides a method and apparatus for early detection of icing. The disclosed apparatus is suitable for use in aircraft, boats, oil

There is disclosed a system comprising Raman spectroscopy used to detect key characteristics of ice formation on aircraft wings and engines in real time. This disclosure provides a method and apparatus for early detection of icing. The disclosed apparatus is suitable for use in aircraft, boats, oil rigs, wind turbines, and the like.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An aircraft icing detection system for an aircraft having a fuselage and one or a plurality of engines and wings, each having surfaces interacting with surrounding air, comprising: (a) a Raman sensor communicating with a computer, operator, or pilot;(b) a light train for transmitting incident rad

1. An aircraft icing detection system for an aircraft having a fuselage and one or a plurality of engines and wings, each having surfaces interacting with surrounding air, comprising: (a) a Raman sensor communicating with a computer, operator, or pilot;(b) a light train for transmitting incident radiation from one or more sensors integrated into aircraft surface sites to aircraft surfaces; and(c) a light train for returning radiation scattered from the aircraft surfaces or the surrounding air and communicating with the Raman sensor. 2. The aircraft icing detection system of claim 1, further comprising: (a) a plurality of input ports on the Raman sensor communicating with a computer to calculate vibrational changes at a plurality of aircraft locations; and(b) a plurality of fiber optic lines, each having a first and a second end, wherein the first end optically communicates with an input port of a Raman sensor, and the second end is integrated into an aircraft surface. 3. The aircraft icing detection system of claim 2, wherein the Raman sensor and computer calculate vibrational changes at a plurality of aircraft locations. 4. The aircraft icing detection system of claim 2, wherein the Raman spectrometer is located in the fuselage of the aircraft. 5. The aircraft icing detection system of claim 2, wherein there are at least twenty fiber optic lines, each leading to various positions on the aircraft that tend to ice, including, but not limited to, forward wing edges, air speed sensors, and the engine inlets, or to samples of surrounding air. 6. A ground-based aircraft icing detection system comprising: (a) a ground based laser capable of pointing onto specific sites of a passing aircraft;(b) a ground based long-distance imaging system capable of collecting light scattered from the specific sites and transmitting said light to a light detector; and(c) a light detector device that uses dispersive elements or frequency filters to isolate photons characteristic of ice and focus those photons onto a sensor. 7. The ground-based aircraft icing detection system of claim 6, wherein the light detector device is selected from the group consisting of a Raman spectrophotometer, a photomultiplier tube or plurality thereof, a PIN diode, avalanche photomultiplier tubes, photo transistors, charge coupled device, and combinations thereof. 8. A process for detecting a molecular monolayer or greater amounts of ice formed on an aircraft surface, comprising: (a) providing an aircraft with a Raman sensor located in the fuselage having a plurality of input ports and communicating with a computer to calculate vibrational changes, and a plurality of fiber optic lines, each having a first and a second end, wherein the first end optically communicates with an input port of a Raman sensor, and the second end is focused on a structure located on a wing surface or an engine surface; and(b) reading each fiber optic line to detect ice formed on the surface. 9. The process for detecting a molecular monolayer or greater amounts of ice formed on an aircraft surface of claim 8, wherein the Raman spectrometer focuses an exciting laser beam onto the surface of the structure of interest, the scattered light is collected and filtered, and photons related to the Raman signature of ice are detected. 10. A process for detecting a molecular monolayer or greater amounts of ice formed on an aircraft surface, comprising: (a) providing an aircraft with a Raman sensor located in the fuselage having a plurality of input ports and communicating with a computer to calculate vibrational changes, and a plurality of fiber optic lines, each having a first and a second end, wherein the first end optically communicates with an input port of a Raman sensor, and the second end is focused on a structure located on a wing surface or an engine surface;(b) reading each fiber optic line to detect ice formed on the surface(c) providing a lens assembly capable of translating a focal point of a Raman spectrometer;(d) scanning said focal point through a layer of ice;(e) calculating the Raman signal of ice as a function of translation point in order to identify the beginning and ending positions of the ice; and(f) calculating the thickness of the ice using the beginning and ending positions of the ice. 11. The process for detecting a molecular monolayer or greater amounts of ice formed on an aircraft surface of claim 10, wherein the focal point is moved by physically adjusting the position of the lens assembly relative to the position of the layer of ice. 12. The process for detecting a molecular monolayer or greater amounts of ice formed on an aircraft surface of claim 10, wherein the focal point is moved by electronically adjusting the focal length of the lens assembly relative to the position of the layer of ice. 13. The process for detecting a molecular monolayer or greater amounts or ice formed on an aircraft surface of claim 12, wherein the depth of field is increased by increasing the F-stop or decreasing a magnification within a lens assembly. 14. The process for detecting a molecular monolayer or greater amounts of ice formed on an aircraft surface of claim 12, wherein the process further comprises calculating ice thickness by determining height of ice signal in a Raman spectrometer in view of the depth of field of the signal. 15. The process for detecting a molecular monolayer or greater amounts of ice formed on an aircraft surface of claim 11, wherein the process further comprises irradiating the aircraft surface where ice was detected with laser or other light source in order to melt the ice. 16. A process for determining ice thickness on an aircraft having surfaces, comprising: (a) providing a Raman spectrometer optical detection device having a fixed focal point and communicating with a computer to calculate vibrational changes of molecules on the aircraft surface;(b) providing a plurality of sensors in optical communication with the Raman spectrometer wherein a first group of sensors are placed at one position relative to aircraft surfaces prone to icing to detect the presence of ice and a second group of sensors are placed at different positions on aircraft surfaces prone to icing;(c) transmitting an exiting laser beam from the Raman spectrometer onto the aircraft surface, the scattered light is collected by the sensors and filtered and photons related to a Raman signature for ice are detected; and(d) using the computer to correlate correlating the optical sensor data from the first group and second group of sensors to determine presence and thickness of ice at the location of each sensor. 17. The process for determining ice thickness on an aircraft having surfaces of claim 16, wherein the process further comprises irradiating the aircraft surface where ice was detected with a laser or other light source to melt the ice. 18. The process for determining ice thickness on an aircraft having surfaces of claim 17, wherein the process further comprises directing the light to an aircraft surface to melt any ice formed on its outer surface. 19. The process for determining ice thickness on an aircraft having surfaces of claim 16, wherein the second group of sensors is placed orthogonal to aircraft surfaces prone to icing. 20. The aircraft icing detection system of claim 5 further comprising a window integrated into aircraft surface using a mechanical translation stage that allows a focal point of an optically transparent tip to be moved to five millimeters outside the window to sample the aircraft surface or surrounding air.