US 12,214,903 B2
Apparatus for and a method of deicing a ducted fan engine
Kirti Petkar, Bengaluru (IN); Sesha Subramanian, Bengaluru (IN); and Nicholas J. Kray, Mason, OH (US)
Assigned to GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Evendale, OH (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Jan. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/152,906.
Claims priority of application No. 202211049933 (IN), filed on Sep. 1, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0076059 A1, Mar. 7, 2024
Int. Cl. B64F 1/36 (2024.01); B08B 7/02 (2006.01); B08B 13/00 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01)
CPC B64F 1/36 (2013.01) [B08B 7/026 (2013.01); B08B 13/00 (2013.01); G06T 7/0002 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10048 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ground support deicing apparatus for a ducted fan engine, the ground support deicing apparatus comprising:
a support structure;
a control box including a controller having a processor and a memory that stores a deicing program executable by the processor to control the ground support deicing apparatus;
a plurality of sonic wave transmitters connected to the support structure and arranged to communicate with the controller; and
an imaging device including a plurality of imaging sensors connected to the support structure and arranged to communicate with the controller,
wherein the deicing program, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to control: (a) providing imaging signals to obtain image data from the plurality of imaging sensors, (b) receiving image data provided by each of the plurality of imaging sensors, and generating images of at least one component part of the ducted fan engine, (c) detecting, via at least one of the received image data and/or the generated images, a presence or an absence of ice on the at least one component part of the ducted fan engine, and (d) controlling, based on detecting the presence of ice on the at least one component part, the plurality of sonic wave transmitters to emit sonic waves in a given frequency range so as to remove the ice from the at least one component part of the ducted fan engine.