Patent ID: 9375737
Filing Date: 2016-06-28
CPC Classification: B05B,B60S

Claim Text:
1. A de-icing apparatus for removing accumulations of snow and ice from an undercarriage of a vehicle, comprising: a piping network with multiple nozzles that is installed on the undercarriage, wherein the nozzles are adapted and configured to direct nozzle sprays of a pressurized heated antifreeze solution and nozzle jets of pressurized heated air to one or more de-icing areas of the undercarriage; one or more onboard spray reservoirs containing the antifreeze solution, wherein each of the spray reservoirs is in pressurized fluid communication with the piping network and the nozzles; one or more spray heating means, which are adapted and configured to heat the antifreeze solution; one or more onboard air jet sources of the pressurized heated air; an undercarriage heating grid that is installed on the undercarriage and is adapted and configured to heat the de-icing areas of the undercarriage; multiple capacitive undercarriage icing sensors, which are distributed throughout the de-icing areas, and which are adapted and configured to detect a presence or an absence of water in either a solid or a liquid phase and to distinguish the solid phase of water from the liquid phase of water based on the different relative permittivities of the solid phase of water and the liquid phase of water; an onboard central processing unit (CPU), which is interfaced with and controls multiple de-icing system components, comprising the piping network, the nozzles, the spray reservoirs, the spray heating means, the air jet sources, the undercarriage heating grid, and the undercarriage icing sensors, wherein the CPU is adapted, configured and programmed to activate the de-icing system components sequentially according to a system activation sequence, whereby the accumulations of snow and ice on the undercarriage are melted and resulting moisture is evaporated.