Patent ID: 6819265
Filing Date: 2004-11-16
Classification: B64D,G01N,G01S,G08B,Y02A

Abstract:
A warning system mountable on board an aircraft for inflight monitoring of the airspace ahead of the aircraft for conditions likely to cause ice accretion on the surface of the aircraft and provide a warning thereof, said system comprising:a laser source for generating a pulsed laser beam at a first wavelength; a first plurality of optical elements configured to direct said pulsed laser beam into the airspace ahead of the aircraft; a second plurality of optical elements for receiving the backscattering of light from said pulsed laser beam, said second plurality of optical elements configured to separate the received backscattering of light into a plurality of predetermined wavelengths; a plurality of light detectors for detecting the light of the separated plurality of wavelengths, respectively, and generating respectively corresponding plurality of electrical signals representative of the light detected thereby; and a processor for processing said plurality of electrical signals to determine if airspace conditions ahead of the aircraft are likely to cause ice accretion on the surface of the aircraft, and for generating a warning indicative thereof.