IceWarning / Meteorological

Aircraft Icing Warning Sensor
Now Available!

***Hardware update for 2021 (smaller form factor!)

Now with carburetor icing warning feature!

Airborne Innovations has just introduced new technology to aid in icing avoidance and situational awareness.  This experimental sensor is designed to help detect potential icing conditions before ice accumulation becomes a problem.

In many icing situations the right thing to do is turn around and go back into icing free conditions. But UAV operators must keep situational awareness before they are out of options. Research flights have shown that icing conditions can form with ice accumulation rates that can quickly overwhelm most aircraft. A remote pilot may only have minutes to make a life saving decision to get out of those conditions. This sensor can provide a crucial head start in recognizing conditions conducive to ice formation, even before ice accumulation has begun.

The onboard computer in this miniature icing warning sensor runs an advanced algorithm which detects some potential icing conditions.  Research and testing in this field continues and as we improve the algorithm we will provide user downloadable algorithm updates.

In some NTSB reports of in-flight icing events, aircraft crew were not aware of icing conditions before experiencing icing related performance or control degradation.

It is shocking that aircraft and lives are still lost due to flight in icing conditions and through poor awareness and bad piloting decisions.  Several years of research have culminated in this icing algorithm, and we feel a duty to release this product in the hopes that it will contribute to increased aircraft safety.


OEM Applications:

This sensor is ideal for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications.  UAV’s are routinely lost due to icing conditions.  Integration of this sensor provides one more tool that can be used to improve UAV operator situational awareness.

Specifications:

Input Power 5-36 V DC, Power Usage: Less than 0.5 Watt
Weight: 10 grams (processor and sensor element, not including cable)
Size: 38mm x 21mm x 9 mm  (Sensor element protrudes another 17 mm x 4 mm x 2 mm or can be mounted up to several feet from the processor).
Sensor element should be mounted with access to airstream conditions.
Sensor element is socketed and ideally should be replaced with a new, unopened, sensor every 6 months.

Outputs: RGB LED/ TTL Serial / CAN Bus outputs.

Download Icing Warning Sensor Brochure
Download Icing Warning Sensor Manual

Disclaimer
This is an experimental sensor and is not certified.  This sensor does not detect ice or supercooled liquid droplets (SLD) directly, but does detect some but possibly not all conditions conducive to ice formation.


Leave a Reply