The Boeing Company
Detecting the presence of ice on a surface using ultraviolet light

Abstract:

A system detects ice on a surface. The system comprises an ultraviolet (UV) light source configured to project light primarily in the UV-A spectrum onto the surface. The system further comprises an optical device configured to capture an image of the surface while the light primarily in the UV-A spectrum is projected by the UV light source. The system further comprises a control device communicatively coupled to the optical device. The control device is configured to receive the image from the optical device and determine whether or not ice is present on the surface based respectively on whether or not visible light induced by the light projected by the UV light source is captured in the image.