The SEI project experiments with the fusion techniques of spectral sensors of data acquired by UAVs during pre-flight inspection of aircraft. In the General Air Force, an important safety issue concerns the presence of ice on the fuselage and wings of the aircraft. The ice on the wings can cause loss of lift and stall, which in most cases would result, during the take-off phase, the fatal accident of the aircraft.
Another important aspect to consider is the high amount of antifreeze liquid normally involved in the process; this liquid is based on ethylene glycol, the disadvantages of which are twofold: from an environmental point of view, it is toxic and harmful to the environment; from an economic point of view, it makes the defrosting procedure quite expensive. The target customers of this project are ground handling companies operating at airports for defrosting operations.
With the use of this system, defrosting operations will be cheaper, more environmentally friendly, faster and more reliable. It is expected that a ground handling company by adopting this system will be able to save up to 50% of defrosting liquids, thus allowing a repayment of the investment within the first year after the investment.
The proposed solution is based on a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) platform to improve the inspection of aircraft before take-off and perform more streamlined defrosting procedures. This innovative solution is patented (PCT / IB2017 / 051330) and experiments conducted in recent years in ice detection using spectral cameras and classification methods through neural networks.
