Recent Navy-sponsored work is described, under which an algorithmic approach toward detection of icing conditions on the V-22 aircraft was developed. Assessment of a whole-aircraft systems approach to ice detection for the V-22 Tiltrotor has shown that use of a model-based methodology of Fault Detection Filtering and Identification (FDF/FDI) (previously developed for complex control systems) is an attractive and viable means for detecting the presence of accreted ice on airframe components that impact overall flight performance. Simulation studies of V-22 aircraft operation in icing have shown that the trends in icing buildup, and subsequent performance degradation of the aircraft, are directly coupled with the flight control unit, pilot, and/or any other system that attempts to compensate for the diminishing performance of the aircraft as it collects ice. Design of the Fault Detection Filters (FDFs) for sensing the ice accretion is shown to be relatively straightforward, with tradeoffs required between sensitivity of detection threshold and performance sensor noise levels. These results suggest that enhanced ice detection may be possible for this aircraft without requiring the installation of additional instrumentation.
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