DE102023103553B4 - Method for combating ice by spraying a liquid organic de-icer onto a movement area of an airport - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for combating ice by spraying a liquid organic de-icer, which is in particular designed as a solution based on glycol, urea, formate and/or acetate, onto a movement area (11) of an airport, in particular onto a runway, a taxiway or an apron, by means of a self-propelled spray vehicle, wherein the spray vehicle (1) comprises a control unit (3) and a spray device (2), and the control unit (3) is designed to activate and deactivate the spraying of the de-icer by the spray device (2), comprising the following steps:
- driving into a first section (13) and a second section (14) of the movement area (11) with the spray vehicle (1), wherein the first section (13) is driven over in a first primary driving period (1PÜZ) and the second section (14) is driven over in a second primary driving period (2PÜZ), and
- spraying the de-icer onto the first section (13) during the first primary crossing period (1PÜZ) and defining a first primary spraying time (1PAZ) assigned to the first section and lying within the first primary crossing period, and
- spraying the de-icer onto the second section (14) during the second primary crossing period (2PÜZ) and defining a second primary spraying time (2PAZ) assigned to the second section within the second primary crossing period,
- providing the first primary spray time (1PAZ) assigned to the first section (13) and the second section (14) second primary spray timing (2PAZ) in the control unit (3),
- providing a first de-icer removal time value (EZ) assigned to the first section (13) and a second de-icer removal time value (EZ) assigned to the second section (14) in the control unit (3),
- re-entering the first section (13) at a first secondary entry time (1SEZ) and re-entering the second section (14) at a second secondary entry time (2SEZ) with the spray vehicle (1),
- detecting the renewed entry into the respective section (13) by the control unit (3) and providing the first secondary entry time (1SEZ) assigned to the first section (13) and the second secondary entry time (2SEZ) assigned to the second section (14) in the control unit (3), and
- Activating a renewed spraying of the de-icer onto the respective section (13, 14) of the movement area (11) if the respective primary spraying time (1PAZ, 2PAZ) has elapsed by more than the respective de-icer removal time value (EZ) in the respective secondary entry time (1SEZ, 2SEZ).

Description

The present invention relates to a method for combating ice by (re-)spraying a liquid organic de-icer onto a movement area of an airfield, as well as an associated computer program product and gritting vehicle.

The movement areas of an airport, which include in particular runways, taxiways and the apron, must be free of snow and ice even in winter weather in order to ensure trouble-free and, above all, safe flight operations.

The tightly scheduled flight operations, the high safety-critical requirements and the sensitivity of the aircraft present airport-specific challenges that make de-icing on airport movement areas significantly more complex and demanding than would be the case on roads and paths outside the airport environment.

With regard to the sensitive aircraft, for reasons of corrosion protection, conventional road salts are typically not used to de-icer the movement areas of an airport, but rather organic (movement area) de-icers in the form of (liquid) solutions or granules based on organic substances such as glycol, urea, acetate (salts of acetic acid) or formate (salts of formic acid).

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the use of de-icers based on acetates (salts of acetic acid) and formates (salts of formic acid) has been increasingly recommended, as these are more environmentally friendly and biodegradable than glycol- or urea-based de-icers.

In particular, liquid organic (moving surface) de-icers can tend to evaporate after they have been applied over a large area to a greater extent than conventional road salts.

This means that the liquid organic moving area de-icer needs to be sprayed (applied) again in a timely manner, and it also needs to be timed more precisely. However, this is typically made more difficult by the fact that the time at which the de-icer is reapplied (unlike in a conventional road environment) cannot be freely chosen, but must be based on the tightly scheduled flight operations. In other words, the spray vehicle applying the de-icer is typically sent to the runway with little advance notice (at short notice) when a "gap" in flight operations allows it to reapply organic de-icer. It is not uncommon for there not to be enough time for the spray vehicle to travel the entire runway in one go, meaning that de-icer is only reapplied to one section of the runway.

This section-by-section reapplication of de-icer often results in some sections of the movement area being reapplied more often than necessary, while other sections are reapplied too rarely, thus increasing the risk of ice formation. As a result, this can lead to different friction values being established in different sections of the movement area, which is detrimental to the safety of flight operations. Furthermore, more de-icer is applied in some sections than necessary, which is disadvantageous in terms of resource efficiency, environmental impact and costs.

Based on the prior art, the present invention is based on the object of providing an improved method for combating ice by (re-)spraying a liquid organic deicer onto a movement area of an airport, in particular with regard to resource efficiency and the safety of flight operations.

This object is achieved by the inventive method according to claim 1 and the inventive computer program product according to claim 7.

• - Einfahren in einen ersten Abschnitt und einen zweiten Abschnitt der Bewegungsfläche mit dem Sprühfahrzeug, wobei der erste Abschnitt in einem ersten Primärüberfahrzeitraum und der zweite Abschnitt in einem zweiten Primärüberfahrzeitraum überfahren wird, und
• - Aufsprühen des Enteisers auf den ersten Abschnitt während des ersten Primärüberfahrzeitraums und Definieren eines dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesenen, innerhalb des ersten Primärüberfahrzeitraums liegenden ersten Primäraufsprühzeitpunkts, und
• - Aufsprühen des Enteisers auf den zweiten Abschnitt während des zweiten Primärüberfahrzeitraums und Definieren eines dem zweiten Abschnitt zugewiesenen innerhalb des zweiten Primärüberfahrzeitraums liegenden zweiten Primäraufsprühzeitpunkts,
• - Bereitstellen des dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesenen ersten Primäraufsprühzeitpunkts und des dem zweiten Abschnitt zugewiesenen zweiten Primäraufsprühzeitpunkts im Steuergerät,
• - Bereitstellen eines dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesenen ersten Enteiserabbauzeitwerts und eines dem zweiten Abschnitt zugewiesenen zweiten Enteiserabbauzeitwerts im Steuergerät,
• - Erneutes Einfahren in den ersten Abschnitt in einem ersten Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt und erneutes Einfahren in den zweiten Abschnitt in einem zweiten Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt mit dem Sprühfahrzeug,
• - Detektieren des erneuten Einfahrens in den jeweiligen Abschnitt durch das Steuergerät und Bereitstellen des dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesenen ersten Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkts und des dem zweiten Abschnitt zugewiesenen zweiten Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkts im Steuergerät, und
• - Aktivieren eines erneuten Aufsprühens des Enteisers auf den jeweiligen Abschnitt der Bewegungsfläche, wenn im jeweiligen Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt der jeweilige Primäraufsprühzeitpunkt um mehr als den jeweiligen Enteiserabbauzeitwert verstrichen ist.

The method according to the invention for combating ice by (re-)spraying a liquid organic (moving area) de-icer (which is designed in particular as a solution based on glycol, urea, formate and/or acetate) onto a moving area of an airport (in particular onto a runway, a taxiway or an apron) by means of a self-propelled spray vehicle, wherein the spray vehicle comprises a control unit and a spray device, and the control unit is set up to activate and deactivate the spraying of the de-icer by the spray device, comprises the following steps:

• - entering a first section and a second section of the movement area with the spray vehicle, the first section being crossed in a first primary crossing period and the second section being crossed in a second primary crossing period, and
• - spraying the de-icer onto the first section during the first primary crossing period and defining a first primary spraying time allocated to the first section within the first primary crossing period, and
• - spraying the de-icer onto the second section during the second primary crossing period and defining a second primary spraying time allocated to the second section within the second primary crossing period,
• - providing the first primary spray time assigned to the first section and the second primary spray time assigned to the second section in the control unit,
• - providing a first de-icer removal time value assigned to the first section and a second de-icer removal time value assigned to the second section in the control unit,
• - Re-entering the first section at a first secondary entry time and re-entering the second section at a second secondary entry time with the spray vehicle,
• - detecting the renewed entry into the respective section by the control unit and providing the first secondary entry time assigned to the first section and the second secondary entry time assigned to the second section in the control unit, and
• - Activating a renewed spraying of the de-icer onto the respective section of the movement area if, at the respective secondary entry time, the respective primary spraying time has elapsed by more than the respective de-icer removal time value.

In this way, a unique combination of advantages can be achieved through a synergistic interaction of the features according to the invention, so that, as a result, de-icer is only applied again to the respective section when the "local" de-icer degradation time value of the respective section has already elapsed since the previous de-icer application and thus the local de-icer concentration on the respective section has fallen below a defined limit value.

The invention makes this possible by, on the one hand, allowing a de-icer removal time value to be specified (or provided) specifically for each section and, on the other hand, preventing the de-icer from being applied too frequently by considering individually for each section how long ago the de-icer was last sprayed there.

For this purpose, the movement area of the airfield is divided into different sections, whereby it is immediately clear to the person skilled in the art that the method according to the invention is described and claimed for two sections for reasons of clarity, but can easily and analogously also be transferred and applied to a significantly higher number of different sections (e.g. several hundred or several thousand different sections).

Typically, the longitudinal direction of the section is determined by the direction of travel of the sprayer, while the transverse direction of the section is determined by the spray width of the sprayer transverse to the direction of travel.

The respective extension of the individual sections in the longitudinal direction can be determined individually and depends on the desired granularity or accuracy of the section detection. Section sizes in the range of a few square meters to several tens or several hundred square meters have proven to be particularly advantageous. It can be useful and simplify the implementation of the method according to the invention if the sections in their longitudinal direction either (all) have the same extension or the extension of the sections in the longitudinal direction is predetermined by the distance that the spray vehicle covers in a predetermined time interval (e.g. within a second or a minute). The movement area to be sprayed with the de-icer is thus divided into different sections with a defined position or location.

The respective section is driven over by the spray vehicle during a driving period. The first driving over of a section takes place during the so-called primary driving period. During this first driving over of a section, i.e. during the respective primary driving period, de-icer is sprayed onto the respective section. In this case, a point in time within the respective primary driving period is defined as the respective primary spraying time and assigned to the associated section. Different definitions can be used here: For example, it is conceivable that the start, the end or an average of the respective primary driving period is defined as the respective primary spraying time.

Furthermore, each section is assigned a section-specific de-icing time value, which indicates (or estimates) how long it will probably take some time until the concentration of the applied de-icer on the surface of the respective section of the movement area is reduced to such an extent that a further application (spraying) of de-icer is indicated.

• - der momentanen Witterung (insbesondere von der Sonneneinstrahlungsintensität, der Windgeschwindigkeit, der Temperatur und dem Niederschlag),
• - der das Mikroklima des Abschnitts bestimmenden Lage (wobei insbesondere Abschattungseffekte und geringere Windgeschwindigkeiten durch Gebäude, wie Terminals und Hangars in unmittelbarer Umgebung des jeweiligen Abschnitts eine Rolle spielen),
• - gesetzlichen bzw. flughafeninternen Vorgaben sowie
• - unterschiedlichen sicherheitsbedingten Anforderungen an verschiedene Arten von Bewegungsflächen (z.B. die sicherheitsbedingten Anforderungen an eine Start- und Landebahn unterscheiden sich von denen an das Vorfeld).

The de-icing time value of a section can depend on

• - the current weather conditions (in particular the intensity of solar radiation, wind speed, temperature and precipitation),
• - the location determining the microclimate of the section (shading effects and lower wind speeds due to buildings such as terminals and hangars in the immediate vicinity of the respective section play a role in particular),
• - legal or airport-internal requirements and
• - different safety-related requirements for different types of movement areas (e.g. the safety-related requirements for a runway differ from those for the apron).

By providing section-specific de-icing time values, these various influencing factors can be taken into account on a section-specific basis.

By combining these inventive features described above, it is possible to determine section-specifically and automatically when and where de-icer should be sprayed again in order to ensure that de-icer is applied as evenly as possible and in accordance with specifications.

• Die Begriffe „Primärüberfahrzeitraum“,
• „Primäraufsprühzeitpunkt“, „Enteiserabbauzeitwert“ sowie „Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt“ sind jeweils einem der Abschnitte, als entweder dem ersten Abschnitt oder dem zweiten Abschnitt, zugewiesen. Um die jeweilige Zuweisung der Begriffe zum ersten oder zweiten Abschnitt in kürzerer Form zum Ausdruck zu bringen, werden den Begriffen als Hinweis auf die jeweilige Zuweisung die Worte „erster“ oder „zweiter“ vorangestellt. Auf dieser Weise drückt beispielsweise die Formulierung „der erste Primärüberfahrzeitraum“ aus, dass es sich um den Primärüberfahrzeitraum handelt, der dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesen ist, während die Formulierung „der zweite Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt“ ausdrückt, dass es sich um den Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt handelt, der dem zweiten Abschnitt zugewiesen ist.

In the following, some aspects of the method according to the invention will be discussed in more detail:

• The terms “primary crossing period”,
• "Primary spray time,""deicer degradation time value," and "secondary run-in time" are each assigned to one of the sections, either the first section or the second section. To more concisely express the respective assignment of the terms to the first or second section, the words "first" or "second" are prefixed to the terms to indicate the respective assignment. In this way, for example, the phrase "the first primary run-in period" expresses that it is the primary run-in period assigned to the first section, while the phrase "the second secondary run-in time" expresses that it is the secondary run-in time assigned to the second section.

A self-propelled spray vehicle is a spray vehicle with a drive unit that can be controlled by a human driver, remotely or autonomously along a route across an airport's movement area in one direction.

The spraying device of the spray vehicle typically comprises a de-icer tank in which the liquid moving area de-icer is stored, several spray nozzles by means of which the moving area de-icer can be sprayed onto the moving area over a spray width extending transversely to the direction of travel, and a de-icer pump by means of which the moving area de-icer can be conveyed from the de-icer tank to the spray nozzles.

If the spray device is activated, the spraying of movement area de-icer is started via the spray nozzles onto the movement area (in particular by starting the de-icer pump) and continues as long as the spray device is activated. Deactivating the spray device stops the spraying of movement area de-icer onto the movement area (in particular by stopping the de-icer pump).

In the method according to the invention, in order to determine whether a second spraying of de-icer on a section is (already) indicated, the respective first spraying time and the time at which the spray vehicle enters the respective section for the second time are considered.

At this point, it should be explicitly pointed out that the procedure is of course also suitable in an analogous manner for determining whether a third, fourth, fifth or nth spraying of de-icer is indicated.

In this case, for each section, it is not the first spraying time that is to be considered, but rather the last (i.e. the least recent) spraying time and the time at which the spray vehicle subsequently re-enters the respective section.

• - Definieren eines dem jeweiligen Abschnitt zugewiesenen und innerhalb des jeweiligen Sekundärüberfahrzeitraums liegenden Sekundäraufsprühzeitpunkts,
• - Überschreiben des bisherigen Primäraufsprühzeitpunkts (des jeweiligen Abschnitts) mit dem Sekundäraufsprühzeitpunkt (des jeweiligen Abschnitts),
• - Erfassen eines künftigen, erneuten Einfahrens in den jeweiligen Abschnitt als Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt.

This can be achieved in particular by carrying out the following steps after the re-spraying of the de-icer on the respective section has been activated and thus the de-icer is sprayed during a secondary crossing period:

• - Defining a secondary spraying time assigned to the respective section and within the respective secondary crossing period,
• - Overwriting the previous primary spraying time (of the respective section) with the secondary spraying time (of the respective section),
• - Recording a future re-entry into the respective section as a secondary entry time.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the first and the second de-icer removal time values are identical or different.

If the sections are assigned the same de-icer removal time value, the complexity of implementing the procedure can be reduced. If, on the other hand, different de-icer removal time values are assigned to the sections, section-specific influences can be mapped and the procedure can be further improved, particularly with regard to resource efficiency and the safety of flight operations.

Furthermore, according to another preferred embodiment, it can be provided that the de-icer removal time values are provided in that the de-icer removal time values can be freely specified by an operator.

The operator can be a driver who controls or remotely controls the spray vehicle. It is also conceivable that the operator is a fleet manager who is responsible for de-icing at the airport. In this way, the operator's individual experience with regard to de-icing times can be taken into account.

• - aktuellen Wetterbedingungen (insbesondere in Abhängigkeit von einer aktuellen Temperatur, einer aktuellen Windgeschwindigkeit, einer aktuellen Niederschlagsmenge und/oder einer aktuellen Sonneneinstrahlungsintensitiät),
• - prognostizierten Wetterbedingungen (insbesondere in Abhängigkeit von einer prognostizierten Temperatur, einer prognostizierten Windgeschwindigkeit, einer prognostizierten Niederschlagsmenge und/oder einer prognostizierten Sonneneinstrahlungsintensitiät) und/oder
• - einer prognostizierten Bewegungsflächennutzungsintensität ermittelbar sind.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the de-icer removal time values are provided by determining the de-icer removal time values as a function of

• - current weather conditions (in particular depending on current temperature, current wind speed, current rainfall and/or current solar radiation intensity),
• - forecast weather conditions (in particular depending on a forecast temperature, a forecast wind speed, a forecast amount of precipitation and/or a forecast intensity of solar radiation) and/or
• - a predicted intensity of movement area use can be determined.

Current and/or forecast weather conditions specific to a section can be used as input parameters to determine the respective de-icing removal time values for the individual sections based on a mathematical relationship. In this way, it can be taken into account, for example, that a higher wind speed, a higher temperature and a higher intensity of solar radiation each contribute to the faster evaporation of the moving area de-icer, or that a greater amount of precipitation contributes to a faster dilution of the moving area de-icer and thus leads to a shorter de-icing removal time value.

In an analogous manner, it can be taken into account that an increased intensity of movement area use can contribute to faster evaporation or removal of the movement area de-icer. The movement area use intensity of a section describes how often the respective section of the movement area is used and in what way within a defined time interval - for example, how often aircraft take off and land on the respective section of a runway.

It can advantageously be provided that the de-icer removal time values are provided in that the de-icer removal time values can be entered into an input unit of the spray vehicle that is operatively connected to the control unit.

This makes it particularly easy to enter the de-icer removal time values by an operator in the spray vehicle.

Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the de-icer removal time values are made available in that the de-icer removal time values can be received via a communication interface of the spray vehicle that is operatively connected to the control unit.

This makes it particularly easy to specify the de-icer removal time values, especially from a central fleet management office, and transmit them to the spray vehicle.

The invention is further manifested in the inventive computer program product according to claim 7. The computer program product can be executed on a control device.

• - Bereitstellen des dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesenen ersten Primäraufsprühzeitpunkts und des dem zweiten Abschnitt zugewiesenen zweiten Primäraufsprühzeitpunkts im Steuergerät,
• - Bereitstellen eines dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesenen ersten Enteiserabbauzeitwerts und eines dem zweiten Abschnitt zugewiesenen zweiten Enteiserabbauzeitwerts im Steuergerät,
• - Detektieren des erneuten Einfahrens in den jeweiligen Abschnitt durch das Steuergerät und Bereitstellen des dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesenen ersten Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkts und des dem zweiten Abschnitt zugewiesenen Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkts im Steuergerät, und
• - Aktivieren eines erneuten Aufsprühens des Enteisers auf den jeweiligen Abschnitt der Bewegungsfläche, wenn im jeweiligen Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt der jeweilige Primäraufsprühzeitpunkt um mehr als den jeweiligen Enteiserabbauzeitwert verstrichen ist.

The control device is designed to activate and deactivate the spraying of a moving surface de-icer by a spray device of a spray vehicle and to carry out the following steps of the method according to the invention:

• - providing the first primary spray time assigned to the first section and the second primary spray time assigned to the second section in the control unit,
• - providing a first de-icer removal time value assigned to the first section and a second de-icer removal time value assigned to the second section in the control unit,
• - detecting the re-entry into the respective section by the control unit and providing the first secondary entry time assigned to the first section and the secondary entry time assigned to the second section in the control unit, and
• - Activating a renewed spraying of the de-icer onto the respective section of the movement area if, at the respective secondary entry time, the respective primary spraying time has elapsed by more than the respective de-icer removal time value.

The computer program product according to the invention for combating ice by spraying a liquid organic de-icer onto a movement area of an airport, comprising commands which, when the computer program product is executed, cause a control device to carry out the method according to the invention with the aid of a spray vehicle.

A spray vehicle may include a spray device and a control device.

• 1 eine schematische Draufsicht auf ein Sprühfahrzeug beim Ausführen des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens,
• 2A - D das Sprühfahrzeug beim Überfahren einer Bewegungsfläche mit zwei Abschnitten zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten, und
• 3A - B eine Darstellung des zeitlichen Ablaufs des Überfahrens der Abschnitte durch das Sprühfahrzeug gemäß den 2A bis 2D.

The invention is explained in more detail below using an embodiment.

• 1 a schematic plan view of a spray vehicle when carrying out the method according to the invention,
• 2A - D the spray vehicle driving over a movement area with two sections at different times, and
• 3A - B a representation of the time sequence of the spray vehicle driving over the sections according to the 2A to 2D .

1 is a schematic plan view of a self-propelled spray vehicle 1 with a spray device 2, a control unit 3 and wheels 4. The spray device 2 comprises a de-icer tank 5 in which liquid organic de-icer is stored, a spray boom 6 in which spray nozzles 7 are arranged, and a de-icer pump 8 by means of which the moving surface de-icer can be conveyed from the de-icer tank to the spray nozzles 7.

The control unit 3 is designed to activate the spraying of the de-icer by the spray device 2 by activating the de-icer pump 8.

The spray vehicle can be moved in a direction of travel 9. The spray boom 6 with the spray nozzles 7 extends transversely to the direction of travel 9.

If the spray device 2 is activated by the control unit 3, the de-icer pump 8 delivers the de-icer to the spray nozzles 7, via which the de-icer is then sprayed onto a movement area 11 over a spray width 10 extending transversely to the direction of travel 9.

The spray vehicle 1 further comprises a position detection device 12 operatively connected to the control unit 3. The position detection device 12 is suitable for detecting the current position of the spray vehicle 1 and transmitting it to the control unit 3.

Based on the 2A to 2D and 3A and 3B, the method according to the invention will be explained in detail by way of example.

Shown in the 2A to 2D the spray vehicle 1 according to 1 and a first section 13 and a second section 14 of a movement area 11 of an airport. Both sections 13, 14 are part of a runway of the airport and each have an identical section length 15 and an identical section width 16, which corresponds to the spray width 10 of the spray vehicle 1. In the present example, the section length 15 is selected such that the spray vehicle 1 moving at a target speed requires exactly one minute to cover the section length 15 and thus to drive through a section 13, 14.

The position and extent of the two sections 13, 14 are stored in the control unit 3 (in particular in the memory unit). The control unit 3 is also suitable for detecting, by means of the current position of the spray vehicle 1 transmitted by the position detection device 12, which section 13, 14 of the movement area the spray vehicle 1 is currently entering or which section 13, 14 is currently being driven over by the spray vehicle 1.

The 3A and 3B illustrate the timing of crossing the first section (see 3A) or the second section (see 3B) by the spray vehicle 1 according to the 2A to 2D The x-axis represents the elapsed time t in minutes.

As in 2A , the spray vehicle 1 has already entered the first section 13 of the runway and is driving over it. The spray vehicle 1 drives over the first section 13 during a first primary driving over period 1PÜZ, which here lasts from t = 0 to t = 1 min, and sprays de-icer onto the first section 13 during this period. The first primary driving over period 1PÜZ is recorded in the control unit and a first primary spraying time 1PAZ is defined. A definition is used here according to which the start of the respective primary driving over period determines the respective primary spraying time. The first primary spraying time 1PAZ is therefore t = 0 min. Compare also 3A .

The second section 14 is, as in 2B is not driven over by spray vehicle 1 and sprayed with de-icer for the first time immediately after the first section 13, but only in the second primary crossing period 2PÜZ between t = 7 min and t = 8 min. This can be due, for example, to the fact that the spray vehicle had to leave the runway after driving over the first section 13 due to an approaching aircraft and thus had to abort the spraying process. The second primary spraying time 2PAZ is therefore t = 7 min (cf. 3B) .

The first primary spray timing 1PAZ (assigned to the first section) and the second primary spray timing 2PAZ (assigned to the second section) are each provided in the control unit 3.

An operator assigns the de-icer removal time value EZ = 10 min to each of the two sections 13, 14. Both sections therefore have identical de-icer removal time values EZ. The first and second de-icer removal time values EZ = 10 min assigned to the first section 13 and the second section 14 are provided in the control unit 3.

Then the spray vehicle 1 drives as in the 2C and 2D outlined, a second time into the two sections 13, 14 of the runway. In the present example, the entry time is defined by the spray boom 6 of the spray device 3 entering (entering) the respective section 13, 14.

The spray vehicle 1 drives according to 2C into the second section 14 for the second (repeated) time at time t = 12 min. The second secondary entry time 2SEZ (assigned to the second section) is therefore t = 12 min. This second entry into the second section 14 is detected by the control unit 3 and the second secondary entry time 2SEZ is provided in the control unit 3. The control unit now checks whether in the second secondary entry time 2SEZ t = 12 min since the second primary spraying time 2PAZ t = 7 min more than the respective de-icer removal time value EZ = 10 min has elapsed. This is not the case here, because since the second primary spraying time 2PAZ t = 7 min only 5 min have elapsed in the second secondary entry time 2SEZ t = 12 min. A renewed spraying of the de-icer onto the second section is therefore not activated by the control unit (see 3B) .

However, if the spray vehicle 1, as in 2D shown, enters the first section 13 of the runway for the second time at time t = 13 min, a renewed spraying of de-icer is activated because then 13 min have already elapsed in the first section since the first primary spraying time 1PAZ t = 0 min and thus more than the de-icer removal time value EZ = 10 min.

• Der (dem ersten Abschnitt zugewiesene) erste Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt 1SEZ ist t = 13 min. Dieses zweite Einfahren in den ersten Abschnitts 13 wird durch das Steuergerät 3 detektiert und der erste Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt 1SEZ wird im Steuergerät 3 bereitgestellt. Im Steuergerät 3 wird nun geprüft, ob im ersten Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt 1SEZ t = 13 min der erste Primäraufsprühzeitpunkt 1PAZ t = 0 min um mehr als den Enteiserabbauzeitwert EZ = 10 min verstrichen ist. Dies ist der Fall, denn seit dem ersten Primäraufsprühzeitpunkt 1PAZ t = 0 min sind im ersten Sekundäreinfahrzeitpunkt 1SEZ t = 13 min bereits 13 min vergangen. Das erneute Aufsprühen des Enteisers auf den ersten Abschnitt 13 wird somit durch das Steuergerät 3 aktiviert.

The individual steps leading to the activation of re-spraying are outlined in detail below:

• The first secondary entry time 1SEZ (assigned to the first section) is t = 13 min. This second entry into the first section 13 is detected by the control unit 3 and the first secondary entry time 1SEZ is provided in the control unit 3. The control unit 3 now checks whether in the first secondary entry time 1SEZ t = 13 min the first primary spray time 1PAZ t = 0 min has elapsed by more than the de-icer removal time value EZ = 10 min. This is the case because 13 min have already passed since the first primary spray time 1PAZ t = 0 min in the first secondary entry time 1SEZ t = 13 min. The renewed spraying of the de-icer onto the first section 13 is thus activated by the control unit 3.

list of reference symbols

1

spray vehicle

2

spray device

3

control unit

4

Wheels

5

de-icer tank

6

spray boom

7

spray nozzles

8

de-icer pump

9

direction of travel

10

spray width

11

movement area

12

position detection device

13

first section

14

second section

15

section length

16

section width

1PÜZ

first primary crossing period

1PAZ

first primary spraying time

2PÜZ

second primary crossing period

2PAZ

second primary spray time

EZ

de-icer degradation time value

1SEZ

first secondary entry point

2SEZ

second secondary entry point

Claims (7)

Method for combating ice by spraying a liquid organic de-icer, which is in particular designed as a solution based on glycol, urea, formate and/or acetate, onto a movement area (11) of an airport, in particular onto a runway, a taxiway or an apron, by means of a self-propelled spray vehicle, wherein the spray vehicle (1) comprises a control unit (3) and a spray device (2), and the control unit (3) is set up to activate and deactivate the spraying of the de-icer by the spray device (2), with the following steps: - driving into a first section (13) and a second section (14) of the movement area (11) with the spray vehicle (1), wherein the first section (13) is driven over in a first primary driving period (1PÜZ) and the second section (14) is driven over in a second primary driving period (2PÜZ), and - spraying the de-icer onto the first section (13) during the first primary crossing period (1PÜZ) and defining a first primary spray time (1PAZ) assigned to the first section and lying within the first primary crossing period, and - spraying the de-icer onto the second section (14) during the second primary crossing period (2PÜZ) and defining a second primary spray time (2PAZ) assigned to the second section and lying within the second primary crossing period, - providing the first primary spray time (1PAZ) assigned to the first section (13) and the second primary spray time (2PAZ) assigned to the second section (14) in the control unit (3), - providing a first de-icer removal time value (EZ) assigned to the first section (13) and a second de-icer removal time value (EZ) assigned to the second section (14) in the control unit (3), - re-entering the first section (13) at a first secondary entry time (1SEZ) and re-entering the second section (14) at a second secondary entry time (2SEZ) with the spray vehicle (1), - detecting the re-entry into the respective section (13) by the control unit (3) and providing the first secondary entry time (1SEZ) assigned to the first section (13) and the second secondary entry time (2SEZ) assigned to the second section (14) in the control unit (3), and - activating a re-spraying of the de-icer onto the respective section (13, 14) of the movement area (11) if the respective primary spraying time (1PAZ, 2PAZ) has elapsed by more than the respective de-icer removal time value (EZ) at the respective secondary entry time (1SEZ, 2SEZ). procedure according to claim 1 , where the first and second de-icer removal time values (EZ) are identical or different. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the provision of the de-icer removal time values (EZ) takes place in that the de-icer removal time values (EZ) can be freely specified by an operator. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the provision of the de-icer removal time values (EZ) takes place in that the de-icer removal time values (EZ) can be determined as a function of - current weather conditions, in particular as a function of a current temperature, a current wind speed, a current amount of precipitation and/or a current intensity of solar radiation, - forecast weather conditions, in particular as a function of a forecast temperature, a forecast wind speed, a forecast amount of precipitation and/or a forecast intensity of solar radiation, and/or - a forecast intensity of movement area use. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the provision of the de-icer removal time values (EZ) takes place in that the de-icer removal time values (EZ) can be entered into an input unit of the spray vehicle (1) which is operatively connected to the control unit (3). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the provision of the de-icer removal time values (EZ) takes place in that the de-icer removal time values (EZ) are receivable by a communication interface of the spray vehicle (1) that is operatively connected to the control unit (3). Computer program product for combating ice by spraying a liquid organic de-icer onto a movement area (11) of an airfield, comprising commands which, when the computer program product is executed, cause a control device (3) to carry out the method according to one of the Claims 1 until 6 to execute.

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