TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: Capacitive Impedance Water Ice Sensor (CIWIS) (LEW-TOPS-183)

NASA’s Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. 

THE TECHNOLOGY:  

Ice accumulation on an aircraft’s surface poses a serious safety risk, causing stalls and crashes due to the distortion of the smooth flow of air necessary to maintain lift. There are a variety of sensors commonly used to identify materials collecting on the surface of an aircraft, however, they all have operational limitations. Vibrating sensors are not able to detect small amounts of accumulation, optical sensors can be blocked by dirt or debris, and magnetostrictive sensors require precise calibration and have limited range. Engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have developed a novel method for detecting ice or other material accumulation on the surface of aircraft. The Capacitive Impedance Water Ice Sensor (CIWIS). CIWIS works by measuring the impedance of accumulation using the phase of a smart capacitive sensor. This allows users to accurately determine when ice, water, or other materials are on the surface of an aircraft. The CIWIS is configured to detect ice, water, and other material accretion on an aircraft's surface using a capacitive sensor comprised of metal traces on a printed circuit board (PCB) with a dielectric surface covering.  

While NASA originally developed the CIWIS to detect ice on aircraft, it may also be useful to sense the presence of water and other contaminants in pharmaceutical production; condensation in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; and ice accumulation on cryogenic equipment. This technology is available for patent licensing, and is rated at a Technology Readiness Level or TRL of 5 , meaning it has been developed and validated in an industrially relevant environment and is ready for a prototype demonstration. 

To express interest in this opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/lew-tops-183  

If you have any questions, please e-mail NASA’s Technology Transfer Program at Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this SAM.gov notice and your preferred contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/ 

These responses are provided to members of NASA’s Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.