Anti-collision light for aircraft

• US 20050052869A1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Flight Components AG
• Original Assignee: Flight Components AG
• Inventors: Muller, Arthur E., Brenner, Thomas C., Schedler, Thomas, Brenner, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US10/481,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20050052869A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/293
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/06 for indicating aircraft presence

Abstract

Anticollision-lamp operable in day-light and at night. It is known to provide separate day-light lamps with a high light output, and night-lamps with little infrared radiation in order not to dazzle night vision goggles. The anticollision light according to the invention comprizes at least one optical interference filter (11) with an average transmission factor in the infrared which is less than 4% of its value in the visible white or red. Preferred embodiments comprize among others: an average transmission factor in a spectral domain larger than 80%, preferably 90% and most desirably 95%; the combination of an interference filter (11) with an absorption filter (10) transparent for red light; an interference filter (11) consisting of several plane elements arranged octagonally; and a band-pass interference filter with a transmission domain situated in the visible red and the transmission factor of which is at least 10⁴ times larger than in an infrared domain.

Claims

1. Anticollision light for aircrafts characterized in that it comprises at least one optical filter (11) the average optical transmission factor of which in a first spectral domain is below 4% of its value in a second spectral domain, where the first domain lies on the longwave side and the second domain lies on the shortwave side of a transition interval situated between the visible red and a boundary located in the infrared region.

2. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that the average transmission factor in the first spectral domain is below 1%, preferably below 0.4%, and most desirably below 0.1% of its value in the second spectral domain.

3. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that the average transmission factor in the second spectral domain exceeds 80%, preferably 90%, and most desirably 95%.

4. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that the average transmission factor in the first spectral domain is less than 2−

⁷ and that it sinks at least by a factor of 10⁴ between 600 nm and 700 nm.

5. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that the boundary lies between 640 nm and 700 nm, and preferably between 660 nm and 680 nm.

6. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that the first domain extends at least up to 850 nm, and preferably as far as 1000 nm into the infrared.

7. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that the second spectral domain extends at least over a visible white spectral domain, or at least over a visible red spectral domain.

8. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a further filter (10) which attenuates wave lengths below the visible red light.

9. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 8, characterized in that the further filter (10) is placed between the light source (6) of the anticollison light and the at least one optical filter (11).

10. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that the one filter (11) is an interference filter (11), and in particular that the further filter (10) is an absorption filter (10).

11. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 10, characterized in that the interference filter (11) consists of several flat elements (11).

12. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that the one filter (11) is an interference band-pass filter with transmission band situated in the region of visible red light.

13. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 10, characterized in that the band-pass filter consists of several flat elements.

14. Anticollision light for aircrafts according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprizes a flashing light source (6) in the shape of a fluorescent tube which winds torus-like over more than 200°

around an axis (2), and is surrounded by a reflector (7, 7¹) which also extends in an essentially torus-like shape over more than 200° and

exhibits a slit along its outer periphery, where the aperture of the slit, as seen from the circular longitudinal axis of the fluorescent tube (6) in a plane containing the axis, has a maximal aperture angle (α

) of 180°

, preferably of 130°

, and most desirably of 90°

.