Emergency lighting arrangement with decentralized emergency power supply for an aircraft

• US 20050141226A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Wisch, Bodo, Rowold, Lars
• Granted Patent: US 7,378,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/470
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 3/00 Devices or single parts for facilitating escape from buildings or the like, e.g. protection shields, protection screens; Portable devices for preventing smoke penetrating into distinct parts of buildings A62B1/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00 Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2011/0038 Illumination systems for cabins as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/00 Emergency apparatus or devices, not otherwise provided for parachutes B64D17/00, B64D19/00; jettisoning of fuel tanks or fuel per se B64D37/00; specially adapted for protection against criminal attack, e.g. anti-hijacking systems B64D45/0015 ; safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00; safety belts or body harnesses for land vehicles B60R22/00; jettisonable parts of fuselage facilitating emergency escape B64C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/02 Arrangements or adaptations of signal or lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

An emergency lighting arrangement preferably includes plural emergency light units connected to an on-board power supply network of an aircraft, and plural emergency current sources that each include at least one capacitor. Each emergency light unit includes an emergency light emitting element and a control unit that automatically connects the capacitor of the emergency current source to the emergency light emitting element upon the failure of the on-board power supply network. Preferably, the emergency current source including the capacitor is integrated into the emergency light unit. The emergency light unit may further include normal operation light emitting elements selectively connected by the control unit to the on-board power supply network. The control unit switches between normal operation of the normal light emitting elements and charging of the capacitor, and emergency operation in which the capacitor discharges through the emergency light emitting element.

Claims

1. In an aircraft having an on-board power supply network and a plurality of emergency light units arranged distributed in said aircraft,

an improvement wherein:

each one of said emergency light units respectively comprises, incorporated therein as a unit, at least one emergency light emitting element, at least one capacitor, and a controller that is connected to said power supply network, said at least one capacitor, and said at least one emergency light emitting element;

said controller is adapted to selectively switch between a normal mode when operating power is available from said power supply network and an emergency mode when said operating power is not available from said power supply network;

said controller includes a charging circuit adapted to charge said at least one capacitor using said operating power in said normal mode; and

said controller further includes a switching circuit adapted to disconnect said at least one emergency light emitting element from said at least one capacitor in said normal mode and connect said at least one emergency light emitting element to said at least one capacitor in said emergency mode.

2. The improvement in the aircraft according to claim 1, wherein each one of said emergency light units further comprises, incorporated therein, at least one normal light emitting element connected directly or through said controller to said power supply network.

3. An emergency lighting arrangement for an aircraft that includes an on-board power supply network, said emergency lighting arrangement comprising:

at least one emergency light emitting element; and

at least one emergency current source respectively including at least one capacitor and a controller that is connected between said at least one capacitor and said at least one emergency light emitting element;

wherein said controller is adapted to be connected to said power supply network to detect whether operating power is available from said power supply network, and said controller is adapted to automatically connect said at least one emergency light emitting element to said at least one capacitor to power said at least one emergency light emitting element with electrical energy stored in said at least one capacitor when said operating power is not available from said power supply network.

4. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 3, comprising a plurality of emergency light units which each respectively include, incorporated therein, said at least one emergency light emitting element.

5. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 4, wherein a respective one of said emergency current source is respectively allocated to each one of said emergency light units.

6. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 5, wherein each one of said emergency light units respectively further includes, incorporated therein, said respective one of said emergency current source.

7. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 5, wherein each said emergency current source is respectively externally connected to a respective individual one of said emergency light units.

8. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 4, wherein a respective one of said emergency current source is respectively allocated to, and externally connected to, at least two of said emergency light units.

9. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 4, wherein each one of said emergency light units respectively further comprises, incorporated therein, at least one normal operation light emitting element adapted to be connected to and powered from said power supply network when said operating power is available.

10. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 3, wherein each said emergency current source respectively comprises a plurality of said capacitors connected in series with one another.

11. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said at least one capacitor in each said emergency current source has a sufficient energy storage capacity to power said at least one emergency light emitting element connected thereto via said controller for at least 300 seconds.

12. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said at least one capacitor in each said emergency current source has a sufficient energy storage capacity to power said at least one emergency light emitting element connected thereto via said controller for at least 600 seconds.

13. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said at least one emergency light emitting element has an operating voltage less than an on-board supply voltage of said operating power of said power supply network.

14. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 3, wherein each said emergency light emitting element respectively comprises a light emitting diode (LED).

15. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 3, further comprising a charging device connected to said at least one capacitor and adapted to be connected to said power supply network, wherein said charging device is adapted to charge said at least one capacitor from said operating power of said power supply network.

16. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 15, wherein said charging device is incorporated in said controller.

17. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 3, further comprising two power connection lines respectively adapted to connect each said controller to said power supply network.

18. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 17, further comprising a manually operable on-off switch interposed in a first one of said power connection lines.

19. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 18, wherein said first power connection line is adapted to carry a DC operating voltage of said operating power from said power supply network to said controller and a second one of said power connection lines is adapted to carry a zero volt reference potential, and further comprising a power fault signaling line adapted to connect said controller to said operating voltage of said operating power.

20. The emergency lighting arrangement according to claim 18, wherein said first power connection line is adapted to carry a zero volt reference potential, and wherein said controller is adapted to detect the availability of said operating power directly via a second one of said power connection lines which is adapted to carry a DC operating voltage of said operating power.