Electroluminescent (EL) remotely-controlled landing zone marker light system

• US 4,590,471 A
• Filed: 12/28/1983
• Issued: 05/20/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Inventors: Britton, George L., Krile, David J., Blount, Alonzo, Pieroway, Chesley S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, Sr., John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent A.
• Application Number:
  US06/566,351
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 340/696, 340/760, 340/947, 340/948, 340/953, 340/956, 340/350, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/825.76, 362/62, 244/114 R, 343/135 A, 455/353, 455/355
• US Class Current: 340/12.22
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/20 Arrangement of optical beacons
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

A remotely-controlled lighting system for austere landing zone lighting includes a plurality of light units each having dual electroluminescent light panels, a plurality of remote controllers each having an electrical receiver, and a separate electrical transmitter. The light panel units and remote controllers, attached electrically, may also be attached physically and placed along the sides of a landing zone, while the separate transmitter is located at a remote, covert place, such as a foxhole. The transmitter and receivers of the remote controllers are capable of being preset to respectively transmit and receive a first sequence of coded pulses for turning "on" the light panel units and a second sequence of coded pulses different from the first sequence for turning "off" the light units. Also, the transmitter may be operated to repeatedly transmit one of the first or second sequence without transmitting the other sequence between the one sequence to ensure that all of the light units are either turned "on" or turned "off."

Claims

1. Remotely controlled lighting apparatus, comprising:

(a) a plurality of light units, each of which includes a pair of side-by-side electroluminescent light panels;

(b) electrical signal receiving means electrically connected to said light units; and

(c) electrical signal transmitting means, said transmitting means and said receiving means capable of being preset to respectively transmit and receive a first electrical signal for turning on said light units and a second electrical signal different from said first electrical signal for turning off said light units, wherein said first and second electrical signals are each a different sequence of coded pulses;

wherein said electrical signal transmitting means includes a transmitter separate physically from said remote controllers and light units, said transmitter being adapted to communicate electrically with each said receiver;

wherein said transmitting means includes a code generator, a modulator, an oscillator, an R.F. power amplifier having an input coupled to said oscillator and an output coupled to a transmitting antenna;

wherein the code generator comprises a code/decode module having a plurality of terminals, a module of preset dip switches connected to some of the terminals of the code/decode module for presetting the sequence of coded pulses for the first and second electrical signals, a code select switch connected to a terminal of the code/decode module and actuatable between a first position for selecting said first electrical signal and a second position for selecting said second electrical signal, a transmit A/B select switch connected to a terminal of the code/decode module and actuatable between two positions for selecting either a first set or a second set of sequences of coded pulses for said first and second electrical signals, and resistance-capacitance means connected to terminals of the code/decode module;

wherein said modulator is a solid state device having an input terminal coupled to a terminal of the code/decode module, and an output terminal coupled to the R.F. amplifier, for coupling the coded output of the code/decode module to the R.F. power amplifier;

a power switch in series with a D.C. power supply coupled to the code/decode module, to the oscillator and to the R.F. power amplifier, the power switch being actuatable to a first position in which said transmitting means is caused to transmit one of said first and second signals according to the settings of the code select switch and the A/B select switch, and a second inoperative position in which said transmitting means is shut off, whereby said transmitting means is operable to repeatably transmit one of said first and second electrical signals without transmitting the other of said signals between said one signals;

wherein said electrical signal receiving means comprises at least one remote controller which includes a receiver and control means, the receiver having a control output coupled to the control means for supplying an "on" or an "off" signal to the control means, and the control means having relay means actuable in response to the "on" signal to connect a source of a.c. power to turn the light units on, and actuable in response to the "off" signal to disconnect the source of a.c. power to turn the light units off;

said receiver having a receiving antenna, a super regenerative detector coupled to the receiving antenna, a comparator, an amplifier coupled between the super regenerative detector and the comparator, and a decoder coupled to an output of the comparator, so that signals from the transmitting antenna are received by the receiving antenna, detected by the super regenerative detector, amplified by the amplifier, and supplied to the comparator;

wherein the comparator compares signals from the amplifier and a fixed d.c. voltage level and outputs a pulse sequence to the decoder;

wherein the decoder comprises a code/decode module having a plurality of terminals which is the same as the code/decode module of the transmitter, a flip-flop, and a module of dip switches connected to terminals of the code/decode module and preset identical to the dip switches of the code generator of the transmitter, the flip-flop being a JK flip-flop having a clock input connected to an output terminal of the code/decode module and an output connected to an input terminal of the code/decode module, the flip-flop being actuatable between a first state in which said receiver is placed in a second condition for responding to said second electrical signal and not to said first electrical signal, and a second state in which said receiver is placed in a first condition for responding to said first electrical signal but not to said second electrical signal, the code/decode module of the receiver being operable for decoding said first and second electrical signals and outputting a first actuating signal to said flip-flop when said receiver is in its first condition which switches said flip-flop to its first state, while outputting a second actuating signal to said flip-flop when said receiver is in its second condition which switches said flip-flop to its second state, the output of the flip-flop being also connected to said control output, whereby each first or second electrical signal received immediately after a corresponding first one of said first or second electrical signals by said receiver does not correspondingly turn off or on said light units;

a receive A/B select switch connected to a terminal of the code/decode module of the receiver and actuatable between two positions for selecting either said first set or said second set of sequences of coded pulses for said first and second electrical signals.

2. The lighting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said receiving means includes a plurality of remote controllers each being electrically connected and physically attached to one of said light units, each said controller including a receiver adapted to electrically communicate with said transmitting means.