Process and apparatus for the avoidance of bird impacts on airplanes

• US 5,270,707 A
• Filed: 05/04/1992
• Issued: 12/14/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HELLA KG Hueck & Co.
• Original Assignee: HELLA KG Hueck & Co.
• Inventors: Lepper, Werner, Nolte, Dieter, Schulte, Peter, Schmees, Siegfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US07/855,008
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 340/981, 340/982, 340/961, 340/945, 340/471, 340/472, 340/331, 362/62, 315/241 S, 43/1, 244/1 R, 116/22 A
• US Class Current: 340/981
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/06 for indicating aircraft presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0095 Aspects of air-traffic control not provided for in the other subgroups of this main group

Abstract

In a process and an apparatus for the avoidance of bird impacts on airplanes by means of at least one light-flashes generating light source on an airplane, for which the frequency of the generated light flashes is varied through at least one cycle, the flash frequency is varied dependent upon the speed and/or the altitude and/or the acceleration of the airplane in order to provide an optimal flash frequency range for all take-off and landing phases and at the same time to be independent of a load and the type of airplane.

Claims

1. A process for the avoidance of bird impacts on airplanes by means of at least one light source on an airplane generating light flashes at a flash frequency which is automatically varied through at least one cycle in dependence upon at least one of the speed, the altitude and the acceleration of the airplane, wherein the data for the flash frequency are stored in memory as a family of characteristic curves which are functions of at least two of said speed, altitude and acceleration wherein a variation in the landing and take-off phases can be selectively actuated.

2. A process as in claim 1 wherein data for the flash frequency in dependence upon at least one of speed, altitude and acceleration of the airplane are stored in memory.

3. A process as in claim 1 wherein the light flash generation is automatically turned off in response to the airplane reaching a predetermined altitude and a predetermined speed.

4. A process as in claim 3 wherein the light flash generation can be switched on either manually or automatically in each phase of flight.

5. A process as in claim 1 wherein the flash frequency is a function of at least two of the speed, the altitude and the acceleration of the airplane.