Vehicle lighting fixture

• US 7,413,327 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Guard, Peter S., Wiman, Erik I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gramling; Sean P
• Application Number:
  US11/401,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20070236926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 362/470, 362/471, 362/251, 362/236, 362/237, 362/240, 362/244, 362/246, 362/248, 362/249, 340/815.45
• US Class Current: 362/470
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/44 Spotlighting, e.g. reading lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/47 Circuits; Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00 Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2011/0053 Cabin passenger reading lights
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source

Abstract

A programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture including a light emitting diode array adapted to affixed within a fixture housing. The lighting fixture includes a controller that is adapted to selectively power the plurality of light emitting diodes to provide two or more light beam patterns, each of the two or more light beam patterns selectively directable to two or more distinct lighting areas. The controller and the plurality of light emitting diodes are conductively connected to a power supply. The controller is programmable such that the lighting fixture is adaptable to various seating and lighting configurations, for instance a two seat/two beam configuration, a three seat/three beam configuration or a four seat/four beam configuration. Interchangeable lens assemblies are configured to appropriately direct and focus the selected number of lighting beams to the selected and distinct lighting areas.

Claims

1. A lighting fixture comprising:

a housing;

a substrate positioned within the housing;

an illumination array affixed to the substrate, the illumination array including a plurality of illumination elements adapted to emit light;

a controller conductively connected to the illumination array, the controller adapted to selectively power the plurality of illumination elements to provide two or more light beam patterns, each of the two or more light beam patterns directed to one of two or more distinct non-contiguous lighting areas, wherein the controller comprises a stamp processor including a plurality of native programs, wherein each native program corresponds to a distinct lighting area.

2. The lighting fixture of claim 1, further comprising a lens assembly including two or more lens sections and at least one lens partition, each of the two or more lens sections adapted to direct one of the two or more light beam patterns to one of the two or more distinct non-contiguous lighting areas.

3. The lighting fixture of claim 1, further comprising two or more switches, each of the two or more switches corresponding to one of the two or more light beam patterns for selectively switching one of the two or more light beam patterns between an on and an off position.

4. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an aperture formed within the housing and the plurality of illumination elements are adapted to emit two or more light beam patterns through the aperture.

5. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the illumination elements comprise light emitting diodes.

6. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the illumination elements comprise organic LEDs, bi-state LEDs, tri-state LEDs, digital light processing lamps, liquid crystal displays, film membranes, halogen lamps, or phosphor coatings.

7. The lighting fixture of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a service signal light or a warning signal light.

8. A programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture comprising:

a housing including an aperture formed within the housing;

a substrate positioned within the housing;

an illumination array affixed to the substrate, the illumination array including a plurality of illumination elements adapted to emit two or more light beam patterns through the aperture formed within the housing;

an interchangeable lens assembly adapted to direct each of the two or more light beam patterns to a distinct lighting area; and

a controller conductively connected to the illumination array, the controller adapted to selectively power the plurality of illumination elements to provide the two or more light beam patterns, wherein the controller comprises a stamp processor including a plurality of native programs, wherein each native program corresponds to a distinct lighting area.

9. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the native program corresponding to a distinct lighting area is selected based on contacts made between the interchangeable lens assembly and one or more pressure switches, magnetic switches, or electronic switches.

10. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the native program corresponding to a distinct lighting area is selected based on one or more radio frequency transmissions or infrared transmissions to the stamp processor.

11. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to configure the illumination array as two or more separate illumination sub-arrays.

12. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the lens assembly comprises two or more lens sections comprising a substantially transparent material.

13. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the lens assembly comprises at least one lens partition comprising a substantially opaque material.

14. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the illumination elements comprise light emitting diodes.

15. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the illumination elements comprise organic LEDs, bi-state LEDs, tri-state LEDs, digital light processing lamps, liquid crystal displays, film membranes, halogen lamps, or phosphor coatings.

16. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, further comprising two or more switches, each of the two or more switches corresponding to one of the two or more light beam patterns for selectively switching one of the two or more light beam patterns between an on and an off position.

17. The programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture of claim 8, wherein the housing further comprises a service signal light or a warning signal light.

18. A vehicle comprising:

a seating configuration including at least two seats;

a programmable and alternately configurable lighting fixture positioned above the at least two seats, the lighting fixture including;

a housing including an aperture formed within the housing;

a substrate positioned within the housing;

an illumination array affixed to the substrate, the illumination array including a plurality of illumination elements adapted to emit two or more light beam patterns through the aperture formed within the housing;

an interchangeable lens assembly adapted to direct each of the two or more light beam patterns to one of two or more distinct lighting areas, each of the two or more distinct lighting areas associated with one of the at least two seats of the seating configuration; and

a controller conductively connected to the illumination array, the controller adapted to selectively power the plurality of illumination elements to provide two or more distinct non-contiguous light beam patterns, wherein the controller comprises a stamp processor including a plurality of native programs, wherein each native program corresponds to a distinct lighting area.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the controller is adapted to be programmed for use in a variety of seating and lighting configurations.

20. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the interchangeable lens assembly comprises two or more lens sections and at least one lens partition, each of the two or more lens sections adapted to direct one of the two or more light beam patterns to one of the two or more distinct lighting areas.

21. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the lighting fixture further comprises two or more switches, each of the two or more switches corresponding to one of the two or more light beam patterns for selectively switching one of the two or more light beam patterns between an on and an off position.

22. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the illumination elements comprise light emitting diodes.

23. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the illumination elements comprise organic LEDs, bi-state LEDs, tri-state LEDs, digital light processing lamps, liquid crystal displays, film membranes, halogen lamps, or phosphor coatings.

24. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the vehicle comprises an aircraft.

25. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the vehicle comprises a bus, train or ship.