Aircraft LED dome light having rotatably releasable housing mounted within mounting flange

• US 7,566,154 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Gloisten, Jennifer L., Zeng, Samuel, Reisfeld, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton; Anabel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spinella; Kevin
• Application Number:
  US11/526,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/545, 362/249, 362/235, 362/252, 362/247, 362/555, 362/240, 362/242, 362/243, 362/246, 362/268, 362/375, 362/293, 362/373, 362/470, 362/471, 362/489, 362/490, 362/269, 362/646, 362/649, 362/251, 362/295, 362/394, 362/147, 362/640, 362/647, 362/148, 362/150, 362/457, 362/353, 362/95, 362/186, 362/191, 362/656, 362/365, 362370-372, 362202-208, 362/27, 362/560, 362/472
• US Class Current: 362/545
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/43 General lighting
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/46 Emergency lighting, e.g. for escape routes
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/47 Circuits; Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2011/0038 Illumination systems for cabins as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2203/00 Aircraft or airfield lights using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2106/00 Interior vehicle lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2107/30 for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A lighting fixture for providing illumination comprising a housing, a printed circuit board, and a plurality LEDs connected to the printed circuit board. Optionally an emergency LED may also be included. A heat sink is connected to the housing and printed circuit board. Each of the plurality of the LEDs is mounted on the heat sink. A reflector is disposed inside the housing such that the light from the LEDs is mixed together and projected out of the illumination end of the housing by the surface of the reflector. The lighting fixture is received into a mounting flange assembly. A method for providing illumination using the above.

Claims

1. A lighting device comprised of:

a substantially cylindrical housing defining a passageway therethrough, the housing having a first end, a second end with a base plate attached to the second end, a housing rim adjacent to the first end of the housing and at least one attachment point disposed on and extending from an exterior surface of the housing;

a reflector positioned within the housing, the reflector having an illumination end, a bottom end proximal to the base plate and a reflector base adjacent to and extending across the bottom end of the reflector, the reflector base defining a plurality of openings;

a printed circuit board adjacent the bottom end of the reflector;

a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) electrically connected to the printed circuit board, wherein one of the plurality of LEDs is located within one of the plurality of openings in the reflector base;

a first lens adjacent to the first end of the housing;

a mounting flange including a rim, the mounting flange circumscribing the housing and mounted within one of an aircraft wall panel and an overhead panel, the mounting flange defining at least one opening receiving the at least one attachment point; and

a resilient member disposed between the rim of the mounting flange and the housing rim, wherein the rim of the mounting flange, the resilient member and the housing rim are disposed along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the first lens is disposed.

2. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of LEDs are mounted on a heat sink.

3. The lighting device of claim 1, further comprising:

a substantially cylindrical reflector side wall comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface extending between the illumination end and the bottom end of the reflector; and

a substantially circular reflector rim attached to the illumination end.

4. The lighting device of claim 3, wherein the reflector side wall extends at an angle from the bottom end of the reflector and the angle is from about 15 degrees to about seventy-five degrees.

5. The lighting device of claim 3, wherein the interior surface of the reflector side wall is covered with a reflective surface treatment.

6. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board comprises a component side and a solder side, and the solder side is connected to the base plate, and the base plate dissipates heat.

7. The lighting device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of raised plateaus extending from the base plate, wherein one of the plurality of raised plateaus extends in the direction of one of the plurality of openings in the reflector base and one of the plurality of LEDs is attached to one of the plurality of raised plateaus.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a filter adjacent to the first lens;

a diffusing lens adjacent to the filter and distal to the first lens; and

the housing rim holding the first lens, the filter, and the diffusing lens onto the housing.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the filter is a color filter.

10. A lighting system comprised of:

an aircraft;

a power source disposed on the aircraft;

a lighting device electrically connected to the power source by a wiring harness, the lighting device comprising;

a substantially cylindrical housing defining a passageway therethrough, the housing having a first end, a second end with a base plate attached to the second end, a housing rim adjacent to the first end of the housing and at least one attachment pin disposed on and extending from an exterior surface of the housing;

a reflector positioned within the housing, the reflector having an illumination end and a bottom end proximal to the base plate;

a printed circuit board adjacent the bottom end of the reflector;

a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) electrically connected to the printed circuit board;

a first lens attached to the first end of the housing; and

a microcontroller electrically connected to the LEDs for controlling the illumination of the LEDs;

a lighting controller electrically connected to the microcontroller of the lighting device, transmitting a control signal to the light fixture to provide illumination of the light fixture;

a mounting flange including a rim, the mounting flange circumscribing the housing mounted within one of the aircraft wall panel and an overhead panel, the mounting flange defining at least one opening receiving the at least one attachment pin; and

a resilient member disposed between the rim of the mounting flange and the housing rim wherein the rim of the mounting flange, the resilient member and the housing rim are disposed along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the first lens is disposed.

11. The vehicle lighting system of claim 10 wherein the plurality of LEDs in each lighting device are comprised of side-emitting LEDs.

12. The vehicle lighting system of claim 11 further comprising:

an emergency LED connected to the printed circuit board of the lighting device;

a first power source connected to the plurality of LEDs; and

a second power source independent of the first power source, electrically connected to the emergency LED such that the plurality of LEDs are independent to the emergency LED.

13. The vehicle lighting system of claim 12 wherein the emergency LED is a Lambertian LED.

14. The vehicle lighting system of claim 11 wherein the side emitting LEDs are white.

15. The vehicle lighting system of claim 11 wherein a signal controls the intensity of the side-emitting LEDs in the lighting device.

16. A lighting device comprised of:

a substantially cylindrical housing defining a passageway therethrough, the housing having a first end, a second end, a housing rim adjacent to the first end of the housing and an exterior housing surface with a base plate attached to the second end;

a reflector positioned within the housing, the reflector having an illumination end, a bottom end proximal to the base plate and a reflector base adjacent to and extending across the bottom end of the reflector, the reflector base defining a plurality of openings;

a substantially cylindrical reflector side wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface extending between the illumination end and the bottom end of the reflector wherein the interior surface of the reflector side wall is covered with a reflective surface treatment;

a printed circuit board adjacent the bottom end of the reflector;

a plurality of side-emitting light-emitting diodes (LEDs) electrically connected to the printed circuit board wherein one of the plurality of LEDs is located within one of the plurality of openings in the reflector base;

a programmable microcontroller providing intensity control of the side-emitting LEDs;

a diffusing lens attached to the first end of the housing;

a pin disposed on and extending from the exterior housing surface;

a mounting flange including a rim wherein the mounting flange defines an opening into which is received the pin, the mounting flange circumscribing the housing mounted within one of the aircraft wall panel and an overhead panel; and

a resilient member disposed between the rim of the mounting flange and the housing rim wherein the rim of the mounting flange, the resilient member and the housing rim are disposed along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the diffusing lens is disposed.