Anti-collision aircraft light

• US 8,773,044 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE), Goodrich Lighting Systems GmbH (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE), Goodrich Lighting Systems GmbH (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Hessling, Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILOGENE, HAISSA
• Application Number:
  US13/714,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20130154476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/130, 315/149, 315/200.A, 315/291, 315/294, 315/307, 315/309, 315/224, 315/312, 315/360, 340/961, 340/981, 340/815.45, 362/470, 362/545, 362/540
• US Class Current: 315/307
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2203/00 Aircraft or airfield lights using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/02 Arrangements or adaptations of signal or lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/06 for indicating aircraft presence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/58 involving end of life detection of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source

Abstract

An anti-collision aircraft light comprises at least one LED and a control unit for operating the at least one LED in a pulsed manner. In this anti-collision aircraft light, the control unit comprises an ambient temperature sensor for sensing the ambient temperature and an adjustable current control for setting an LED operating current depending on the sensed ambient temperature. The control unit further includes a light intensity sensor for sensing the intensity of the light emitted from the at least one LED, an integrator connected to the light sensor for integrating the sensed light intensity, and a comparator for comparing the integrated light intensity to a threshold value. The operating current for the at least one LED is interrupted as soon as the integrated light intensity is equal to the threshold value.

Claims

1. An anti-collision aircraft light, comprising:

at least one LED and

a control unit configured to operate the at least one LED in a pulsed manner,

wherein the control unit comprises

an ambient temperature sensor configured to sense the ambient temperature,

an adjustable current control configured to set an LED operating current depending on the sensed ambient temperature,

a light intensity sensor configured to sense the intensity of the light emitted from the at least one LED,

an integrator connected to the light sensor and configured to integrate the sensed light intensity, and

a comparator configured to compare the integrated light intensity to a threshold value,

wherein the operating current for the at least one LED is interrupted as soon as the integrated light intensity is equal to the threshold value.

2. The anti-collision aircraft light according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprises a timer configured to be activated upon beginning of a pulsed operation control of the at least one LED and sensing a time interval within which the integrated sensed light intensity reaches the threshold value and wherein the control unit is configured to generate a warning signal indicative of the sensed time interval exceeding a pre-set value.

3. The anti-collision aircraft light according to claim 1, wherein the integrator is configured to calculate the light intensity corresponding to an effective light intensity according to a formula of Blondel-Rey.

4. A method for operating an anti-collision light comprising at least one LED and a control unit for operating the at least one LED in a pulsed manner, the method comprising:

sensing an ambient temperature in a surrounding of the at least one LED,

adjusting an operating current for the at least one LED, the adjustable operating current being dependent on the sensed ambient temperature,

sensing an intensity of light emitted from the at least one LED when operated in a pulsed manner with an adjusted operating current, determining an amount of light emitted by the at least one LED during one pulse, and

comparing the determined amount of the emitted light with a threshold value, wherein the adjusted operating current for the at least one LED is interrupted as soon as the determined amount of emitted light is equal to the threshold value.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a time interval from the beginning of an operating pulse of the at least one LED up to the point in time in which the determined amount of emitted light reaches the threshold value is measured and wherein the control unit generates a warning signal indicative of the sensed time interval exceeding a pre-set value.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the amount of emitted light is determined as effective light intensity according to a formula of Blondel-Rey.