Illumination system for passenger cabin illumination

• US 20080186721A1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Heym, Detlef, Budinger, Tilo, Vogel, Carsten, Schulz, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 8,267,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/471
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/43 General lighting
• 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 2011/0038 Illumination systems for cabins as a whole

Abstract

A light module, a light-module carrier and an illumination system for an aircraft, which allow intelligent illumination and at the same time easy reconfiguration of cabin illumination. The light module provides information relating to its characteristics, while a control system determines a position of the light module on a light-module carrier, and on the basis of the determined position and of the characteristics of the light module adjusts the light module by way of a bus system of the light-module carrier according to a desired illumination.

Claims

1. A light module for an illumination system for an aircraft, wherein the light module comprises:

at least one illumination element; and

at least one interface for connection to a light-module carrier;

wherein the light module is designed to provide information relating to characteristics of the light module by way of at least one interface, and, on the basis of the information relating to provided characteristics of the light module, the at least one illumination element is controllable by way of the interface.

2. The light module of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the characteristics of the light module comprises information from the group comprising:

number of the illumination elements, position of the individual illumination elements, and color or color composition of the individual illumination elements.

3. The light module of claim 1, wherein the illumination elements are controllable according to their positions such that in each case they generate a light of a desired color range from their entire color range.

4. The light module of claim 1, comprising a control unit that is designed to control illumination elements according to their positions such that in each case they generate light of a desired color range from their entire color range.

5. The light module of claim 1, wherein the light module is designed to communicate bidirectionally with the light-module carrier by way of the interface.

6. The light module of claim 1, wherein the illumination elements are composed of the following group of colors or of the following color composition:

warm white, cold white, daylight white, red, green, blue, or a combination thereof.

7. The light module of claim 1, wherein the length of the light modules is less than 10 inches.

12. An illumination system for an aircraft, comprising

at least one light-module carrier comprising at least one bus system that is indirectly or directly connectable to a central control unit;

and

a plurality of light-module interfaces for connection to interfaces of a light module comprising;

at least one illumination element; and

at least one interface for connection to a light-module carrier;

wherein the light module is designed to provide information relating to characteristics of the light module by way of at least one interface, and, on the basis of the information relating to provided characteristics of the light module, the at least one illumination element is controllable by way of the interface; and

a control device that is designed to control, by way of the bus system of the light-module carrier, a multitude of light modules of claim 1, which light modules are connectable to the light-module carrier by way of an interface, on the basis of information relating to characteristics of the corresponding light module.

13. The illumination system of claim 12, wherein the control device is further designed to control a multitude of light modules on the basis of a connection position of a light module.

14. An aircraft comprising an illumination system, the illumination system comprising:

at least one light-module carrier comprising at least one bus system that is indirectly or directly connectable to a central control unit; and

a plurality of light-module interfaces for connection to interfaces of a light module comprising;

at least one illumination element; and

at least one interface for connection to a light-module carrier;

wherein the light module is designed to provide information relating to characteristics of the light module by way of at least one interface, and, on the basis of the information relating to provided characteristics of the light module, the at least one illumination element is controllable by way of the interface; and

a control device that is designed to control, by way of the bus system of the light-module carrier, a multitude of light modules of claim 1, which light modules are connectable to the light-module carrier by way of an interface, on the basis of information relating to characteristics of the corresponding light module.

8. A light-module carrier for an illumination system for an aircraft, wherein the light-module carrier comprises:

at least one bus system that is indirectly or directly connectable to a central control unit; and

a plurality of light-module interfaces for connection to interfaces of a light module comprising;

at least one illumination element; and

at least one interface for connection to a light-module carrier;

wherein the light module is designed to provide information relating to characteristics of the light module by way of at least one interface, and, on the basis of the information relating to provided characteristics of the light module, the at least one illumination element is controllable by way of the interface.

9. The light-module carrier of claim 8 comprising at least one interface that is connectable to an associated interface of a further light-module carrier.

10. The light-module carrier of claim 8, wherein the bus system is a bidirectional databus system.

11. The light-module carrier of claim 8, wherein the bus system comprises a redundant data bus.

15. A method for controlling a multitude of light modules, comprising:

determining a position of a light module on a light-module carrier, the light module comprising at least one illumination element; and

at least one interface for connection to a light-module carrier;

wherein the light module is designed to provide information relating to characteristics of the light module by way of at least one interface, on the basis of the information relating to provided characteristics of the light module, the at least one illumination element is controllable by way of the interface;

the light-module carrier comprising at least one bus system that is indirectly or directly connectable to a central control unit; and

a plurality of light-module interfaces for connection to interfaces of a light module comprising;

at least one illumination element; and

at least one interface for connection to a light-module carrier;

wherein the light module is designed to provide information relating to characteristics of the light module by way of at least one interface, and, on the basis of the information relating to provided characteristics of the light module, the at least one illumination element is controllable by way of the interface; and

controlling the light module on the basis of the determined position and of the predeterminable desired illumination at this position.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining takes place on the basis of information related to the characteristics of the light module, which information has been provided by way of an interface.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the controlling takes place by way of a bus system of the light-module carrier.

18. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing a processor to:

determine a position of a light module on a light-module carrier, the light module comprising at least one illumination element; and

at least one interface for connection to a light-module carrier;

wherein the light module is designed to provide information relating to characteristics of the light module by way of at least one interface, and, on the basis of the information relating to provided characteristics of the light module, the at least one illumination element is controllable by way of the interface;

the light-module carrier comprising at least one bus system that is indirectly or directly connectable to a central control unit; and

a plurality of light-module interfaces for connection to interfaces of a light module comprising;

at least one illumination element; and

at least one interface for connection to a light-module carrier;

wherein the light module is designed to provide information relating to characteristics of the light module by way of at least one interface, and, on the basis of the information relating to provided characteristics of the light module, the at least one illumination element is controllable by way of the interface; and

control the light module on the basis of the determined position and of the predeterminable desired illumination at this position.