Aircraft External Lighting System and Method

• US 20110122635A1
• Filed: 11/26/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dean Wilkinson, Nathan Calvin
• Original Assignee: Dean Wilkinson, Nathan Calvin
• Inventors: Calvin, Nathan, Wilkinson, Dean
• Granted Patent: US 8,662,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/470
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2203/00 Aircraft or airfield lights using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/06 for indicating aircraft presence

Abstract

An aircraft external lighting system and method is applicable to aircraft position, navigation and strobe lights. The lighting system includes a light source, a cylindrical lens adjacent the light source, and a lenticular lens between the light source and the cylindrical lens.

Claims

1. An aircraft external lighting system comprising:

a light source;

a cylindrical lens adjacent the light source; and

a lenticular lens between the light source and the cylindrical lens.

2. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 wherein the light source comprises a plurality of LEDs.

3. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 wherein the light source comprises a plurality of planar arrays of LEDs.

4. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 wherein the light source comprises a plurality of LEDs each LED emitting light in a substantially lambertian radiation pattern.

5. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of cylindrical lenses.

6. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of cylindrical lenses oriented parallel to a major plane of the aircraft.

7. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 wherein the lenticular lens is oriented substantially orthogonal to the cylindrical lens.

8. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 wherein the lenticular lens and the cylindrical lens are formed on the same material.

9. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 wherein the lenticular lens and the cylindrical lens are formed on opposing faces of the same material.

10. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 1 further comprising reflectors to reflect light emitted from non-desired directions into the lenticular lens or the cylindrical lens where the light is guided via total internal reflection.

11. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 5 wherein each cylindrical lens is aligned in front of a portion of the plurality of LEDs.

12. A method for directing the light from an aircraft external lighting system comprising:

dispersing the light emitted from a light source;

spreading the light along a first axis;

focusing the light along a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis in a plurality of desired directions.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the light source is a plurality of LEDs each LED emitting light in a substantially lambertian radiation pattern.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising reflecting light from directions not desired and redirecting the light in one or more of the desired directions.

15. An aircraft external lighting system comprising:

a light source comprising a plurality of LEDs;

a plurality of cylindrical lenses adjacent the light source, each cylindrical lens directing the light from the LEDs in a desired direction; and

a lenticular lens between the light source and the plurality cylindrical lenses, the lenticular lens oriented substantially orthogonal to the cylindrical lenses.

16. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 15 wherein the lenticular lenses and the cylindrical lenses are formed on opposing sides of the same material.

17. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 15 further comprising reflectors for reflecting light emitted in directions not desired and redirecting the light into the lenticular lens or the cylindrical lenses.

18. The aircraft external lighting system of claim 15 wherein each cylindrical lens is aligned with a portion of the plurality of LEDs.