White position taillight for aircraft

• US 7,118,261 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Whelen Engineering Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Todd J., Fredericks, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alavi, Ali
• Application Number:
  US10/718,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20050128759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 362/47, 362/470, 362/230, 362/231, 362/545, 340/945, 340/955
• US Class Current: 362/545
• 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 position light employs selected colored LEDs to produce a white appearing warning light with a reduced light component in the amplification spectrum of night vision imaging equipment. A combination of amber and cyan LEDs are selected to produce approximately three amber flux units for every cyan flux unit resulting in a white composite light. Both of the selected LEDs have dominant wavelengths of less than 600 nm.

Claims

1. An aircraft position light comprising:

a support comprising adjacent, substantially planar surfaces defining a reentrant angle, said support defining an interior angle between said planar surfaces, measured within said support, greater than 180°

;

a plurality of LEDs mounted to each said planar surface; and

a circuit for energizing said LEDs,

wherein said LEDs produce light when energized in a pattern subtending an obtuse angle centered on a line bisecting said reentrant angle.

2. The position light of claim 1, wherein said interior angle is approximately 270°

.

3. The position light of claim 1, wherein said reentrant angle is bisected by a plane and said support is substantially symmetrical on either side of said plane.

4. The position light of claim 1, comprising a plurality of thermally transmissive PC boards, intermediate each said plurality of LEDs and each said support surface.

5. The position light of claim 1, wherein said obtuse angle is approximately 140°

.

6. An aircraft position light comprising:

two substantially planar elongate PC boards;

a linear array of LEDs mounted to each said PC board, each said LED having an optical axis, the optical axes of each said linear array collectively defining a direction of light transmission for each linear array; and

a circuit for simultaneously energizing said LEDs,

wherein said LEDs produce light when energized, said PC boards supported so that said linear arrays are substantially parallel and the direction of light transmission of said linear arrays intersect at an angle of approximately 90°

.

7. The aircraft position light of claim 6, comprising a thermally conductive support to which said PC boards are secured.

8. The aircraft position light of claim 7, wherein said PC boards are thermally conductive and provide a thermal pathway from said LEDs to said support.

9. The aircraft position light of claim 6, wherein the plurality of LEDs mounted to said first PC board is substantially identical to the plurality of LEDs mounted to said second PC board.

10. The aircraft position light of claim 6, wherein each said PC board comprises a thermally transmissive substantially planar PC board and said position light comprises:

a thermally conductive support, said support having a substantially planar surface for each of said PC boards, said planar surfaces adjoining along one edge to define an included angle between said planar surfaces.

11. The aircraft position light of claim 10, wherein said LEDs have a viewing angle and said viewing angle and said included angle result in a light radiation pattern from the position light extending over an arc of 140°

in a first plane perpendicular to a second plane bisecting said included angle.

12. An aircraft position light comprising:

a support defining two substantially planar surfaces adjacent to each other along one edge, said surfaces defining an included angle of less than 180°

;

a substantially planar, thermally conductive PC board mounted in thermally conductive relationship to each said planar surface,

a plurality of LEDs mounted to each said PC board, each said LED having an optical axis, the optical axes of said plurality of LEDs collectively defining a direction of light transmission for each said plurality of LEDs;

wherein the direction of light transmission of one said plurality of LEDs intersect the direction of light transmission of the other said plurality of LEDs.

13. The aircraft position light of claim 12, wherein said included angle is 90°

.

14. The aircraft position light of claim 12, wherein said support is thermally conductive and said PC boards provide a thermal pathway between said LEDs and said support.

15. The aircraft position light of claim 12, the direction of light transmission of one said plurality of LEDs intersect the direction of light transmission of the other said plurality of LEDs at an angle of approximately 90°

.

16. The aircraft position light of claim 12, wherein said LEDs have a viewing angle and said viewing angle and said included angle result in a light radiation pattern from the position light extending over an arc of approximately 140°

in a first plane perpendicular to a second plane bisecting said included angle.

17. The aircraft position light of claim 12, wherein said PC boards extend in a longitudinal direction and said support comprises a projection extending from a laterally outward edge of each said planar surface, said projection configured to block light from said LEDs, thereby providing an angular limit to a light radiation pattern produced by said position light in a plane perpendicular to said projections.

18. The aircraft position light of claim 17, wherein said light radiation pattern subtends an arc of approximately 140°

between said projections.