Calibration device for external lighting lamp of airplane and calibration method of calibration device

Abstract

The invention relates to a calibration device for an aircraft exterior lighting luminaire, the calibration device being mounted directly on a light emitting surface of the luminaire, the calibration device comprising a light-concentrating assembly defining a light through hole in a foremost portion away from the light emitting surface, such that the light-concentrating assembly covers the light emitting surface except the light through hole, the light through hole is aligned with the center of the light-emitting surface. The calibration device directly utilizes the light source of the lamp, so that the accuracy is improved. The invention further relates to a calibration method of the external lighting lamp of the airplane.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of external lighting for civil aircraft, and more particularly to a calibration device and a calibration method for external lighting fixtures of an aircraft. Background Art

[0002] Currently, civil aircraft are usually equipped with external lighting devices, which mainly play the roles of flight safety and navigation. The external lighting devices for civil aircraft mainly include landing lights, taxi lights, runway turning lights, takeoff lights and other fixtures, which are mainly used to illuminate the runway and its markings during the takeoff, approach and landing phases of the aircraft. Figure 1 Such a fixture 1 is shown.

[0003] External lighting devices usually have a relatively long irradiation distance. If they are not installed according to the design requirements, problems such as deviation of the irradiation position will occur, resulting in the flight crew on the aircraft being unable to obtain accurate information and affecting the flight safety of the aircraft. Therefore, after installing the fixtures, it is usually necessary to calibrate the installation angle of the fixtures so that they irradiate the desired area.

[0004] In order to prevent the irradiation position of the fixture from deviating to the desired area, it is necessary to calibrate the point with the maximum illuminance of the fixture. However, this calibration is not easy.

[0005] On the one hand, each fixture is usually installed at positions such as the nose landing gear, wing, and belly of the aircraft, generally outside the aircraft, without a direct reference structure, and only indirect measurement and theoretical calculation can be carried out. As Figure 2 shown, taking a common wing root fixture as an example, the mounting bracket 2 of the fixture 1 is usually not the main structure of the aircraft, and the cumulative error is relatively large. Therefore, there is a deviation between the theoretical calculation result and the actual irradiation area.

[0006] On the other hand, according to the formula for illuminance on the surface of an object: where E is the illuminance, I is the luminous intensity, r is the propagation distance of light (i.e., the distance from the ground to the light source), and θ is the angle between the irradiation direction of light and the ground. When the irradiation distance is relatively long, the actual maximum illuminance point in the illumination area will deviate from the theoretical maximum point, as Figure 3 shown. The irradiation areas of various fixtures (landing lights, taxi lights, runway turning lights, takeoff lights) of civil aircraft are very large, and the irradiation distances all exceed 50 meters. Among them, the irradiation distance of the takeoff light even exceeds 300 meters during the taxiing phase. In this case, it is difficult to determine the actual maximum illuminance point of the fixture 1 under ground conditions.

[0007] The above two aspects jointly result in a large deviation between the actual installation and the theoretical design of the fixture, and the calibration of the fixture installation angle becomes a difficult problem.

[0008] In addition, since modern lamps have evolved into LED dot matrix light sources, the light intensity of existing civil aircraft lamps is usually relatively high. Taking the landing lamp as an example, the central light intensity of its mainstream lamps is not less than 700,000 cd (candela). During equipment maintenance and calibration, the staff cannot turn on the lights for operation, and the routine maintenance of the equipment and the personal safety protection of the operators are troublesome problems.

[0009] In the prior art, many aircraft still use the method of turning on the lights to calibrate the target to verify the equipment installation. However, this method cannot avoid the error problem between the actual irradiation position and the theoretical irradiation position of the lamp under the ground state of the aircraft, and there are still situations where the external lighting equipment of the aircraft is installed deviating. In addition, there are also problems such as inconvenient equipment maintenance and insufficient protection of the operators.

[0010] Currently, there is also a method of installing a laser device on the surface of the equipment to determine the actual irradiation position of the lamp under the ground state. However, since the laser device is not the lamp body itself, this method cannot ensure the consistency between the irradiation direction of the surface-mounted light source and the irradiation direction of the lamp.

[0011] Therefore, there is still a need for a calibration device that can solve the problem of the deviation of the irradiation position of the external lighting equipment of the aircraft. Summary of the Invention

[0012] In order to solve the problem that the lamps of the existing aircraft external lighting system are prone to deviation of the irradiation position, the present invention provides a calibration device for aircraft external lighting lamps, which converges light into a point, making it easier to find the point of maximum illuminance for the calibration of the lamps.

[0013] Specifically, this calibration device for aircraft external lighting lamps is directly installed on the light-emitting surface of the lamp. The calibration device includes a light-gathering component, which defines a light-passing hole at the forefront away from the light-emitting surface, such that the light-gathering component covers the light-emitting surface except for the light-passing hole, and the light-passing hole is aligned with the center of the light-emitting surface. This calibration device uses the light-passing hole to converge light into a point, making it easier to find the point of maximum illuminance and thus easier to calibrate the lamp. Further, this calibration device of the present invention also directly uses the light source of the lamp itself for calibration, ensuring the consistency between the irradiation direction of the surface-mounted light source and the irradiation direction of the lamp.

[0014] Advantageously, the calibration device includes a mounting member that is mounted on the edge of the front surface and fixes the calibration device to the lamp.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the light-gathering component includes a first reflecting lens and a second reflecting lens. The first reflecting lens covers the upper half of the light-emitting surface, and the second reflecting lens covers the lower half of the light-emitting surface.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first reflecting lens and the second reflecting lens are convex lenses with the same focal length.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, the calibration device further includes a condenser lens, which is fixed together with the first reflecting lens and the second reflecting lens and is positioned in front of the light-emitting surface, such that the light emitted from the central region of the light-emitting surface enters the light passage hole via the condenser lens.

[0018] Further, the condenser lens is a convex lens, and it is positioned such that the light passage hole is aligned with the center of the convex lens.

[0019] Advantageously, the condenser lens is positioned with the first reflecting lens and / or the second reflecting lens such that the light emitted from the edge region of the light-emitting surface irradiates the first reflecting lens and / or the second reflecting lens via the condenser lens, is reflected from the first reflecting lens and / or the second reflecting lens, and reaches the central region of the light-emitting surface again via the condenser lens. After secondary light condensation, the light intensity of the light emitted from the light passage hole is extremely high, and the point irradiated can be considered as the lamp irradiation point, which is convenient for subsequent installation angle adjustment.

[0020] An absorbent coating is applied inside the light passage hole. The absorbent coating can absorb stray light and avoid interference from excessive light spots.

[0021] A plurality of converging lenses are installed inside the light passage hole, and the plurality of converging lenses are used to further converge the light entering the light passage hole. The plurality of converging lenses can further reduce the irradiation area of the light.

[0022] The present invention also relates to a calibration method for an aircraft external lighting fixture, which includes the following steps: parking the aircraft at a designated position; setting up a target on the ground; installing the calibration device for the aircraft external lighting fixture as described above on the lighting fixture of the aircraft; turning on the lighting fixture; and observing whether the irradiation point emitted by the lighting fixture via the calibration device is within the target, and if not, adjusting the lighting fixture so that the irradiation point is within the target.

[0023] The additional features and advantages of the described calibration device for the aircraft external lighting fixture will be stated in the following detailed description, and will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following or will be recognized by those skilled in the art from practicing the embodiments described herein. These descriptions include the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] With reference to the above objectives, the technical features of the present invention are clearly described in the following claims, and its advantages are apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings illustrate, by way of example, the preferred embodiments of the present invention without limiting the scope of the inventive concept.

[0025] Figure 1Shows a schematic diagram of an existing aircraft external lighting fixture.

[0026] Figure 2 Shows a schematic diagram of the installation position of an existing aircraft external lighting fixture.

[0027] Figure 3 Shows a schematic diagram of the maximum illuminance deviation of an existing aircraft external lighting fixture.

[0028] Figure 4 Shows a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a calibration device for an aircraft external lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 Shows a schematic diagram of the beam line in the central region of a calibration device for an aircraft external lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 Shows a schematic diagram of the beam line in the edge region of a calibration device for an aircraft external lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7 Shows a partially enlarged schematic diagram at the light passing hole of a calibration device for an aircraft external lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 8 Shows a schematic diagram of a scene when using a calibration method for an aircraft external lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 9 Shows a flowchart of a calibration method for an aircraft external lighting fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Reference numerals

[0035] 1 Lighting fixture

[0036] 2 Mounting bracket

[0037] 10 Light emitting surface

[0038] 11 Central region beam line

[0039] 12 Edge region beam line

[0040] 100 Calibration device

[0041] 110 Mounting member

[0042] 120 First reflecting lens

[0043] 130 Second reflecting lens

[0044] 140 Light passing hole

[0045] 141 Absorbing coating

[0046] 142 Converging lens

[0047] 150 Condensing lens

[0048] 200 Aircraft

[0049] 210 Target

[0050] 220 Irradiation point Detailed implementation manners

[0051] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but it shall not be used as a basis for any limitation to the present invention.

[0052] The orientation term "front" used herein refers to the direction of the light emitted by the light source towards the point with the maximum theoretical illuminance (refer to Figure 3 ), while "rear" is the direction opposite to "front". The orientation terms "upper", "lower", etc. used herein are described with reference to the direction shown in Figure 4 . It should be understood that in actual use, the components are not limited to the described directions.

[0053] The terms "front surface" and "light-emitting surface" of the lamp used herein can be used interchangeably, and the light is scattered forward from the light-emitting surface of the lamp.

[0054] The present invention relates to a calibration device for a lamp, which is used for external lighting devices of civil aircraft, such as landing lights, taxi lights, runway turning lights, takeoff lights, etc. However, it can be understood that the calibration device for the lamp described in the present invention can be used for lamps of any other means of transportation without limitation.

[0055] Figure 4 A preferred embodiment of the lamp 1 and the calibration device 100 for the lamp 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The calibration device 100 is directly mounted on the light-emitting surface 10 of the lamp 1. This calibration device of the present invention also directly uses the light source of the lamp itself for calibration to ensure the consistency between the irradiation direction of the surface-mounted light source and the irradiation direction of the lamp. In this embodiment of the present invention, the calibration device 100 includes mounting members 110 (not fully shown), and these mounting members 110 are mounted on the edge of the front surface and fix the calibration device 100 to the lamp 1. For example, the mounting members 110 may have mounting holes (not shown), and screws may be used to pass through the threaded holes of the mounting members 110 and the threaded holes on the lamp 1 (see Figure 1 ) to fixedly mount the calibration device 100 to the lamp 1.

[0056] Refer to Figure 4, the calibration device 100 includes a light condensing assembly, which includes a first reflecting lens 120 and a second reflecting lens 130. The first reflecting lens 120 covers the upper half of the light emitting surface 10, and the second reflecting lens 130 covers the lower half of the light emitting surface 10. In this embodiment, the first reflecting lens 120 and the second reflecting lens 130 here are merely examples rather than limitations. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the light condensing assembly may include three, four or more reflecting lenses, as long as these reflecting lenses can cover a part of the light emitting surface 10. The part of the light condensing assembly that does not include the reflecting lens and the reflecting lens together cover the light emitting surface 10, only exposing the area aligned with the light passing hole 140 (which will be described in detail below). Further, in this embodiment, the first reflecting lens 120 and the second reflecting lens 130 are convex lenses with the same focal length, but they can also be convex lenses with different focal lengths, or even other types of reflecting mirrors.

[0057] In addition, although the embodiment in the figure shows that the light condensing assembly tapers into a cone towards the center of the light emitting surface 10 in the forward direction, this is merely an example, and the outer contour of the light condensing assembly can be of various shapes without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0058] Continuing to refer to Figure 4 , the light condensing assembly defines a light passing hole 140 at the frontmost part away from the light emitting surface 10, so that when looking in the backward direction, the light condensing assembly completely covers the light emitting surface 10 except for the area of the light passing hole 140. The light passing hole 140 is aligned with the center of the light emitting surface 10 in the forward direction. The calibration device uses the light passing hole 140 to converge the light into a point, so as to more easily find the point of maximum illuminance and make it easier to calibrate the lamp. For ease of understanding, the light passing hole 140 is regarded as having a circular cross-section, but other cross-sectional shapes of the light passing hole 140 are also within the scope of the present invention. The size of the light passing hole 140 can be adjusted according to the actual lamp or application scenario.

[0059] As Figure 4 and 5As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, the calibration device 100 further includes a condenser lens 150. The condenser lens 150 is fixed together with the first reflecting lens 120 and the second reflecting lens 130 and is positioned in front of the light-emitting surface 10. Note that the positional relationship between the condenser lens 150 and the first reflecting lens 120 and the second reflecting lens 130 in the figure is merely illustrative rather than the actual structure. For example, the condenser lens 150 can be installed in a frame, and this frame can be fixed together with the frames of the first reflecting lens 120 and the second reflecting lens 130. A part of the light from the light-emitting surface 10 can enter the light-passing hole 140 via the condenser lens (referred to as "primary light concentration"). The area that emits this part of the light is called the "central area", and the remaining light-emitting areas of the light-emitting surface 10 are called the "edge areas". In this embodiment, the condenser lens 150 is preferably a convex lens, and it is positioned such that the light-passing hole 140 is aligned with the center of the convex lens. Figure 5 Schematically shows the central area light beam line 11 of the light-emitting surface 10, which directly enters the light-passing hole 140 after being refracted by the condenser lens 150.

[0060] As Figure 6 shown, for the light emitted from the edge area of the light-emitting surface 10 (represented by the edge area light beam line 12), the condenser lens 150 and the first reflecting lens 120 and / or the second reflecting lens 130 are positioned such that the edge area light beam line 12 emitted from the edge area of the light-emitting surface 10 irradiates (for example, in the case where the condenser lens 150 is a convex lens, refracts to) the first reflecting lens 120 and / or the second reflecting lens 130 via the condenser lens 150, and then is reflected from the first reflecting lens 120 and / or the second reflecting lens 130 and reaches (for example, in the case where the condenser lens 150 is a convex lens, refracts to) the central area of the light-emitting surface 10 via the condenser lens 150. The light reaching the central area of the light-emitting surface 10 is reflected again and enters the condenser lens 150 again. After being concentrated by the condenser lens, it enters the light-passing hole 140 (referred to as "secondary light concentration").

[0061] Turning Figure 7 , more details of the light-passing hole 140 are shown. As shown, the inner surface of the light-passing hole 140 is coated with an absorbing coating 141, usually a black coating. This coating can absorb stray light, that is, absorb the light that still irradiates on the absorbing coating 141 after being concentrated, so as to avoid the appearance of extra light spots. In addition, a plurality of converging lenses 142 are installed in the light-passing hole 140. The plurality of converging lenses are used to further converge the light entering the light-passing hole, so as to further reduce the irradiation area of the light and increase the intensity of the emitted light.

[0062] Finally, the light intensity of the light emitted from the light-passing hole 140 after primary light concentration and secondary light concentration is extremely high. It can be considered that the irradiated point is the theoretical irradiation point, which is convenient for subsequent adjustment of the installation angle of the lamp.

[0063] Reference Figure 8 and 9 , the present invention also relates to a calibration method for aircraft external lighting fixtures, the method comprising the steps of: parking the aircraft 200 at a designated position; initially installing the fixture and measuring its actual installation height, calculating its theoretical irradiation position according to the design requirements of the irradiation angle of the fixture, and correspondingly setting a target 210 on the ground; installing the calibration device for aircraft external lighting fixtures as described above on the fixture of the aircraft; turning on the fixture; and observing whether the irradiation point 220 emitted by the fixture via the calibration device is located within the target 210, if not, adjusting the fixture (such as adjusting the irradiation angle of the fixture, etc.) so that the irradiation point is located within the target 210. Finally, the calibration of the fixture is completed. It can be seen that this calibration method for aircraft external lighting fixtures is extremely simple, and on the premise of ensuring the effectiveness of calibration, it avoids the problem that the irradiation direction of other light sources is inconsistent with the irradiation direction of the fixture.

[0064] Although the structure of the present invention has been described above in conjunction with preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art in this technical field should recognize that the above examples are only for illustration and cannot be used as a limitation to the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can be modified and varied, and these modifications and variations will all fall within the scope defined by the appended claims of this application.

Claims

1. A calibration device for aircraft external lighting fixtures, characterized in that The calibration device is directly mounted on the light-emitting surface of the lamp. The calibration device includes a light condensing assembly. The light condensing assembly defines a light passing hole at the foremost part away from the light-emitting surface, such that the light condensing assembly covers the light-emitting surface except for the light passing hole. Wherein, the light passing hole is aligned with the center of the light-emitting surface.

2. The calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to claim 1, wherein the calibration device includes a mounting member, and the mounting member is mounted on the edge of the light-emitting surface to fix the calibration device to the lamp.

3. The calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light condensing assembly includes a first reflecting lens and a second reflecting lens. The first reflecting lens covers the upper half of the light-emitting surface, and the second reflecting lens covers the lower half of the light-emitting surface.

4. The calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to claim 3, wherein the first reflecting lens and the second reflecting lens are convex lenses with the same focal length.

5. The calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to claim 4, wherein it further includes a light condensing lens. The light condensing lens is fixed together with the first reflecting lens and the second reflecting lens, and is positioned in front of the light-emitting surface, such that the light emitted from the central area of the light-emitting surface enters the light passing hole via the light condensing lens.

6. The calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to claim 5, wherein the light condensing lens is a convex lens, and it is positioned such that the light passing hole is aligned with the center of the convex lens.

7. The calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the light condensing lens and the first reflecting lens and / or the second reflecting lens are positioned such that the light emitted from the edge area of the light-emitting surface irradiates the first reflecting lens and / or the second reflecting lens via the light condensing lens, is reflected from the first reflecting lens and / or the second reflecting lens, and reaches the central area of the light-emitting surface again via the light condensing lens.

8. The calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the light passing hole is coated with an absorbent coating.

9. The calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of converging lenses are installed in the light passing hole, and the plurality of converging lenses are used to further converge the light entering the light passing hole.

10. A calibration method for an aircraft external lighting lamp, comprising the following steps: park the aircraft at a designated position; set up a target on the ground; mount the calibration device for an aircraft external lighting lamp according to any one of claims 1-9 on the lamp of the aircraft; turn on the lamp; observe whether the irradiation point emitted by the lamp via the calibration device is located within the target. If not, adjust the lamp so that the irradiation point is located within the target.

Images