Lighting device and aviation marker light

Abstract

To provide a lighting device that makes it possible to easily obtain information on the position of fixed equipment that has been attached to the lighting device before maintenance regarding the lighting device undergoing maintenance.SOLUTION: In an embodiment, a lighting device is provided that is removably attached to fixed equipment fixed to a roadbed in an aviation marker light, and the lighting device includes a storage medium, a communication unit, and a processing unit. The storage medium is capable of storing information, and the communication unit receives equipment position information relating to the position of the attached fixed equipment in real time while the lighting device is attached to the fixed equipment. The processing unit updates the information stored in the storage medium by storing the received equipment position information in the storage medium in response to the equipment position information being received by the communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a lamp and an aircraft beacon. [Background technology]

[0002] Aircraft beacons are used in aircraft passageways such as airport taxiways and runways, and the aircraft beacons include fixed equipment and lamps. The fixed equipment has a base and is fixed to the roadbed in the aircraft passageway. The lamps are removably attached to the fixed equipment fixed to the roadbed. Aircraft beacons are periodically maintained. In lamp maintenance, the lamp to be maintained is removed from the fixed equipment, and another lamp that has already been maintained is newly attached to the fixed equipment. The lamp removed from the fixed equipment is then transported to the airport's backyard or the like, where maintenance such as inspection and repair is carried out.

[0003] In an aircraft aisle, multiple fixed equipment are installed at different positions relative to each other. Therefore, when maintenance is performed on a lighting device as described above, the lighting device that has undergone maintenance may be attached to a fixed equipment at a position different from the fixed equipment that was attached before the maintenance. In other words, the fixed equipment to which a lighting device is attached is not necessarily limited to one fixed equipment, and the fixed equipment to which a lighting device is attached may be different each time maintenance is performed.

[0004] Here, in aircraft aisles, the location where a light unit is installed has a large impact on the failure of the light unit, etc. For this reason, trend observations are being conducted on the impact that the location where a light unit is installed has on the failure of the light unit, etc. In the trend observations described above, it is required to be able to easily obtain information on the location of the fixed equipment that was installed immediately before the maintenance of a light unit undergoing maintenance in a back yard or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-85264 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a lamp and an aviation beacon that make it possible to easily obtain, for a lamp undergoing maintenance, information regarding the location of fixed equipment that was attached before maintenance was performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In an embodiment, a lamp unit is provided that is removably attached to fixed equipment fixed to a roadbed in an aviation beacon light, and the lamp unit includes a storage medium, a communication unit, and a processing unit. The storage medium is capable of storing information, and the communication unit receives equipment position information related to the position of the fixed equipment in real time while the lamp unit is attached to the fixed equipment. The processing unit updates the information stored in the storage medium by storing the received equipment position information in the storage medium in response to the equipment position information being received by the communication unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lamp and an aviation beacon that make it possible to easily obtain, for a lamp undergoing maintenance, information regarding the position of fixed equipment that was attached before maintenance was performed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates an aircraft marker light according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a communication system between a communication module installed in a fixed piece of equipment and a communication module in a lighting unit in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the work carried out in an aircraft aisle where the lighting device is used during maintenance of the lighting device in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the communication module installed in the fixed equipment and the communication module of the lighting device attached to the fixed equipment in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of updating information stored in a storage medium by storing received equipment position information in a communication module of a certain lighting device in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of updating information in the lamp database in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart that shows, in a modified example, an example of processing that is performed by a communication module installed in fixed equipment and a communication module of a lighting fixture attached to the fixed equipment, separately from the example of processing in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In the embodiment, a light unit (11) is provided that is removably attached to a fixed equipment (10) that is fixed to a roadbed (2) in an aviation beacon light (1), and the light unit (11) includes a storage medium (33), a communication unit (31), and a processing unit (32). The storage medium (33) is capable of storing information, and the communication unit (31) receives equipment position information (25) related to the position of the fixed equipment (10) attached in real time when the light unit (11) is attached to the fixed equipment (10). The processing unit (32) updates the information stored in the storage medium (33) by storing the received equipment position information (25) in the storage medium (33) in correspondence with the equipment position information (25) received by the communication unit (31). This makes it possible to easily obtain information related to the position of the fixed equipment (10) that was attached before the maintenance of the light unit (11) that is undergoing maintenance.

[0011] In the lighting device (11) of the embodiment, the communication section (31) receives equipment position information (25) in real time from the communication module (20) installed in the fixed equipment (10) to which it is attached. This makes it possible to store the equipment position information (25) in the storage medium (33) of the lighting device (11) without providing a communication device such as a terminal separately from the communication module (20) installed in the fixed equipment (10) and the communication configuration of the lighting device (11).

[0012] The aviation beacon light (1) of the embodiment includes a fixed equipment (10), a communication module (20), and a lighting device (11), and the lighting device (11) includes a storage medium (33), a communication unit (31), and a processing unit (32). The fixed equipment (10) is fixed to a roadbed (2), and the lighting device (11) is removably attached to the fixed equipment (10). The communication module (20) is installed on the fixed equipment (10) and transmits equipment position information (25) related to the position of the installed fixed equipment (10). In the lighting device (11), the storage medium (33) is capable of storing information, and the communication unit (31) receives the equipment position information (25) from the communication module (20) when the lighting device (11) is attached to the fixed equipment (10). In the lighting unit (11), the processing unit (32) stores the received equipment position information (25) in the storage medium (33) in association with the reception of the equipment position information (25) by the communication unit (31), thereby updating the information stored in the storage medium (33). This makes it possible to easily obtain information regarding the position of the fixed equipment (10) that was attached before maintenance for the lighting unit (11) undergoing maintenance.

[0013] In the aviation beacon light (1) of the embodiment, the communication section (31) of the light unit (11) transmits information stored in the storage medium (33) to the communication module (20), thereby causing the transmitted information to be stored in the communication module (20). This makes it possible to obtain the time history of the light unit (11) that has been attached to the fixed equipment (10) by reading the stored information from the communication module (20) installed in the fixed equipment (10). Furthermore, by reading the stored information from the communication module (20), it becomes possible to obtain maintenance information (35) and the like for the light unit (11) attached to the fixed equipment (10) in real time.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] First, a first embodiment will be described as an example of an embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an aviation beacon 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a cross section parallel or approximately parallel to the vertical direction is shown. The aviation beacon 1 is used in aircraft passages such as taxiways and runways at airports. Here, in aircraft passages such as taxiways, a roadbed (not shown) is formed over the entire aircraft passage. In the aircraft passage, a plurality of roadbeds 2 are arranged vertically above the roadbed, and a road surface (passage surface) 3 is formed by the plurality of roadbeds 2. The roadbed 2 is formed from asphalt concrete, crushed stone cement, or the like. Note that only one roadbed 2 is shown in FIG. 1.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, an aviation beacon 1 includes a fixed equipment 10 and a lamp unit 11. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the aviation beacon 1 includes a base 12, an adjustment ring 13, and a spacer 15 as the fixed equipment 10. A hole 5 recessed vertically downward from a road surface 3 is formed in a roadbed 2 of an aircraft passage. The fixed equipment 10 is installed inside the hole 5 and fixed to the roadbed 2. The fixed equipment 10 is embedded inside the roadbed 2. The base 12 and the spacer 15 do not protrude vertically upward from the road surface 3, and are not exposed at the road surface 3. In the aviation beacon 1, the lamp unit 11 is attached from the vertically upward side to the fixed equipment 10 installed inside the hole 5. The lamp unit 11 is removably attached to the fixed equipment 10 fixed to the roadbed 2.

[0017] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the base 12 is placed at the bottom of the hole 5, and the spacer 15 is attached to the base 12 from above vertically. Then, the adjustment ring 13 is attached to the spacer 15 from above vertically. Then, the lighting device 11 is placed on the adjustment ring 13 from above vertically, and is attached to the base 12 with the adjustment ring 13 and the spacer 15 in between. Note that in one example, the spacer 15 is not provided as the fixed equipment 10, and the fixed equipment 10 is composed of the base 12 and the adjustment ring 13. In this case, the adjustment ring 13 is attached directly to the base 12 from above vertically. Then, the lighting device 11 is attached to the base 12 with only the adjustment ring 13 in between.

[0018] When the lighting device 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10 as described above, at least a part of the lighting device 11 protrudes vertically upward from the road surface 3, and a part of the lighting device 11 is exposed at the road surface 3. The lighting device 11 includes a light source unit (not shown), which is disposed inside the lighting device 11. The light source unit includes a light-emitting element. The light-emitting element provided in the light source unit may be an LED (light emitting diode), or may be a light-emitting element other than an LED. When power is supplied to the light source unit, the light source unit performs a light-emitting operation using the light-emitting element, and emits light such as visible light. The light from the light source unit is then irradiated to the outside of the lighting device 11. When the lighting device 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10, light from the light source unit of the lighting device 11 is irradiated to aircraft in an aircraft passage such as a taxiway. The light from the light source unit of the lighting device 11 may be irradiated to the ground (road surface, etc.).

[0019] Power lines 16 extend inside the roadbed 2, and are embedded in the roadbed 2 in aircraft passageways such as taxiways. The power lines 16 are connectable to lighting devices 11. When the power lines 16 are connected to the lighting devices 11, power is supplied to the lighting devices 11 through the power lines 16. When power is supplied through the power lines 16, the light source units of the lighting devices 11 perform light emitting operations and irradiate light as described above.

[0020] In this embodiment, a communication module (equipment-side communication module) 20 is installed in a fixed equipment 10 embedded in a roadbed 2. The communication module 20 is placed in a hole 5 and embedded inside the roadbed 2 together with the fixed equipment 10. The communication module 20 becomes a fixed-side communication module that is fixed to the roadbed 2 together with the fixed equipment 10. In one example of FIG. 1, the communication module 20 is attached to a base 12. In one example, the communication module 20 is attached to an adjustment ring 13. In another example, a spacer 15 is provided as the fixed equipment 10, and the communication module 20 is attached to the spacer 15. However, in both examples, the communication module 20 is placed in the hole 5. In a state in which a light unit 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10, the communication module 20 is located vertically below the light unit 11.

[0021] The light device 11 also includes a communication module (light device side communication module) 30, which is installed inside the light device 11. When the light device 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10, the communication module 30 of the light device 11 performs wireless communication with the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10. The communication method of wireless communication between the communication modules 20, 30 is not particularly limited. In one example, wireless communication is performed between the communication modules 20, 30 using existing communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, BlueTooth (registered trademark), and Wi-SUN, or by combining existing communication technologies. In another example, wireless communication is performed between the communication modules 20, 30 using infrared rays or ultraviolet rays. The communication module 30 of the light device 11 may be attached to a surface (for example, a lower surface, etc.) of the light device 11. In this case, the communication module 30 may be configured to be detachable from the light device 11.

[0022] In the example of FIG. 1, the communication module 30 performs operations such as communication operations using power supplied through the power line 16. Also, in the example of FIG. 1, a battery 17 is installed in the fixed equipment 10, and the battery 17 is disposed inside the hole 5. When the lighting device 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10, the battery 17 is positioned vertically below the lighting device 11. In the example of FIG. 1, the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 performs operations such as communication operations using power from the battery 17. Note that, in one example, the battery 17 is not provided, and the power line 16 can be connected to the communication module 20 in addition to the lighting device 11. In this case, the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 performs operations such as communication operations using power supplied through the power line 16.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication system between the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 and the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication module 20 includes a communication unit 21, a processing unit 22, and a storage medium 23, and the communication module 30 includes a communication unit 31, a processing unit 32, and a storage medium 33. The communication unit 21 is also referred to as an "equipment-side communication unit" and a "fixed-side communication unit", and the processing unit 22 is also referred to as an "equipment-side processing unit" and a "fixed-side processing unit". Similarly, the storage medium 23 is also referred to as an "equipment-side storage medium" and a "fixed-side storage medium". Moreover, the communication unit 31 is also referred to as a "lamp-side communication unit" and a "mobile-side communication unit", and the processing unit 32 is also referred to as a "lamp-side processing unit" and a "mobile-side processing unit". Similarly, the storage medium 33 is also referred to as a "lamp-side storage medium" and a "mobile-side storage medium".

[0024] Each of the communication units 21, 31 is composed of, for example, a communication circuit etc. The communication module 20 wirelessly communicates with the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10 via the communication unit 21. Furthermore, when the lighting device 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10, the communication module 30 wirelessly communicates with the communication module 20 via the communication unit 31. Note that the communication module 20 and the communication module 30 may be connected via a wire and configured to communicate via a wire.

[0025] Each of the processing units 22, 32 is composed of a processor or an integrated circuit. The processor or integrated circuit constituting each of the processing units 22, 32 includes any of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a microcomputer, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and a DSP (Digital Signal processor). Each of the processing units 22, 32 may include only one integrated circuit or the like, or may include multiple integrated circuits or the like. Each of the storage media 23, 33 is composed of, for example, a memory or the like.

[0026] In the communication module 20, which is a fixed-side communication module, equipment position information 25 relating to the position of the installed fixed equipment 10 is stored in a storage medium 23. The equipment position information 25 indicates, for example, the position coordinates of the fixed equipment 10 on which the communication module 20 is installed. The position coordinates of the fixed equipment 10 may be indicated as an absolute position such as position coordinates based on a GPS (Global Positioning System), or may be indicated as a relative position based on a reference position in the airport.

[0027] In one example, the communication module 20 is capable of wireless communication with a GPS satellite (not shown) using radio waves from the GPS satellite. For example, the communication module 20 is configured to be capable of communication with a GPS satellite when the lighting device 11 is detached from the fixed equipment 10. The communication module 20 then wirelessly communicates with the GPS satellite at the position of the fixed equipment 10 to be installed, thereby measuring the position coordinates of the fixed equipment 10 to be installed using position coordinates based on the GPS. The processing unit 22 of the communication module 20 then writes equipment position information 25 indicating the measured position coordinates to the storage medium 23.

[0028] In another example, a terminal (not shown) separate from the communication module 20 wirelessly communicates with a GPS satellite at the position of the fixed equipment 10 on which the communication module 20 is installed. The terminal then wirelessly communicates with the GPS satellite to measure the position coordinates of the fixed equipment 10 on which the communication module 20 is installed using GPS-based position coordinates. The terminal then writes the equipment position information 25 to the storage medium 23 by transmitting equipment position information 25 indicating the measured position coordinates to the communication module 20.

[0029] In addition, when the position coordinates of the fixed equipment 10 are indicated in the equipment position information 25 as a relative position with respect to a reference position, for example, a radio wave transmitter is placed at the reference position. Then, the communication module 20 or the terminal wirelessly communicates with the radio wave transmitter placed at the reference position to measure the position coordinates of the fixed equipment 10 on which the communication module 20 is installed as a relative position with respect to the reference position. Then, in a manner similar to any of the above-mentioned examples, the equipment position information 25 indicating the position coordinates is written to the storage medium 23.

[0030] In one example, the equipment location information 25 indicates an identifier of the fixed equipment 10, such as the base number or management code of the fixed equipment 10 on which the communication module 20 is installed, instead of the position coordinates of the fixed equipment 10. In this case, for each of the fixed equipment 10 installed in the aircraft passageway, the position where it is installed (fixed) on the roadbed 2 can be identified from the identifier, such as the base number or management code, using an airport management system or the like. In this example, for example, the equipment location information 25 indicating the identifier is transmitted to the communication module 20 by a terminal or the like, whereby the equipment location information 25 is written to the storage medium 23.

[0031] 2, in the communication module 30, which is the lighting device side communication module, maintenance information 35 relating to maintenance of the lighting device 11 is stored in a storage medium 33. The maintenance information 35 indicates the content of maintenance that has been performed in the past on the lighting device 11. The content of the maintenance indicates the date on which the maintenance was performed and whether or not any parts were replaced, and if any parts were replaced, information about the replaced parts is indicated.

[0032] Here, in the aircraft beacon light 1, maintenance of the lamp 11 is performed periodically, for example, every six months or one year. FIG. 3 explains the work performed in the maintenance of the lamp 11 in an aircraft passageway, which is the site where the lamp 11 is used. As shown in FIG. 3 etc., in the aircraft passageway, a plurality of fixed equipment 10 are installed at different positions relative to each other. Then, in the aircraft passageway, a plurality of fixed equipment 10 fixed to a roadbed 2 are arranged. The plurality of fixed equipment 10 may be arranged along the aircraft passageway, or may be arranged along a direction intersecting (perpendicular or substantially perpendicular) the aircraft passageway. Then, in the aircraft passageway, a lamp 11 is removably attached to each of the plurality of fixed equipment 10 fixed to the roadbed 2.

[0033] In maintenance of the lighting fixture 11, the lighting fixture 11 to be maintained (light fixture 11A) is removed from the fixed equipment 10. Then, another lighting fixture 11 (light fixture 11B) that has been maintained is newly attached to the fixed equipment 10 from which the lighting fixture 11 was removed. In the example of FIG. 3, lighting fixture 11A is removed from each of multiple fixed equipment 10 fixed to the roadbed 2. Then, lighting fixture 11B that has been maintained and is different from lighting fixture 11A is newly attached to each of the fixed equipment 10.

[0034] Furthermore, in the maintenance of the lighting device 11, the lighting device 11 (11A) removed from the fixed equipment 10 is transported to a backyard or the like of an airport, where maintenance such as inspection and repair of the lighting device 11 is performed. Furthermore, in the case where maintenance information 35 is stored in the storage medium 33 as in the example of FIG. 2, when maintenance of the lighting device 11 is performed in the backyard or the like, information on the contents of the performed maintenance is written to the storage medium 33. At this time, for example, information on the contents of the performed maintenance is written to the storage medium 33 by transmitting the information on the contents of the performed maintenance to the communication module 30 using a terminal or the like. As a result, the maintenance information 35 stored in the storage medium 33 is updated.

[0035] As described above, when maintenance is performed on the lighting device 11, the lighting device 11 that has been maintained may be attached to a fixed equipment 10 at a position different from the fixed equipment 10 to which it was attached before the maintenance. In other words, the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 is attached is not necessarily limited to one fixed equipment 10, and the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 is attached may be different each time maintenance is performed. In one example, a certain lighting device 11 can be attached to fixed equipment 10 at positions P1, P2, and P3. And, the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 is attached changes each time maintenance is performed on the lighting device 11, in the order of positions P1, P2, and P3.

[0036] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 and the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10. The example of processing in FIG. 4 is started from a state in which the lighting device 11 (e.g., 11A) to be maintained is removed from the fixed equipment 10, and is started from a state in which the lighting device 11 is not attached to the fixed equipment 10.

[0037] When the process of the example of FIG. 4 is started, the processing unit 22 of the communication module 20, which is the fixed-side communication module, determines whether or not a new lamp 11 (e.g., 11B) has been attached to the fixed equipment 10 (S51). In one example, a brightness sensor (not shown) is disposed inside the hole 5, and the brightness sensor detects the brightness in the hole 5. Then, the processing unit 22 determines whether or not a new lamp 11 has been attached to the fixed equipment 10 based on the detection result of the brightness sensor. Here, the amount of light, etc., incident on the hole 5 is reduced by attaching the lamp 11 to the fixed equipment 10. Therefore, when the lamp 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10, the inside of the hole 5 becomes darker than when the lamp 11 is not attached to the fixed equipment 10. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the lamp 11 has been attached to the fixed equipment 10 based on the detection result of the brightness in the hole 5. In one example, when a connection is established between the communication module 20 and the communication module 30, it is determined whether or not a new lighting device 11 (eg, 11B) has been attached to the fixed equipment 10.

[0038] If the lighting device 11 has not been attached to the fixed equipment 10 (S51-No), the process returns to S51. For this reason, the process waits in S51 until the lighting device 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10. On the other hand, if a lighting device 11 has been newly attached to the fixed equipment 10 (S51-Yes), the processing unit 22 of the communications module 20 causes the communications unit 21 to transmit the equipment position information 25 stored in the storage medium 23 (S52). At this time, the equipment position information 25 may be transmitted only once immediately after it is determined that a new lighting device 11 has been attached, or the equipment position information 25 may be transmitted periodically after it is determined that a new lighting device 11 has been attached.

[0039] Then, in the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 newly attached to the fixed equipment 10, i.e., the lighting device side communication module, the communication unit 31 receives the equipment position information 25 transmitted from the communication module 20 (S53). The equipment position information 25 is received as information relating to the position of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 is attached in real time. Then, the processing unit 32 of the communication module 30 writes the equipment position information 25 received by the communication unit 31 to the storage medium 33, for example, to store it therein (S54). As a result, the information stored in the storage medium 33 is updated.

[0040] In one example, the communication module 20 receives a command signal requesting the communication module 20 to transmit the equipment position information 25 from the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10 or an external device (for example, a management device connected via the power line 16 or a communication line installed in parallel with the power line 16, or a terminal device operated by a person). By configuring in this way, it is possible to transmit the equipment position information 25 at a desired timing. Then, in response to receiving the command signal, the communication module 20 transmits the equipment position information 25 to the communication module 30 that transmitted the command signal. As a result, the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10 receives the equipment position information 25 and stores the received equipment position information 25 in the storage medium 33. In this case, step S51 shown in FIG. 4 can be omitted.

[0041] Fig. 5 shows an example of updating the information stored in the storage medium 33 by storing received equipment position information 25 in the communication module 30 of a certain lighting device 11. In the example of Fig. 5, a case will be described in which a lighting device 11 that has been attached to fixed equipment 10 in the order of position P1 and position P2 is newly attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P3. Also, in the example of Fig. 5, an attachment position history that is a history of the positions of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 has been attached is stored in the storage medium 33 of the communication module 30.

[0042] 5, the equipment position information 25 for the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 is attached is stored in real time in the storage medium 33, thereby updating the mounting position history in the storage medium 33. In fact, the mounting position history before the update only indicates that the lighting device 11 has been attached to the fixed equipment 10 in the order of position P1 and position P2. Then, the mounting position history after the update indicates that the lighting device 11 was attached to the fixed equipment 10 in the order of position P1 and position P2, and then the lighting device 11 was attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P3.

[0043] In one example, in the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11, the mounting position history described above is not stored in the storage medium 33. In this case, the communication module 30 updates the information stored in the storage medium 33 by, for example, storing the received equipment position information 25 as is in the storage medium 33. In this example, by updating the information stored in the storage medium 33, the equipment position information 25 relating to the position of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 is attached in real time is added as stored information.

[0044] As described above, in this embodiment, when the lighting device 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10, the communication unit 31 of the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 receives equipment position information 25 related to the position of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 is attached in real time. Then, the processing unit 32 of the communication module 30 updates the information stored in the storage medium 33 by storing the received equipment position information 25 in the storage medium 33 in correspondence with the reception of the equipment position information 25 by the communication unit 31. As a result, when the lighting device 11 is removed from the fixed equipment 10 and maintenance of the lighting device 11 is being performed in a back yard or the like, information related to the position of the fixed equipment 10 that was attached immediately before the maintenance is stored in the storage medium 33 of the lighting device 11.

[0045] Therefore, for a lighting device 11 undergoing maintenance, information regarding the position of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 was attached immediately before maintenance is obtained by reading out the information stored in the storage medium 33. Therefore, for a lighting device 11 undergoing maintenance, information regarding the position of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 was attached immediately before maintenance can be easily obtained.

[0046] 5, an attachment position history, which is a history of the positions of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 has been attached, is stored in the storage medium 33 of the communication module 30. Then, the equipment position information 25 for the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 has been attached is stored in the storage medium 33 in real time, thereby updating the attachment position history in the storage medium 33. In this case, by reading out the information stored in the storage medium 33 for the lighting device 11 undergoing maintenance, an attachment position history including information on the position of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 was attached immediately before the maintenance is obtained. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily obtain an attachment position history, which is a history of the positions of the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 has been attached, for the lighting device 11 undergoing maintenance.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 receives equipment position information 25 in real time from the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 to which the lighting device 11 is attached. This makes it possible to store the equipment position information 25 in the storage medium 33 of the lighting device 11 without providing communication equipment such as a terminal separately from the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 and the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11.

[0048] Here, in aircraft passageways, the positions at which the light units 11 are attached have a large effect on failures of the light units 11, etc. For this reason, trend observations are conducted regarding the effect of the positions at which the light units 11 are attached on failures of the light units 11, etc. In one example, a light unit database showing information about a plurality of light units 11 used in aircraft passageways is stored in a computer system or the like at an airport. Then, trend observations regarding the effect of the positions at which the light units 11 are attached on failures of the light units 11, etc. are conducted based on the information shown in the light unit database.

[0049] When trend observation is performed using the lamp database, the lamp database indicates, for each of the multiple lamps 11, that is, for each lamp 11, an identifier and an installation position history, which is a history of the positions of the fixed equipment 10 that have been installed. The lamp database also indicates, for each of the multiple lamps 11, information on the occurrence or non-occurrence of a malfunction, that is, whether or not a malfunction has occurred since the start of use.

[0050] In the lamp database, information about a lamp 11 undergoing maintenance in a back yard or the like is updated based on the information stored in the storage medium 33 of that lamp 11. For example, for a lamp 11 undergoing maintenance, information about the position of the fixed equipment 10 that was attached immediately before the maintenance is read from the storage medium 33. Therefore, in the lamp database, the attachment position history, etc. of the lamp 11 undergoing maintenance is updated based on the information read from the storage medium 33. Also, for a lamp 11 in which a malfunction or the like was found during maintenance, the presence or absence of the malfunction, etc. is updated in the lamp database.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows an example of information update in the lamp database. In the example of FIG. 6, information on each of the lamps 11 with identifiers α1, α2, α3, and α4 is shown in the lamp database. Before the information update, the lamp database shows that the fixed equipment 10 that was attached before the previous maintenance was performed has changed, with the lamp 11 with identifier α1 at position P1 and position P2, the lamp 11 with identifier α2 at position P2 and position P3, the lamp 11 with identifier α3 at position P3 and position P4, and the lamp 11 with identifier α4 at position P4 and position P1. And, before the information update, the lamp database shows that failures occurred in the lamps 11 with identifiers α2 and α3, and no failures occurred in the lamps 11 with identifiers α1 and α4, until the end of the previous maintenance.

[0052] In the example of FIG. 6, during the period from the previous maintenance to the maintenance being performed in real time, the lighting device 11 with identifier α1 is attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P3, the lighting device 11 with identifier α2 is attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P4, the lighting device 11 with identifier α3 is attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P1, and the lighting device 11 with identifier α4 is attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P2. During the maintenance being performed in real time, information stored for each of the lighting devices 11 with identifiers α1 to α4 is read from the storage medium 33 to obtain information on the position of the fixed equipment 10 that was attached immediately before the maintenance. Then, in the lighting device database, information on the position of the fixed equipment 10 that was attached immediately before the maintenance is added for the lighting devices 11 with identifiers α1 to α4, and the attachment position history is updated.

[0053] 6, during maintenance being performed in real time, a fault is discovered in the lamp 11 with identifier α1. Then, in the lamp database, the status of the lamp 11 with identifier α1 whether or not a fault has occurred is changed from "no" to "present," and the information on whether or not a fault has occurred is updated.

[0054] Furthermore, when the trend observation described above is performed using the example lamp database of Figure 6, it is confirmed that the lamps 11 with identifiers α1 to α3 in which malfunctions have occurred were all attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P3. It is also confirmed that the lamp 11 with identifier α4 in which malfunctions have not occurred is not attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P3. For this reason, it is confirmed that malfunctions of the lamp 11 are more likely to occur when the lamp 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10 at position P3 than when the lamp 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10 at positions P1, P2, and P4.

[0055] In this embodiment, as described above, for a lighting fixture 11 undergoing maintenance, information on the position of the fixed equipment 10 that was attached immediately before the maintenance can be easily obtained. Therefore, when trend observation is performed using the lighting fixture database described above regarding the effect of the attachment position of the lighting fixture 11 on failures or the like of the lighting fixture 11, the effort of updating the information in the lighting fixture database is reduced.

[0056] In one variant, similar to the above-mentioned embodiment, the communication module 30 receives equipment position information 25 regarding the position of the fixed equipment 10 on which the lighting fixture 11 is attached in real time, and stores the received equipment position information 25 in the storage medium 33.

[0057] Furthermore, in this modified example, when the lighting device 11 is attached to the fixed equipment 10, the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 transmits information stored in the storage medium 33 to the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10. The communication module 20 then stores the information received from the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 in the storage medium 23. For this reason, in this modified example, it is possible to store the information stored in the storage medium 33 of the lighting device 11 in the storage medium 23 of the communication module 20, which is the fixed-side communication module. In other words, the communication unit 31 of the communication module 30 transmits information stored in the storage medium 33 to the communication module 20, thereby making it possible to store the transmitted information in the communication module 20.

[0058] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed in this modified example by the communications module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 and the communications module 30 of the lighting device 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10, separately from the example of processing in Fig. 4. The example of processing in Fig. 7 is started in a state in which a lighting device 11 (e.g., 11A) to be maintained has been removed from the fixed equipment 10, and a new lighting device 11 (e.g., 11B) has been attached to the fixed equipment 10.

[0059] When the process of the example of FIG. 7 is started, the processing unit 32 of the communication module 30, which is a lamp side communication module, transmits information stored in the storage medium 33, such as maintenance information 35, via the communication unit 31 (S61). Then, in the communication module 20, which is a fixed side communication module installed in the fixed equipment 10, the communication unit 21 receives information transmitted from the communication module 30, such as maintenance information 35 (S62). The maintenance information 35 and the like are received as information related to the lamp 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10 in real time. Then, the processing unit 22 of the communication module 20 writes the information received by the communication unit 21 from the communication module 30 to the storage medium 23, for example, to store the information in the storage medium 23 (S63). As a result, the information stored in the storage medium 23 is updated.

[0060] This modification also provides the same actions and effects as the above-mentioned embodiment. In this modification, information about the lighting device 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10 in real time is transmitted from the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 to the communication module 20, and the communication module 20 stores the information received from the communication module 30 in the storage medium 23. Therefore, by reading the information stored in the storage medium 23 of the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10, it is possible to obtain the time history (time change) of the lighting device 11 that has been attached to the fixed equipment 10. In other words, it is possible to obtain information indicating which lighting device 11 was attached to the fixed equipment 10 during what period. In addition, by reading the information stored in the storage medium 23 of the communication module 20, it is possible to obtain maintenance information 35 and the like about the lighting device 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10 in real time.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the equipment position information 25 is transmitted from the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 to the communication module 30 of the lighting device 11 attached to the fixed equipment 10 by wireless communication between the communication modules 20 and 30, but this is not limited to the above. In a modified example, wireless communication is not performed between the communication modules 20 and 30. Then, the equipment position information 25 stored in the storage medium 23 of the communication module 20 is stored in the storage medium 33 of the communication module 30 using a terminal other than the communication modules 20 and 30. In this case, first, the equipment position information 25 is transmitted from the communication module 20 to the terminal. Then, the terminal transmits the equipment position information 25 received from the communication module 20 to the communication module 30. Then, in the communication module 30, the equipment position information 25 received from the terminal is stored in the storage medium 33.

[0062] Furthermore, in the case where the communication module 20 installed in the fixed equipment 10 performs communication operations using power from the battery 17, when the remaining capacity of the battery 17 becomes zero, it becomes impossible to transmit the equipment position information 25 from the communication module 20. For this reason, in a situation where the remaining capacity of the battery 17 becomes zero, the equipment position information 25 is stored in the storage medium 33 of the communication module 30 attached to the fixed equipment 10 using a spare terminal.

[0063] Here, the locations in the aircraft aisle where the lighting units 11 are to be removed from the fixed equipment 10 for maintenance are planned in advance. For this reason, the identifiers such as the base number and management code of the fixed equipment 10 from which the lighting units 11 are to be removed for maintenance are known in advance. Therefore, when the identifier of the fixed equipment 10 is to be stored in the storage medium 33 as the equipment location information 25, an operator can write the equipment location information 25 to the storage medium 33 of the communications module 30 using a spare terminal.

[0064] Furthermore, a worker or the like travels by vehicle or the like to the site where the lighting device 11 is to be removed from the fixed equipment 10. When information on the identifier of the fixed equipment 10 is updated, the information in the spare terminal is updated by communication between the spare terminal and a device prepared in the vehicle or a base station away from the vehicle. Therefore, even in a situation where the remaining capacity of the battery 17 has become zero, it is possible for the spare terminal to store the equipment position information 25 in the storage medium 33 of the lighting device 11 to be removed.

[0065] According to at least one of these embodiments, the communication unit of the lighting unit receives equipment position information relating to the position of the fixed equipment in real time while the lighting unit is attached to the fixed equipment. The processing unit of the lighting unit then updates the information stored in the storage medium by storing the received equipment position information in the storage medium of the lighting unit in correspondence with the equipment position information received by the communication unit. This makes it possible to provide a lighting unit and an aviation beacon light that make it possible to easily obtain information on the position of the fixed equipment that was attached to the lighting unit before maintenance is performed on the lighting unit that is undergoing maintenance.

[0066] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...aviation marker light, 2...roadbed, 5...hole, 10...fixed equipment, 11...light, 20...communication module (fixed side communication module), 30...communication module (light side communication module), 31...communication section (light side communication section), 32...processing section (light side processing section), 33...storage medium (light side storage medium).

Claims

1. A light device that is removably attached to a fixed member that is fixed to a roadbed in an aviation beacon, A storage medium capable of storing information; a communication unit that receives, in a state where the communication unit is attached to the fixed equipment, equipment position information relating to a position of the fixed equipment attached in real time; a processing unit that updates the information stored in the storage medium by storing the received device location information in the storage medium in response to the communication unit receiving the device location information; A lighting fixture equipped with the above.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication unit receives the equipment position information from a communication module installed in the fixed equipment to which the lighting device is attached in real time.

3. Fixing equipment to be fixed to the roadbed; a communication module that is installed in the fixed equipment and transmits equipment location information regarding the location of the fixed equipment; A lighting device that is provided with a storage medium capable of storing information and is removably attached to the fixed equipment; a communication unit provided in the lighting device, the communication unit receiving the equipment position information from the communication module when the lighting device is attached to the fixed equipment; a processing unit provided in the lighting device, which updates the information stored in the storage medium by storing the received equipment location information in the storage medium in response to the communication unit receiving the equipment location information; An aviation marker light equipped with:

4. The aircraft marker light according to claim 3 , wherein the communication unit transmits the information stored in the storage medium to the communication module, thereby causing the transmitted information to be stored in the communication module.

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