On-site light measurement equipment

Abstract

To provide a portable on-site photometer capable of measuring luminous intensity of a flashlamp at a site equipped with the flashlight.SOLUTION: An on-site photometer consisting of a photometry unit 2 and a control unit 30 is provided, the photometry unit 2 being configured to be attached to a light exit surface of a flashlamp 80 installed at a site such as an airport to measure illuminance of light emitted from a light source 95 of the flashlamp 80, transmit measurement data to the control unit 30, and compare the measurement data with reference data to perform abnormality diagnosis of the light source 95 of the flashlamp 80.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an on-site photometric instrument. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, at airports and the like, a plurality of flashing lights have been installed on runways to guide landing aircraft to the runway (see Patent Document 1).Flashing lights that use light-emitting elements such as LEDs are also known (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-182495 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-137187 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Flashlights installed on airport runways and other areas, particularly those that use LEDs or other light-emitting elements, tend to lose their brightness from their initial value with use, so regular brightness checks are necessary. However, until now, brightness checks have required removing the flashlights installed on-site and carrying them to a measurement room equipped with a brightness measurement device, where brightness measurements can be taken.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an on-site light intensity measuring device that can measure light intensity at the site where a flashlight is installed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the on-site light intensity measuring device of the present invention comprises a light intensity measuring unit and a control unit, the light intensity measuring unit is detachably combined with the light outlet of a flashlight installed on-site, measures the illuminance of the light emitted from the flashlight, and transmits the illuminance measurement data to the control unit, and the control unit receives the measurement data transmitted from the light intensity measuring unit, compares it with reference data, and if there is a certain deviation between the measurement data and the reference data, diagnoses the flashlight as abnormal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, by using a portable on-site luminosity measuring device, the luminosity of a flashlight can be measured with simple setup at the site where the flashlight is installed, so there is no need to remove and reinstall the flashlight for measurement, inspection can be completed in a short time, and the workload on the inspector is reduced, resulting in significant improvements in terms of labor and costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a light intensity measuring unit according to the first embodiment as viewed from the rear side. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the control unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the flash lamp of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a combined state of the light intensity measuring unit and the flash lamp according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a combined state of the light intensity measuring unit and the flash lamp according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view of the control unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a partial schematic diagram showing the combined state of the light intensity measuring unit and the flash lamp. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The on-site photometric measurement device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following description. In addition, the same components are assigned the same reference numerals in the following Figures 1 to 7.

[0010] Here we will explain the relationship between luminous intensity and illuminance. Luminous intensity refers to the luminous flux (amount of light) per unit solid angle in a certain direction, and represents the intensity of light in each direction. The units are cd (candela) and lm / sr (sr: steradian). If the luminous intensity is 1000 cd, the illuminance directly below at an irradiation distance of 1 m will be 1000 lx (lux).

[0011] Illuminance is the amount of luminous flux incident on a unit area, and indicates the brightness of a surface illuminated by a light source. The calculation formula is E (illuminance) = C (luminous intensity) / D 2 , and the distance from the light source is D (m). The unit is lx (lux).

[0012] The on-site luminous intensity measuring device of this embodiment evaluates the emitting function of the flash lamp 80 based on the luminous intensity, which is an objective index of the emitting ability of the flash lamp 80. The luminous intensity measurement is performed by placing an illuminance meter 20 at a certain distance from the flash lamp 80 and measuring the illuminance of the light emitted from the flash lamp 80. By utilizing the fact that there is a certain correlation between luminous intensity and illuminance as described above, the measured illuminance is converted into luminous intensity, and abnormality diagnosis such as deterioration of the luminous intensity of the flash lamp 80 over time is performed.

[0013] The on-site light intensity measuring device of the present invention is composed of a light intensity measuring unit that can be combined with a flash lamp, and a control unit. The flash lamp that is the measurement target of the on-site light intensity measuring device of the present invention has a reflector and a light source consisting of an LED. The light source is basically located at the bottom of the reflector, and the mounting surface of the LED mounted on the board faces the opening (light exit port) on the light exit side of the reflector.

[0014] The on-site luminous intensity measuring device of the present invention is designed to be compatible with a light source configured with an LED, but may also be used to measure the luminous intensity of flash lamps using other lamps, such as flash lamps using a xenon lamp. Furthermore, the on-site light intensity measuring device of the present invention is an on-site light intensity measuring device for a flashing lamp used for guidance during aircraft landing, but is not limited to this.

[0015] [Embodiment 1] First, an example of a flash lamp whose luminous intensity is to be measured by the on-site luminous intensity measuring device used in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a flash lamp that is the measurement target of the on-site light intensity measuring device of this embodiment.

[0016] 3, the flash lamp 80 has a housing 82, a light-transmitting cover 85, a reflector 90, and a light source 95 made up of a plurality of LEDs. The reflector 90 and the light source 95 are housed inside the housing 82.

[0017] A light-transmitting cover 85 is disposed on the opening side of the reflector 90. A ring-shaped annular portion 88 is disposed on the edge of the front side of the light-transmitting cover 85 so as to cover the opening (light exit port) of the housing 82, and a clamp 98 is disposed near the top of the annular portion 88 for detachably combining with the light intensity measuring unit 2. The annular portion 88 is provided with a plurality of attachment members 96 for fixing the annular portion 88 to the housing 82. A plurality of clamps 98 may be disposed around the annular portion 88.

[0018] The flashlight 80 of this embodiment includes an arm 100 and a leg 110, and is installed on the ground of a local runway or the like by the leg 110.

[0019] The light source 95 of the flash lamp 80 is made up of an LED board on which a plurality of LEDs are mounted in a matrix (not shown). The luminous intensity of the light emitted from the flash lamp 80 can be set as appropriate. The light source 95 may also be made up of a plurality of LEDs mounted in a line, ring, or radial pattern on an LED board. The plurality of LEDs may be a mixture of white LEDs as well as blue, red, green, and other colors.

[0020] In FIG. 3, the reflector 90 is disposed in the direction in which the light source 95 emits light, and is a member that reflects the light emitted from the light source 95 in the light emission direction and emits it to the outside through the light-transmitting cover 85.

[0021] The reflector 90 has an inner wall made of a glossy surface with high reflection efficiency, and has a hemispherical shape that widens from the light source 95 toward the opening (light exit port) of the housing 82. In addition to the hemispherical shape, the reflector 90 may have a shape that can provide an effective reflection effect, such as a conical shape.

[0022] The light-transmitting cover 85 is a member that transmits light emitted from inside the housing 82. The light-transmitting cover 85 is formed from a material that can transmit light emitted from the light source 95, such as glass or epoxy resin, but is not limited to these.

[0023] For example, the light-transmitting cover 85 of the flashlight 80 installed at the airport has a diameter of, for example, 15 to 29 cm.

[0024] When flashing lights 80 of this embodiment are installed at a large airport with multiple runways, about 8 to 29 lights are installed at intervals of about 30 meters from the direction of aircraft approach toward the end of the runway. Furthermore, when flashing lights 80 are installed at airports where aircraft cannot approach the runway directly, they are installed at key points on the approach to the runway, for example, every few kilometers.

[0025] 1 is a perspective view of the light intensity measurement unit 2 of this embodiment, viewed from the rear side. As shown in the figure, the light intensity measurement unit 2 is covered by a protective cover 5 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Protective cover 5 covers the periphery of integrating sphere 10 (see FIG. 5) to prevent errors such as inaccurate measurements of the illuminance of flash lamp 80 due to deformation of integrating sphere 10 caused by an impact such as when light intensity measurement unit 2 is dropped, which changes the illuminance measurement data.

[0026] 1, the protective cover 5 is composed of a back plate 8, a contact plate 16, and side plates 18. The protective cover 5 is made of processed aluminum plate, but other metal materials such as stainless steel plate and steel plate, as well as plastic materials such as ABS and PC (polycarbonate) may also be used.

[0027] The rear panel 8 is made of a roughly hexagonal plate with two chamfered corners and is placed on the top surface of the protective cover 5. Opposite the rear panel 8, a roughly square abutment plate 16 with its four corners chamfered in an arc shape is placed roughly parallel to the rear panel 8. The side panels 18 are placed between the rear panel 8 and the abutment plate 16 so as to bridge the two. The chamfering of the corners of both the rear panel 8 and the abutment plate 16 is optional.

[0028] 2 is a perspective view showing control unit 30 of this embodiment. Control unit 30 is a portable housing 32 with a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. Housing 32 has a handle 35 on the top surface, and a touch panel display 50, a temperature display panel 45, and a power supply connector 40 on the front surface. Power supply connector 40 (not shown) is located on the back surface of housing 32 and is connected to integrating sphere 10 by a power supply cable 60.

[0029] Furthermore, a plurality of mounting legs 33 are provided on the left side surface of the housing 32 to be used when the control unit 30 is placed horizontally. In Fig. 2, four mounting legs 33 are arranged in a rectangular shape, but the number and arrangement positions are not limited to this.

[0030] The housing 32 is made of processed aluminum plate, just like the protective cover 5, but other metal materials such as stainless steel plate and steel plate, as well as plastic materials such as ABS and PC (polycarbonate) may also be used.

[0031] Also, instead of or in addition to the handle 35 provided on the top surface of the housing 32, a shoulder strap may be provided so that the device can be carried over the shoulder.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the combined state of the light intensity measuring unit 2 and the flash lamp 80 of this embodiment, FIG. 5 is a partially cross-sectional perspective view showing the combined state of the light intensity measuring unit 2 and the flash lamp 80 of embodiment 1, and FIG. 7 is a partial schematic view showing the combined state of the light intensity measuring unit 2 and the flash lamp 80.

[0033] The opening of reflector 90 of flash lamp 80 shown in Figure 3 is approximately the same size as the opening of integrating sphere 10 of light intensity measurement unit 2. As shown in Figure 7, flash lamp 80 and integrating sphere 10 are detachably combined with their openings aligned.

[0034] 4 and 5, the flash lamp 80 and the luminous intensity measuring unit 2 are combined by being mechanically clamped to the annular portion 88 of the flash lamp 80 via the abutment plate 16 of the luminous intensity measuring unit 2 by a clamp 98 provided near the top of the annular portion 88 of the flash lamp 80. An annular rubber packing (not shown) is installed near the inner periphery of the opening of the abutment plate 16 of the luminous intensity measuring unit 2. When the flash lamp 80 and the luminous intensity measuring unit 2 are combined, the packing serves to seal the gap between the annular portion 88 and the abutment plate 16, thereby preventing the light emitted by the flash lamp 80 from leaking to the outside and the intrusion of sunlight and rainwater from the outside. The clamp 98 may be provided not only near the top of the annular portion 88 of the flash lamp 80 but also at a plurality of locations on other portions of the annular portion 88 .

[0035] As shown in Figure 5, photometric unit 2 has a structure in which contact plate 16 is fixed to hemispherical integrating sphere 10. Integrating sphere-side connector 12 is disposed at the bottom of hemispherical integrating sphere 10. Legs 27 and pedestal 28 are provided on the underside of integrating sphere 10 and are fixed to the bottom of protective cover 5 of optical measuring instrument 2 (not shown). Contact plate 16, integrating sphere 10, legs 27, and pedestal 28 are all housed inside protective cover 5 of photometric unit 2.

[0036] An integrating sphere connector 12 is installed on the outer bottom of hemispherical integrating sphere 10, and an illuminance meter 20 that receives light emitted from flash lamp 80 is located on the inner bottom of integrating sphere 10. Measurement data on the illuminance of flash lamp 80 measured by illuminance meter 20 is transmitted to control unit 30 via integrating sphere cable 14 that is detachably connected to integrating sphere connector 12.

[0037] 6 is a front view of the control unit 30. As shown in the figure, the control unit 30 has a housing 32, and on the upper right surface thereof is a temperature display panel 45 that displays the measured temperature around the flash lamp 80, and on the underside of the temperature display panel 45 is disposed a power supply connector 40. The power supply connector 40 is connected to a power supply cable 60 and is electrically connected to a flash lamp-side connector 92 of the flash lamp 80. On the left side of the control unit 30 is disposed a touch panel display 50 that displays various data and allows the control unit 30 to be operated.

[0038] A power plug 37 is provided on the back of the control unit 30. The power plug 37 is connected to a power outlet located near where the flash lamp 80 is installed to supply power to the control unit 30. The supplied power is AC 100V, but other voltages such as AC 200V may also be used.

[0039] The control unit 30 may also be equipped with a battery power supply with a charging function, such as a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. By incorporating a battery power supply, it becomes possible to perform smooth luminous intensity measurements even in an environment where there is no power outlet on-site.

[0040] Next, an overview of the on-site light intensity measuring device will be described. The on-site light intensity measuring device of this embodiment is capable of measuring the light intensity of a flashlight 80 installed at an airport or the like without removing it.

[0041] The procedure for preparing the on-site photometer for photometric measurements is as follows: (1) The light intensity measuring unit 2 is attached to the flash lamp 80 and combined. (2) The flash lamp lighting cable (not shown) connected to the flash lamp side connector 92 of the flash lamp 80 is removed. (3) The power supply cable 60 that connects to the power supply connector 40 of the control unit 30 is connected to the flash lamp side connector 92 of the flash lamp 80. (4) Integrating sphere cable 14, which connects to integrating sphere side connector 12 of integrating sphere 10, is connected to measurement connector 44 of control unit 30. (5) Insert the power plug 37 of the control unit 30 into a power outlet installed on-site.

[0042] In principle, the measurement work environment should be between 5°C and 35°C. Furthermore, the on-site light intensity measuring device of this embodiment is waterproof, so light intensity measurements are possible even in rainy weather. Light intensity measurements are performed by applying a predetermined voltage from the control unit 30 to the light source 95 of the flash lamp 80, and measuring the illuminance of the light emitted from the light source 95 with the illuminometer 20 of the integrating sphere 10. Measurement data is sent to the control unit 30 for each measurement. The control unit 30 records the illuminance in an unused state (initial state) at an ambient temperature of 25° C. as reference data for each type of integrating sphere. This reference data is an initial value for determining the attenuation of the light source of each flash lamp, and has a unique value depending on the type of flash lamp.

[0043] Next, the procedure for measuring the light intensity will be described. (1) Before applying a voltage to the flash lamp 80, a thermometer (not shown) installed in the photometer 2 measures the environmental temperature near the location where the flash lamp 80 is installed. Next, the illuminance meter 20 installed on the inner bottom of the integrating sphere 10 measures the illuminance when the flash lamp 80 is turned off (not emitting light), and transmits the measurement data of the local temperature and illuminance to the control unit 30. The purpose of this illuminance measurement when the lights are off is to determine in advance the illuminance generated inside the sphere when flash lamp 80 and integrating sphere 10 are combined due to disturbances such as light entering through gaps in the sphere, and to correct the measurement data by performing zero-point correction on the reference illuminance data. (2) The control unit 30 applies five levels of current, from small to large, to the LED of the light source 95 located at the bottom of the reflector 90 of the flash lamp 80, measures the illuminance of the light emitted from the light source 95, and inputs the measurement data into the control unit 30. (3) The control unit 30 corrects the illuminance in the reference data based on the ambient temperature and the illuminance when the light is off, which are the measurement data in (1) above, and sets a new reference illuminance. Then, an approximate expression that expresses the relationship between the current applied to the light source 95 and the measurement data of the illuminance in (2) above is created and displayed on the touch panel display 50 of the control unit. (4) The corrected reference data for the illuminance of the flashlight, measured in advance at a standard temperature of 25°C, is compared with the measurement data for the illuminance of the flashlight 80 measured on-site. If there is a certain discrepancy between the reference data and the measurement data, the flashlight 80 is diagnosed as abnormal.

[0044] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0045] According to the present invention, by using a portable on-site luminosity measuring device, the luminosity of a flashlight can be measured with simple setup at the site where the flashlight is installed, so there is no need to remove and reinstall the flashlight for measurement, inspection can be completed in a short time, and the workload on the inspector is reduced, resulting in significant improvements in terms of labor and costs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 2 Photometric measurement section 5 Protective cover 8 Back plate 10 Integrating sphere 11 Edge 12 Integrating sphere side connector 14 Integrating sphere cable 16 Contact plate 18 Side Panel 20 illuminance meter 27 Legs 28 Pedestal 30 Control Unit 32 Case 33 Placement legs 35 Handle 37 Power plug 40 Power supply connector 44 Measurement Connector 45 Temperature display panel 50 Touch panel display 60 Power supply cable 80 Flashlight 82 Case 85 Light-transmitting cover 88 Annular part 90 Reflector 92 Flashlight side connector 95 light source 96 Mounting member 98 Clamp 100 Arms 110 Legs

Claims

1. It consists of a light intensity measurement unit and a control unit. the photometric unit includes an integrating sphere and a protective cover; the integrating sphere is hemispherical and has an opening at its maximum diameter and an annular edge in the circumferential direction of the opening; the protective cover has a contact plate, a back plate, and a side plate; the abutment plate has an opening having substantially the same shape as the opening of the integrating sphere and is fixed to the edge portion so as to coincide with the opening of the integrating sphere; the rear plate is disposed substantially parallel to and facing the abutment plate, the side plate is disposed between the rear plate and the abutment plate so as to bridge the rear plate and the abutment plate, The light intensity measuring unit is detachably combined with a light outlet of a flashlight installed on-site, measures the illuminance of the light emitted from the flashlight and the temperature around the flashlight, and transmits the measurement data of the illuminance and the temperature to the control unit; The control unit receives the measurement data transmitted from the light intensity measurement unit, compares the illuminance measurement data with reference data, and diagnoses the flash lamp as abnormal if there is a certain discrepancy between the illuminance measurement data and the reference data.

2. The flash lamp has a housing, and an annular portion is provided around an opening of the housing, 2. The on-site photometric measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the annular portion is provided with a clamp, and the annular portion and the abutment plate are detachably joined together by the clamp.

3. The control unit includes a portable housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a handle on an upper surface thereof; A touch panel display, a temperature display panel, and a power supply connector are arranged on the front side; It has a measurement connector located on the rear side, the touch panel display displays various data and can operate the control unit; the temperature display panel displays the temperature measurement data; the power supply connector supplies power to the flash lamp via a flash lamp-side connector of the flash lamp and a power supply cable; 2. The on-site photometric measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the integrating sphere side connector of the integrating sphere transmits the measurement data to the measurement connector via an integrating sphere cable.

4. the light intensity measurement unit includes an illuminance meter, the illuminance meter is disposed at the bottom of the integrating sphere, and is electrically connected to a measurement connector of the control unit via an integrating sphere cable connected to an integrating sphere side connector disposed at the bottom, measuring the illuminance of the light emitted from the flash lamp and transmitting the measurement data of the illuminance to the control unit; 4. The on-site photometer according to claim 3, wherein the touch panel display displays control data transmitted from the control unit.

5. 2. The on-site light intensity measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the light intensity measuring unit and the control unit are waterproof.

6. 2. The on-site light intensity measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is equipped with a battery capable of driving the flashlight, the light intensity measuring unit, and the control unit.

7. 2. The on-site light intensity measuring device according to claim 1, which is used for a flashing light for guiding aircraft landing.

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