Aircraft LED Flash Light Near-End-of-Life Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LED flashlights for aircraft, such as anti-collision or beacon lights, face challenges in indicating their near-end-of-life status due to degradation over time and temperature, making it difficult to determine when they no longer meet photometric requirements, especially since they lack direct communication means and high-intensity flashes can be harmful and hard to observe from a distance.
Innovation Solution
The method involves determining the actual photometric condition of the LED flashlight and comparing it to a given condition, generating additional near-end-of-life-indicating flashes if it deviates by a predetermined amount, and using a control unit to adjust the flash pattern from a single to multiple flashes with a pause longer than 50 ms, ensuring compliance with regulations and visibility for maintenance personnel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the light intensity of LED flash lights is increased to compensate for degradation, then the light visibility is improved, but the light intensity becomes harmful to observers and difficult to observe from distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by using flash patterns instead of continuous light. The system generates sequences of flashes (e.g., 1-2-1 pattern) within specific time intervals (e.g., 200ms) to indicate end-of-life status. This periodic flashing provides sufficient visual indication to maintenance personnel while avoiding continuous high-intensity exposure that would be harmful to observers or difficult to detect from distance.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If additional communication means are added to indicate end-of-life status, then the detection capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by using the existing flash light itself to indicate its end-of-life status. The control unit modifies the flash pattern (e.g., changing from normal operation flashes to a specific 1-2-1 sequence) to communicate degradation information. This eliminates the need for separate communication hardware, sensors, or additional indicators, as the light source serves both its primary function and status indication function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies multi-functionality by making the flash light serve dual purposes: maintaining its primary anti-collision/beacon function while simultaneously indicating its health status through modified flash patterns. The same LED and control unit that generate operational flashes also generate end-of-life indication flashes, making the system universal and avoiding additional components.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the flash pattern is changed to indicate near-end-of-life status, then the visibility for maintenance personnel is improved, but the compliance with photometric requirements may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by designing specific flash sequences (e.g., 1-2-1 pattern) that occur within regulated time intervals (e.g., 200ms total duration). This ensures that the indication pattern complies with aviation photometric requirements for beacon lights while still providing clear visual distinction for maintenance personnel to detect end-of-life status.
Data Source
AI summary
Method for indicating that an LED flash light for an aircraft such as an anti-collision or beacon or strobe LED light has reached a near-end-of-life status, wherein the LED flash light under normal operational condition within a given time interval generates a predetermined number of normal flashes with the number being one or more than one, e.g. two. The method comprises the steps of determining the actual photometric condition of the LED flash light, and comparing the actual photometric condition to a given condition in a normal flashing mode. If the actual condition deviates from the given condition by more than a predetermined amount, the LED flash light is operated in order to generate within the given time interval one additional near-end-of-life-indicating flash. It is also claimed an LED flash light in which the above mentioned method is implemented.