Aircraft Navigation Light Red Filter for Balanced LED Brightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft navigation lights with green and red LEDs often have brightness discrepancies due to differing luminous flux, necessitating separate designs and increased certification and production costs.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a red light filter to reduce the luminous flux of green LEDs while maintaining acceptable shades, allowing a single design to be used for both left and right navigation lights, with a shared power supply and orientation sensor for automatic color selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If green LEDs are used for right navigation light, then the light output is brighter, but the brightness becomes unbalanced compared to red navigation light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing a red light filter with specific optical properties that selectively attenuate green light while transmitting red light. This changes the luminous flux parameter of the green LED output to match the perceived brightness of red LEDs, achieving balance between the two navigation lights without requiring different LED types or power levels
Solution Approach 2:
The red light filter acts as an intermediary element between the green LED and the external environment. This filter mediates the light output by selectively absorbing certain wavelengths while transmitting others, thereby balancing the perceived brightness between green and red navigation lights using a single unified light source design
2Illumination intensity
If separate designs are used for green and red navigation lights, then brightness can be optimized, but device complexity and certification requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a single navigation light unit that can function as both green and red navigation light depending on which LED is activated. The housing and optical structure are universal, and by selectively activating green or red LEDs and applying the red light filter as needed, the same physical device serves dual purposes, reducing the number of different designs from two to one
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of separate green and red navigation light designs into a single unified device. By combining both green and red LEDs within the same housing and using the red light filter to balance output, the system consolidates what would have been two separate navigation light assemblies into one, simplifying certification and reducing device complexity
3Illumination intensity
If different designs are used for left and right navigation lights, then brightness balance is achieved, but production costs and assembly complexities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating a single universal navigation light design that can be installed on both left and right sides of the aircraft. The same housing, mounting structure, and optical elements are used for both positions, with brightness balance achieved through selective LED activation and red light filter application, thereby simplifying manufacturing and assembly procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements homogeneity by making the physical structure and components of the navigation light identical for both left and right installations. The housing, mounting brackets, and optical elements are homogeneous across both sides, differing only in which LED is activated and whether the red light filter is applied, thereby reducing production variants and assembly complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Achieves comparable brightness for green and red outputs, reducing certification efforts, production costs, and assembly complexities, while meeting regulatory requirements.
Implementation Method 1
the red light filter reduces the luminous flux of the green navigation light output
Implementation Method 2
a light source comprising at least one green LED
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft navigation light comprises a support portion, a light source comprising at least one green LED, the light source being arranged on the support portion, an optical element arranged over the light source for shaping an aircraft navigation light output, and a red light filter. A method of producing an aircraft navigation light comprises the steps of providing a support portion, providing a light source comprising at least one green LED, arranging the light source on the support portion, molding an optical element over the light source, and molding a red light filter over the optical element.