Aircraft Visibility Lights With Automated Intensity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current exterior aircraft lights, such as landing lights, taxi lights, and runway turnoff lights, require manual control by pilots, leading to higher fuel consumption and inefficient power usage, as they operate at constant high intensity regardless of visibility conditions.
Innovation Solution
An automated exterior aircraft lighting control system that uses altitude data and real-time image classification to activate and control the intensity of exterior lights, allowing for automatic activation and adjustment based on visibility conditions without pilot intervention, utilizing a trained image classification model and cameras to determine optimal light output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If exterior aircraft lights are manually controlled by pilots, then pilots can directly control light operation, but fuel consumption increases and pilot attention is diverted from aircraft operations
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system automatically controls exterior aircraft lights based on altitude and visibility conditions without requiring pilot intervention. The controller monitors altitude data from flight instruments and visibility data from cameras, then autonomously activates or deactivates lights, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring continuous pilot input.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors altitude data and visibility conditions, feeding this information back to the controller which adjusts light operation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures lights are activated only when conditions warrant their use, optimizing fuel consumption while maintaining safety.
2Illumination intensity
If exterior aircraft lights operate at constant high intensity, then visibility is maximized for pilots, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system dynamically adjusts light intensity and activation status based on real-time altitude and visibility conditions. Rather than operating at constant high intensity, the controller modulates light output to match actual visibility needs, reducing power consumption when high intensity is not required while maintaining adequate illumination when conditions demand it.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (light activation status and intensity level) based on varying conditions. The controller adjusts these parameters dynamically, switching between on/off states and varying intensity levels to match visibility requirements, thereby optimizing power consumption while maintaining necessary illumination.
3Productivity
If exterior aircraft lights are automatically controlled based on altitude and visibility, then fuel consumption decreases and pilot focus improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller serves multiple functions: it monitors altitude data from flight instruments, processes visibility data from cameras, determines when light activation is warranted, and controls light output intensity. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional controller, the system achieves automated operation without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary between various sensors (altitude sensors, cameras) and the lighting system. It processes information from multiple sources, makes decisions about light activation, and controls light output, thereby coordinating the entire automated lighting system without requiring direct integration between all components.
4Illumination intensity
If multiple exterior lights are activated simultaneously, then overall visibility is enhanced, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system activates specific exterior lights based on local conditions and requirements. Rather than uniformly activating all lights, the controller selectively activates individual lights or light groups according to altitude, phase of flight, and visibility conditions, providing appropriate illumination where needed while avoiding unnecessary power consumption from lights that don't contribute to current operational needs.
Data Source
AI summary
Automated control of one or more exterior aircraft lights is presented, for instance exterior aircraft lights that enhance visibility by a pilot and including landing lights, taxi lights, and runway turnoff lights. One aspect of this automated control is that one or more of such exterior aircraft lights may be automatically activated, for instance when the aircraft has at least initiated movement and has not yet reached a certain altitude (e.g., while the aircraft is taxiing on the ground and including during takeoff). Another aspect of this automated control is that a trained image classification model may determine a visibility classification for an image acquired by an exterior aircraft camera, and this visibility classification may be used to automatically control the operation of one of more of such exterior aircraft lights (e.g., an intensity of the light output from such an exterior aircraft light(s)).