Underside Ground Illumination Light Unit Reducing Aircraft Drag
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exterior aircraft lighting systems face challenges in adapting to new aircraft models due to the need to satisfy various regulatory and design requirements, limiting flexibility in light unit design and increasing drag and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A ground illumination aircraft light unit is designed to be mounted under the fuselage, providing dedicated ground illumination with a focused, wide-angle light emission distribution, allowing other light units to be optimized for different functions and positions without violating Federal Aviation Regulation requirements, and enabling reduced drag and power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If existing exterior aircraft lighting systems are used to illuminate ground area, then ground illumination is provided, but drag and power consumption increase and design flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the aircraft lighting system into separate functional units: dedicated ground illumination light units mounted on the fuselage underside, and other light units (beacon, navigation, etc.) mounted elsewhere. This segmentation allows each unit to be optimized for its specific function, with ground illumination units having wide-angle emission (≥1.3π sr) directed downward, while other units can be positioned and designed without drag penalties from ground-facing orientations.
2Illumination intensity
If existing exterior aircraft lighting systems are used to illuminate ground area, then ground illumination is provided, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system is segmented into dedicated ground illumination units with optimized wide-angle emission patterns. These units use reflectors and lenses specifically designed to distribute light over the ground area below the aircraft with minimal energy waste, consuming less power than conventional lighting systems that must provide both ground illumination and other functions.
3Reliability
If light units are designed to satisfy FAR requirements and illuminate ground area, then regulatory compliance is achieved, but design flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates ground illumination functionality into dedicated light units with wide-angle emission patterns specifically designed to meet FAR requirements for ground area illumination. Other light units (beacon, navigation, anti-collision) can then be designed and positioned independently to satisfy their respective regulatory requirements without the constraint of needing to provide ground illumination, significantly increasing overall design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The dedicated ground illumination light units serve multiple purposes: they provide required ground illumination for safety, can function as beacon lights when configured to flash, and can indicate parking position when illuminated while parked. This multi-functionality allows compliance with various FAR requirements using specialized units rather than requiring general-purpose lighting configurations.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
A ground illumination aircraft light unit (2, 102) has an operating light emission distribution for illuminating a ground area (106) below an aircraft (100), wherein the ground illumination aircraft light unit (2, 102) is configured to be mounted to an underside (104) of an aircraft fuselage, and wherein the operating light emission distribution includes a straight downward emission direction (20) normal to the ground area (106) and covers a solid angle of illumination around the straight downward emission direction (20), wherein the solid angle of illumination is at least 1.3 π sr.