LED Navigational Lighting with Modular Beam Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LED lighting apparatus for navigational aids face challenges with low brightness, complex beam control, and limited standardization, requiring arrays of LEDs and complicated lenses, which hinder cost-effectiveness and quick deployment, especially for military or emergency applications that need infrared emission and reconfigurability.
Innovation Solution
A modular LED lighting system with high-intensity units and optical beam transformers for precise beam control, combined with a micro-controller for remote operation and sensor integration for environmental monitoring, enabling efficient production, configuration, and deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional incandescent lights are used for navigational aids, then high brightness is achieved, but energy efficiency is poor and lifetime is short
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from incandescent lighting to LED technology, fundamentally changing the light generation mechanism from thermal radiation to electroluminescence. This parameter change enables high brightness output with significantly improved energy efficiency, as LEDs convert electrical energy directly to light with minimal thermal loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical/thermal system of incandescent bulbs with a semiconductor-based LED system. This substitution eliminates the need for filament heating and enables precise electronic control of light output, achieving both high brightness and energy efficiency simultaneously.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a single LED is used, then energy efficiency is improved, but brightness is insufficient for navigational standards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an array of multiple LED elements arranged in a grid pattern rather than a single LED. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high total brightness by combining the output of many individual LEDs while maintaining the energy efficiency benefits of LED technology. Each LED element operates independently at optimal efficiency points.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the light output from multiple LED elements into a unified beam through optical integration. The combined light from numerous efficient LED sources achieves the required navigational brightness levels while preserving the energy efficiency characteristics of LED technology.
3Manufacturing precision
If specially designed lenses or beam transformers are used to control LED beam properties, then beam control precision is improved, but device complexity increases and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into the LED array structure itself, including light emission, beam shaping, and directional control. By designing the LED array with specific geometric arrangements and incorporating reflective surfaces, the system achieves precise beam control without requiring separate complex optical components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines beam control functionality directly into the LED array structure rather than using separate external optical components. The reflective surfaces and geometric arrangement of LED elements work together to shape and direct the beam, merging structural support with optical control functions.
4Illumination intensity
If arrays of LEDs are used to achieve required brightness, then illumination intensity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the lighting system into multiple independent LED elements arranged in a grid pattern. This segmentation enables the system to achieve high total brightness through the combined output of many individual LEDs, while each element can be manufactured and tested independently, simplifying production quality control.
Solution Approach 2:
The LED array structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the light sources, defines the beam geometry through element arrangement, and incorporates reflective surfaces for beam shaping. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall device structure.
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
The system achieves high output intensity with precise beam control, supports quick deployment and reconfiguration, and integrates infrared capabilities for night vision navigation, enhancing navigational aid functionality and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
Semiconductor light emitting devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been identified to be the replacement for the conventional incandescent lights
Implementation Method 2
A light emitting diode (LED) based lighting apparatus for navigational aids
Data Source
AI summary
A quickly deployable and reconfigurable light emitting diode (LED) lighting apparatus with high output intensity and precisely controlled beam property is disclosed for navigational aids. The lighting apparatus comprises an array of high intensity LED units with their light beams individually controlled by secondary optical systems. The transformed light beams mix in a pre-determined manner to produce an illumination pattern with desired intensity distribution. The LED lighting apparatus may further comprise a micro-controller, a plurality of sensor elements, and a wireless transceiver for remote monitoring and control. The lighting apparatus can be powered by rechargeable batteries for temporary or semi-permanent lighting. It can also be powered by standard power lines for permanent lighting.