Replaceable Aircraft Light Head with Data Memory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft exterior lighting systems face reliability issues due to sudden failures of exterior aircraft lights, leading to potential safety risks and costly groundings for maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A replaceable light head module with a power terminal, data interface, and memory for exterior aircraft lights, allowing for monitoring of internal power supply usage and timely replacement, as well as communication of operational data for informed maintenance decisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the light head is made replaceable with shorter life cycle, then the internal power supply can be monitored and maintained proactively, but the device complexity increases due to additional data interface and memory components
Solution Approach 1:
The exterior aircraft light is divided into a permanent housing containing the internal power supply and a replaceable light head module. The light head module includes light sources, a data interface, and memory, while the housing contains the power supply and mounting structure. This segmentation allows the light head to be replaced independently to monitor and maintain power supply health without replacing the entire light assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
A data interface and memory module are introduced as intermediaries between the internal power supply and external maintenance personnel. The data interface communicates usage data to the memory, which stores the data when the light head is removed. This intermediary system enables proactive monitoring of power supply health without requiring direct access to the power supply during operation.
2Productivity
If usage data is stored in the replaceable light head, then maintenance decisions can be data-driven, but data loss risk increases if the light head is lost or damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a portable copy of usage data by storing it in the memory of the replaceable light head module. When the light head is removed from the exterior aircraft light, the data interface and memory travel with it, providing a detachable copy of the power supply usage data that can be read and analyzed without risking damage to the main aircraft systems.
3Loss of information
If the light head has a much shorter life cycle than the internal power supply, then the light head can serve as an effective carrier for power supply information, but the frequency of replacements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data collection during the operational life of the internal power supply by continuously monitoring usage data through the data interface and storing it in the memory of the light head module. This preliminary action ensures that when the short-lived light head is removed, it already contains accumulated usage data about the long-lived power supply, enabling proactive maintenance planning without increasing actual maintenance workload.
Data Source
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AI summary
A replaceable light head (200, 300) for an exterior aircraft light (2, 20, 60) includes a mounting structure (202, 302) for attaching the replaceable light head (200, 300) to the exterior aircraft light (2, 20, 60); a power terminal (218, 318), coupleable to an internal power supply (26) of the exterior aircraft light (2, 20, 60); at least one light source (204, 304), coupled to the power terminal (218, 318) for receiving power from the internal power supply (26) of the exterior aircraft light (2, 20, 60); a data interface (220, 320), coupleable to a controller (36) of the exterior aircraft light (2, 20, 60); and a memory (210, 310), coupled to the data interface (220, 320) and configured to receive and store usage data of the internal power supply (26) of the exterior aircraft light (2, 20, 60).