Steerable Landing Light System for Crosswind Runway Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft landing lights often misalign due to crosswinds, leading to reduced visibility of the runway, especially in poorly lit conditions, as they are typically aimed forward and not adjusted according to the aircraft's actual travel direction.
Innovation Solution
A landing light system that includes a camera and controller to determine the aircraft's travel direction and adjust the landing lights to align with it, using image processing and sensor data to calculate and verify the focus of expansion and bearing angles, ensuring the illumination is directed along the aircraft's path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If landing lights are aimed forward according to aircraft nose orientation, then the lighting system structure is simple, but the runway illumination becomes insufficient when crosswinds cause nose drift
Solution Approach 1:
The landing light system transitions from a static fixed-aim configuration to a dynamic steerable configuration. The light assembly is mounted on a gimbal mechanism that allows it to rotate and adjust its aiming direction independently of the aircraft nose orientation, enabling the lights to dynamically track the actual travel direction over the runway.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors (such as GPS, inertial measurement units, or optical flow sensors) that detect the aircraft's actual travel direction and feed this information back to the control system. The controller processes this feedback data and automatically adjusts the landing light orientation to compensate for crosswind drift, ensuring continuous alignment with the runway centerline.
2Illumination intensity
If landing lights are fixed in forward orientation, then the system is easy to operate, but visibility is reduced when aircraft drift occurs due to crosswinds
Solution Approach 1:
The landing light system performs self-adjustment through automated control. The system independently monitors its own operational state via sensors and automatically reorients the light assembly without requiring pilot intervention. This self-service capability maintains optimal runway illumination while eliminating the need for manual adjustment during flight operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical adjustment mechanisms with an automated electromechanical or electro-optical control system. Motors or actuators driven by electronic controllers replace the need for manual gimbal adjustment, enabling precise and rapid repositioning of the landing lights in response to real-time flight conditions.
3Illumination intensity
If landing lights illuminate forward direction, then the light distribution is uniform, but light disperses away from the actual travel path reducing effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The landing light system concentrates illumination locally on the actual travel path and runway centerline rather than distributing light uniformly in all forward directions. By dynamically adjusting the light beam orientation to match the precise travel direction, the system focuses energy where it is most needed, intensifying illumination on the runway while minimizing waste in surrounding areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the orientation parameter of the landing light assembly in real-time to optimize illumination effectiveness. By adjusting the azimuth and elevation angles of the light beam based on actual travel direction data, the system adapts the light distribution pattern to match varying flight conditions, ensuring maximum illumination intensity is directed along the precise path of travel.
Data Source
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Figure 3A
AI summary
A landing light system (30) and steering method and computer readable medium is provided. A landing light system (30) includes a camera (40), a controller (42), and a landing light (44). A tangible, non-transitory memory may have instructions for controlling a landing light (44). The controller (42) may perform operations including receiving a first image (48a) at a first time from the camera (40), receiving a second image (48b) at a second time from the camera (40), estimating a focus of expansion (122) between the first image (48a) and the second image (48b), and aiming the landing light (44) based on the focus of expansion (122).