Aircraft Wing Lighting via Optical Light Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft with foldable wings face challenges in maintaining lighting systems due to wear and tear on electrical wiring and connectors across the folding joint, requiring frequent maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A lighting system that uses a light guide to transmit light from a source on the main wing body to an emitter on the movable wing portion, eliminating the need for electrical wiring across the joint and allowing for automatic illumination based on the wing's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical wiring is provided across the folding joint to power lighting on the movable wing portion, then lighting can be provided on the wing, but the wiring and connectors suffer wear and tear due to repeated movement, requiring frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical electrical wiring system with an optical system. A light guide (optical fiber or light pipe) transmits light from a stationary light source on the main wing body to emitters on the movable wing portion. This substitution eliminates the mechanical connectors and wiring that undergo wear and tear during repeated folding and unfolding operations, thereby improving reliability and reducing maintenance frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a light guide as an intermediary medium to transfer light energy across the folding joint. Instead of directly connecting electrical components across the joint, the light guide serves as a mediator that transmits optical energy without requiring electrical connections, thus avoiding the wear and tear associated with repeated mechanical movement.
2Ease of manufacture
If additional light emitters are provided on the movable portion to indicate wing extremity in both folded and deployed positions, then visibility and identification are improved, but the complexity of the lighting system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a universal lighting system where a single stationary light source on the main wing body, combined with a light guide network, serves multiple functions. The same light source and light guide infrastructure provide illumination for both folded and deployed wing configurations through strategically placed emitters, eliminating the need for separate lighting systems for different wing positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the lighting system into modular components: a stationary light source on the main wing body, flexible light guide elements that can accommodate wing movement, and distributed emitters on the movable portion. This segmentation allows the system to adapt to different wing configurations without requiring complete system redesign, maintaining simplicity while achieving multi-functionality.
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
Provides reliable and efficient lighting for both deployed and folded wing configurations without the need for additional wiring or control circuitry, reducing maintenance and ensuring visibility and identification during operations.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide arranged to transmit light from the light source along a path between the main body and the movable portion to the light emitter
Data Source
AI summary
An aircraft wing assembly including a wing having a main body 5 and a movable portion 6, so that the wing may be folded when taxiing. A lighting system is provided with a light source 9; a light emitter 11 arranged on one of the main body and the movable portion, and a light guide 10 arranged to transmit light from the light source along a path between the main body and the movable portion to the light emitter. The provision of a light guide between the light source and the emitter allows for light to be transmitted to the emitter across the joint 8 between the wing main body and the movable portion. Thus, lighting on the wing may be provided without the need to provide electrical wiring across the joint. A single light source 9 may be employed to illuminate multiple light emitters 11, 13 on the wing.