Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to a system of hlghly
visible lights suitable for an aircraft landing system.
More specifically, the present invention provldes a master
unit that activates and deactivates by radio remote
control at least one slave light unit. :~
Lighting systems for major airports generally work
off main power supplies, but always have at least one
auxiliary power supply in case of power failures. For
permanent installations such as major airports, this is
satisfactory, however, for small or temporary landing ;~
strips, and in the case of temporary helicopter landing ~-
areas, there is a need to have a portable lighting system
that can either be used as an emergency llghting system,
; 15 or, alternatively, can quickly and easily be installed in
the field and activated by an aircraft approaching the
landing area so it does not have to be permanently manned. ;
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a
highly visible lighting system that is portable to the -~
extent that it is completely self contained, and may be
packaged and carried in a helicopter, truck, or even by
hand, and then arranged around a landing area for a
helicopter or fixed aircraft landing strip. Furthermore,
it is an alm of the present invention to provide a system
with one master light unit which when activated switches
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on one or more slave light units by remote control. The
portable system has built-in power supplies for both the
master unit and the slave units.
In the case of a hellpad landing system the units may
be packaged together in an easily transportable container
that may be carried if necessary by helicopter to the
required sight and installed during dayllght for use at
night. The system may be used for emergency situations
such as a temporary landing for a helicopter medical
evacuation from a highway crash. It may be used for
outlying communities where an emergency landing is
required at night or for commercial uses such as oil rigs
and the llke where a temporary helicopter landing area is
required or even as an emergency lighting system for
landing areas in caso of power failures.
The system may also be used for military operations
to provlde landlng strlps in outlying areas, elther covert
operatlons or other night time operations, where the
system can be set up on the ground, left unattended and
, then activated by an aircraft approaching the area.
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It is an aim of the present invention to provide a
system of individual light units, each having a light and
a power supply together with a receiver to accept a radio
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signal to activate each light unit. Also provided is a
master light unit which has a light unit, a power supply,
a receiver to receive a master signal from an aircraft or
other location, which in turn activates the light unit on
the master unit, and a transmitter to transmit a radio
signal to each of the slave units. Thus the system can be
operated by a single coded radio transmission from an
aircraft or the like.
The system may be used for helicopter or other fixed
wing aircraft landing lights. It also may be used for
other areas requiring a lighting system. In one
embodlment, the lights for the landing area are
electroluminescent flexible light strips which are
arranged around a perimeter. In another embodiment, there
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is a series of lights arranged in a strip, wherein each
light is turned on in sequence to provide a best approach
indicator showing an aircraft the best approach direction
from the air.
The master unit preferably has a strobe light which
, is easily visible from the air, whereas the perimeter
lights, generally slave light units, are flexible strip
electroluminescent lights. If the unit is to be used as
a landing strip for fixed wing aircraft or a taxiway for
~ fixed wing aircraft, then pairs of strobe lights may be
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provided as ælave light units positioned on each side of
the strip or taxiway.
The present invention provides a portable lighting
system having in combination a master light unit and at
least one slave light unit, the master light unit
comprising,
a) power supply means;
b) a transmitter for transmitting a radio signal; and
c) a master receiver for receiving a master radio
signal to activate the transmitter to transmit the radio
signal
the slave light unit comprising,
d) at least one light with power supply means; and
e) a receiver for receiving the radio signal from the
master light unlt to activate at least one light.
In a preferred embodiment, the master light unit
n ~ includes a high intensity light such as a strobe light.
~;i In other embodiments, it is preferred there is a
, plurality of slave light units, all of which are activated
by a single master light unit. The lights in the slave
; light units are preferably wafer-thin flexible lamps, so
the system may be used to form a landing lighting system
for a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft.
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In another embodiment, one of the slave light units -~:
comprises a plurality of lights in line, which when
activated flash sequentially to show a best direction of
approach for an aircraft.
In drawinqs which illustrate embodiments of the
present invention~
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- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a master
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light unit according to one embodiment of the present ~:
invention; .~
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- Figure 2 is a diagrammatical lsometric view showing
the interior of the master light unit; ;:~
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: - Figure 3 is a block diagram for one embodiment of
: the master light unit;
,
- Figure 4 is a plan view showing one embodlment of
a slave light unit;
., - Figure 5 is an elevational sectional view through
; the slave light unit shown in Figure 4;
- Figure 6 is a block diagram for one embodiment of
:~ the slave light unit;
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- Figure 7 is a block diagram for one embodlment of
a sequential best approach light unit;
- Figure 8 is a block diagram for one embodiment of
a hand-held remote control unit;
- Figure 9 illustrates a plurality of slave light
units in a slngle master light unit arranged to form a
helicopter landing system; and
- Figure 10 illustrates a plurality of slave light
units arranged on each side of a runway with a single
master light unit.
The master light unit 10 shown in Figure 1 has a lens
12 for a strobe light which is positioned at the top of a
: cylindrlcal body 14. Beneath the strobe light is a
~:: plurality of switch rings 16 each having lndicators 18 and
~:~ locklng screws 20. The swltches 16 are provided for
:~ 20 setting different functions of the master unit 10.
:j ~ ., Inside the master light unit 10 as shown in Figure 2
are four xenon strobe lights 22 to provide long distance
visual location. The lights can be flashed in sequence
for a coded æeries of flashes such as the letter H in
morse code to represent a helicopter landing area or all
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together for highest intensity. There is also provided a
battery power source 24 whlch is in one embodiment a ;
lithium dry cell with a minimum five year shelf life at a
temperature range from -55 to 75C. ,~
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The cylindrical body 14 is preferably made of a
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suitable material such as aluminum which is light and as
an electrical conductor acts as an antenna for at least
short range transmissions. The power source 24 is
positioned at the base of the body 14 and has a series of
printed circuit boards 26 formed as doughnut rings mounted
about a central conductor conduit 28. Eflach PCB provides
an electroniff module for a particular function, as will be
explained hereafter. An input power connector 30 is
provlded on the base of the body 14 for connection to an
external power source, and an output connector 32 allows
cabl~e connections to slave light unlts or other unlts if
it is desirable to use electrical cables infstead of the
remote control system. A flexible antenna 34 is provided
.
'~ ~ 20 for receiving a distant transmission signal.
,,f Whereas,the master light unit 10 shows strobe lights ,
' 22 on the top and integral therewith, in some units it is '~
preferable to have a separate light unit so there is no '''~
light integral with the master light unit 10. The -~
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separate light may be a slave unit or connected to the
master llght unit by electrical cable.
Figure 3 shows schematically the master unit with the
different modules therein. A master receiver 40 receives
a frequency C from a remote transmitter 42, shown as an
aircraft transmitter. The master receiver 40 draws power
from the power supply 24 through an electronic voltage
regulator 44 and activates a VOR transmitter 46 to send a
homing signal at a frequency D to the aircraft which is
received by a VOR receiver 48 in the aircraft. The strobe
light 12 is actuated as is the transmitter 50 which
transmits a signal to the strobe light units on frequency
B. Also illustrated as a further embodiment is a
sequential best approach indicator circuit 52 which is
activated and by cable 54 sets off the sequential best
approach indicator 56. This operation will be described
hereafter.
The pulse and continuous circuitry 58 controls the
signal from the transmitter 50 to be a pulse or continuous
signal so the slave llght units provide a pulse or
continuous light. The ground control system activation
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receiver 60 allows the complete activation of the unit by
a hand-held unit which will be described hereafter. A
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photo-cell circuit 62 cuts off power to activate the -
system in daylight. ;~
The switches indicated as switch 1 to 8 allow the
unit to be preprogrammed if it is desired to deactivate
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certain systems, i.e. the homing beacon, the switch 1, or
the photo-cell switch 7.
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The electronic voltage regulator 44 in one embodiment
has an invertor to increase the voltage which is generally
72 volts to 25 volts and a regulator to reduce it to about
. .
15 volts. Thus if the battery voltage drops in coldweather, or if the voltage is low because the battery has
a reduced capacity, the invertor and regulator wlll still ~ -
give a 15 volt supply to the system.
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The master receiver 40 preferably operates on at
least one of the standard aircraft operating frequencies.
If a coded slgnal is transmltted, then the master recelver
40 has an encoder to ensure that spurious signals do not
actlvate the system. Once the master recelver 40 has been
~i ~ activated, it actlvates the transmitter 50 within the
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~ master unit lO which transmits a coded signal to each of
;~ the slave light units. The signal is generally a UHF
radio signal and an encoder is provided with a similar
` decoder on the slave units. These may be adjusted in the
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field to suit a wide varia~ion of signals. The distance
from the transmitter 50 in the master unit 10 to the slave
light units is in the order of five hundred yards,
however, up to a mile is feasible.
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a slave light unlt 70
whlch compriæes a plurality of lumlnescent strlps 72
contalned in a flexible sandwlch type envelope 74 with
electric connectlons 76 which at one end jolns to a unlt
10containing a battery power source 78, a recelver and
encoder 80 and two lndlvldual swltches 82. Each llght
unit 70 is self contained and has its own power source 78.
The switches 82 are provided to turn the unit on so that
when an encoded slgnal ls received by the recelver 80 on
15frequency B, it will activate the light unit.
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~- The schematic illustratlon of Figure 6 shows an
electronlc AC lnvertor circuit 84 whlch through an AC
invertor and regulator produces a voltage ln the range of
20about from 60 - 100 volts whlch ls requlred for the
electoluminescent lamps. An additional lamp 86 is shown
which may be a xenon strobe. The swltches allow either
lamps or both lamps to operate.
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25A sequential best approach indicator 56 is
illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 7 with a serles of
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eight individual lights 92 positioned in a row, jolned by
a connector 94 to a series of outputs 90 from a sequential
timing circuit 98. A power supply 78 and receiver 80 to
receive frequency B similar to the slave light units 70
powers and activates the indicators 56, although a cable
connection can be supplied as shown in Figure 3.
A hand-held unit 100 for testing and activating the
slave light units 70 is diagrammatically shown in Figure
8 with a battery power supply 102 which powers through an
electronic voltage regulator 104, a high intensity
inspection lamp 106 and a transmitter 108 which can
transmit on any of frequencies A, B or C by activation of
one of the three frequency switches 110. The hand-held
unit 100 has a transmitter 108 with a æhort range thus
allowing actuatlon close to the sy#tem or allowing tests
to be carried out.
Figure 9 illustrates one embodiment of a system
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20~ comprislng twelve slave units 70 of the type illustrated
~: in Figures 4 and 5 which may include four or five
~, electroluminescent lights in a wafer-thin strip together
: with a power source 78 and receiver 80. A master strobe
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light unit 10 is mounted upon a tripod 120 positioned at
a close distance to the slave units 70 so that when the ~ -
master receiver 40 in the master light unit 10 is . ~
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activated, it activates the transmitter 50 whlch in turn
passes a signal to activate each of the slave units 70.
At the same time, the strobe light on top of the master
unit 10 is activated so that an approaching aircraft can
see the strobe light from some distance away and then
picks up the lights from the slave units as it approaches
the landing area.
In the best approach indicator 56 as illustrated in
Figure 9, each of the panels 92 light ln a sequence
starting from far away and approachlng the landing area,
then when all the lights have been turned on, the units
turn off and start again, thus providing a directional
signal pointing an aircraft to the best approach for the
landlng area.
Figure 10 illustrates another embodiment wherein a
plurality of slave units 70 are arranged in pairs about a
runway. In this partlcular embodiment, the slave units
each have a strobe light rather than the luminescent
lIghts shown in Flgures 4 and 5. A master unit 10 is
-, provided so that the signal from the master unit 10
activates all the strobe lights to flash at substantially
the same moment.
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The electrolumlnescent lights shown in the flexible
strips of Figures 4 and 5 are capacitors with two
conducting surfaces having a dielectric therebetween. The
luminescent pigment is dispersed within the insulator
which may be in any location in the path of the
electrostatic field. In one embodiment, one electrode is
translucent, but grids of various sorts have been used.
These electroluminescent lights are cold light sources
operating close to ambient temperature. They may be of
any light emitting colour when energized, withstand shock
and vibration, thermocycling and further thermal
processing. In the embodlment shown they are thin
flexible inherently uniform sourcs of surface illumination
and custom fabricated to specific shapes and sizes.
Advantages in the field are weight savings and easily
foldable so that they may be supplied in from 12 to 4 foot
strips with each strip forming a slave light unit.
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Whereas the slave units and strobe lights generally
provide light In the visual range, in one embodiment
infrared lights may be provided. This is particularly
useful in the case of covert operations wherein infrared
sensing devices could be used to sense the landing area
for a hellcopter or fixed wing aircraft, however, the
infrared lights would not be visible to the human eye.
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In one embodiment, a radio homing signal transmitter
is included with the unit and the whole system actlvated
from up to fifty miles away. This could be particularly
useful in the case of a helicopter landing area or a light
plane landing area. Whereas lithium batteries have been
described herein, the power source may be a rechargeable
nickel cadmlum battery which can compensate for extreme
cold operations. The units may have solar cells provided
to recharge the batteries during daylight hours,
al~ernatively, provision may be made for a main power
supply to either charge the batteries or, alternatively,
to provide power to the unit.
The landing strip may be set up for medical emergency
I5 situations such as a crash on a highway at night time.
The lighting system may be incorporated in a single
package and unpacked in the particular location, installed
and then either hand activated or activated by an
approaching helicopter for a medical evacuation. The
strobe light may be programmed to flash in morse code`
which is the international symbol for a helicopter landing
, ' area. It may be appropriate for the luminescent landing
~; strips or slave units to either flash or be constant. If
there are ambulances and other flashing lights in the area
it might be appropriate to have a constant light and this
; ~ may be programmed either from the field of from an
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aircraft. In one case, the signal from the master unit to
the slave units may be a pulsed signal to provide a pulsed
light or may be a pulsed signal having a different code
which would activate a continuous light in the slave unit.
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Various changes may be made to the embodiments
described herein without departing from the scope of the
present invention which is limited only by the following
claims.
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