IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0776479
(2007-07-11)
|
등록번호 |
US-7663506
(2010-04-04)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Lundberg, John L.
- Kemp, Richard R.
- Singer, Jeffrey M.
- Mangum, Scott R.
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Honeywell International Inc.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
4 인용 특허 :
5 |
초록
▼
Pilot Director Lights (PDLs) mounted on the exterior of a refueling tanker aircraft utilize visible light emitting diodes (LEDs) and infrared LEDs as light sources to provide visual information to the pilot of an approaching aircraft The PDLs are switchable between a visible mode that uses the visib
Pilot Director Lights (PDLs) mounted on the exterior of a refueling tanker aircraft utilize visible light emitting diodes (LEDs) and infrared LEDs as light sources to provide visual information to the pilot of an approaching aircraft The PDLs are switchable between a visible mode that uses the visible LEDs and a covert mode that uses the infrared LEDs. The PDLs may include a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in arrays, rows, or other patterns, each light emitting device being configured to illuminate a particular symbol/pattern in one example. Each light emitting device may include a plurality of modular banks of LEDs which are configured to emit light through a clear lens within a particular field of view. The PDL arrays may provide visual feedback regarding the elevational and fore-aft position of the approaching aircraft relative to the boom envelope of the tanker aircraft.
대표청구항
▼
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. A dual mode pilot director light (PDL) apparatus mounted on a refueling tanker aircraft for directing a pilot in an approaching aircraft, the apparatus comprising: one or more light em
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 1. A dual mode pilot director light (PDL) apparatus mounted on a refueling tanker aircraft for directing a pilot in an approaching aircraft, the apparatus comprising: one or more light emitting devices, each including a first visible light emitting diode (LED) light source and a second infrared (IR) LED light source, at least one light emitting device emitting a light pattern that provides positional feedback to the pilot in the approaching aircraft, wherein the pilot's perception of the light pattern changes as the approaching aircraft's relative position falls off course with respect to at least one of an azimuthal and elevational range corresponding to the refueling aircraft's boom envelope, such that the change in perception indicates to the pilot that the approaching aircraft has fallen off course, and wherein the light emitting devices are controllable to selectively use either the first LED light source in a standard mode or the second LED light source in a covert mode. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a clear lens covering each of the light emitting devices. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each light emitting device is operable to illuminate a symbol. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein when the covert mode is selected, the IR LED light source operates at a predetermined low level brightness level when inactive and at a predetermined higher brightness level when active. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, the light emitting devices being arranged into first and second assembly strips to provide positional feedback to the pilot, the light emitting devices in the first assembly strip are configured to provide feedback regarding fore-aft positioning of the approaching aircraft, and the light emitting devices in the second assembly strip are configured to provide feedback regarding elevation positioning of the approaching aircraft. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each light emitting device is configured to illuminate a symbol or direction for providing at least one of positional and operational feedback with respect to a refueling operation being performed on the approaching aircraft. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the light emitting devices is configured to emit a sheet of light, through a corresponding lens, to the pilot when a fuel receptacle of the approaching aircraft is aligned with a boom envelope associated with the refueling tanker aircraft. 8. A dual mode pilot director light (PDL) apparatus mounted on a refueling tanker aircraft for directing a pilot in an approaching aircraft, the apparatus comprising: one or more light emitting devices, each including a first visible light emitting diode (LED) light source and a second infrared (IR) LED light source, wherein the light emitting devices are controllable to selectively use either the first LED light source in a standard mode or the second LED light source in a covert mode, wherein at least one of the light emitting devices is configured to emit a sheet of light, through a corresponding lens, to the pilot when a fuel receptacle of the approaching aircraft is aligned with a boom envelope associated with the refueling tanker aircraft, and wherein the at least one of the light emitting devices is configured so that the emitted sheet of light striates as the fuel receptacle moves out of alignment with the boom envelope. 9. A dual mode pilot director light (PDL) apparatus mounted on a refueling tanker aircraft for directing a pilot in an approaching aircraft, the apparatus comprising: one or more light emitting devices, each including a first visible light emitting diode (LED) light source and a second infrared (IR) LED light source, at least one light emitting device emitting a light pattern that provides positional feedback to the pilot in the approaching aircraft, wherein the pilot's perception of the light pattern changes as the approaching aircraft's relative position changes, thereby providing the positional feedback to the pilot, and wherein the LED light source of at least one of the light emitting devices includes one or more modules of LEDs, each of the LEDs including a narrow angle emitter for emitting light, and wherein the light emitting devices are controllable to selectively use either the first LED light source in a standard mode or the second LED light source in a covert mode. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the narrow angle emitter is configured to emit light, which disperses substantially at an angle of 30 degrees. 11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a mounting structure for each of the light emitting devices, each mounting structure including, a hinged metal cover having openings corresponding to each module; and a clear lens covering each opening, wherein the metal cover is configured so that each opening provides a range of illumination through the corresponding clear lens. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the range of illumination includes an elevational range of substantially −5 and −20 degrees, and an azimuthal range of substantially +15 and −15 degrees, with respect to a longitudinal axis of the refueling tanker aircraft. 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each module includes multiple rows of LEDs arranged in subsets, each subset includes one or more LEDs connected in series, and at least two subsets of each row are connected in parallel. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each subset of the module is electrically isolated from faults occurring with respect to other subsets in the module. 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each module includes 2 rows of LEDs, each row including 12 LEDs, and each row is configured to include at least one of: 2 subsets of 6 LEDs, and 3 subsets of 4 LEDs. 16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each light emitting device is configured so that any module can be replaced while other modules in the light emitting device are in operation. 17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each module can be replaced while other modules are in operation. 18. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: a current control device configured to control the current supplied to each light emitting device. 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the current control device includes, a dimming control device configured to utilize pulse width modulation (PWM) to conduct dimming of the LEDs in the light emitting device; and a power supply interface operably connected to a power supply, the power supply interface being configured to generate supply voltages and provide reverse polarity protection for the dimming control device and the light emitting device. 20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the positional feedback is provided to the pilot without requiring a determination at the refueling tanker aircraft of the approaching aircraft's relative position.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.