Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F21V29/00—Protecting lighting devices from thermal damage; Cooling or heating arrangements specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
  • F21V29/85—Protecting lighting devices from thermal damage; Cooling or heating arrangements specially adapted for lighting devices or systems characterised by the material
  • F21V29/89—Metals
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
  • B64F—GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT; DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING, CLEANING, MAINTAINING OR REPAIRING AIRCRAFT, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HANDLING, TRANSPORTING, TESTING OR INSPECTING AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B64F1/00—Ground or aircraft-carrier-deck installations
  • B64F1/18—Visual or acoustic landing aids
  • B64F1/20—Arrangement of optical beacons
  • B64F1/205—Arrangement of optical beacons arranged underground, e.g. underground runway lighting units
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F21V29/00—Protecting lighting devices from thermal damage; Cooling or heating arrangements specially adapted for lighting devices or systems
  • F21V29/50—Cooling arrangements
  • F21V29/70—Cooling arrangements characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
  • F21V29/74—Cooling arrangements characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks with fins or blades
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
  • F21W2111/00—Use or application of lighting devices or systems for signalling, marking or indicating, not provided for in codes F21W2102/00 – F21W2107/00
  • F21W2111/06—Use or application of lighting devices or systems for signalling, marking or indicating, not provided for in codes F21W2102/00 – F21W2107/00 for aircraft runways or the like

Definitions

• the invention relates to an airfield marker light, e.g. for runways or taxi strips, comprising a metal casing to be flush-mounted in the ground, said casing having a vertical tube with a lower bottom plate and including in its lower part at least one lamp for emitting an upwardly directed light bundle, and optical means, through which the upwardly directed light bundle passes and which include an upper, at least partially transparent cover plate for emitting at least one light beam, wherein at least one light filter is disposed in the optical path.
• Such a marker light although without a light filter, is previously known from US-A-3, 007, 034 (Reed), and similar devices are also described in DK-C-113 912 (Siemens AG), EP-B1-22106 (Meta-Fer AG) and US-A-3, 096, 024 (Young).
• a general problem is the heat development partly from the lamp due to the relatively high power, which is necessary in order to obtain a high light intensity, partly from said light filter, which absorbs a large part of the light energy and converts this energy into heat.
• the object of the invention is to achieve a device, which enables a high light intensity, even upon filtering in said light filter, and still keeps the various parts of the marker light at a relatively low temperature level.
• it is desirable to keep the lamp as well as the upper cover plate at a relatively low temperature and the temperature of the surface of the cover plate must not exceed 160°C because of the requirement that a rubber tire should be able to cover the marker light without being damaged.
• the cover plate may be made of epoxy plastic material, which has other favourable properties at lower temperatures, such as a high refractive index, high strength, abrasive resistance and enables repair of surface damages by applying a new surface layer.
• the lamp is mounted in effective heat conductive contact with the metal casing adjacent to the bottom plate;
• the optical means include at least one transparent plate, which constitutes or is provided with a layer of said light filter and which along the whole circumference thereof is in effective heat conductive contact with the metal tube casing.
• the light filtering plate can be constituted by a separate light filter plate (claim 2) and/or by the upper cover plate with a light filter layer applied to the underside thereof (claim 3).
• the optical means include one or more transparent plates located between the lamp and the cover plate, these plates being fitted tightly to the tube casing along the whole circumference thereof, so as to prevent convection of warm air upwardly towards the cover plate (claim 4).
• Fig. 1 shows a marker light according to the invention in perspective view, wherein half of the device has been cut away through a central, vertical section for increased clarity;
• Fig. 2 shows the marker light from above
• Fig. 3 shows the optical components schematically with their principal light rays
• Figs 4a and 4b show central sections through the lower part of the marker light with a lamp in two different mounting positions.
• the marker light shown in Figs 1 and 2 comprises essentially a cylindrical casing 1 of metal, e.g. an aluminum alloy, having a lower bottom plate la, an upper, substantially rectangular seat lb, a reflector lamp 4 mounted at the bottom plate la on a bracket 2 with a mounting plate 3, a colour filter plate 5, a transparent insulating plate 6, a light refractive plate 7 and an upper transparent cover plate 8 being tightly fitted in the seat lb.
• the casing 1 is lowered into a well housing 9 with a lid 10, so that the upper surface of the cover plate 8 lies substantially in the ground plane.
• the lid is preferably made of metal for an effective transfer of heat from the upper portion of the tubular casing 1.
• the upper, substantially rectangular cover plate 8 is preferably made of a transparent epoxy plastic material, i.e. an abrasive resistant material, which, if necessary, can be provided with a fresh surface layer for filling out possible scratches or other damages on the upper surface.
• a transparent epoxy plastic material i.e. an abrasive resistant material
• hard, ceramic particles are partially embedded into the surface layers; partly along two longitudinal edge portions 11, 12, partly along a central, transversal strip portion 13.
• the upper surface of the cover plate is divided into two rectangular portions 8a, 8b, each serving to emit a light beam propagating closely along the ground plane (compare Fig. 3).
• each surface portion 8a, 8b is somewhat inclined, so that it is inclined downwards from the central, transversal portion 13 about 3° relative to the horizontal plane.
• the bracket 2 holding the reflector lamp 4 consists of a bent metal band, e.g. made of an aluminum alloy, which is oriented substantially in parallel to the transversal central portion 13 of the cover plate 8.
• One end portion 2a of the brackcet is secured to the bottom plate la, which may likewise be made of an aluminum alloy, in good heat conductive contact with the latter.
• the other, longer end portion 2b is planar and horizontal, and the rectangular mounting plate 3 is secured to this end portion by means of a screw fastener 14.
• the reflector lamp 4 with its socket 4a can be mounted on the plate 3 either in a central, straight upwardly directed position according to Fig.
• the colour filter plate 5 which is located somewhat above the reflector lamp 4, is made of a toughened glass plate with colouring pigment, said glass plate 5 being horizontal and fitted tightly to the tubular casing 1 around the circumference thereof, the c ireumferencial portion being secured between two cylindrical tube portions 17, 18 likewise made of an aluminum alloy, said tube portions being tightly fitted internally within the tubular casing 1.
• the insulating glass plate 6 is likewise horizontal and rests on the upper end of the upper tube portion 18, the circumf erencial edge thereof being tightly fitted to the surrounding tubular casing 1.
• the light refractive plate 7 is likewise horizontally disposed and is tightly fitted to the surrounding tubular casing 1 at a small distance below the upper cover plate 8.
• a portion of the heat generated by the reflector lamp 4 is passed away via the socket 4a, the plate 3, the bracket 2 and the bottom plate la, and a portion of the heat generated during the passage of the light through the plates 5, 6 and 7 is passed away by the heat conductive contact with the tubular casing 1.
• the insulating glass plate 6 also serves to prevent a heat transfer upwardly by convection.
• the upper cover plate 8 can be kept at a advantageously low temperature, whereby it becomes more durable and the life of the marker light is substantially increased as compared to prior art devices.
• the reflector lamp 4 emits a well defined, collected light bundle, which passes through the colour filter plate 5 and the insulating plate 6 substantially without geometrical change, whereupon the light bundle is divided in the light refractive plate 7, so that the bundle portions L 1 and L 2 are refracted obliquely upwardly to the left and the bundle portions L 3 and L 4 are refracted obliquely upwardly to the right.
• These bundle portions strike the saw tooth surfaces 8c and 8d of the cover plate 8 at a right angle, thus without refraction, and each bundle portion is thereafter refracted m the upper surface portions 8b and 8a, respectively, of the cover plate, so that narrow light beams L 12 and L 34 propagating near the ground plane M are emitted in opposite directions.
• the structure is such as to ensure that a large portion of the light from the lamp 4 is maintained as useful, emitted light from the cover plate 8.
• a certain amount of light is absorbed m the filter plate 5, which amount is converted into heat.
• This heat is effectively passed away via the tubular casing 1.
• the major portion of the heat, which is inevitably generated by the lamp 4 is passed away downwards via the socket 4a, the plate 3, the bracket 2 and the bottom plate 1.
• Minor amounts of heat are also generated m the plates 6 and 7 but are passed away sideways via the tubular casing 1.
• the cover plate 8 will conduct heat via the seat lb of the tubular casing 1 and the lid 10 of the well housing.
• the lamp 4 and the upper cover plate 8 can thus be kept at a relatively low temperature, even when a relatively high light intensity is emitted in the light beams L 12 and L 34.
• the marker light according to the invention can be modified in many ways by those skilled in the art within the scope of claim 1.
• the light filter which can be constituted by a colour, UV or IR filter, may alternatively consist of a layer applied to anyone of the transparent plates, e.g. at the underside of the cover plate.
• the insulating plate 6 can be omitted in certain cases, especially if the light intensity is not required to be high.
• the light refractive plate 7, if present, will give a corresponding effect, since it prevents the upwardly flowing hot air from reaching the cover plate 8.
• the inventive idea can also be utilized at marker lights emitting only one light beam.
• the metal casing 1 may have any other cross sectional shape than cylindrical, e.g. polygonal, rectangular or square, wherein the plates 5, 6 and 7 are given a corresponding shape.
• heat transfer means such as cooling flanges or a heat collecting medium externally of the metal tubular casing 1.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Road Signs Or Road Markings (AREA)
• Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)
• Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
• Arrangement Of Elements, Cooling, Sealing, Or The Like Of Lighting Devices (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20365062

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (5)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1986
  • 1986-07-07 SE SE8603029A patent/SE453323B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1987
  • 1987-07-06 JP JP62504158A patent/JPH02500395A/ja active Pending
  • 1987-07-06 AU AU77001/87A patent/AU7700187A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1987-07-06 WO PCT/SE1987/000324 patent/WO1988000315A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1987-07-06 EP EP87904649A patent/EP0314694A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 1988
  • 1988-03-04 DK DK117088A patent/DK117088D0/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1989
  • 1989-01-05 FI FI890054A patent/FI890054A/fi not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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