Modulated lighting infrastructure for improved low visibility detection
US10220960B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 5, 2016 |
| Grant date | Mar 5, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 9, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH05B47/11
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A modulated lighting infrastructure for a runway approach lighting system includes a network of LED emitters, emitting primarily in the visible spectral band, driven by control logic to emit brief high-frequency pulses of energy at peak brightness for a fraction of their duty cycle while emitting no energy for the remainder of the duty cycle. While the pulsed emissions of the approach lighting system are so brief as to appear normal to pilots (as the average intensity is unchanged), an onboard detection system can integrate a camera for short bursts at a high frame rate to detect images of the emitted high-frequency pulses against competing atmospheric and background illumination and display the detected images to the pilot. The emitter network may include additional emitters configured to emit energy in infrared and other spectral ranges for detection by onboard enhanced vision systems.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.