EP2143990A1 - Élément de guidage de lumière, ensemble lumineux et procédé de fabrication dudit élément de guidage de lumière - Google Patents

Élément de guidage de lumière, ensemble lumineux et procédé de fabrication dudit élément de guidage de lumière Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2143990A1
EP2143990A1 EP08159984A EP08159984A EP2143990A1 EP 2143990 A1 EP2143990 A1 EP 2143990A1 EP 08159984 A EP08159984 A EP 08159984A EP 08159984 A EP08159984 A EP 08159984A EP 2143990 A1 EP2143990 A1 EP 2143990A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
light
guiding element
light guiding
coating
output surface
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP08159984A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Mattias Hallberg
Ola Håkansson
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ADB Safegate Sweden AB
Original Assignee
Safegate International AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Safegate International AB filed Critical Safegate International AB
Priority to EP08159984A priority Critical patent/EP2143990A1/fr
Publication of EP2143990A1 publication Critical patent/EP2143990A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
    • E01F—ADDITIONAL WORK, SUCH AS EQUIPPING ROADS OR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATFORMS, HELICOPTER LANDING STAGES, SIGNS, SNOW FENCES, OR THE LIKE
    • E01F9/00—Arrangement of road signs or traffic signals; Arrangements for enforcing caution
    • E01F9/50—Road surface markings; Kerbs or road edgings, specially adapted for alerting road users
    • E01F9/553—Low discrete bodies, e.g. marking blocks, studs or flexible vehicle-striking members
    • E01F9/559—Low discrete bodies, e.g. marking blocks, studs or flexible vehicle-striking members illuminated
    • 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 a light guiding element, a light assembly and a method for manufacturing said light guiding element.
  • One way of keeping the number of interruptions at a low level is to include a light source with a long life.
  • halogen lamp Today it is common to use a halogen lamp as light source. However, the life of halogen lamps is quite short and therefore the lamps and the halogen lamps must be replaced with new ones quite frequently. Because of this, more and more lamps are provided with light emitting diodes (LED) which have a longer life than halogen lamps.
  • LED light emitting diodes
  • lamps at airfields are subject to heavy mechanical wear. For instance, airplanes may drive over the lamps and snowploughs clearing the runway may drive over the lamps.
  • One solution may be to provide the lamp with a housing protecting the inner parts of the lamp.
  • a problem with this solution is that it does not solve the problem of the lamp being subject to mechanical wear induced by sand and other small particles.
  • an objective of the invention is to solve or at least reduce the problems discussed above.
  • An object of the invention is to reduce the maintenance of light assemblies.
  • the general concept is to improve light assemblies having a light source with a long life by having a light guiding element with an output surface withstanding mechanical stress and wear at the same time as the optical quality is maintained.
  • the present invention is realized by a light guiding element of a first material comprising an input surface and an output surface, said output surface being provided with a coating of a second material.
  • the output surface is in direct contact with the coating, and the second material has a degree of hardness that is higher than a degree of hardness of the first material.
  • the second material having a higher degree of hardness that is higher than a degree of hardness of the first material is advantageous in that the second material protects the first material from mechanical wear and stress.
  • the output surface being in direct contact with the coating is advantageous in that light guided through the output surface is only affected by the output surface and the coating, that is there is no materiel between the output surface and the coating that could induce further refraction.
  • An advantage with the light guiding element and the coating being of different materials is that a more inexpensive material can be used for the light guiding element than for the coating.
  • the light guiding element may be a prism comprising a reflection surface. This is advantageous in that the light is guided in a desired direction.
  • An area of the output surface may be smaller than an area of the input surface. This is advantageous in that the area that is subject to stress and wear is smaller.
  • the second material may have a degree of hardness that is equivalent to at least a degree of hardness of silicon dioxide. This is advantageous in that silicon dioxide is hard and hence provides a very good protection against stress and wear.
  • a thickness of the coating may at most be 10 ⁇ m.
  • the coating being thin is advantageous in that the direction of the light output through the coating is only slightly affected by the coating.
  • the coating may be applied to the output surface by atomic interaction.
  • An advantage with atomic interaction is that the coating is attached to the output surface without the need of glue, hence avoiding undesired refraction of the light.
  • the atomic interaction may be achieved by deposition.
  • Deposition is advantageous in that the coating is applied to the output surface in a cost efficient way.
  • the deposition may be physical vapour deposition. This is advantageous in that the coating may be made very thin.
  • the physical vapour deposition may be sputter deposition. This is advantageous in that it provides a large degree of control of the application of the coating to the output surface.
  • the second material may comprise at least one from the group of silicon dioxide and sapphire. Both silicon dioxide and sapphire have high degrees of hardness which implies that they provide a good protection against mechanical wear and stress.
  • the first material may be at least one from the group of glass and plastic.
  • Glass is advantageous in that it is a hard material.
  • Plastic is advantageous in that it is easy to mould and in that it is inexpensive.
  • the present invention is realized by a light assembly comprising at least one light guiding element according to the first aspect, and at least one light source.
  • An advantage of the light assembly is that it requires less maintenance. The light leaving the light assembly is less affected by the coating, compared to glued layers of the prior art. Furthermore, the light assembly has a long life.
  • An advantage with the light assembly having a prism comprising a reflection surface is that the at least one light source may be arranged horizontally which simplifies the installation and which reduces the height of the light assembly.
  • a first subset of the light guiding elements may be arranged to direct light in a first direction, and a second subset of the light guiding elements may be arranged to direct light in a second direction. This is advantageous in that the same light assembly may be used to emit light in two directions.
  • the at least one light source may be a light emitting diode. This is advantageous in that light emitting diodes have a long life.
  • the light assembly may further comprise a housing having a first part and a second part, wherein the first part may be arranged to reside above a hardened surface for vehicular traffic and the second part may be arranged to reside under the hardened surface for vehicular traffic. This arrangement is advantageous in that the second part is protected from the vehicular traffic.
  • the first part may be provided with an aperture for the output surface of the at least one light guiding element, and the first part may be provided with a recess in connection to the aperture, the recess being adapted to coincide with a light beam output through the output surface. This is advantageous in that the recess prevents vehicles from making direct contact with the output surface and hence reduces the risk for damages to the output surfaces.
  • the light assembly may be an airfield inset light. This is advantageous in that the light assembly can be used as inset lighting in for example airfields and tunnels.
  • the light assembly being inset reduces the wear on the light assembly. Furthermore, the light assembly does not break when vehicles drive over it.
  • the light assembly may be an airfield elevated light. This is advantageous in that the light assembly can be used in for example airfields and does not have to be embedded but is easy to mount.
  • the present invention is realized by a method for manufacturing a light guiding element of a first material comprising an input surface and an output surface.
  • the method comprising: coating the output surface with a coating of a second material.
  • the output surface is in direct contact with the coating, and the second material has a degree of hardness that is higher than a degree of hardness of the first material.
  • the method for manufacturing is advantageous in that it is capacity and cost efficient.
  • the third aspect of the invention can be embodied with any combination of features corresponding to any of the features of the first aspect of the invention.
  • Fig 1 is an exploded side view of an embodiment of a light assembly 100 according to the present invention.
  • the light assembly comprises at least one light guiding element 110, 112 and at least one light source 120.
  • a first subset of the light guiding elements 110 is arranged to direct light in a first direction and a second subset of the light guiding elements 112 is arranged to direct light in a second direction.
  • the light sources 120 are light emitting diodes. It is however obvious to a person skilled in the art that other light sources having a long life can be used instead.
  • the light sources 120 may for example be microwave lamps or halogen lamps.
  • the light assembly 100 may further comprise a housing having a first part 132 and a second part 134.
  • the first part 132 can be arranged to reside above a hardened surface for vehicular traffic, such as a taxiway for airplanes.
  • a top part of the first part 132 can be arranged to reside in the same plane as the hardened surface for vehicular traffic.
  • a bottom part of the first part 132 can be arranged to reside in the same plane as a the hardened surface for vehicular traffic.
  • the second part 134 can be arranged to reside under the hardened surface for vehicular traffic.
  • the first part 132 can be provided with at least one aperture 136.
  • the at least one aperture 136 can be associated with an output surface 114 of the light guiding element 114.
  • the first part 132 can further be provided with a recess 138 in connection to the at least one aperture 136, said at least one recess 138 being adapted to coincide with a light beam output through the output surface 114.
  • the light assembly 100 further comprises at least one light guiding element gasket 122 arranged to receive the at least one light guiding element 110.
  • the light guiding element gasket 122 may be made of plastic.
  • the light assembly 100 may further comprise a collimator (not shown) for aligning the light.
  • Fig 2 is a side view of an embodiment of a light guiding element 110, 112 according to the present invention.
  • the light guiding element 110, 112 can be of a first material and comprises an input surface 114 and an output surface 116.
  • the output surface 116 can be provided with a coating of a second material.
  • the output surface 116 can be in direct contact with the coating and the second material may have a degree of hardness that is higher than a degree of hardness of the first material.
  • the light guiding element 110 is realised as a prism comprising a reflection surface 118.
  • the second material has a degree of hardness equivalent to at least a degree of hardness of silicon dioxide. It is realised that different hard materials can be used for the coating that are suitable for protecting the light guiding element 110 such as for example silicon dioxide, sapphire.
  • the silicon dioxide may be crystalline.
  • the area of the output surface 116 can be smaller than the area of the input surface 114.
  • a thickness of the coating is at most 10 ⁇ m. The thinner the coating is, the smaller is the influence of the coating on the optical quality of light passing through the coating. However, the coating has to be of some thickness in order to protect the light guiding element 110 from wear and stress. A coating having a thickness of 10 ⁇ m provides a good protection at the same time as it affects the optical quality to a very small extent.
  • the coating can be applied to the output surface 116 by atomic interaction. More specifically, the atomic interaction can be achieved by deposition. Deposition may be the settling of particles (atoms or molecules) or sediment from a solution, suspension and mixture or vapor onto a pre-existing surface. Deposition generally results in growth of new phase.
  • the deposition can be physical vapour deposition. It is however realised that different deposition techniques known to a person skilled in the art can be used. Physical vapour deposition is a technology where material is evaporated and condensed to form a thin film coating over an object (substrate). In general, coatings consist of metals or ceramics, usually, nitrides, carbides, and oxides. Using this technology, the thickness of the coating can be varied.
  • the physical vapour deposition is sputter deposition.
  • Sputter deposition comprises ejecting material from a target and then depositing the ejected material on a substrate.
  • the first material may for example be glass or plastic. If the first material is glass, it may for example be B270 or BK7. B270 is advantageous in that it provides a better permeability. BK7 is advantageous in that it has a higher degree of hardness.
  • Fig 3 is a side top view of an embodiment of a light guiding element 110, 112 according to the present invention.
  • the light guiding element 110, 112 is realised as a curved prism comprising a reflection surface 118.
  • the reflection surface 118 comprises plates 120 which are arranged to deflect the the light when the light is reflected on the reflection surface 118.
  • Fig 4a-f are top views of different embodiments of the light assembly 100.
  • the arrows represent the light emitted from the light assemblies 100.
  • Fig 4a-c display different embodiments of bi-directional light assemblies 100. In bi-directional light assemblies, light is emitted in two directions.
  • Fig 4a displays a light assembly 100 providing a narrow light path.
  • Fig 4b displays a light assembly 100 providing a wide light path.
  • Fig 4c displays a light assembly 100 comprising a light guiding element according to fig 3 . The light assembly 100 of fig 4c deflects the light.
  • Fig 4d-f display different embodiments of unidirectional light assemblies 100.
  • unidirectional light assemblies light is emitted in one direction.
  • Fig 4d displays a light assembly 100 providing a narrow light path.
  • Fig 4e displays a light assembly 100 providing a wide light path.
  • Fig 4f displays a light assembly 100 comprising a light guiding element according to fig 3 . The light assembly 100 of fig 4f deflects the light.
  • the light assembly 100 has many different fields of use. It may for example be used on airfields as runway lightning, or taxiway lightning. The light assembly 100 may further be used as lightning in tunnels. The light assembly 100 may also be used as road lightning.
  • the light assembly 100 may be realised as for example inset lights or elevated lights.
  • Fig 5 is a top view of an airfield inset light.
  • Fig 6 is a side view of an airfield elevated light.
  • the method comprises coating said output surface with a coating of a second material, the output surface is in direct contact with the coating, and the second material has a degree of hardness that is higher than a degree of hardness of the first material.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)
EP08159984A 2008-07-09 2008-07-09 Élément de guidage de lumière, ensemble lumineux et procédé de fabrication dudit élément de guidage de lumière Withdrawn EP2143990A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP08159984A EP2143990A1 (fr) 2008-07-09 2008-07-09 Élément de guidage de lumière, ensemble lumineux et procédé de fabrication dudit élément de guidage de lumière

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP08159984A EP2143990A1 (fr) 2008-07-09 2008-07-09 Élément de guidage de lumière, ensemble lumineux et procédé de fabrication dudit élément de guidage de lumière

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP2143990A1 true EP2143990A1 (fr) 2010-01-13

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EP08159984A Withdrawn EP2143990A1 (fr) 2008-07-09 2008-07-09 Élément de guidage de lumière, ensemble lumineux et procédé de fabrication dudit élément de guidage de lumière

Country Status (1)

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EP (1) EP2143990A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102011101483A1 (de) * 2011-05-14 2012-11-15 GIFAS Beteiligungen GmbH Leuchtvorrichtung und deren Verwendung
IT202100029078A1 (it) * 2021-11-17 2023-05-17 Energy Tech S R L Metodo di realizzazione di un prisma per un segnalatore luminoso e prisma di segnalatore cosi’ ottenuto.

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3369113A (en) * 1966-10-12 1968-02-13 Westinghouse Electric Corp Runway centerline light
US4860182A (en) * 1987-03-16 1989-08-22 Meta-Fer Holding S.A. Airport lighting
WO1997013169A1 (fr) * 1995-10-05 1997-04-10 He Holdings, Inc. Doing Business As Hughes Electronics Fenetre durable pour la transmission composite d'infrarouges et d'ondes visibles, laser et moyennes
US6155703A (en) * 1998-10-06 2000-12-05 Physical Optics Corporation Surface mounted light assembly
US6168294B1 (en) * 1998-03-02 2001-01-02 Ernst Erni Airport taxi signal light having LED light array with light processing assembly and dichroic filter
EP1197603A1 (fr) * 2000-10-11 2002-04-17 D. Swarovski & Co. Plot pour marquage de routes
WO2003023276A2 (fr) * 2001-09-13 2003-03-20 Dialight Corporation Feu encastre a diode electroluminescente
WO2003027397A1 (fr) 2001-09-26 2003-04-03 Swarco Futurit Verkehrssignalsysteme Ges. Mbh Marquage lumineux sur la chaussee en technique led
WO2003069069A1 (fr) * 2002-02-18 2003-08-21 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Systeme de marquage routier

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3369113A (en) * 1966-10-12 1968-02-13 Westinghouse Electric Corp Runway centerline light
US4860182A (en) * 1987-03-16 1989-08-22 Meta-Fer Holding S.A. Airport lighting
WO1997013169A1 (fr) * 1995-10-05 1997-04-10 He Holdings, Inc. Doing Business As Hughes Electronics Fenetre durable pour la transmission composite d'infrarouges et d'ondes visibles, laser et moyennes
US6168294B1 (en) * 1998-03-02 2001-01-02 Ernst Erni Airport taxi signal light having LED light array with light processing assembly and dichroic filter
US6155703A (en) * 1998-10-06 2000-12-05 Physical Optics Corporation Surface mounted light assembly
EP1197603A1 (fr) * 2000-10-11 2002-04-17 D. Swarovski & Co. Plot pour marquage de routes
WO2003023276A2 (fr) * 2001-09-13 2003-03-20 Dialight Corporation Feu encastre a diode electroluminescente
WO2003027397A1 (fr) 2001-09-26 2003-04-03 Swarco Futurit Verkehrssignalsysteme Ges. Mbh Marquage lumineux sur la chaussee en technique led
WO2003069069A1 (fr) * 2002-02-18 2003-08-21 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Systeme de marquage routier

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102011101483A1 (de) * 2011-05-14 2012-11-15 GIFAS Beteiligungen GmbH Leuchtvorrichtung und deren Verwendung
EP2710191B1 (fr) * 2011-05-14 2016-04-06 Gifas Beteiligungen GmbH Dispositif d'éclairage et son utilisation
IT202100029078A1 (it) * 2021-11-17 2023-05-17 Energy Tech S R L Metodo di realizzazione di un prisma per un segnalatore luminoso e prisma di segnalatore cosi’ ottenuto.

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