FR2648214A1 - LIGHT AIR BEACON - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a luminous aerial beacon. It relates to a luminous aerial beacon intended for a high voltage transmission line 1, and comprising a spherical envelope 2, 3 having a conductive coating on its internal surface and thus forming a capacitor, and gas discharge lamps 4 mounted in parallel and very close to each other. The night visibility distance is at least 1200 m. Application to the marking of electrical energy transmission lines.

Description

The present invention relates to aerial beacons, and more specifically

  tags having various configurations formed of neon lamps cooperating with the exterior of colored spherical balls constituting capacitors, ensuring daytime and night visibility to

  at least 1200 m when the lamps are in operation.

  Many kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines are built at a great height by

  to the surrounding terrain so that the potential contact

  with vehicles on the ground is kept to a minimum. These lines are not very visible from the air and present a danger for aircraft flying at low altitude. These transport lines are usually marked at strategic locations, the beacons being spherical envelopes reinforced with fiberglass, of very visible color so that their daytime visibility is increased. It is obviously very desirable that the

  visibility at night is also increased by illumination.

  The existing technology uses a single neon tube housed in a transparent tube filled with a conductive fluid, a first electrode of the neon tube being connected to the high voltage source and the other to a rod of

  precise and considerable length which is supported parallel

  same as the source of high voltage. The United States Patent

  United States No. 3,124,712 discloses the use of a high voltage source for the control of a neon lamp, but uses a light permeable rather than opaque enclosure, a single tube and a rectifier for

  cause the single tube to blink.

  The present invention uses a capacitor which can be a spherical envelope having sections

  coated conductors, and neon lamps placed in the

  inside the spherical envelope. A first electrode of the neon lamp is directly connected to the high voltage source via a clamp. The other

  Neon lamp electrode is attached to the conductive parts

  of the capacitor of the spherical envelope. A conden-

  low-cost spherical diffuser, made in various ways, by coating strips of conductive glass,

  of a metal or a coating of paint placed inside the

  The envelope of the sphere can be used to support neon lamps outside the envelope, so that the beacon has excellent visibility. Neon lamps are very close to the outer casing of the colored spherical capacitor and impermeable to light,

  having a diameter of 76 cm. Eight 10 mm diameter lamps

  meter and 69.cm in length, having a neon pressure of 10 torr, are electrically fixed in parallel and placed physically in parallel with a spacing of

  13 mm on a spherical capacitor and give

  brilliantly. Various other gases can be chosen for coloring the lamp, according to their application. This arrangement gives a very effective oscillating lamp and can be seen at a distance of 1500 to 3000 μm while 10 lamps of the same construction, separated by spaces of cm, reduce the illumination to a value such that the

  visibility is barely noticeable at 900 m.

  There are many variations on the length of neon lamps, the electrical configuration of these lamps and their dimensions or on capacitors that can be adapted to different voltages of high voltage sources to give a permanent light or

oscillating or alternative.

  The present invention ensures the arrangement of neon or gas lamps very close to the active source of

  high voltage, so that neon lights can function

  in parallel. Laboratory tests have shown that several lamps in parallel must be in a high voltage field and must have a voltage applied to be able to oscillate. In addition, the lamps must be in the field of a high-voltage capacitor and a voltage must be applied to the lamps so that they oscillate. In addition, the lamps must have an appropriate configuration on a spherical envelope so that the field compensation effects are reduced and provide the illumination necessary to obtain the

  visibility determined by air regulations.

  Other features and advantages of the invention

  tion will become more apparent from the following description,

  made with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

  Figure 1 is a perspective of a way of realizing

  of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective of a variant of the invention; and Figure 3 is a schematic perspective of a

  another embodiment of the invention.

  Figure 1 represents a first embodiment of

  of the invention. The source 1 of high voltage is a

  transmission line. Two halves 2 and 3 of the

  spherical denser 20 are shown. The size, configuration and coloration of the capacitor 20 are

  those of the existing balls constituting the beacons

  for daytime visibility. The capacitor 20 may be formed of a glass fiber material having an inner conductive layer or a conductive paint covering the larger inner portion but leaving around the fasteners sufficient area for the inner conductive layer to be insulated by relation to the source of high voltage 1. The effectiveness of this

  invention has been demonstrated in a range of

  between 69 and 650 kV. The two halves 2 and 3 can be electrically insulated so that they form two capacitors. Gas discharge lamps 4 or abbreviated "gas lamp" can be used on both halves 2 and 3 and can be electrically connected so that a capacitor and gas discharge lamps 4 are used only. on the upper half 3 or only on the lower half 2 or on the two halves 2 and 3. A reflective tape 6 can be used under the lamps 4. The tape and lamps can be covered with a plastic cover (no represent)

  or may simply be coated with plastic material.

  A single clamp 5 secures the projections of the halves of the casing 2 and 3. An electrical connection between a clamp 5 and the high voltage source 1 in fact eliminates corona discharges and the corresponding failure of the corona. envelope. The spacing of the lamps 4 is such that the lamps 4 are coupled capacitively and give a

maximum illumination.

  The length, the arrangement, the conductivity of the gas, the configuration of a lamp, the type of electrodes, the diameter of the tube of the lamp, the electrical and physical arrangements of the lamps with respect to each other and

  considerations concerning the modification of the

  cited of the capacitor by changing the flux and static fields, placed outside the spherical capacitor, determine the performance of the beacon ball

  as an illumination device. These relationships ultimately affect

  the luminance of the lamp or lamps 4, the frequency

  oscillation quence and luminance or oscillation intensity. These mechanical, physical and

  electrical devices are intended to give maximum illumination.

  The field created by the flow of current in the

  lamps 4 interacts with the envelope field 20 and modifies

  the effective capacity of the envelope. The flow of electricity depends on the applied voltage and the resistance in circuit. The resistor, which is normally called impedance when a capacitor is in circuit, varies with the actual frequency and the capacitance of the capacitor. of the envelope. Normally, the frequency is

  50 Hz or 60 Hz, and it does not vary significantly.

  In the case of lamps of sufficient length, evenly spaced on the envelope of a spherical ball or near the source 1 of high voltage, the field caused by the instantaneous flow of current in the lamps can

  actually reduce the capacity of the envelope and can

  the impedance of the circuit so that the lamps do not

  do not give sufficient illumination.

  An arrangement, a dimension and an electri-

  suitable current makes it possible to obtain sufficient light emission by circulating the current, but the same current sufficiently increases the impedance of the circuit so that the current flow in the lamps is

  reduced and the light emission decreases. This reduction

  flow in the lamps makes it possible to

  instantaneous increase in condensate capacity

  the circuit impedance is reduced and causes an increase in the intensity of the current flowing through the lamps; as a result, we have

  found that it was possible to obtain an oscil-

  lante or alternative. Other lamp configurations

  allow continuous illumination because the variation of

  circuit is not enough for the show

bright is weakened.

  The diameter of the sphere can vary from a small

  quantity so that the light emitted by the tubes increases.

  For example, increasing the diameter of the sphere from 38 cm to 43 cm gives about 50% more light for the same line under tension. It is therefore possible to vary the diameter of the sphere and the configuration of the neon tubes to obtain optimal illumination on

different voltage lines.

  The embodiment of FIG. 1 is intended to be mounted on a high voltage power transmission line in the same manner as current aerial beacons. A spherical, fiberglass, colored, spherical envelope having protrusions on each half of the envelope is intended to be used for clamping

  of the envelope on the line. Another connecting device

  may be constituted by a fixing rod of

the envelope at the line.

  Conductive terminals may be encapsulated in the envelope 20 and may cover most of the interior of the envelope (a commercially available product may be advantageously used in the form of a conductive fiber felt, called "Romoglas" "); however, metal rods or grids, coated or mounted intimately against the shell, may also be used, as well as a conductive paint coating. The metallic conductors placed in the sphere are themselves connected but are isolated from the high voltage source; the operation can advantageously be carried out by the configuration formed inside the

the sphere.

  One or more sets of neon lamps 4 are attached to the outside of the upper half of the envelope 20, each game almost surrounding the envelope. Each tube of the game is electrically mounted in series. The games are then electrically connected in parallel, one side of the parallel connection being electrically connected to the high source.

  voltage 1 and the other side being connected to the conductive

  formed in the envelope, with a resultant oscillation

  Aunt of the illumination of the lamps. When the games are electrically connected in series, the illumination obtained is continuous. All connections can be formed in the casing, the openings for the passage of the connectors being closed by a plastic sealing material. 69 cm neon tubes, up to eight in number, can be mounted in series in each

  different games, and the games can then be connected

  in parallel and give continuous illumination with a light that constantly oscillates or alternates

  use on a 76 cm diameter spherical capacitor of

  meter for a high voltage source of 345 kVA (between

phases) (at 60 Hz).

  On a spherical capacitor 91 cm in diameter, two sets of lamps were arranged by using a continuous lamp of 3 to 3.6 m in length, placed in a sinuous form so that it constitutes five branches each having about 61 to 74 cm in length, with spacing

about 13 mm between the branches.

  FIG. 2 shows a variant 30 in which the halves 8 and 9, which have a slightly different shape from that shown in FIG. 1, are clamped on a conductor 15 by fixing members 5. Lamps

  4 gas discharge are mounted on a reflective tape.

  6, as shown in Figure 1. The reflective tape 6 can be replaced by a reflective paint. A clamp or a hook 12 is attached to the

  high voltage source 1 and is tight in place. One end

  The thread 16 of the conductor 15 is used when the assembly is suspended from a high voltage source 1 which

  is energized, with a suitable insulator. A deflect

  13 of rain associated with the upper fastening member 5 and a ribbed projection 14 preventing the flow of water on the electrical connections at the other fastener, are shown in Figure 2.

  The embodiment of Figure 2 is very similar

  same as in Figure 1, the two halves 8 and 9 of

  the envelope 30 being tightened around a metal conductor

  with a duckbill support for attaching the envelope to the high-voltage source (wire) at one end and a socket to provide

  connection to a mounting isolator at the other end.

  In the embodiment of Figure 2, the neon lamps have been placed at the top of each

  half so that they give maximum visibility

  above. The sphere may comprise at least two electrically isolated segments with respect to each other so

  that they form separate capacitors.

  It has been found that lamps can weaken by

  heavy rain. This is avoided by any one of several

  any variants designed to protect against rain the electrical connections and the electrical isolation zone

  between the high voltage source and the metal part

  conductive layer of the capacitor. All connections of neon lamps can be formed inside the

  spherical capacitor, the openings of the plastic material

  external tick being sealed. A drip lip or gutter-like extension may discharge water away from the isolation areas between the high voltage source and the capacitor. Figure 3 shows the flexibility and convenience of application given by the invention. Lamps to

  gas discharge are placed in transient chambers.

  17 and 18 and have a different configuration and may also have a length different from that of

  4 gas discharge lamps. In one embodiment

  of the invention, neon lamps at a torr pressure having a diameter of 10 mm and a length of

  3.6 mm, were helically wound in each chamber.

  The mounting of the enclosure, at a distance of about 30 cm from the halves 2 and 3 of spherical capacitors, gives a light that does not oscillate. It should be noted that an electrode placed at a first end of each gas discharge lamp placed in the enclosures 17 and 18 is electrically connected to the high voltage source 1, but each electrode of the other end of the discharge lamps in a gas is electrically connected to the conductive zone formed in the halves 2 and 3. The gas discharge lamps, placed in the enclosures 17 and 18, are mounted

  in the field of the high-voltage source 1 while being separated

  the spherical condenser 40 but placed very close to it.

  Many other embodiments are possible

  sible. The maximum illumination can be obtained by varia-

  the length of neon tubes connected in series, the number of tubes connected in parallel and the

  capacitor. A spherical configuration is not neces-

  The light is good, but it is preferable according to the regulations and gives a maximum value capacitor for the occupied volume. It has been found that, in the case of a 76 cm spherical capacitor, a voltage source of 138 kVA, ten tubes of 60 cm in length separated by a

  distance of 10 cm, placed on the upper half of the

  densifier and when all tubes are connected in parallel, the amount of light emitted is very small given the field compensation effect. However, the same ten tubes, placed 13 mm from each other, electrically connected in parallel on the capacitor of the same dimensions and on the same transmission line of 138 kVA, give a brilliant oscillating light. In such an installation, the different tubes allow a permanent light emission even if some of the tubes

  break down, especially break.

Claims (9)

  1. Aerial light beacon to be used   on a source of high voltage, characterized in that it comprises: an opaque and insulating spherical envelope (2, 3)   intended to be attached to the high voltage source, the   loppe having a conductive member disposed therein so that it forms a spherical capacitor, and a plurality of gas discharge lamps (4) mounted very closely to the outside of the spherical capacitor, the   lamps being electrically connected, at a first   at the high-voltage source and being electrically   at the other end, to the conductive member placed in the casing, the lamps having a spacing and a dimension such that they provide a continuous illumination giving a night visibility at least 1200 m when the lamps are activated.   Beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that   a part of the lamps (4) gives an inter- mittent.   Beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that the lamps are connected electrically in series.   with the high voltage source and the conductive member.   Beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that   the lamps (4) are electrically connected in parallel   interacts with the high-voltage source and the conductive organ.   Beacon according to claim 4, characterized in that   the lamps (4) are electrically connected in parallel   with the high voltage source and the   conductor, and are electrically connected in series with each other.   Beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductive member is a conductive coating   deposited on the inner surface of the envelope (2, 3).   Beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductive member is a fiberglass felt made integral with the envelope. ? 648,214   Beacon according to Claim 1, characterized in that the lamps are arranged in the cavities formed in   the outside of the envelope (2, 3) and covered with transparent material.   - 5 9. Beacon according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a waterproofing member protecting the inside of the envelope and connections external electrics.