GB2504712A

GB2504712A - Remotely operated portable runway lighting system

Info

Publication number: GB2504712A
Application number: GB201214075A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerard David Moroney
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-08-07
Filing date: 2012-08-07
Publication date: 2014-02-12
Also published as: GB201313992D0; GB2506967A; GB201214075D0

Abstract

A lighting system for an aircraft runway, comprises a number of lighting units including one master unit and a number of slave units. Each lighting unit comprises a base unit 1 and a lantern unit 3, such that the base unit comprises a power source such as a solar panel 2 and a battery, and the lantern unit comprises a lamp 4 (typically an LED), a radio receiver and the required switching gear. The lantern unit is made portable by being separable from the base unit. The master lantern unit comprises a GSM (mobile phone/cell phone) and a radio transmitter. The GSM unit and radio transmitter may be located in an office and all of the lighting may be slaved to the transmitter. A glidepath lantern (fig 6) is used to enable an aircraft to approach a runway at the correct angle. The arrangement enables a pilot or other user to check the status of the lights remotely and also enables remote switching of the lights to be carried out.

Description

I

Portable Runway Lighting System This invention relates to a lighting system suitable for marking nut an aircraft runway or helicopter pad, powered by solar panels which can be operated (turned on and offl by means of OSM or by means of a radio transmitter.

Many runway lighting systems exist in the prior art. In particular W093 13984 (LANE) describes a runway lighting system comprising solar panels, batteries and a tamp, activated by a radio transmitter.

There are many problems with existing runway lighting systems for private landing strips. Many such landing strips are seldom used at night, so any runway lighting system would have to be relatively low cost. Also such landing strips sometimes have only minimal security, so there is a requirement for a system which prevents the runway lights being stolen. And thirdly because the runway lights are seldom used, there is an increased risk that the system will fail to operate when required. Existing systems cannot be operated from more than a few miles away, and offer no means of checking remotely that they are operating before the pilot commits to landing at a particular airstrip. This can be a particular problem in the case of an aircraft running low on fuel, as the pilot has to make a decision about where to land without necessarily knowing whether the runway lights at various landing strips are operational.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a lighting system for aircraft comprising at least one lighting unit including a light source, a power source therefore and a control system to allow selective activation of the light source, characterised in that said activation is achieved by the reception of a GSM, or similar, activation signal.

The present invention in a further aspect comprises a number of lighting units for lighting an aircraft runway, namely one master unit and a number of slave units, which lighting units can be selectively placed to mark a landing area and wherein the lighting unit includes a base unit and a lantern unit which arc selectively attachable to form the lighting unit. In one embodiment the base unit comprises a battery and, in one embodiment means, such as some solar panels suitable for charging the battety, and/or a connection to a mains power supply and the lantern unit comprises the lamp itself (typically an LED), a wireless communication receiver and the required switching gear. The lantern unit is separable from the base unit and the master lantern unit further comprises a OSM unit (mobile phone / cell phone) and a radio transmitter.

During periods when the runway lighting system will not be required, the base units can be left in position as runway identification markers. The removal ofthe lantern units renders the system less susceptible to damage or theft, and simplifies maintenance as any one lantern unit can be repaired or replaced independently of the rest of the system.

During periods when the runway lighting system may be required, the lantern units are fined to the base units and the system is ready to be activated at any time, either by means of the mains power supply or provided the batteries are sufficiently charged.

When the runway lighting system is required, the pilot uses their ovm GSM mobile phone.or cell phone to send a coded message to the master unit. This causes the master Unit to relay the message to the slave units by a wireless communication such as radio, so all the lights switch on together. Once the lights are lit, this is confirmed by an SMS (text message) being sent by the GSM in the master unit to the pilot's mobile phone. The brightness of the lights may be fixed, or may be adjusted either by the pilot or according to ambient light levels as detected by a sensor which may be provided integrally.

The use of LED lamps minimises the power requirement of the system, thereby enabling the system to use lower capacity batteries, and enabling the system to fully recharge under normal daylight, within daylight hours, from relatively small solar panels. The use of small solar panels and a relatively low capacity battery helps to moderate the cost of the system, which is important for private landing strips.

In one embodiment the master lighting unit is provided whclj includes a receiver for receiving an activation signal from a remote location, such as a GSM message transmitted from a mobile phone operated by a pilot of the plane which is due to land on the runway. In one embodiment said lighting unit includes a transmitter to relay an activation signal to other, slave, lighting units which are within range of, or are connected to the master lighting unit.

In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a lighting unit for use lighting an aircraft runway, said lighting unit comprising a base unit, having a power source therein and/or connccted thereto and a lantern unit having at least one light source therein wherein said lantern unit is selectively located with the base unit to thereby render at least the lantern unit portable.

It will be appreciated that the present invention offers considerable advantages over W093 13984 (LANE). The present invention will be better understood from the tollowing dcscription of the prcfërrcd embodiment which is given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows a system diagram showing the main control signals used to operate the lights in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows the front side of a runway -lighting unit comprising a base unit and a lantern unit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows the back side of a runway lighting unit according to Figure 2 Figure 4 shows the lantern unit of Figures 2 and 3 separated from the base unit.

figure 5 shows the lantern unit and part of the base unit from two orthogonal views Figure 6 shows the glidepath light embodiment ofthe present invention, The simple embodiment of the present invention will now be described by reference to figures Ito 5.

Figure 2 shows the front side of a runway lighting unit according to the present invention, which maybe either a master unit or a slave unit. The runway lighting unit comprises a base unit I which itself comprises a pair of solar panels 2. The runway lighting unit shown further comprises a lantern unit comprising a control box 5, an LED lamp 4 and a lantern 3. The lantern unit is connected both mechanically and electrically to the base unit, so that power from the battery in the base unit may be transmitted into the lantern unit.

Figure 3 shows the back side of a runway lighting unit according to the present invention. The lantern 3 is shown with an optional carrying handle 6 and with a lock 7 to enable the lantern unit to be secured to the base unit when so required. Also shon is a key 8.

Figure 4 shows the lantern unit removed from the base unit. Also shown is a possible mechanism for connecting the lantern unit to the base unit, comprising a slider 9 fixed to the bottom of the lantern unit], and a receiving plate 10 fixed to the top of the base unit 1, the slider 9 and receiving plate 10 being designed so as to mate with each other via a sliding action.

Figure 5 shows two orthogonal views of the lantern unit 3 and part of the base unit 1, showing how the combination of the slider 9 and lock 7 may be used to removably secure the lantern unit to the base unit.

It will be appreciated that this is not the only possible mechanism for removably connecting the lantern unit to the base unit; for example, a plug mechanism could also be used. It will also he appreciated that the mechanism for removably connecting the lantern unit to the base unit must further comprise means of making electrical connections between the two units, such as plugs or brushes: To set the system up, a number of runway lighting units are positioned on cach side of the landing strip, typically 16 in total, eight on each side. One of these is a master unit and all others are slave units.

The operation of the system is best described by reference to Figure 1. The lantern units must be fitted to the base units and the batteries must be at least partially charged. This state is referred to as the standby mode", in which the system is ready to be activated when required.

A pilot who wishes to land at night at a landing strip equipped with the present invention can check the operation of the system at anytime. Pilots generally carry almanacs such as Pooley's which ptiblish information about landing strips throughout a geographic region, such as the UK. In the case oft landing strip equipped with the present invention, the almanac will publish suitable information, for example: * Mobile phone number of OSM unit in the master unit * SMS message required to switch the runway lights on * SMS message that will be sent by the master unit to confirm that the runway lights are switched on * SMS message required to switch the runway lights off The detailed communicarion protocol between the pilot's mobile phone and the GSM unit in the master unit will be developed once the present invention is in operation, and the detail of such protocol is not the subject of the present invention.

Prior to finalising a flight plan, the pilot therefore has the option of checking the correct operation of the runway lighting system from any remote location with a GSM signal -potentially even before taking off from the aircraft's point of departure.

As the pilot's aircraft approaches a destination landing strip equipped with the present invention, the pilot sends an SMS message to the OSM unit in the master unit, which switches the runway lights on. This can be done from some distance away, unlike radio system of which the range is limited tojust a few miles.

The OSM unit in the master unit sends a signal lo the controller unit, which applies power to the LED lamp in the master unit and also sends a signal to the radio transmitter in the master unit. This causes the radio transmitter to transmit a signal to the slave units. This signal is received by each slave unit, each of which then sends power to its LED lamp.

The controller unit in the master unit then sends an instruction to the OSM unit to send a confirmation SMS message to the pilot's mobile phone, thereby confirming to the pilot that the runway lighting system has been activated.

After the pilot's aircraft has landed safely at the landing strip, the pilot sends a further SMS message to return the runway lights to standby mode. The slave units are returned to their standby mode by a control signal from the master unit in a manner similar to that described for switching the runway lights on.

Many other variants of this basic modus operandi are also available. For example, the runway lights may be switched off after a predetermined time, eg 30 minutes. In this case, it might be advantageous to set the runway lights to a flashing mode for a few minutes before they are finally switched off, just in case another aircraft is coming in to land at the same landing strip.

in the basic system operation described above, there is no control signal from the slave units to the master unit to confirm that they have received she radio signal and that their tamp is illuminated. An enhanced system could include such a confirmation signal, either by fitting radio transceivers to each unit, or by independent means. An.

example of independent means would be a webcam permanently sited at a location from which all the runway lights would be visible. If the pilot is using a suitable smart-phone then a real-time image from the webcam could be sent to the pilot's smart-phone.

Another enhancement would be to provide each lantern unit with a light sensor. The light sensors could be used to determine the darkness of the night, and thereby to adjust the light intensity of the LED lamps -and could also be used to detect the correct illumination of each LED lamp and thereby to confirm their correct operation to the master unit, and thence to the pilot.

A thither enhancement to the present invention is also to provide the option of controlling the entire system by radio instead of by OSM. This would be useftd in very remote areas where GSM coverage is not available, and for pilots who have radio systems but do not have a GSM phone.

A landing strip likely to experience a high volume of night-time traffic and located in a high latitude region with short daylight hours in winter would require larger solar panels and a higher capacity battery than a landing strip located at a lower latitude and not expecting much night-time traffic. The selection of other parameter such as the length of time the lights remain on before being turned off automatically will also have a major effect on the selection of components and their parameters. Other means of providing power may also be incorporated in or connected to the lighting units.

Although there is no specific required brightness for landing lights for private landing strips in the UK which are not CAA approved, the general standard is 50 candelas minimum. This may be achieved by (for example) an LED lamp drawing J5OmA at a power of 1.2W. For light to moderate usage at UK latitude, this may be powered by a 12 Amp-hour battery, which may be charged by around 0.18 m2 of solar panels.

The separability of the lantern units from the base units provides several advantages. Firstly, the lantern units may be removed to discourage theft, whilst leaving the base units in position to act as runway identification markers.

Secondly, a spare slave lantern unit may be kept on site to replace any slave lantern unit which gets damaged or suffers a fault. Thirdly, the lantern unit is relatively compact and can easily be sent away for repair or replacement much more conveolently than it could if it was permanently attached to the base unit, because the base unit must be large enough to carry solar panels of sufficient area to charge the battery, and must also be robust enough to remain in location regardless of weather conditions (especially wind).

A fourth advantage of the separability of the lantern units from the base units is that this makes the runway lights portable. Fixed runway lights are subject to regulation by authorities such as (in the UK) the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), but portable lights are not subject to any such regulation. A runway lighting system manufactured according to the present invention may therefore be bright enough to be CAA approved, but need not be subject to the cost and paperwork associated with achieving CAA approval.

A fifth advantage of the separability of the lantern units from the base units is that once the lantern units are removed, the base units may be designed to be stackable. Figure 4 shows a possible desigii for the base units, which would enable the base units to stack in a very space-efficient way, with each base unit nesting inside the base unit above it. The lantern units are not bulky and could all be supplied in a single box, so the separability will enable an entire runway lighting system (total 16 units) robe supplied on a single standard-sized pallet. This significantly reduces the delivery cost of the system, and also means that the entire system can easily be stacked into a small helicopter or light aircraft, enabling it to be deployed easily and at low cost. This may be especially usethl in disaster relief situations.

The description above refers throughout to runway landing lights, and in general assumes a number of lights (eg eight on each side of a runway) to show the location of the runway. Other ground-based lighting is also used for aviation, in particular: 1. Helicopter pad lights 2. Windsock lights 3. Olidepath lights Helicopter pad lights are similar to runway landing lights, but typically comprise 6 lights in a T fonnation to mark a flat area of land on which a helicopter may safely land.

Windsock lights are used at night when pilots are unable to see a conventional windsock, because it is always best for aircraft to land into the wind. If the landing strip is umnanned, windsock lights can confirm the wind direction. There are red and green lights at either end of the runway. The pilot approaches and lands on the green light (i.e. into the wind). If the red light is activated, the pilot will know to go around again and come in from the opposite end of the runway. The red and green lanterns are operated by the same system as the runway lights, and are interchanged by an electronic wind vane which determines the correct requirement. The pilot's OSM phone has the option to control whether the windsock lights are required.

A glidepath lantern is shown in figure 6. Glidepath lanterns are used in situations where there is a correct angle of approach, typically between 3 degrees and 7.5 degrees, depending on obstructions (trees, buildings, wires, pylons, etc). Figure 6 shows a lantern 3comprising white strobe lights II and red sfrobe lights 12 separated by an angled plate 14 orietitaled along the correct glidepath 15. Behind the red and white lights is a shade 13. When on the correct glidepath, the pilot will be able to see white strobe lights and red strobe lights together. If below the glidepath, the pilot will be warned by seeing red strobe lights only; this will allow the pilot to correct the approach until the white strobe lights are red strobe lights are visible together. This system can be operated and controlled by the same method as the landing lights and windsock lights. The landing strip may be familiar to the pilot so glidepath lights may not be requited -the pilot's GSM phone can be used to choose whether they are required or not.

Another possible embodiment of the present invention is the GSM-only embodiment, in which communication between the master unit and the slave units is eflècted by OSM instead of by radio. This has several disadvantages compared to the preferred embodiment, but has the advantage of being deployable in areas where radio frequency communication is not allowed, or would be likely to interfere with other devices using the same frequencies.

Another possible embodiment of the present invention is the office-based embodiment, in which the GSM unit and radio transmitter are actually located in an office at the landing strip, where they may be connected to a mains power supply instead of to a battery rechargeable from a solar panel. The office-based electronics would not comprise any lantern unit and all the landing light units would be slave units.

Another possible embodiment of the present invention is the wired embodiment, in which each unit is connected to a mains power supply by a fixed cable, rather than each unit having its own solar panel and battery, in the wired embodiment it would also be possible for communication between the master unit and the slave units to take place via fixed wires rather than by radio communication.

Claims

Claims I. A ground-based lighting system for use by aircraft comprising at least one lighting unit including a light source, a power source therefore and a control system to allow selective activation of the light source, charactcrised in that said activation is achieved by the reception of a GSM. or similar, activation signal.
2. A ground-based lighting system according to cLaim I wherein said lighting system is prnvided as a guidance means for pilots of said aircraft when landing.
3, A ground-based lighting system according to claim I or 2 wherein said lighting system is activated by means of a GSM signal from a remote location.
4. A ground-based lighting system according to any preceding claim wherein thc GSM signal is transmitted from a mobile phone.
5. A ground-based lighting system according to any preceding claim wherein a plurality of lighting units are activared by a wireless communication signal emitted and received by the same once the initial GSM signal is reccived.
6. A ground-based lighting system according to any preceding claim wherein said lighting system utilises LED lamps.
7. A ground-based lighting system according to any preceding claim wherein said lighting system is powered by solar panels and an energy storage device such as a battery.
8. A ground-based lighting system for use by aircraft when landing, said system including a number of lighting units for lighting an aircraft runway, namely one master unit and a number of slave units, which lighting units can be selectively placed to mark a landing area and wherein the lighting unit includes a base unit and a lantern unit which are selectively attachable to form the lighting unit.
9. A ground-based lighting system according to claim 7 wherein the base unit comprises a battery and/or a connection to a mains power supply and the lantern unit comprises the lamp, a wireless communication receiver and switching gear.
10. A ground-based lighting system for aircraft according to claim 7 or 8 wherein thelantern unit includes an LED lamp.
II. A ground-based lighting system for aircraft according to any of claims 7 to 9 wherein the master unit includes a GSM unit and wireless communication signal transmitter capable of transmitting a signal to control the other said lantern units.
12. A ground-based lighting system for aircraft according to claim 10 wherein said OSM unit scnds a signal to confirm that said lighting system has been activated.
13. A ground-based lighting system for aircraft according to any of claims 7 toll wherein said system may be activated either by means of a GSNt signal from a mobile phone or by means of a radio signal
14. A ground-based lighting system for aircraft according to any of claims Ito 12 wherein the master unit includes a receiver for receiving an activation signal from a remote location transmitted from a mobile phone operated by a pilot of the plane which is due to land in the marked area.
15. A ground-based lighting system for aircraft according to claim 13 wherein said lighting unit includes a transmitter to relay an activation signal to other, slave, lighting units which are within range of, or are connected ro the master lighting unit.
16. A lighting unit for use lighting an aircraft runway, said lighting unit comprising a base, having a power source therein and/or connected thereto and a lantern unit having at least one light source therein wherein said lantern unit is selectively located with the base unit to thereby render at least the lantern unitportable.