System for protecting aircraft against bird strikes
AssigneeLumen International, Inc.
InventorWilliam J. Barnes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system operative to protect aircraft and possibly other objects against bird strikes by mounting or disposing a protective components including protective lighting and protective reflective coating on the aircraft, wherein the protective coating is structured to enhance the visibility of the aircraft to birds. The protective lighting and or reflective coating is at least partially disposable in a predetermined location on the aircraft which is commonly observed. A controller is operative with said lighting assembly and configured to perform multi-mode capabilities operative to regulate illumination modes of the lighting assembly. The operative illumination modes are variable and at least partially dependent on a geographical location of the aircraft during flight.
Claims14
A system for protection of an aircraft against bird strikes, said system comprising:
- a protective lighting assembly including at least one light unit structured to emit light in a spectral range visible to birds,
- said at least one light unit mounted within an engine intake of the aircraft in non-interruptive relation to airflow through the engine intake,
- said emitted light channeled outwardly from said at least one light unit in a predetermined pattern,
- said predetermined pattern disposed to render at least a portion of the engine intake observable from a frontal line of sight approach to the aircraft,
- said protective lighting assembly configured for operation in a multi-mode illumination state comprising variations in said emitted light at least partially dependent on current flight characteristics of the aircraft,
- said current flight characteristics comprising a current location of the aircraft during flight, and
- said at least one light unit is structured to automatically correspond to behavioral data of bird species common to the geographical region in which the aircraft is flying.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.