# US 12,120,796 B2 · Lighting program for aircraft interior

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- Number: US 12,120,796 B2
- Document ID: US12120796B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/990,004
- Filed: 2022-11-18
- Published: 2023-07-06
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2021-11-19
- Assignees: Bombardier Inc.
- Applicants: Bombardier Inc.
- Inventors: Bruce Malek
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120796B2

## CPC

- H05B 47/16: by timing means
- B60Q 3/47: Circuits; Control arrangements
- B60Q 3/74: for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps (general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43)
- B64D 11/00: Passenger or crew accommodation; Flight-deck installations not otherwise provided for
- B60Q 3/43: General lighting
- B64D 2011/0038: {Illumination systems for cabins as a whole}
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT

## Abstract

A method for controlling lighting in an interior of an aircraft, a lighting control system, and computer program product. The method includes: determining a departure time adjusted for an offset from GMT at a departure location and an arrival time adjusted for an offset from GMT at an arrival location as epoch times; generating a flight time with GMT offsets based on subtracting the departure time from the arrival time; determining an FMS flight time representing the expected time that the aircraft will be in flight between the departure location and the arrival location; generating a simulation ratio modifier based on dividing the FMS flight time by the flight time with GMT offsets; applying the simulation ratio modifier to periods of a day to generate scaled durations for periods of the day in a lighting program; and applying the program to control the cabin lighting on the aircraft.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for use on a lighting control system that is communicatively coupled to cabin lighting on an aircraft to control lighting in an interior of the aircraft according to a lighting program, the method comprising:
determining a departure time and an arrival time as epoch times, the departure time being adjusted for an offset from GMT at a departure location and the arrival time being adjusted for an offset from GMT at an arrival location;
generating a flight time with GMT offsets based, at least in part, on subtracting the departure time from the arrival time;
determining an FMS flight time that represents an expected time that the aircraft will be in flight between the departure location and the arrival location;
generating a simulation ratio modifier based, at least in part, on dividing the FMS flight time by the flight time with GMT offsets;
applying the simulation ratio modifier to periods of a day between departure and arrival to generate scaled durations for periods of the day in a lighting program; and
applying the lighting program to control the cabin lighting on the aircraft during flight according to the scaled durations.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the periods of the day between departure and arrival include a sunrise and/or a sunset.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein, if there is no sunrise time and/or no sunset time, a duration of an offset between a start of day/sunrise and a sunset/end of day is set to zero.

### Claim 4

A lighting control system communicatively coupled to cabin lighting on an aircraft to control lighting in an interior of the aircraft according to a lighting program, the system comprising:
one or more data processors operatively coupled to the cabin lighting; and
a non-transitory machine-readable memory operatively coupled to the one or more data processors, storing instructions executable by the one or more data processors and configured to cause the one or more data processors to:
determine a departure time and an arrival time as epoch times, the departure time being adjusted for an offset from GMT at a departure location and the arrival time being adjusted for an offset from GMT at an arrival location;
generate a flight time with GMT offsets based, at least in part, on subtracting the departure time from the arrival time;
determine an FMS flight time that represents an expected time that the aircraft will be in flight between the departure location and the arrival location;
generate a simulation ratio modifier based, at least in part, on dividing the FMS flight time by the flight time with GMT offsets;
apply the simulation ratio modifier to periods of a day between departure and arrival to generate scaled durations for periods of the day in a lighting program; and
apply the lighting program to control the cabin lighting on the aircraft during flight according to the scaled durations.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the periods of the day between departure and arrival include a sunrise and/or a sunset.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein, if there is no sunrise time and/or no sunset time, a duration of an offset between a start of day/sunrise and a sunset/end of day is set to zero.

### Claim 7

A computer program product for use on a lighting control system that is communicatively coupled to cabin lighting on an aircraft to control lighting in an interior of the aircraft according to a lighting program, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing program code, the program code readable/executable by a computer, processor or logic circuit to perform a method comprising:
determining a departure time and an arrival time as epoch times, the departure time being adjusted for an offset from GMT at a departure location and the arrival time being adjusted for an offset from GMT at an arrival location;
generating a flight time with GMT offsets based, at least in part, on subtracting the departure time from the arrival time;
determining an FMS flight time that represents an expected time that the aircraft will be in flight between the departure location and the arrival location;
generating a simulation ratio modifier based, at least in part, on dividing the FMS flight time by the flight time with GMT offsets;
applying the simulation ratio modifier to periods of a day between departure and arrival to generate scaled durations for periods of the day in a lighting program; and
applying the lighting program to control the cabin lighting on the aircraft during flight according to the scaled durations.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the periods of the day between departure and arrival include a sunrise and/or a sunset.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The computer program product of claim 8, wherein, if there is no sunrise time and/or no sunset time, a duration of an offset between a start of day/sunrise and a sunset/end of day is set to zero.