US 12,129,047 B2
Aircraft lighting unit with lens that splits light of single light-emitting element in different directions
Hiroto Shimizu, Shizuoka (JP); and Kenichi Shimizu, Shizuoka (JP)
Assigned to KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 18/546,551
Filed by KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Feb. 17, 2022, PCT No. PCT/JP2022/006366
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 15, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/185939, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 9, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-033357 (JP), filed on Mar. 3, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0132229 A1, Apr. 25, 2024
Prior Publication US 2024/0228060 A9, Jul. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. B64D 47/06 (2006.01); F21S 41/141 (2018.01); F21S 41/29 (2018.01); F21V 5/04 (2006.01); F21W 107/30 (2018.01); F21Y 115/10 (2016.01)
CPC B64D 47/06 (2013.01) [F21S 41/141 (2018.01); F21S 41/295 (2018.01); F21V 5/04 (2013.01); B64D 2203/00 (2013.01); F21W 2107/30 (2018.01); F21Y 2115/10 (2016.08)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An aircraft light comprising:
at least one or more light-emitting elements as light sources; and
an inner lens configured to project light emitted from the light-emitting elements onto a desired area,
the inner lens includes a lens that splits light of a single light-emitting element in different directions,
the lens is a multi-curved surface lens including a plurality of lens surfaces whose regions partially overlap one another,
the multi-curved surface lens is a freeform lens formed by coupling three curved surfaces each having an output surface with a different curvature,
the multi-curved surface lens is divided into a first region, a second region, and a third region,
the single light-emitting element is placed in the central portion of the multi-curved surface lens in plan view in such a manner as to be at least partially related to all of the first region, the second region, and the third region,
the directions of light emission of the first region, the second region, and the third region are different from one another, wherein
when a beam emitted from the single light-emitting element passes through the multi-curved surface lens, the beam is split into three different directions.