Abstract:
The incorporation of a variety of illumination sources to provide the additional light sources that reflect against a ceiling panel to provide an altered ceiling height effect in an aircraft. The incorporation of floor, aisle and door illumination provides the added benefit of facilitating emergency evacuation of the aircraft.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional application Ser. No. 60/926,635, filed on Apr. 27, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft cabin lighting. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    In general, the space in the passenger cabins of airplanes is limited. Therefore, there is a need in the aircraft industry for new and innovative solutions to passenger space limitations that provide all passengers with a feeling of utmost comfort. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The present embodiments provide a lighting configuration and scheme that changes or varies the aesthetic appearance of passenger cabins in order to improve the perception of comfort within the space. 
         [0007]    The embodiments provide the lighting configuration and scheme to the passenger cabin to enhance the key rituals performed aboard the aircraft, such as boarding, resting, eating, and the like according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         [0008]    The embodiments also provide a lighting configuration and scheme for use in an emergency evacuation processes for the aircraft according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         [0009]    In one aspect, the incorporation of a variety of illumination sources provides additional light sources that reflect against a ceiling panel to provide an altered ceiling height effect. 
         [0010]    The incorporation of floor aisle illumination provides the added benefit of facilitating emergency evacuation of the aircraft. 
         [0011]    Various embodiments of the present lighting configuration and scheme provide benefits, including without limitation: providing safe boarding and de-boarding; enhancing the ambience of the airplane interior for the increased pleasure of the passenger; and providing emergency lighting. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that some embodiments of the present disclosure may not provide all of the listed benefits. 
         [0012]    Additional advantages, objects, and features of the present embodiments will be set forth in part in the detailed description that follows. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description merely provide examples, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    Having thus described the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a simplified cross sectional view of an aircraft interior showing a lighting scheme in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view showing a ceiling panel and light diffuser system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the aircraft interior of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a simplified cross-sectional view of a floor assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of an aircraft interior incorporating embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 6A  is a front perspective view of an aircraft door; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 6B  is a front perspective view and a front elevation view of another aircraft door. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    The disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments are shown. The disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a simplified cross sectional view of an aircraft interior  100  showing a lighting scheme and configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the lighting scheme and lighting configuration (hereinafter “lighting system  102 ”) for aircraft interior  100  produces a two-tiered ceiling height effect by controlling the relative brightness levels of main ceiling lights  104 , sidewall lighting  106 , accent pot lights  108  and floor lights  110 . 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , in one embodiment the aircraft interior  100  includes ceiling panels and light diffusers. As shown in  FIG. 2 , ceiling panel member  202  is a light diffuser, and preferably is a separate piece of translucent material, which allows light to come through. In this embodiment, cabin light is provided by main ceiling lights  104 , which act through light diffuser  204  before passing through panel diffuser  202 . By changing the color and intensity of illumination from main ceiling lights  104 , various degrees of brightness of the passenger cabin below panel diffuser  202  can be provided, which provide a desired impression to the passengers. 
         [0024]    Panel diffuser  202  may include a lightweight frame structure with a bonded translucent or perforated material. In operation, panel diffuser  202  filters and reflects light. Depending on the intensity and location of the light sources, diffuser panel  202  can appear either translucent or opaque, thereby creating a change in the visual appearance of the height of standard ceiling panels  206 , or at least a perception thereof. 
         [0025]    Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , aircraft interior  100  includes floor assembly  302 , provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 4 , floor assembly  302  is composed of a structured floor panel  402 , covered with an electroluminescent (EL) lighting panel  404  (hereinafter. “floor panel lights  404 ”), and covered with a textured protective covering  406 . Floor panel lights  404  are available from BE Aerospace of Holbrook, N.Y. Textured protective covering  406  may be patterned and is available from 3 form, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. 
         [0026]    Floor panel lights  404  may contribute on the order of 20% of the total ambient illumination of aircraft interior  100 . In one embodiment, floor panel lights  404  are configured to complement sidewall lighting  106  and main ceiling lighting  104 . Sidewall lighting  106  may contribute about  30 % of the total cabin ambient lighting, Main ceiling lighting  104  may provide around  50 % of the main cabin lighting. 
         [0027]    In operation, by controlling which illumination source is on (e.g. main ceiling lights  104 , sidewall lighting  106 , accent pot lights  108  and floor panel lights  404 ), and the reflection characteristics of panel diffuser  202 , one can create a two-tiered ceiling effect. For example, when main ceiling lights  104  are bright for boarding and deplaning, panel diffuser  202  appears clear. Thus, standard ceiling panels  206  appear high and give the impression of spaciousness to aircraft interior  100 . 
         [0028]    When main ceiling lights  104  are turned down or off, the illumination provided by the remaining side panel lighting  106  and floor panel lights  404  reflect from panel diffuser  202 , which then appears opaque, producing an illusion that ceiling  206  is lower, which is more comforting to the passenger for rest, relaxation and sleeping. In addition, ceiling  206  appears continuous with outboard and centerline stowage bins  208  and  210 , respectively. 
         [0029]    A further panel diffuser is found in United States Application No. 2006/0237585, Ser. No. 10/907,990, filed Apr. 22, 2005, entitled “Airplane Interior Systems” to Lau et al., which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
         [0030]    As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , floor panel lights  404  may be connected to emergency power systems and used as emergency lighting as part of an emergency evacuation processes for the aircraft. As shown, floor panel lights  404  may lead passengers down the aircraft aisle to aircraft doors  502 . 
         [0031]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 A and  6 B, in addition to floor panel lights  404 , additional emergency lighting may be used to highlight the location(s) of aircraft doors  502 . Typically, aircraft doors  502  are labeled with EXIT signs  602  ( FIG. 6A ), which may be located at various locations on the door  502 . It may happen, however, that during an emergency, the EXIT signs  602  may become blocked or obscured. 
         [0032]    In one embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6B , rope lights  504  may be connected to emergency power systems and used as emergency lighting as part of an emergency evacuation processes for the aircraft. Rope lights  504  may be used to encircle the outline of door  502 . Thus, rope lights  504  reduce the possibility that aircraft door  502  may not be seen during an emergency. A suitable rope light  504  is available from Wiedamark, Inc. of Dallas, Tex. 
         [0033]    It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.