Airway obstruction luminaire

Abstract

An airway obstruction luminaire has a luminaire base; a substantially cylindrical Fresnel lens having a lens axis; a halogen lamp having a lamp base, and a substantially linear filament; and a lamp bracket which positions the lamp such that a filament axis of the filament is coincident with the lens axis. The filament is energized by a power supply connected to a first filament end and second filament end, which are separated by an effective length l.sub.E of less than 1 inch. The filament is preferably formed as a helical coil. The lamp is designed to operate at a lamp rated voltage V.sub.L between about 12 and 30 volts. The power supply voltage V.sub.P is reduced if V.sub.P is greater than V.sub.L. The second filament end is supported by a second end support structure configured to reduce shadowing. The lens is preferably an acrylic plastic lens fabricated by injection molding. The axial position of the lamp with respect to the lens may be adjusted by placing shims between the lamp base and the lamp bracket. The luminaire may be designed to meet the FAA requirements for type L-810 or type L-864 devices, and in the latter case is provided with a flashing circuit for periodically interrupting power to the lamp.