Individual Lamp Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS)
ILCMS reports and controls the status of each fixture on a series airfield lighting circuit individually, rather than only the circuit as a whole, so a controller sees exactly which runway light has failed. NLS sources ILCMS field units built to comply with ICAO Annex 14 maintenance and monitoring guidance, for Saudi airbase and heliport lighting circuits.
Inside the Individual Lamp Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS)
ILCMS pushes fault visibility down from the circuit to the single fixture, using a sensing unit and a communication module at each lamp position that report back to a concentrator, which in turn hands the data to the ALCMS workstation.
01
Fixture Current Sensing Unit
Measures whether current is actually flowing through a specific fixture or the isolation transformer feeding it, the reading that tells the system a single lamp has failed rather than the circuit as a whole.
02
Field Communication Module
Encodes the sensing unit's reading and carries it back over a dedicated monitoring pair or power-line signal, so fixture status reaches the concentrator without a separate cable run to every lamp position.
03
Monitoring Concentrator
Gathers the field signals from every fixture on a circuit and consolidates them into one data stream, the aggregation point between the field units and the ALCMS layer above.
04
Weatherproof Field Enclosure
Houses the sensing and communication electronics inside the base can or handhole, sealed against water ingress and rated to withstand pavement loading at an in-ground installation point.
05
ALCMS Communication Gateway
Passes the concentrator's fixture-level data into the protocol the ALCMS workstation reads, the link that must be protocol-compatible before individual lamp status can appear on the controller's display.
FULLY ASSEMBLED
Individual Lamp Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS)
| Monitoring level | Per-fixture or per-isolation-transformer fault detection |
| Field communication | Dedicated monitoring pair or power-line carrier signal back to the monitoring concentrator |
| Integration | Specified as an addition to an existing ALCMS and CCR layer, not a standalone system |
| Installation location | Base can or handhole at the fixture or isolation transformer position |
| Priority application | Precision approach path indicators and threshold lighting circuits, where multi-fixture failure degrades visual guidance |
| Enclosure rating | Sealed against water ingress and rated for pavement loading at in-ground installation |
A standard series airfield lighting circuit reports failure at the circuit level only: a CCR flags that current or voltage on the loop has moved outside expected range, which tells a controller something on the circuit has failed but not which fixture. Individual lamp control and monitoring closes that gap by fitting each fixture, or each series isolation transformer feeding a fixture, with a sensing unit that reports its own status back to a central monitor, so a fault shows up as a specific fixture location rather than an unresolved circuit alarm.
The practical value shows up during maintenance: without ILCMS, confirming which of 40 or 60 fixtures on a runway edge circuit has actually failed means a physical walk-and-test inspection, done at night or during a runway closure window, before a technician can even start the repair. With ILCMS reporting fixture location directly to the ALCMS workstation, maintenance staff go straight to the failed unit, shortening the runway closure or restricted-operations window a lamp change requires.
ICAO Annex 14 and the associated ICAO aerodrome maintenance guidance material push toward this level of fixture-level fault visibility for busy or safety-critical circuits, particularly precision approach path indicators and threshold lighting where an undetected multi-fixture failure degrades the visual guidance a pilot relies on. ILCMS is specified as an addition to the ALCMS and CCR layer already on a project rather than a standalone system, since it depends on the ALCMS to display and log the fixture-level data it collects.
A project team typically sends the circuit count and fixture count where individual monitoring is required, plus the ALCMS platform already specified or installed, and NLS returns matched ILCMS field units and a USD quote. NLS confirms ILCMS-to-ALCMS communication compatibility before quoting, since fixture-level monitoring only works when both layers speak the same protocol.
Specifications
- ✓Fixture-level or transformer-level status sensing, reporting to the central ALCMS platform
- ✓Aligned with ICAO Annex 14 maintenance and monitoring guidance for safety-critical circuits (PAPI, threshold lighting)
- ✓Reduces fault-location time from a physical walk-inspection to a direct fixture reference
- ✓Communication protocol matched to the specific ALCMS platform on each project
- ✓Retrofit-compatible for existing series circuits with an ALCMS upgrade
- ✓Supports prioritized maintenance scheduling by flagging repeat-fault fixture locations
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between ALCMS and ILCMS?+
ALCMS is the overall control and monitoring workstation for the airfield's circuits and CCR units. ILCMS is the layer that reports status for each individual fixture on a circuit, feeding that detail up into the ALCMS display rather than replacing it.
Do all airfield circuits need individual lamp monitoring?+
ICAO Annex 14 guidance points toward fixture-level monitoring mainly for safety-critical circuits, PAPI and threshold lighting in particular, rather than mandating it universally. NLS scopes ILCMS to the circuits a project's design specifies it for.
Who supplies ILCMS for airfield lighting in Saudi Arabia?+
NLS sources ILCMS field units matched to the ALCMS platform already specified or installed on a project, for Saudi airbase and heliport lighting circuits requiring fixture-level fault visibility.
What is the role of the Fixture Current Sensing Unit in Individual Lamp Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS)?+
Measures whether current is actually flowing through a specific fixture or the isolation transformer feeding it, the reading that tells the system a single lamp has failed rather than the circuit as a whole.
What is the role of the Field Communication Module in Individual Lamp Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS)?+
Encodes the sensing unit's reading and carries it back over a dedicated monitoring pair or power-line signal, so fixture status reaches the concentrator without a separate cable run to every lamp position.
What is the role of the Monitoring Concentrator in Individual Lamp Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS)?+
Gathers the field signals from every fixture on a circuit and consolidates them into one data stream, the aggregation point between the field units and the ALCMS layer above.
What is the role of the Weatherproof Field Enclosure in Individual Lamp Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS)?+
Houses the sensing and communication electronics inside the base can or handhole, sealed against water ingress and rated to withstand pavement loading at an in-ground installation point.
What is the role of the ALCMS Communication Gateway in Individual Lamp Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS)?+
Passes the concentrator's fixture-level data into the protocol the ALCMS workstation reads, the link that must be protocol-compatible before individual lamp status can appear on the controller's display.