Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g. – Radar for meteorological use
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-30
2001-03-13
Sotomayor, John B. (Department: 3662)
Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g.,
Radar for meteorological use
C342S460000, C702S003000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06201494
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to weather radar systems and more specifically to finding storms with an automatic storm finding weather radar without performing manual adjustments to the weather radar system.
Weather radar systems are used on aircraft to detect the presence of storms and turbulent weather. Weather radar detects storms by detecting the presence of precipitation in the atmosphere during flight. With today's existing weather radar systems, pilots must continuously modify the radar controls, searching for reflective precipitation throughout the flight. The pilot must manually adjust the tilt and range to search for storms in the atmosphere. This is a significant workload for pilots. The pilot may be busy performing other tasks and not paying attention to the weather radar. This may result in not utilizing the weather radar to its maximum potential and may result in a hazardous condition if a severe storm were missed.
Attempts to solve this problem have included the use of a terrain database. A terrain database is stored in the weather radar and is used to adjust the tilt of the weather radar antenna to avoid pointing the antenna towards the ground. If the terrain rises in front of the aircraft in the form of a mountain as indicated by the terrain database, the antenna tilt toward the ground is decreased. Depending on the altitude of the aircraft, the antenna tilt may even be increased above the horizontal direction. The use of the terrain database avoids ground clutter and does reduce some of the need for adjustment of the antenna tilt. However, manual adjustment is still required over other tilt angles to find storms.
Automatic tilt functions have been developed for weather radar. These automatic tilt functions compensate for changes in the selected range, altitude, and attitude. Once the proper tilt has been set, the radar maintains the proper tilt by measuring the aircraft altitude. When a different range is selected or the aircraft altitude or attitude changes, the automatic tilt function aims the antenna in the proper direction, leaving only minor adjustments to be made by the flight crew. This automatic tilt function still requires manual adjustments and does not find a storm but just compensates for aircraft maneuvers.
Automating the manual search is desirable. However automating the search for precipitation requires a search algorithm. What is needed is an automatic storm finding algorithm to be implemented in an automatic storm finding weather radar system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An automatic storm finding weather radar for use in an aircraft is disclosed. The automatic storm finding weather radar comprises an antenna and a receiver/transmitter connected to the antenna for transmitting radar signals and receiving radar signals reflected from a storm. A signal processor connected to the receiver/transmitter processes the received radar signals reflected from the storm into weather data indicating the storm. A display connected to the signal processor is used for displaying the weather data indicating the storm. An antenna controller controls the tilt and scan of the antenna. A computer controls the automatic storm finding weather radar. The computer includes an automatic storm finding algorithm for locating storms by determining temperatures and altitudes that produces the storms, determining an altitude search layer over the temperatures and altitudes that produce the storms and driving the antenna controller to adjust the antenna tilt and scan to locate the storms in the search layer at a desired range from the aircraft.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic storm finding algorithm in an automatic storming finding weather radar.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide an automatic storm finding weather radar that automatically suggests tilt and range values.
It is a feature of the present invention to determine where in the atmosphere storms will develop and exist.
It is an advantage of the present invention to use atmospheric temperature to locate precipitation.
These and other objects, features, and advantages are disclosed and claimed in the specification, figures, and claims of the present application.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5534868 (1996-07-01), Gjessing et al.
patent: 5623267 (1997-04-01), Wurman
patent: 5781146 (1998-07-01), Frederick
patent: 5945926 (1999-08-01), Ammar et al.
patent: 6018307 (2000-01-01), Wakayama et al.
patent: 6085152 (2000-07-01), Doerfel
patent: 6097329 (2000-07-01), Wakayama
Eppele Kyle
Jensen Nathan O.
O'Shaughnessy J. P.
Rockwell Collins, Inc.
Sotomayor John B.
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