Method and apparatus for high altitude environmental data collection

• US 20070030173A1
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Goossen, Emray, Stokely, John
• Application Number:
  US11/179,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20070030173A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/971
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/08 Adaptations of balloons, missiles, or aircraft for meteorological purposes; Radiosondes transmission of measurements G01D; transmitting circuits H04B; balloons in general B64B; aeroplanes in general B64D; missiles in general F42B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09

Abstract

A system consisting of a collection of aircraft equipped with specific chemical, radiological or particulate sensors as well as a data link radio and navigation sub system flying their normal routes. The position, sensor output and air data is periodically communicated to the ground via a data link radio and collected. The data is used to make maps or models of the spatial distribution of the sensed quantity for a particular time period. Dynamic behavior can be discerned by considering time consecutive models. Predictions can be made using this data alone, or in conjunction with other data, and can be refined by comparisons between the prediction and subsequent spatial distribution maps.

Claims

1. A system for collecting air constituent information from a sensor system disposed on at least one aircraft, the system comprising:

said at least one aircraft comprising an air data system, a navigation system, a data link system and the sensor system, the sensor system comprising at least one sensor;

a means for collecting and compiling sensor data from said sensor system, air data system data and navigation system data; and

a transmitter for transmitting the compiled data to at least one receiving station.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one sensor comprises of a member from the group consisting of a chemical sensor, a particulate sensor and a radiological sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said navigation system comprises aircraft position data and time data.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a means for creating a thematic map from said compiled data.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a means for creating a thematic map from said transmitted data from each receiving station from said at least one receiving station.

5. The system of claim 5 wherein said means for creating a thematic map comprises a means for creating a thematic map for a predefined period of time.

7. The system of claim 7 wherein the means for creating a thematic map comprises a means for creating a thematic map over a predefined period of time.

8. A method for collecting air constituent information collected from sensor system disposed on at least one aircraft comprising:

a) providing at least one sensor comprising the sensor system on the at least one aircraft;

b) collecting air constituent data from the sensor system;

c) compiling the collected air constituent data with data from a navigation system and data from an air data system, the navigation system and the air data system on board the at least one aircraft; and

d) transmitting the compiled data to at least one receiving station.

9. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor comprises a member from the group consisting of a chemical sensor, a particulate sensor and a radiological sensor.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the navigation system comprises aircraft position data and time data.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of creating a thematic map from the compiled data.

12. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of creating a thematic map comprises creating a thematic map over a predefined period of time.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of predicting an air constituent quantity from the compiled data.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of creating a thematic map from the transmitted data from each receiving station from the at least one receiving station.

15. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of creating a thematic map comprises creating the thematic map over a predefined period of time.