Measuring wind vectors remotely using airborne radar

• US 20070069941A1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Tillotson, Brian, Pearlman, Jay
• Granted Patent: US 7,365,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/26.B
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/95 for meteorological use
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Airborne meteorological radars and related networks and models. In one embodiment a network for creating a meteorological model includes a mobile sensing node and a modeling node. The sensing node includes a meteorological RADAR that senses the wind velocity. Data from the meteorological RADAR regarding the wind velocity is received by a processor of the modeling node which determines a model of the wind from the wind velocity. The modeling node combines data from a second sampling node with the data from the first sampling node to create a resultant wind velocity vector. Preferably, the modeling node and the sampling node(s) communicate over an airborne WAN. Another embodiment provides a method of measuring the wind velocity. The method includes steering an RADAR signal out of the plane of travel of the mobile platform. The wind velocity is measured using a return of the RADAR signal.

Claims

1. A network for creating a meteorological model, the network comprising:

a mobile sensing node including a meteorological RADAR unit, the meteorological RADAR unit to sense a wind velocity; and

a modeling node including a processor, the processor in communication with the meteorological RADAR unit, to receive data from the meteorological RADAR unit regarding the sensed wind velocity, the processor being adapted to determine a model of the wind from the sensed wind velocity.

2. The network of claim 1 wherein the sensing node is a first sensing node, the sensed wind velocity being a first sensed wind velocity, the network further comprising a second sensing node in communication with the modeling node to sense a wind velocity at a location where the first sensing node sensed the first sensed wind velocity, the modeling node to determine a resultant wind velocity from the first and the second sensed wind velocities.

3. The network of claim 1 wherein the modeling node is a sensing node.

4. The network of claim 1 further comprising an airborne segment through which the sensing node and the modeling node communicate.

5. The network of claim 1 further comprising an aircraft being the sensing node.

6. A method of measuring wind velocity comprising:

steering an airborne RADAR antenna on a mobile platform to direct a RADAR signal out of a plane of travel associated with the mobile platform; and

measuring the wind velocity via a return of the RADAR signal.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the steering the antenna further comprises steering the antenna to at least 45 degrees out of the plane of travel.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the measuring the wind velocity further comprises measuring a Doppler shift between the RADAR signal and the return of the RADAR signal.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising adjusting a range gate associated with the RADAR antenna whereby the measuring of the wind velocity occurs at a range that is shorter than a nominal range associated with the antenna.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the steering of the RADAR antenna further comprises steering the antenna to direct the RADAR signal to intersect with the surface of the Earth.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising characterizing a feature of the surface.

12. A method of creating a meteorological model comprising:

measuring a wind velocity along a curvilinear surface; and

creating a model of the wind using the measured wind velocity.

13. The method of claim 12, the measuring of the wind velocity further comprising using a meteorological RADAR unit.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the meteorological RADAR unit has a maximum nominal angle of declination, the method further comprising scanning an electromagnetic signal from the meteorological RADAR unit beyond the maximum nominal angle of declination.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the measuring of the wind velocity further comprises measuring a Doppler effect associated with the wind velocity.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the measuring of the wind velocity further comprises measuring a surface attribute of a body of water with the meteorological RADAR unit.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the meteorological RADAR unit has a nominal minimum range gate, the measuring of the wind velocity further comprising shortening the range gate to less than the nominal minimum range gate.

18. A method comprising:

utilizing a remote wind speed measuring device to measure a first velocity component of wind that is within a first volume of space, the first velocity component being oriented in a first direction with respect to the earth, the wind speed measuring device being within a second volume of space when the first velocity component is measured, the first and second volumes of space being distinct from each other and stationary with respect to the earth;

utilizing the remote wind speed measuring device to measure a second velocity component of wind that is in the first volume of space, the second velocity component being oriented in a second direction with respect to the earth, the second direction being different from the first direction, the wind speed measuring device being within a third volume of space with respect to the earth when the second velocity component is measured, the third volume of space being distinct from the first and second volumes of space and stationary with respect to the earth; and

utilizing the first and second velocity components to estimate a resultant velocity of wind within the first volume of space, the resultant velocity being oriented in a third direction with respect to the earth that is different from each of the first and second.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the method further comprises a step of the utilizing the remote wind speed measuring device to measure a third velocity component of wind that is within the first volume of space, the third velocity component being oriented in a fourth direction with respect to the earth, the fourth direction being different from each of the first, second, and third directions, the wind speed measuring device being within a fourth volume of space when the third velocity component is measured, the fourth volume of space being distinct from each of the first, second, and third volumes of space and stationary with respect to the earth, and wherein the step of utilizing the first and second velocity components to estimate the resultant velocity also comprises utilizing the third velocity component to estimate the resultant velocity.

20. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the remote wind speed measuring device is moving relative to the earth during each of the steps of utilizing the remote wind speed measuring device to measure the first velocity component and utilizing the remote wind speed measuring device to measure the second velocity component.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20 wherein the remote wind speed measuring device is secured to an airplane.

22. A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the step of utilizing the first and second velocity components to estimate the resultant velocity of wind within the first volume of space occurs external to the airplane.

23. A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the step of utilizing the remote wind speed measuring device to measure the first velocity component occurs in a manner such that the first direction is at least forty-five degrees from horizontal.

24. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the method further comprises steps of transmitting data that is dependent upon the first and second velocity components to at least one remote computer, transmitting data obtained by other wind speed measuring devices to the at least one computer, and utilizing the at least one computer to generate a weather model that is dependent upon the first and second velocity components and upon the data obtained by the other wind speed measuring devices.

25. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the wind speed measuring device comprises a phased array RADAR.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25 wherein the wind speed measuring device comprises a RADAR receiver, and wherein the method further comprises a step of adjusting range gates of the RADAR receiver.

27. A method comprising:

utilizing a remote speed measuring device to measure a first velocity component of ocean waves that are within a first volume of space, the first velocity component being a being oriented in a first direction with respect to the earth, the speed measuring device being within a second volume of space when the first velocity component is measured, the first and second volumes of space being distinct from each other and stationary with respect to the earth;

utilizing the remote speed measuring device to measure a second velocity component of ocean waves that are within the first volume of space, the second velocity component being oriented in a second direction with respect to the earth, the second direction being different from the first direction, the speed measuring device being within a third volume of space when the second velocity component is measured, the third volume of space being distinct from the first and second volumes of space and stationary with respect to the earth; and

utilizing the first and second velocity components to estimate a resultant velocity of ocean waves within the first volume, the resultant velocity being oriented in a third direction with respect to the earth that is different from each of the first and second directions.

28. A method in accordance with claim 27 wherein the method further comprises a step of the utilizing the remote speed measuring device to measure a third velocity component of ocean waves that are within the first volume of space, the third velocity component being oriented in a fourth direction with respect to the earth, the fourth direction being different from each of the first, second, and third directions, the remote speed measuring device being within a fourth volume of space when the third velocity component is measured, the fourth volume of space being distinct from each of the first, second, and third volumes of space, and wherein the step of utilizing the first and second velocity components to estimate the resultant velocity also comprises utilizing the third velocity component to mathematically estimate the resultant velocity.

29. A method in accordance with claim 27 wherein the remote speed measuring device is moving relative to the earth during each of the steps of utilizing the remote speed measuring device to measure the first velocity component and utilizing the remote speed measuring device to measure the second velocity component.

30. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein the remote speed measuring device is secured to an airplane.

31. A method in accordance with claim 30 wherein the step of utilizing the remote speed measuring device to measure the first velocity component occurs in a manner such that the first direction is at least forty-five degrees from horizontal.

32. A method in accordance with claim 27 wherein the method further comprises steps of transmitting data that is dependent upon the first and second velocity components to at least one remote computer, transmitting data obtained by other speed measuring devices to the at least one computer, and utilizing the at least one computer to generate a weather model that is dependent upon the first and second velocity components and upon the data obtained by other speed measuring devices.

33. A method in accordance with claim 27 wherein the speed measuring device comprises a phased array RADAR.

34. A method comprising:

estimating atmospheric wind speed using an airborne phased array RADAR to obtain a plurality of wind velocity components of wind that is within a volume of space by moving the airborne phased array RADAR relative to the volume of space, the volume of space being fixed relative to the earth, the airborne phased array RADAR being oriented at different radial directions from the volume of space when each of the wind velocity components is obtained.

35. A method in accordance with claim 34 wherein air within the volume of space has an actual direction of travel and an actual magnitude of velocity in the actual direction of travel, and wherein the step of estimating atmospheric wind speed is performed in a manner such that the root sum squares of the wind velocity components yields a resultant wind velocity that has a magnitude that is within three meters per second of the actual magnitude of velocity.

36. A method in accordance with claim 34 wherein the step of estimating atmospheric wind speed comprises calculating a resultant wind velocity magnitude and direction from the wind velocity components.

37. A method in accordance with claim 36 wherein the step of estimating atmospheric wind speed occurs in a manner such that the resultant wind velocity direction has a vertical component.