Phased antenna array for wind profiling applications

• US 4,647,933 A
• Filed: 10/31/1984
• Issued: 03/03/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
• Original Assignee: THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
• Inventors: Hogg, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hayes, Jr., Donald E.
• Application Number:
  US06/666,594
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 343/5 W, 343/792.5, 343/797, 343/798, 343/815, 343/816, 343/817, 73/170 R, 73/188, 73/189
• US Class Current: 342/26.00D
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/951 ground based
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/067 using endfire radiating aerial units transverse to the plane of the array
• 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

A diagonal phased antenna array for use as a wind profiler by means of Doer shift measurements comprises a plurality of Yagi-Uda antennas which are oriented in a predetermined direction such that Yagi-Uda antennas have a polarization 45° offset from the principal planes of operation of the antenna array resulting in similar radiation patterns subject to a geometric taper in the array aperture with respect to the principal planes.

Claims

1. A method for wind profiling comprising the steps of:

arranging individual antenna elements into a polarized array;

positioning the array such that the polarization is 45°

from orthogonal first and second principal planes of operation;

phasing the individual antenna elements so that the antenna array generates radiation beams directed in the principal planes;

alternately switching the phasing such that the antenna array directs a beam in the first principal plane and then in the second principal plane;

periodically transmitting at a predetermined frequency a burst of pulses through the antenna array;

receiving reflected pulses between periods of transmission;

measuring the time elapsed between when a pulse is transmitted and when a pulse is received for each beam direction and computing altitude;

determining the frequency difference between the received reflected pulse and the transmitted pulses for each beam direction;

generating wind component vectors using the frequency difference and the beam direction information; and

calculating wind direction and speed using the wind component vectors.