In flight doppler weather radar wind shear detection system
First Claim
1. A wind shear detection system comprising:
- antenna means for mounting on an aircraft;
antenna driver means, connected to said antenna means, for driving said antenna means to scan in elevation and azimuth along the aircraft flight path;
transceiver means, connected to said antenna means, for generating a transmitted signal and for receiving reflected data;
base data processor means, connected to said transceiver means, for processing the reflected data and providing atmospheric measurement data for individual resolution cells that can be formed into a 3-D grid of atmospheric data samples;
base data filter means, connected to said base data processor means, for removing receiver noise from said atmospheric measurement data and providing filtered atmospheric measurement data;
volumetric feature extraction means connected to said base data filter means, for identifying a plurality of features within the 3-D grid of the filtered atmospheric measurement data and grouping said atmospheric data samples having a first feature into first air masses of interest and grouping said atmospheric data samples having a second feature into second air masses of interest;
spatial feature association and filtering means, connected to said volumetric feature extraction means, for combining said first air masses of interest with said second air masses of interest to provide a 3-D representation of atmospheric conditions; and
contextual matching means for comparing said 3-D representation of atmospheric conditions to a known wind shear atmospheric conditions model and providing an output signal when a wind shear threshold condition is exceeded.
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Abstract
An airborne doppler radar wind shear detection system has a volumetric scanning pattern for providing atmospheric measurement data for individual resolution cells that are formed into a 3-D grid of atmospheric data samples. Volumetric feature extraction modules identify and group resolution cells having particular features into air masses of interest. A spatial feature association and filtering module combines the air masses of interest into a 3-D representation of atmospheric conditions and filters out ground clutter. A contextual matching and temporal tracking module compares the 3-D representation to known wind shear models and compares successive 3-D representations to one another to aid in identifying hazardous wind shear conditions in the aircraft flight path.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A wind shear detection system comprising:
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antenna means for mounting on an aircraft; antenna driver means, connected to said antenna means, for driving said antenna means to scan in elevation and azimuth along the aircraft flight path; transceiver means, connected to said antenna means, for generating a transmitted signal and for receiving reflected data; base data processor means, connected to said transceiver means, for processing the reflected data and providing atmospheric measurement data for individual resolution cells that can be formed into a 3-D grid of atmospheric data samples; base data filter means, connected to said base data processor means, for removing receiver noise from said atmospheric measurement data and providing filtered atmospheric measurement data; volumetric feature extraction means connected to said base data filter means, for identifying a plurality of features within the 3-D grid of the filtered atmospheric measurement data and grouping said atmospheric data samples having a first feature into first air masses of interest and grouping said atmospheric data samples having a second feature into second air masses of interest; spatial feature association and filtering means, connected to said volumetric feature extraction means, for combining said first air masses of interest with said second air masses of interest to provide a 3-D representation of atmospheric conditions; and contextual matching means for comparing said 3-D representation of atmospheric conditions to a known wind shear atmospheric conditions model and providing an output signal when a wind shear threshold condition is exceeded.
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2. A windshear detection system comprising:
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an airborne scanning doppler radar transceiver having a three dimensional volumetric scanning pattern providing measurements that can be formed into a three dimensional grid of atmospheric data samples with each data sample having a mean radial velocity and being characterized by a rage, azimuth and elevation; means for identifying first radial line segments further for identifying second radial line segments wherein consecutive data samples within said first radial line segments have mean velocity differentials in a first direction; means for comparing each said first radial line segment to any said first radial line segment located in a similar position on a radial above each said first radial line segment to form first 2-D air masses having mean velocity differentials in a first direction; means for comparing each said first 2-D air mass further for comparing each said second 2-D air mass to any said first 2-D air masses located adjacent to each said first 2-D air mass to form first 3-D air masses having mean velocity differentials in a first direction and representing potential diverging wind conditions; means for identifying second radial line segments wherein consecutive data samples within said second radial line segments have mean velocity differentials in a second direction; means for comparing each said second radial line segment to any said second radial line segment located in a similar position on a radial above each said second radial line segment to form second 2-D air masses having mean velocity differentials in a second direction; and means for comparing each said second 2-D air mass to any said second 2-D air masses located adjacent to each said second 2-D air mass to form second 3-D air masses having mean velocity differentials in a second direction and representing potential converging wind conditions. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification