Thunder cloud observation system

• US 5,839,089 A
• Filed: 10/20/1995
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yasuda, Kazuhiro, Murano, Takashi, Sato, Yuko, Oikawa, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US08/546,449
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 73/170.16, 324/640, 342/26, 364/400, 364/420, 702/2, 702/3, 702/4
• US Class Current: 702/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/951 ground based
• 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

In the thunder cloud observation system of the present invention, the vertical direction accumulated water content (VIL) is calculated by the VIL arithmetic operation unit from echo strength data obtained by the climate radar, the echo peak temperature is obtained by the echo peak temperature arithmetic operation unit with reference to altitude-temperature comparison data on the basis of high atmospheric climate data, the precipitation area is determined by the area determination unit from the VIL data, and the thunder cloud area generated within the precipitation area is identified from the echo peak temperature data. The thunder cloud area determined by the area determination unit is subjected to the correlation processes in terms of distance and overlapping area by the identification/tracking process unit, thus performing the identification/tracking, and the results of the processes of the area judgment unit and the identification/tracking process unit are displayed in the image display unit. Therefore, even a thunder cloud area regionally generated within a cloud expanding at a relative low altitude can be identified, and the area thereof can be detected and tracked.

Claims

1. A thunder cloud observation system comprising:

an arithmetic operation unit for calculating a vertical direction accumulated water content from echo strength data obtained from a climate radar, and calculating an echo peak temperature with reference to altitude-temperature comparison data which is based on high altitude climate data;

an area determination portion for determining a precipitation area from said vertical direction accumulated water content and determining a thunder cloud area generated within the precipitation area from said echo peak temperature; and

an identification/tracking process unit for identifying/tracking the thunder cloud area determined by the area determination unit,

wherein said area determination unit judges an area in which said vertical direction accumulated water content is less than a reference value, to be a cloud-free area, an area in which said water content is at the reference value or higher, to be a precipitation area, and an area within the precipitation area in which an echo peak temperature is at the reference value or less, to be a thunder cloud area.

2. A thunder cloud observation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a development/decline state judgment unit for judging a possibility of striking of a thunderbolt by judging a development/decline period of the thunder cloud area determined by the area determination unit.

3. A thunder cloud observation system comprising:

an arithmetic operation unit for calculating a vertical direction accumulated water content from echo strength data obtained from a climate radar, and calculating an echo peak temperature with reference to altitude-temperature comparison data which is based on high altitude climate data;

an area determination portion for determining a precipitation area from said vertical direction accumulated water content and determining a thunder cloud area generated within the precipitation area from said echo peak temperature; and

an identification/tracking process unit for identifying/tracking the thunder cloud area determined by the area determination unit,

wherein said identification/tracking process unit carries out an identification/tracking of a thunder cloud area obtained for each radar observation by a correlation process in terms of distance and a correlation process in terms of overlapping identified cloud areas.

4. A thunder cloud observation system according to claim 3, wherein said identification/tracking process unit has:

a first process step for extracting a thunder cloud area from a judgment result of said area determination unit;

a second process step for determining a tracking reference point within the thunder cloud area extracted in the step;

a third process step for forecasting position data of a tracking reference point of a next radar observation with regard to the position data of the tracking reference point determined by the step;

a fourth process step for obtaining a distance between the position of the tracking reference point determined in the second process step and the position of the tracking reference point forecasted in the third process step, and determining that there is a correlation in terms of distance when the obtained distance is smaller than a reference value;

a fifth process step for moving in parallel a shape for the thunder cloud area at the immediate previous observation, extracted in the first process step so that the tracking reference point thereof is set at the forecasted tracking reference point of the immediate previous observation obtained in the third process step so as to obtain an overlapping area with regard to a shape pattern of a latest thunder cloud extracted in the first process step, and determining that there is a correlation in terms of overlapping if the obtained area is larger than a reference area; and

a sixth process step for carrying out an identification of a thunder cloud area from a distance correlation determination result and an overlapping correlation determination area obtained in the fourth and fifth process steps.

5. A thunder cloud observation system comprising:

an arithmetic operation unit for calculating a vertical direction accumulated water content from echo strength data obtained from a climate radar, and calculating an echo peak temperature with reference to altitude-temperature comparison data which is based on high altitude climate data;

an area determination portion for determining a precipitation area from said vertical direction accumulated water content and determining a thunder cloud area generated within the precipitation area from said echo peak temperature; and

a development/decline state judgment unit for judging a possibility of striking a thunderbolt by judging a development/decline period of the thunder cloud area determined by the area determination unit,

wherein said area determination unit judges an area in which said vertical direction accumulated water content is less than a reference value, to be a cloud-free area, and an area in which said water content is at the reference value or higher, to be a precipitation area, and determines a thunder cloud area generated in the precipitation area, which is finely divided in a plurality of portions by comparing the echo peak temperature within the precipitation area with a plurality of reference temperatures; and

said development/decline state judgment unit extracts a developing nucleus portion having a high echo strength and a high echo peak temperature from the thunder cloud area divided in a plurality of portions in said area determination unit, judges each of the finely divided position of the thunder cloud area separately whether it is in development or decline state from the chronological data obtained for each one of the nuclei, and determines a time and a position where there is a high possibility of striking of a thunder bolt from the development/decline judgment.

6. A thunder cloud observation system according to claim 5, wherein said development/decline state judgment unit has:

a first process step for extracting a thunder cloud area as a nucleus from a judgment result of said area determination unit;

a second process step for assigning a preliminary number to one or more nuclei extracted in the step;

a third process step for obtaining parameter data necessary for judgment of striking of a thunderbolt with regard to each of the nuclei to which preliminary numbers are assigned in the step;

a fourth process step for making a correlation judgment by comparing data of a latest nucleus obtained in the third process step and data of a nucleus obtained in an immediate previous observation;

a fifth process step for replacing the preliminary number assigned in the second process step with an immediate previous number of the nucleus which is judged to be correlated in the fifth step; and

a sixth process step for judging separately each of the nuclei processed in the sixth step, as to a development/decline state by monitoring an increase/decrease in thunder judgment parameter data;

said sixth process step being characterized in that data used as thunder judgment parameter is extracted, and a nucleus in which the parameter thereof was once at a level of a reference value or higher, was lowered to a level lower than the reference level, is judged to be in a decline state.