Airborne based monitoring
First Claim
1. A weather monitoring system comprising:
- within each of a plurality of monitoring airplanes;
a local air data system for recording data on local atmospheric conditions;
primary measurement means comprising a static air pressure transducer for measuring local atmospheric conditions;
at least one secondary measurement means for measuring positional, altitudinal, and temporal data without reference to local atmospheric conditions,wherein each local atmospheric datum measured by the primary measurement means is corecorded with a recordation time representing the time of measurement, a recordation position representing the position of the aircraft at the time of measurement, and a recordation altitude representing the altitude of the aircraft at the time of measurement;
within one or more ground-based processing centers;
electronic reception equipment for autonomously receiving data from monitoring airplanes, wherein the atmospheric, positional, altitudinal, and temporal data are transmitted to the ground based processing centers for compilation;
means for receiving and compiling the atmospheric, temporal, altitudinal, and positional data from each monitoring aircraft to create a set of predictive indicia; and
means for advising the subscribing user of upcoming weather conditions.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A weather monitoring and prediction system that uses a fleet of aircraft to obtain data. Each aircraft has a local air data system that facilitates the measurement, recordation, and transmittal of local atmospheric data such as barometric pressure, and the corresponding temporal, positional, and altitudinal data. The data is electronically transmitted from each aircraft to a ground based processing system where it is stored. The data may then be transmitted to subscribing users such as aircraft, other weather data systems or to air traffic control centers in either a compiled form or in a raw form. Another embodiment also provides for measuring barometric pressure as a function of altitude at an in-flight aircraft.
-
Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A weather monitoring system comprising:
-
within each of a plurality of monitoring airplanes; a local air data system for recording data on local atmospheric conditions; primary measurement means comprising a static air pressure transducer for measuring local atmospheric conditions; at least one secondary measurement means for measuring positional, altitudinal, and temporal data without reference to local atmospheric conditions, wherein each local atmospheric datum measured by the primary measurement means is corecorded with a recordation time representing the time of measurement, a recordation position representing the position of the aircraft at the time of measurement, and a recordation altitude representing the altitude of the aircraft at the time of measurement; within one or more ground-based processing centers; electronic reception equipment for autonomously receiving data from monitoring airplanes, wherein the atmospheric, positional, altitudinal, and temporal data are transmitted to the ground based processing centers for compilation; means for receiving and compiling the atmospheric, temporal, altitudinal, and positional data from each monitoring aircraft to create a set of predictive indicia; and means for advising the subscribing user of upcoming weather conditions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
Specification