Adaptive weather radar detection system and method used in continental and maritime environments

• US 7,598,902 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Woodell, Daniel L., Robertson, Roy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory; Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US11/256,845
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 342 26 R- 26 D, 342 73- 81, 342/118, 342159-162, 342165-176, 342179-184, 342/195, 342 89-103, 34235701-35717
• US Class Current: 342/26.00B
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2813 Means providing a modification of the radiation pattern for cancelling noise, clutter or interfering signals, e.g. side lobe suppression, side lobe blanking, null-steering arrays specially adapted to secondary radar systems G01S13/762; aerials or aerials systems H01Q21/29, H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/414 Discriminating targets with respect to background clutter
• 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 method of detecting weather using a weather radar onboard an aircraft. A range is selected at which weather is to be detected. A tilt angle of the weather radar is changed to detect weather below an altitude of the aircraft at a selected range when the selected range includes a maritime environment.

Claims

1. A method of detecting weather using a weather radar onboard an aircraft at a location, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of the location or area near the location of the weather radar; and

changing a tilt angle of the weather radar to detect weather below an altitude of the aircraft at a selected range when the indication is associated with a maritime environment, wherein the tilt angle is changed to a lower angle than the tilt angle used for the selected range in a continental environment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing to the selected range from a longer range beyond the selected range, comparing radar returns from the selected range with radar returns from the longer range, and using the comparison to determine whether the weather located at the longer range is not also located at the selected range.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising informing the pilot by graphically displaying that the weather detected at the longer range is not also located at the selected range.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising consulting a terrain database to determine whether terrain features are within the selected range.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising removing signals in a radar return corresponding to the terrain features.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tilt angle is based upon the selected range.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a threshold for at least one of the weather radar and a weather radar display when the indication is associated with a maritime environment.

8. A method of detecting weather events using a weather radar in an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a location of the weather radar; and

adjusting a tilt angle of the weather radar downward from a non-maritime tilt position to a maritime tilt position in response to the indication identifying the location as being associated with a maritime environment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the tilt angle is raised from the maritime tilt position when the indication identifies the location as associated with a land-based location.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the tilt angle is raised from the maritime tilt position when the indication identifies the location as a coastal location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the weather radar is operated at a long range and a shorter range, wherein weather at the long range is cautionary and a need to detour the aircraft is confirmed by comparing radar returns from the long range and the shorter range to determine if the weather is detected at the shorter range when used in the maritime environment.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the location is affected by a continental airmass and a maritime airmass; and

changing the tilt angle to detect weather below an altitude of the aircraft at a selected range when the location is determined to be affected by both the maritime airmass and the continental airmass.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the maritime tilt position is based upon a range of the weather radar and an extent to which the location is affected by a maritime environment.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising informing a pilot of the aircraft of the detected weather events.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether terrain features are within a range of the weather radar; and

removing signals in a radar return corresponding to said terrain features.

16. An airborne weather radar system that detects weather events in a location, comprising:

a radar antenna, disposed upon an aircraft, and configured to detect weather events at a selected range; and

a processor for setting a tilt angle of the radar antenna, the tilt angle being automatically lowered with respect to the tilt angle for a continental environment in response to the location being in a maritime environment.

17. The airborne weather radar system of claim 16, further comprising an alerting mechanism that alerts a pilot of the aircraft to the weather events detected using the radar antenna, the weather events being detected by operating in the marine environment at a first range and a second range, comparing radar returns from the first range and second range, and determining if the weather events are detected at the second range, the second range being less than the first range.

18. The airborne weather radar system of claim 17, wherein the alerting mechanism is a weather radar display.

19. The airborne weather radar system of claim 17, further comprising a terrain database containing information about terrain features within the first range, wherein the processor is configured to remove, from radar returns, signals corresponding to the terrain features.

20. The airborne weather radar system of claim 16, wherein the processor selects the tilt angle to detect weather events below an altitude of the aircraft.