System and method for turbulence detection

• US 8,902,100 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Woodell, Daniel L., Finley, Jeffery A., Koenigs, Gregory J., Conkling, John G.
• Primary Examiner(s): GREGORY, BERNARR E
• Application Number:
  US12/075,103
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: 356/121, 356/128, 356/129, 356/450, 356/496, 356/498, 356/499, 342 26 R- 26 D, 342/27, 342/28, 342175-186, 342192-197, 342/350, 342/35, 702 1- 4, 702/57, 702/64, 702/65, 324/66, 324/67, 324/72, 7317016-17028, 340/500, 340/540, 340/601, 340/602, 340/945, 340961-970
• US Class Current: 342/26.B
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/95 for meteorological use
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/02 of systems according to group G01S13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/04 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/062 in which different colours are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/22 Producing cursor lines and indicia by electronic means
• 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 aircraft hazard warning system or method can be utilized to determine a location of a turbulence hazard for an aircraft. The aircraft hazard warning system can utilize processing electronics coupled to an antenna. The processing electronics can determine an inferred presence of turbulence in response to lightning sensor data, radar reflectivity data, turbulence data, geographic location data, vertical structure analysis data, and/or temperature data. The system can include a display for showing the turbulence hazard and its location.

Claims

1. An aircraft hazard warning system, comprising:

electronic storage for lightning detection data; and

a processing system having a processor configured to execute instructions stored within one or more non-transitory machine readable media, the instructions being executable to cause the processing system to;

determine a presence of a region associated with a weather cell in response to radar return data;

determine a location of at least one lightning strike from the lightning detection data;

provide inferential turbulence detection to inferentially detect turbulence, wherein the inferential turbulence detection inferentially detects the turbulence in response to the location of the at least one lightning strike being correlated with the region associated with the weather cell; and

provide a turbulence detection warning based upon the inferentially detected turbulence using the inferential turbulence detection.

2. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 1, wherein the radar return data comprises radar reflectivity data and includes at least one of:

a target range, an area reflectivity parameter, a gradient reflectivity parameter, a vertical structure parameter, and a magnitude reflectivity parameter.

3. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 1, wherein the lightning detection data includes one or more of:

a lightning polarity, a lightning strike rate, a range, a bearing, a strike strength, a lightning type, and a lightning rate history.

4. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 1, wherein the processing system further uses atmospheric temperature data including one or more of:

a local temperature, local temperature variations with time, local variations with altitude, remotely determined temperature, and remotely determined temperature gradients in either range or altitude for the inferential turbulence detection.

5. The aircraft warning system of claim 1, wherein the processing system identifies the region associated with the weather cell using vertical structure analysis, wherein the vertical structure analysis provides vertical structure analysis data including one or more of:

a vertical height, a vertical growth rate, a vertical history assessment, an assessment of whether the aircraft path will intersect a portion of a weather cell, and a cell maturity.

6. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft hazard warning system is for use with a display, wherein the processing system provides display data for at least one of a vertical, horizontal, and perspective weather screen.

7. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 6, wherein the turbulence detection warning is merged with a direct detection warning and displayed on the display.

8. A method of displaying an indication of a hazard on an electronic aircraft display in an avionics system, the method comprising:

using a computer to calculate an inferential turbulence detection assessment in response to at least one of electronic lightning sensor data associated with lightning, radar reflectivity data derived from radar returns, and electronic vertical structure analysis data based on the radar returns and associated with at least one convective cell; and

providing the indication on the electronic aircraft display, the indication being based at least in part on the inferential turbulence detection assessment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the radar reflectivity data includes at least one of:

a target range, an area reflectivity parameter, a gradient reflectivity parameter, vertical structure, and a magnitude reflectivity parameter.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the lightning sensor data includes one or more of:

a lightning polarity, a lightning strike rate, a range, a bearing, a strike strength, a lightning type, and a lightning rate history.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the computer determines the inferential turbulence detection assessment using atmospheric temperature data including one or more of:

a local temperature, local temperature variations with time, local temperature variations with altitude, a remotely determined temperature, and remotely determined temperature gradients in either range or altitude.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the vertical structure analysis data includes one or more of:

a vertical height, a vertical growth rate, a vertical history assessment, assessment of whether the aircraft path will intersect a portion of a weather cell, and a cell maturity.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprises providing a predictive overflight assessment and providing the indication if the predictive overflight assessment indicates that the hazard is above a flight path of the aircraft.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the hazard is a turbulence hazard.

15. An apparatus for determining a presence of a hazard for an aircraft, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions stored within one or more non-transitory machine readable media, the instructions being executable to provide the following;

means for providing an inferential turbulence detection assessment in response to at least one of lightning sensor data, radar reflectivity data and vertical structure analysis data; and

means for causing a display to provide an indication of the presence of turbulence using the inferential turbulence detection assessment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the radar reflectivity data includes one or more of:

a target range, Doppler velocity information, a Doppler derived spectral width parameter, an area reflectivity parameter, a gradient reflectivity parameter, vertical structure, and a magnitude reflectivity parameter.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the lightning sensor data includes one or more of:

a lightning polarity, a lightning strike rate, a range, a bearing, a strike strength, a lightning type, and a lightning rate history.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for providing receives atmospheric temperature data including one or more of:

a local temperature, local temperature variations with time, local variations with altitude, a remotely determined temperature, and remotely determined temperature gradients in either range or altitude.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the vertical structure analysis data includes one or more of:

a vertical height, a vertical growth rate, a vertical history assessment, an assessment of whether the aircraft path will intersect a portion of a weather cell, and a cell maturity.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the lightning detection data is provided by an onboard lightning detector.

21. An aircraft hazard warning system, comprising:

electronic storage for radar reflectivity data; and

a processing system having a processor configured to execute instructions stored within one or more non-transitory machine readable media, the instructions being executable for providing inferential turbulence detection, the processing system receiving the radar reflectivity data, the processing system in accordance with the inferential turbulence detection providing a turbulence detection warning in response to at least one of;

1. a very high gradient in radar reflectivity using the radar reflectivity data, and 2. a high cell growth rate determined from a vertical structure analysis.

22. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 21, wherein the inferential turbulence detection further uses atmospheric temperature data including one or more of:

a local temperature, local temperature variations with time, local variations with altitude, remotely determined temperature, and remotely determined temperature gradients in either range or altitude.

23. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 21, wherein the radar reflectivity data includes:

a target range, an area reflectivity parameter, a gradient reflectivity parameter, a vertical structure parameter, and a magnitude reflectivity parameter.

24. The aircraft warning system of claim 21, wherein the processing system performs the vertical structure analysis and provides vertical structure analysis data including:

a vertical height, a vertical growth rate, a vertical history assessment, an assessment of whether the aircraft path will intersect a portion of a weather cell, and a cell maturity.

25. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 21, wherein the aircraft hazard warning system is for use with a display, wherein the processing system provides display data for at least one of a vertical, horizontal, and perspective weather screen.

26. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 25, wherein the turbulence detection warning is merged with a direct detection warning and displayed on the display.

27. An aircraft hazard warning system, comprising:

electronic storage for lightning detection data and radar reflectivity data; and

a processing system having a processor configured to execute instructions stored within one or more non-transitory machine readable media, the instructions being executable for providing inferential turbulence detection, the processing system receiving the lightning detection data, and the radar reflectivity data, the processing system in accordance with the inferential turbulence detection providing a turbulence detection warning in response to the lightning detection data indicating presence of lightning in a region, and a very high gradient in the radar reflectivity data for the region.

28. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 27, wherein the turbulence detection warning is provided in response to a high cell growth rate determined from a vertical structure analysis using the radar reflectivity data, wherein the radar reflectivity data includes at least one of:

a target range, an area reflectivity parameter, a gradient reflectivity parameter, a vertical structure parameter, and a magnitude reflectivity parameter.

29. The aircraft hazard warning system of claim 27, wherein the processing system further uses atmospheric temperature data including one or more of:

a local temperature, local temperature variations with time, local variations with altitude, remotely determined temperature, and remotely determined temperature gradients in either range or altitude.