Weather radar threat depiction system and method

• US 9,244,157 B1
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Sishtla, Venkata A., Robertson, Roy E., St. John, Edward A., Fersdahl, Mark C., Nicoli, Louis P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bythrow, Peter
• Application Number:
  US13/919,406
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 342/26.R, 342/26.A, 342/26.B, 342/26.C, 342/26.D, 342/179, 342/181, 342/182
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/95 for meteorological use
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/062 in which different colours are used
• 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 and system can display images associated with core threats, associated threats, and/or predictive overflight threats. The images of the weather can be displayed using at least a first color, a second color, and a third color associated with a respective first precipitation rate range, a second respective precipitation rate range, and a third respective precipitation rate range. The first precipitation rate range is less than the second precipitation rate range and the third precipitation rate range is more than the second precipitation rate range. The core threats, associated threats and predictive overflight threats can be displayed using the first, second and third colors, speckled areas, and wedge-shaped symbols.

Claims

1. A method of displaying images associated with weather near an aircraft performed by a weather radar system, the method comprising:

sensing, by a processor of a weather radar system, a core threat based at least in part on reflectivity data from radar returns of the weather radar system of the aircraft; and

causing, by the processor of the weather radar system, a weather radar display system to display the images of the weather using at least a first color, a second color, and a third color associated with a respective first precipitation rate range, a respective second precipitation rate range, and a respective third precipitation rate range;

wherein the first precipitation rate range is indicative of less precipitation than the second precipitation rate range and the third precipitation rate range is indicative of more precipitation than the second precipitation rate range, wherein an area associated with the core threat has the second color when a precipitation rate of the area is between the first precipitation rate range and the area has the third color when a precipitation rate of the area is between the second precipitation rate range.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing, by the processor of the weather radar system, an associated threat; and

causing, by the processor of the weather radar system, the weather radar display system to display an area associated with the associated threat as a speckled area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specked area is bordered.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first color is green, the second color is yellow and the third color is red, wherein the speckled area includes uniformly distributed yellow or red dots.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing, by the processor of the weather radar system, a predictive overflight threat; and

causing, by the processor of the weather radar system, the weather radar display system to display an area associated with the predictive overflight threat as a wedge-shaped bounded region containing the first color, the second color or the third color.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a boundary for the wedge-shaped bounded region is a fourth color different than the first color, the second color and the third color.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the wedge-shaped bounded region includes uniformly distributed green, yellow and red dots.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the wedge-shaped bounded region includes a target pattern including green, yellow, and red colors.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the wedge-shaped bounded region includes two diverging segments, each connected to two curvilinear segments.

10. A system for displaying images associated with weather near an aircraft, comprising:

at least one processor coupled with a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code for causing the at least one processor to;

sense an associated threat based at least in part on reflectivity data from radar returns of a weather radar system of the aircraft; and

cause a weather radar display system to display the images of the weather using at least a first color, a second color, and a third color associated with a respective first precipitation rate range, a respective second precipitation rate range, and a respective third precipitation rate range, wherein the first precipitation rate range is less than the second precipitation rate range and the third precipitation rate range is more than the second precipitation rate range, wherein an area associated with the associated threat is displayed as a speckled area.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable medium further stores processor-executable code for causing the at least one processor to:

sense a core threat, wherein an area associated with the core threat has the second color when a precipitation rate of the area is between the first precipitation rate range and the area associated with the core threat has the third color when a precipitation rate of the area is between the second precipitation rate range.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable medium further stores processor-executable code for causing the at least one processor to:

sense a predictive overflight threat; and

cause the weather radar display system to display an area associated with the predictive overflight threat as a wedge-shaped bounded region containing the first color, the second color or the third color.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable medium further stores processor-executable code for causing the at least one processor to cause the weather radar display system to display the images of the weather using ARINC 453 and 708 standards of operation.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein a boundary for the wedge-shaped bounded region is a fourth color different than the first color, the second color and the third color.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the associated threat is associated with an anvil region or high altitude ice.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the associated threat is a low altitude threat.

17. A method of displaying images associated with weather near an aircraft performed by a weather radar system, the method comprising:

sensing, by a processor of a weather radar system, a predictive overflight threat based at least in part on reflectivity data from radar returns of the weather radar system of the aircraft; and

causing, by the processor of the weather radar system, a weather radar display system to display the images of the weather using at least a first color, a second color, and a third color associated with a respective first precipitation rate range, a respective second precipitation rate range, and a respective third precipitation rate range, wherein the first precipitation rate range is less than the second precipitation rate range and the third precipitation rate range is more than the second precipitation rate range, wherein an area associated with the predictive overflight threat is displayed as a wedge-shaped bounded region containing the first color, the second color, or the third color.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a boundary for the wedge-shaped bounded region is a fourth color different than the first color, the second color and the third color.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the wedge-shaped bounded region includes uniformly distributed green, yellow and red dots.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the wedge-shaped bounded region includes a target pattern including green, yellow, and red colors.