Weather radar system and method with path attenuation shadowing

• US 9,599,707 B1
• Filed: 01/23/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Kronfeld, Kevin M., Breiholz, Arlen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US14/162,035
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 342/26, 342/27, 342/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/04 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/10 Special adaptations of display systems for operation with variable images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/30 Control of display attribute
• 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

An avionic weather radar system and method can sense a path attenuation condition using radar returns of received via a radar antenna onboard the aircraft. Images of weather can be displayed using an outside source and the radar returns. The images are displayed using information from the outside source when the path attenuation condition is sensed. The images can be displayed using speckled areas, cross hatched areas or other symbols to represent the information from the outside source. The images of the weather can be provided on an avionic display.

Claims

1. A method of displaying images associated with weather near an aircraft, the aircraft receiving radar returns received by a weather radar antenna of the aircraft, the method comprising:

sensing a path attenuation condition using the radar returns; and

displaying the images of the weather using an outside source and the radar returns, wherein the images of the weather are displayed using information from the outside source when the path attenuation condition is sensed;

wherein the images of the weather associated with the outside source are displayed as a speckled area or a cross hatched area;

wherein the speckled area includes green speckles, yellow speckles, and red speckles corresponding to precipitation rates or the cross hatched area includes green lines, yellow lines, and red lines corresponding to the precipitation rates; and

wherein the speckles have a size associated with a time of sensing weather associated with the speckles, and wherein the speckles have a density associated with a time of sensing weather associated with the speckles or the lines have a width associated with the time of sensing weather.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the images of the weather associated with the outside source are displayed using an outline.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a line at a range associated with the path attenuation condition, the line having a color designated for alerting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the speckles or lines are uniformly distributed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the time of sensing weather is provided by the outside source.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the images of weather using the outside source are located on the display in accordance with motion vectors and growth and decay information and the time of sensing weather.

7. An avionic weather radar system, comprising:

a processor configured to sense a path attenuation condition using radar returns received via a radar antenna onboard an aircraft and to cause images of weather to be displayed using a second source and the radar returns, wherein the weather is displayed within a particular range using information from the second source when the path attenuation condition is sensed, wherein the images of the weather associated with the outside source are displayed different from weather images derived from the radar returns received via the radar antenna onboard the aircraft, and wherein the images of the weather associated with the outside source vary in shape, size, or intensity based on a time of sensing the weather.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a display for displaying the images of the weather.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor provides an indication of the path attenuation warning.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the indication is a textual message.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the indication is an arc across the azimuth range of the path attenuation condition.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the arc across the azimuth range of the path attenuation condition includes azimuth indications.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein weather images beyond the particular range are displayed using data from the second source, the second source being an off aircraft source.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the second source is another aircraft, a ground-based radar system, a LIDAR source, an infrared source, or a data source storing weather data from second radar returns having a different frequency than the first radar returns.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to sense the path attenuation condition by determining an area where expected radar returns rapidly fall off.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to sense the path attenuation condition by detecting a storm or cell at a particular azimuth range and determining that radar returns do not indicate a presence of a storm or cell beyond the particular azimuth range.

17. A method of displaying images associated with weather near an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving radar returns associated with a radar antenna of the aircraft;

receiving data from a source remote from the aircraft; and

displaying the images associated with the weather using at least a first color, a second color, and a third color associated with a respective first precipitation rate range or threat level, a respective second precipitation rate range or threat level, and a respective third precipitation rate range or threat level, wherein the first precipitation rate range or threat level is less than the second precipitation rate or threat range and the third precipitation rate or threat is more than the second precipitation rate range or threat level, wherein the images associated with the weather comprise at least a first image provided using the radar returns and a second image provided using the data from the source remote from the aircraft, wherein the second image is provided at a range greater than a range of a path attenuation condition;

wherein the second image has a size, shape, or intensity associated with a time of sensing weather associated with the second image.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a boundary for the path attenuation condition is displayed.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the data from the source remote from the aircraft is weather data provided from a remote aircraft or from a NEXRAD source.