WEATHER RADAR AND WEATHER OBSERVATION METHOD

• US 20100328144A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: MIZUTANI, Fumihiko, Wada, Masakazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,001 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/26R
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/426 Scanning radar, e.g. 3D radar G01S13/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/951 ground based
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/10 to produce a conical or spiral scan
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/30 varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array H01Q3/2605, H01Q3/2658, H01Q3/2682, H01Q3/44 take precedence
• 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 weather radar includes an antenna unit configured to transmit a radio wave from a plurality of antenna elements, and receive a reflected wave from a weather target by carrying out beam scanning in an elevation angle direction by phase control, a drive unit configured to control an elevation angle of an aperture of the antenna unit, and a controller configured to cause the antenna unit to carry out the beam scanning in a state where the aperture is faced to a point which presents a maximum range in the observational range by the drive unit, and direct, at a time point when the weather target is detected based on a received signal of the reflected wave, the aperture toward the weather target by the drive unit.

Claims

1. A weather radar comprising:

an antenna unit configured to transmit a radio wave from a plurality of antenna elements, and receive a reflected wave from a weather target by carrying out beam scanning in an elevation angle direction by phase control;

a drive unit configured to control an elevation angle of an aperture of the antenna unit; and

a controller configured to cause the antenna unit to carry out the beam scanning in a state where the aperture is faced to a point which presents a maximum range in the observational range by the drive unit, and direct, at a time point when the weather target is detected based on a received signal of the reflected wave, the aperture toward the weather target by the drive unit.

2. The weather radar according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the elevation angle of the aperture based on a received power intensity of the received signal.

3. The weather radar according to claim 1, wherein the controller calculates, at a time point when the weather target is detected, a maximum value of the received power intensity from the received signal for each of a plurality azimuths, and controls the elevation angle of the aperture for each of the azimuths based on the maximum value.

4. A weather observation method used for a weather radar comprising an antenna unit configured to transmit a radio wave from a plurality of antenna elements, and receive a reflected wave from a weather target by carrying out beam scanning in an elevation angle direction by phase control, and a drive unit configured to control an elevation angle of an aperture of the antenna unit, comprising:

causing the antenna unit to carry out beam scanning in a state where the aperture is faced to a point which presents a maximum range in the observational range by the drive unit; and

directing, at a time point when the weather target is detected based on a received signal of the reflected wave, the aperture toward the weather target by the drive unit.

5. The weather observation method according to claim 4, further comprising controlling the elevation angle of the aperture based on a received power intensity of the received signal.

6. The weather observation method according to claim 4, further comprising:

calculating, at a time point when the weather target is detected, a maximum value of the received power intensity from the received signal for each of a plurality azimuths, and controls; and

controlling the elevation angle of the aperture for each of the azimuths based on the maximum value.