Weather station

• US 7,171,308 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Franchising Corp., Radioshack Online IPCO LLC
• Original Assignee: RadioShack Legacy Corporation
• Inventors: Campbell, Dwayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Toan M.
• Application Number:
  US10/978,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20060106540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 702/4, 702/3, 342/460, 342/26, 340/601, 324/72, 324/457, 455/67.13, 731/702.4
• US Class Current: 702/4
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/16 Measuring atmospheric potential differences, e.g. due to electrical charges in clouds measuring potentiels in general G01R

Abstract

A weather station for providing weather information to a user, especially weather information related to lightning and severe thunderstorm activity. In accordance with the present invention, the weather station includes one or more antennas for receiving GPS transmissions, weather radio transmissions, and a separate radio band, such as the AM radio band for use in detecting lightning strikes. The GPS signal is used to determine the position of the user. A lightning detector coupled to the antenna for receiving the AM (or other band) signal calculates the proximity of any detected lightning strikes. The national weather radio band antenna receives information from NOAA and similar organizations and presents it to the user in the normal fashion. In accordance with the present invention, the weather station may take storm data from NOAA and compare it to lightning proximity data that it has already obtained at a particular location and present to the user an indication of the relative location of the severe thunderstorm activity and its direction of movement.

Claims

1. A portable weather station, operable to detect SAME (Specific Area Encoding) messages, said portable weather station comprising:

a lightning detector for detecting the occurrence of lightning;

a broadcast-radio receiver for receiving weather-related broadcasts; and

a user display for visually displaying a position at which the occurrence of the lightning is detected by said lightning detector relative to a location of the portable weather station based on a location contained in a SAME message and a location entered by a user.

2. The weather station of claim 1, wherein the broadcast radio receiver is operable to receive NWR (NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Admistration) Weather Radio) broadcasts.

3. The weather station of claim 1, further comprising a speaker for presenting the weather-related broadcasts in audio format for a user of the weather station.

4. The weather station of claim 1, further comprising user-interface means for permitting a user to enter location information.

5. The weather station of claim 1, further comprising a GPS receiver for receiving GPS signals.

6. The weather station of claim 1 wherein the lightning detector is operable to estimate the intensity of detected lightning.

7. The weather station of claim 6, further comprising a memory for storing information concerning at least one lightning strike.

8. The weather station of claim 7, wherein the information includes the estimated intensity and the time of the at least one lightning strike.

9. The weather station of claim 8, wherein the at least one lightning strike is a plurality of lightning strikes, and further comprising a controller that is operable to compare intensity information relative to the time each lightning discharge occurred to estimate a direction of movement.

10. The weather station of claim 9, wherein the controller is further operable to calculate whether lightning-strike intensity is increasing or decreasing.

11. The weather station of claim 10, wherein the weather station comprises a user interface for indicating changes in lightening-strike intensity.

12. The weather station of claim 1, further comprising a location display.

13. A portable weather station comprising:

a lightning detector for detecting the occurrence of lightning;

a broadcast radio receiver for receiving weather-related broadcasts;

a GPS receiver for receiving GPS signals; and

a user display for visually displaying a position at which the occurrence of the lightning is detected by said lightning detector relative to a location of the portable weather station based on a location calculated by the GPS and a location information entered by a user.