Method for storing measurements made by a radar

• US 7,639,172 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2008
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Chabah, Myriam, Artis, Jean-Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bythrow; Peter M
• Application Number:
  US12/138,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20080309549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 342/26.R, 342/26.A, 342/26.B, 342/26.C, 342/26.D, 342/175, 342/195, 702 1- 4, 382/162, 382/166, 707/100, 707/101
• US Class Current: 342/26.00B
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/064 using a display memory for image processing G01S7/298 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/10 Providing two-dimensional and co-ordinated display of distance and direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/295 Means for transforming co-ordinates or for evaluating data, e.g. using computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for storing measurements of a given type made by a radar, each measurement having been made at a position in a given coordinate system. The method comprises a step of accessing a structured data storage space, each location of which is addressable by a pair of positive integers and each location of which is able to store at least one evolution profile of the measurements of the given type as a function of altitude. It also comprises a meshing step which associates a ground position with a pair of positive integers allowing a location to be addressed. The method also comprises a step of modifying the content of the location with the pair of integers as its address by storing there an evolution profile such that for each ground position sufficiently close to the position associated with the pair and for which a measurement has been made at a certain altitude, the evolution profile provides approximately the measurement made at this altitude.

Claims

1. A method for storing measurements of a given type made by a radar, each measurement M(x, y, z) having been made at a position (x, y, z) in a given coordinate system, where x, y and z are real numbers, the method comprising:

a step of accessing a structured data storage space (Π

), each location of which is addressable by a pair of positive integers and each location of which is able to store at least one evolution profile of the measurements of the given type as a function of the altitude z;

a meshing step which associates a position (x_i, y_j,

     0), where x_i and y_j are real numbers, with a pair of positive integers (i,j) allowing a location to be addressed;

a step of modifying the content of the location with the pair (i,j) as its address by storing there an evolution profile ƒ

_ij such that for each pair (x,y) of real numbers satisfying |x−

x_i|≦

ε

_x and |y−

y_j|≦

ε

_y, where ε

_x and ε

_y are given real thresholds, for which a measurement M(x, y, z) has been made at an altitude z, ∥

M(x, y, z)−

ƒ

_ij∥

≦

ε

_M where ε

_M is a given real threshold and ∥

∥

is a norm suited to the type of the measurements.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein several evolution profiles are stored at the location with (i,j) as its address.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein a single one of the profiles is nonzero for a given altitude z.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the profile ƒ

_ij is stored at the location with (i,j) as its address in the form of a structure (S₁, . . . , S_n) where n is a positive nonzero integer, S_k containing a p-tuple of values for each integer k between 1 and n, p being a positive nonzero integer.

5. The storage method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the evolution profile ƒ

_ij is a piecewise constant function.

6. The storage method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the evolution profile ƒ

_ij is a linear segment function.

7. The storage method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the evolution profile ƒ

_ij is a polynomial function of degree p−

1.

8. The storage method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the evolution profile ƒ

_ij is a spatial distribution defined by p−

2 real coefficients, a mean and a standard deviation.

9. The storage method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measurements are made by a weather radar.

10. The storage method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the measurements are values characterizing the reflectivity of clouds or their danger level.

11. The storage method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the weather radar is airborne.

12. The storage method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the weather radar is airborne.