Detecting clouds using polarized sunlight
First Claim
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1. A method for detecting clouds, the method comprising:
- receiving data from a sensor which is configured to measure the polarization of an optical glory associated with a cloud, wherein the sensor is co-aligned with the direction of incident sunlight and measures the polarization of scattered light in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of the incident sunlight during measurement; and
identifying, from the received sensor data, a cloud based on the polarization of the detected optical glory.
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Abstract
A novel methodology for detecting cloud particles is disclosed herein. This methodology exploits the optical glory phenomenon. According to one embodiment, a method for detecting clouds includes receiving data from a sensor which is configured to measure polarization of scattered light in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of incident light, and identifying, from the received sensor data, a cloud based on the polarization of the scattered light.
17 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for detecting clouds, the method comprising:
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receiving data from a sensor which is configured to measure the polarization of an optical glory associated with a cloud, wherein the sensor is co-aligned with the direction of incident sunlight and measures the polarization of scattered light in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of the incident sunlight during measurement; and identifying, from the received sensor data, a cloud based on the polarization of the detected optical glory. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for detecting cloud particles, the method comprising;
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receiving data from a sensor which is configured to measure the polarization of an optical glory associated with a cloud, wherein the sensor measures the polarization of the scattered light diverging from the exact backscattered light direction of incident sunlight to detect the optical glory; and identifying, from the received sensor data, cloud particles based on the polarization of the detected optical glory.
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16. A system for detecting clouds, the system comprising:
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a sensor configured to measure the polarization of an optical glory associated with a cloud, wherein the sensor is configured to be co-aligned with the direction of incident sunlight and to measure the polarization of scattered light in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of the incident sunlight during measurement; and a processor configured to identify, from the measured sensor data, a cloud based on the polarization of the detected optical glory. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification