UAVs for monitoring the intensification of tropical cyclones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10914865-B1
Application number	US-202016852947-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 20, 2020
Priority date	Apr 20, 2020
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring the intensification and weakening of tropical cyclones, including tropical storms and hurricanes. The method includes flying a UAV above the tropical cyclone for an extended period of time and detecting transitions in structure. Intensification to hurricane stage is indicated by core structure transition of the tropical cyclone to include the presence of an eye within an eyewall. The UAV can be a Global Hawk aircraft and include a number of sensors and detectors, such as a camera for providing images of the tropical cyclone, an infrared detector for detecting temperature changes in the eye structure, a radar detector for detecting wind magnitude and direction in the tropical cyclone, dropsonde sensors for measuring temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed/direction in the tropical cyclone, etc. The UAV can relay the vortex parameter data in real time to a satellite for subsequent downlinking to receiving stations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring intensification of a tropical cyclone, said method comprising:
determining that the tropical cyclone with a core has formed;
flying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) above the tropical cyclone;
measuring, using sensors onboard the UAV, meteorological conditions existing in the core of the tropical cyclone;
detecting, using the sensors, structure parameters of the core of the tropical cyclone, including detecting in real time a nascent formation of an eye at a top of the core of the tropical cyclone, detecting a presence of an eye within an eyewall and, when the eye and the eyewall are present, determining eye data including an altitude of a bottom of the eye, an altitude of a top of the eye, and diameters of the eye at a plurality of locations from the bottom to the top; and
determining whether the tropical cyclone is strengthening or weakening based on the meteorological conditions and the structure parameters, including determining in real time that the tropical cyclone is strengthening when the nascent formation of the eye is detected.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein flying a UAV above the tropical cyclone includes flying the UAV at an altitude which is above a top of the tropical cyclone and below any overlying clouds and in a flight pattern which allows continuous sensor monitoring of the core of the tropical cyclone.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising comparing the presence of the eye and the eyewall, and the eye data, to corresponding data from a previous sample time.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein determining whether the tropical cyclone is strengthening or weakening includes determining that the tropical cyclone is strengthening if the eye has a difference in top-to-bottom altitude which has increased since the previous time sample, the eye has a difference between a top diameter and a bottom diameter which has increased since the previous sample time, or the eyewall has a slope near the top which has become more horizontal since the previous sample time.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein measuring meteorological conditions existing in a core of the tropical cyclone includes using the sensors to measure meteorological condition data including air temperature, air pressure, humidity and horizontal and vertical winds at a plurality of heights within an eye and an eyewall of the tropical cyclone when the eye and the eyewall exist.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising comparing the meteorological condition data to corresponding data from a previous sample time.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein determining whether the tropical cyclone is strengthening or weakening includes determining that the tropical cyclone is strengthening if the air temperature at the bottom of the eye has increased since the previous sample time, the air pressure at the bottom of the eye has decreased since the previous sample time, or a maximum updraft velocity in the eyewall has increased since the previous sample time.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sensors onboard the UAV include a radar detector, an imaging camera, an infrared sensor, a passive microwave detector and one or more deployable sensors that measure temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction within the tropical cyclone and send remote measurement data back to the UAV.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the deployable sensors include dropsondes which measure the remote measurement data while descending to an ocean surface, or constant-altitude balloons which measure the remote measurement data while maintaining a constant altitude within the eye of the tropical cyclone, or both.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising transmitting the meteorological conditions and the structure parameters from the UAV to a satellite, an aircraft or a ship for relaying to a storm forecast center.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the UAV is a Global Hawk.

12. The method according to claim 1 further comprising periodically receiving, by the UAV using a configurable processor and a communications system, updated mission instructions from a ground-based remote controller, where the updated mission instructions include a revised definition of flight path and altitude, and instructions regarding sensor measurements to take and deployment of dropsonde sensors.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising continuing monitoring the tropical cyclone, by the UAV, for a period of at least 20 hours before being replaced by a second UAV, where the UAV and the second UAV provide continuous monitoring of the tropical cyclone for an entire lifespan of the tropical cyclone.

14. A method for monitoring intensification of a tropical cyclone, said method comprising:
determining that the tropical cyclone with a core has formed;
flying a Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) above the tropical cyclone;
measuring, using sensors onboard the Global Hawk UAV, meteorological conditions existing in the core of the tropical cyclone, where the sensors include a radar detector, an imaging camera, an infrared sensor, a passive microwave detector and a plurality of deployable sensors that measure temperature, pressure, relative humidity and wind direction within the tropical cyclone and send remote measurement data back to the Global Hawk UAV;
detecting, using the sensors, structure parameters of the core of the tropical cyclone including detecting in real time a nascent formation of an eye at a top of the core of the tropical cyclone, detecting a presence of an eye within an eyewall and, when the eye and the eyewall are present, determining eye data including an altitude of a bottom of the eye, an altitude of a top of the eye, and diameters of the eye at a plurality of locations from the bottom to the top;
transmitting the meteorological conditions and the structure parameters from the Global Hawk UAV to a satellite, an aircraft or a ship for relaying to a storm forecast center;
determining whether the tropical cyclone is strengthening or weakening based on the meteorological conditions and the structure parameters, including determining in real time that the tropical cyclone is strengthening when the nascent formation of the eye is detected, determining that the tropical cyclone is strengthening if the eye has a difference in top-to-bottom altitude which has increased since the previous sample time, the eye has a difference between a top diameter and a bottom diameter which has increased since the previous sample time, or the eyewall has a slope near the top which has become more horizontal since the previous sample time; and
periodically receiving and following, by the Global Hawk UAV using a configurable processor and a communications system, updated mission instructions from a ground-based remote controller, where the updated mission instructions include a revised definition of flight path and altitude, and instructions regarding sensor measurements to take and deployment of dropsonde sensors.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein flying a Global Hawk UAV above the tropical cyclone includes flying the Global Hawk UAV at an altitude which is above a top of the tropical cyclone and below any overlying clouds and in a flight pattern which allows continuous sensor monitoring of the core of the tropical cyclone.

16. A method for monitoring intensification of a tropical cyclone, said method comprising flying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) above the tropical cyclone, measuring st

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Fendell Francis E

Classifications

• B64U2101/35

  for science, e.g. meteorology · CPC title

• B64U2201/104

  using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• B64U10/25

  Fixed-wing aircraft (VTOL aircraft B64U10/20) · CPC title

• G01W1/08 Primary

  Adaptations of balloons, missiles, or aircraft for meteorological purposes; Radiosondes (transmission of measurements G01D; transmitting circuits H04B; {balloons in general B64B; aeroplanes in general B64D; missiles in general F42B15/00}) · CPC title

• G01W1/02

  Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed (G01W1/10 takes precedence) · CPC title