System and method to select and display prioritized azimuth slice vertical radar image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11852745-B2
Application number	US-202117482888-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2021
Priority date	Sep 23, 2021
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

A system may include a display and a processor. The processor may be configured to: break down two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data into cells, each cell of the cells having a maximum rainfall rate location and a geometric area; prioritize the cells based at least on each cell's proximity to the aircraft, each cell's intensity, each cell's growth rate, each cell's storm top altitude relative to the aircraft altitude, and/or a threat convective level of the cell to select a highest priority cell; and output, to the display, a highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image of the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data as graphical data, the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image corresponding to an azimuth slice of the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data for the highest priority cell. The display may be configured to display the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a display; and
at least one processor communicatively coupled to the display, the at least one processor configured to:
obtain aircraft data associated with an aircraft, the aircraft data including information of an aircraft position of the aircraft and an aircraft altitude of the aircraft;
obtain or generate two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data for a region proximate to the aircraft position, the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data including or based on at least one of horizontal weather radar scans or vertical weather radar scans;
break down the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data into cells, each cell of the cells having a maximum rainfall rate location and a geometric area;
compute storm top information of a given cell and information of a growth rate of the given cell for each cell of the cells from the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data;
prioritize the cells based at least on at least one of each cell's proximity to the aircraft, each cell's intensity, each cell's growth rate, each cell's storm top altitude relative to the aircraft altitude, or a threat convective level of the cell to select a highest priority cell; and
output, to the display, a highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image of the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data as graphical data, the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image corresponding to an azimuth slice of the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data for the highest priority cell;

wherein the display is configured to display the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image to a user.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the display is installed in the aircraft, wherein the at least one processor is installed in the aircraft.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor comprises at least one display unit computing device processor and at least one radar computing device processor, the at least one display unit computing device processor and the at least one radar computing device processor being communicatively coupled, wherein one or more of the at least one processor is configured to obtain the aircraft data from at least one aircraft computing device.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one display unit computing device processor comprises at least one horizontal display processor and at least one vertical display processor, wherein one or more of the at least one processor is configured to receive a user selection to display a horizontal weather radar image or the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image, wherein if the user selection is for the horizontal weather radar image, the at least one horizontal display processor is configured to display the horizontal weather radar image, wherein if the user selection is for the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image, the at least one vertical display processor is configured to display the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the user selection is for anything other than the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image, wherein the at least one radar computing device processor is configured to: determine that the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image is severe based at least on at least one of the highest priority cell being along a flight plan or the highest priority cell being within a predetermined distance of the flight plan or the aircraft position; and override the user selection to cause the at least one vertical display processor to output the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user is located offboard of the aircraft.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft data further includes information of a flight plan of the aircraft.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data includes or is based on the horizontal weather radar scans and the vertical weather radar scans.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to prioritize the cells based at least on each cell's proximity to the aircraft to select the highest priority cell.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to prioritize the cells based at least on each cell's proximity to the aircraft and each cell's intensity to select the highest priority cell.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to prioritize the cells based at least on each cell's proximity to the aircraft, each cell's intensity, and each cell's growth rate to select the highest priority cell.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to prioritize the cells based at least on each cell's proximity to the aircraft, each cell's intensity, each cell's growth rate, each cell's storm top altitude relative to the aircraft altitude, and the threat convective level of the cell to select the highest priority cell.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to obtain the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data from a source offboard of the aircraft.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to prioritize the cells based at least on the at least one of each cell's proximity to the aircraft, each cell's intensity, each cell's growth rate, each cell's storm top altitude relative to the aircraft altitude, or the threat convective level of the cell to select, using hysteresis, the highest priority cell to ensure that a selection of the highest priority cell does not change for at least a predetermined amount of time.

15. A method, comprising:
obtaining, by at least one processor communicatively coupled to a display, aircraft data associated with an aircraft, the aircraft data including information of an aircraft position of the aircraft and an aircraft altitude of the aircraft;
obtaining or generating, by the at least one processor, two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data for a region proximate to the aircraft position, the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data including or based on at least one of horizontal weather radar scans or vertical weather radar scans;
breaking down, by the at least one processor, the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data into cells, each cell of the cells having a maximum rainfall rate location and a geometric area;
computing, by the at least one processor, storm top information of a given cell and information of a growth rate of the given cell for each cell of the cells from the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data;
prioritizing, by the at least one processor, the cells based at least on at least one of each cell's proximity to the aircraft, each cell's intensity, each cell's growth rate, each cell's storm top altitude relative to the aircraft altitude, or a threat convective level of the cell to select a highest priority cell;
outputting, by the at least one processor to the display, a highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image of the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data as graphical data, the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image corresponding to an azimuth slice of the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data for the highest priority cell; and
displaying, by the display, the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image to a user.

Assignees

• Rockwell Collins Inc

Inventors

• Lakhi Divesh
• Fersdahl Mark
• Sishtla Venkata A

Classifications

• G06T11/26

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G08G5/76

  for monitoring atmospheric conditions · CPC title

• G08G5/26

  Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations · CPC title

• G08G5/21

  located onboard the aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title