Aircraft weather radar coverage supplementing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017038457-A1
Application number	US-201514821547-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 7, 2015
Priority date	Aug 7, 2015
Publication date	Feb 9, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

In one example, this disclosure is directed to a system configured to receive weather data from one or more weather data sources. The system is further configured to receive, from a requesting weather radar system, a request for supplemental weather data covering an identified region, wherein the requesting weather radar system is associated with a specific weather radar data format. The system is further configured to identify a set of supplemental weather data for the identified region, based on the received weather data from the one or more weather data sources, wherein the supplemental weather data is in the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system and comprises weather forecast information for the identified region. The system is further configured to transmit the supplemental weather data for the identified region to the requesting weather radar system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising one or more processors configured to:
receive weather data from one or more weather data sources; receive, from a requesting weather radar system, a request for supplemental weather data covering an identified region, wherein the requesting weather radar system is associated with a specific weather radar data format; identify a set of supplemental weather data for the identified region, based on the received weather data from the one or more weather data sources, wherein the supplemental weather data is in the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system and comprises weather forecast information for the identified region; and transmit the supplemental weather data for the identified region to the requesting weather radar system.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to identify the set of supplemental weather data such that the weather forecast information for the identified region comprises data on one or more of: horizontal motion of one or more weather features in the identified region; vertical growth of the one or more weather features in the identified region; and reflectivity trend of the one or more weather features in the identified region.

3 . The system of claim I, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit the supplemental weather data at a lower transmission update rate than a specific weather radar data update rate associated with the requesting weather radar system, wherein the specific weather radar data update rate comprises a rate at which the requesting radar system performs an active radar scan and loads data resulting from the scan into buffer cells of a radar system three-dimensional (3D) volumetric buffer memory component, such that the weather forecast information for the identified region is sufficient to be extrapolated by the requesting weather radar system at the specific weather radar data update rate and loaded into a portion of the buffer cells of the radar system buffer memory component that are assigned to hold data on a 3D volume of the identified region at a time of a specific active radar scan.

4 . The system of claim I, wherein the specific weather radar data format comprises a three-dimensional (3D) volumetric buffer weather radar data format with time references and three-dimensional geographic references associated with the weather data.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more weather data sources comprise two or more weather data sources, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured such that identifying the set of supplemental weather data for the identified region comprises integrating the weather data received from the two or more weather data sources into a single integrated set of weather data in the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the weather data from the one or more weather data sources comprises weather data from one or more non-radar weather data sources, and wherein the processors are further configured to transform the weather data from the one or more non-radar weather data sources in a second data format different from the specific weather radar format into weather data in the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system.

7 . The system of claim I, wherein the weather data from the one or more weather data sources comprises weather radar data from one or more weather radar data sources having a different weather radar data format than the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system, and wherein the processors are further configured lo transform the weather radar data from the one or more weather radar data sources into weather data in the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system.

8 . The system of claim I, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
determine a response transmission bandwidth indicated by the request; and prepare and transmit the supplemental weather data for the identified region to the requesting weather radar system in accordance with the transmission bandwidth indicated by the request.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
determine whether the request indicates an option for a fixed time uplink or an option for a request-response uplink; and identify the set of supplemental weather data for the identified region and transmit the supplemental weather data for the identified region to the requesting weather radar system either for a fixed time in response to determining that the request indicates the option for the fixed-time uplink, or as a single transmission in response to determining that the request indicates the option for the request-response uplink.,

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one Of more processors are further configured to:
in response to receiving the request from the requesting weather radar system, send a request to the one or more weather data sources for extra data covering the identified region; receive the extra data covering the identified region from the one or more weal data sources; and transmit the extra data covering the identified region to the requesting weather radar system.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to apply data compression to the supplemental weather data prior to transmitting the supplemental weather data for the identified region to the requesting weather radar system.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to include indications of one or More of hail, lightning, turbulence, and wind shear in the supplemental weather data for the identified region.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
compare one or more weather radar components of the received weather data from the one or more weather data sources with a data store of ground surface physical geography; and cancel radar reflection data from ground surfaces from the one or more weather radar components of the received weather data, based at least in part on the comparing of the one or more weather radar components of the received weather data with the data store of ground surface physical geography, prior to transmitting the supplemental weather data for the identified region to the requesting system.

14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
store an indication associated with the requesting weather radar system of the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system, prior to receiving the request from the requesting system; identify the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system, in response to receiving the request from the requesting weather radar system; and ensure that the supplemental weather data is in the specific weather radar data format associated with the requesting weather radar system in accordance with the stored indication, prior to transmitting the supplemental weather data for the identified region to the requesting weather radar system.

15 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a communications interface subsystem configured to receive the weather data from the one or more weather data sources via both one or more radio antenn

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Wang Guoqing
• Wang Haifeng
• Jongsma Kenneth R

Classifications

• G06F18/25

  Fusion techniques · CPC title

• G01S13/953

  mounted on aircraft · CPC title

• G01S7/003 Primary

  Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations · CPC title

• G01S13/951

  ground based · CPC title

• Y02A90/10

  Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation · CPC title