Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Bruce D Mathews

James H Mims

Joseph Stevenson

Scott C Borden

Michael J Albano

Paul D Mountcastle

Walter W Patterson

Fran Miller

Guy T Railey

The present invention improves upon conventional windshear data processing techniques in three mutually exclusive aspects. First, the present invention provides an improved method and system for detecting microburst downdraft candidates. The improvement lies in its capability of detecting multiple candidates in range. Because of the added capability to detect multiple candidates in range, the present invention also provides an improved method and system for azimuthal association of the multiple candidates in range to define an accurate locus of headwind and tailwind pairs. Second, the present invention provides an improvement in that it utilizes a non-circularly symmetric spatial model to compute the vertical component of a total hazard factor. Third, the present invention provides an improvement in the accurate detection of small radii microbursts by correcting bias present in the data from which the small radii microbursts may be detected.

Apparatus and method for windshear data processing

The present invention is an airborne radar system which scans the flight path of an aircraft with two radar scans, an upper elevation pointing above local level and a lower elevation scan pointing below the glide slope. The radar returns from the upper elevation scan are used to detect the core of the microburst. The core and a model of the windshear which uses the core are used to select angles and range cell candidates, in a lower elevation scan, for hazard detection processing. The candidates in the lower scan, which is pointing at the ground, are used to create a hazard map tested against a predetermined hazard threshold. A threshold violation results in a pilot alert. The hazard map includes a vertical factor determined through model coefficients in the radial outflow as a function of altitude. The invention applies the model to determine the total hazard factor along the glideslope using the vertical hazard of the model and altitude scaling of the horizontal hazard from the lower bar elevation to the glideslope of the aircraft. The present invention also includes a radar scan with two pulse repetition frequencies which allows the elimination of non-correlated returns. The system also includes post detection integration with a sliding azimuth window to enhance the signal to noise ratio. The system also combines velocities within a single range gate to produce a velocity representing the windspeed at that range.

Windshear radar system with upper and lower elevation radar scans

The present invention is a radar system that corrects for changes in apparent reflectivity and two-way precipitation attenuation using a correction curve that includes a segment for low rain rates, a segment for high rain rates and, if desired, a transition segment for medium rain rates. The signal to noise ratio is further improved by using a sliding azimuth window during post detection integration processing.

Inflight weather and ground mapping radar

The present invention is a radar system that detects turbulence by breaking a range cell return down into spectral segments using an FFT processor. The standard deviation of the spectrum is determined and the system compares that standard deviation to a reference threshold of a non-turbulent return if the signal is above noise. If the threshold is exceeded, the range cell is marked for turbulence display. Once the turbulence display is completed it is overlayed on the weather display. To improve matching of the feature size to the variance calculation the invention performs both range and azimuth post detection integration subsequent to the FFT but before variance calculation.

Turbulence radar system

A method of time scheduling mode dwell times corresponding to a multiplicity of targets, displaced in angle, range and velocity, in the frame time of an agile beam coherent radar without reducing the performance of the radar is disclosed. Targets corresponding to a plurality of target mode dwell times scheduled to a common time interval are grouped into a set of pulse repetition frequencies (PRF's) which make the targets visible in both range and doppler. The radar is varied to a different of the set for each coherent integration time of the common time interval. The mode dwell times of the targets of a PRF grouping are interleaved in their corresponding coherent integration time by time positioning the different target time event patterns with respect to the fixed interpulse period thereof to avoid eclipsing of the time events. The time positioning of the event patterns includes a combination of trial positioning and translating each of the target event patterns in a prioritized manner with the purpose of avoiding eclipsing of the time events thereof. The translating of a former target pattern to a new trial position may be performed by delaying the pattern start phasing thereof with respect to the fixed interpulse period of the corresponding integration time.

Method of operating an agile beam coherent radar

In a monopulse radar, a system is included to adaptively assess a detected threat in accordance with the relative bearing representative measurements thereof to determine the collision potential of the threat with the radar. The monopulse radar is operative to detect at least one potential threat and to track the threat through a sequence of time increments beginning with the detection thereof. For each time increment, a signal representative of the relative bearing of the detected threat is derived, forming a sequence of relative bearing representative signals respectively corresponding to the sequence of time increments. From the derived relative bearing signals, the assessor system forms, at each of a selected number of increments, a signal representative of an adaptively updated initial approach bearing measurement of the detected threat with respect to the radar, a signal representative of an adaptively filtered estimate of an instantaneous relative bearing measurement of the detected threat with respect to the radar, and a signal representative of the level of confidence of the generated instantaneous relative bearing measurement signals. A comparison test is conducted at each of the selected number of time increments for detecting a deviation between correspondingly generated initial approach and instantaneous relative bearing measurement signals which is greater than the corresponding level of confidence signal, the event being indicative of a non-collision bearing behavior of the detected threat.

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Catonsville, MD, United States of America

Bruce D Mathews