Other

Radiometrics Corporation

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Fredrick S Solheim

Randolph H Ware

Lee A Erb

Michael L Exner

Loren Dean Nelson

Christian Rocken

Chris D Alber

Hunter Solheim

Albin J Gasiewski

Mark E Yager

Apparatus and methods are disclosed utilizing selected infrared waveband observations to determine selected profiles of interest. A correlative system is constructed and installed at a processor. Thermal and refractivity profiles and structure in a waveband of interest are extracted from observed infrared spectrum single waveband observations received for processing at the processor by the correlative system. The output provides the selected profiles of interest in the waveband of interest. The apparatus includes an infrared receiver and means for measuring angular displacement of received emissions relative to a horizon. The processor converts received emission into equivalent Planck blackbody temperatures across the observations and correlates structure and vertical distribution of the temperatures to provide thermodynamic and refractivity profiles of interest.

Characterizing tropospheric boundary layer thermodynamic and refractivity profiles utilizing selected waveband infrared observations

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for highly accurate remote measurement of sea surface skin temperature. Thermal band 8 to 14 micron images of the surface of the ocean taken by a downward looking infrared camera are processed to determine the optimum segments of the image to utilize. The influence of contaminating reflection of the downwelling flux from the sky and other error sources are removed and from the data and/or otherwise corrected for making sea surface temperature accuracy within several tenths of a degree possible.

Apparatus and methods for remote measurement of sea surface temperature

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for enhancing data accuracy of a noncontact infrared thermometer. One method includes determining dry atmospheric constituency and water vapor absorption coefficients across the infrared thermometers spectral bandpass and implementing the coefficients in processing with site-based atmospheric temperature and water vapor density profile and pressure measurements to provide corrected target temperature data compensating for contamination in said raw data due to said intervening atmosphere. The method is particularly well adapted for use in correcting data from less expensive but also less accurate wideband infrared thermometers.

Correcting noncontact infrared thermometer data by removing contamination of the intervening atmosphere

Apparatus and methods for passively and remotely and continuously locating, monitoring, and measuring present weather and nowcasting and forecasting weather and meteorological phenomena and parameters by utilizing observations of infrared emissions and reflections are disclosed. Based on observations of an instrument such as an infrared noncontact thermometer, the methods provide useful information on the presence of aerosol, dust, cloud, and precipitation for the purpose of determining present weather, weather tracking, weather nowcasting, and weather forecasting as well as other weather phenomena. One embodiment of this invention is an infrared sensor pointed vertically and reflected from a suitable mirror rotating about a vertical axis such that the field of view of the sensor scans azimuthally at an elevated angle above the horizon.

Autonomous continuous atmospheric present weather, nowcasting, and forecasting system

Apparatus and methods for characterizing atmospheric refractivity and its evolution in time and space utilizing passive radiation emission measurement devices are disclosed. Based on an instrument such as a passive microwave radiometer, ancillary meteorological measurements and other information and observations, the apparatus and methods provide useful signatures for characterizing atmospheric refractivity. The system can observe to any vector in the sky, giving directional as well as zenithal measurements of the refractivity profile, its spatial and temporal gradients, and the spatial and temporal trending of the profile and its gradients.

Atmospheric refractivity profiling apparatus and methods

Apparatus and methods for mitigating precipitation effects realized at an antenna system of an instrument such as a microwave radiometer are disclosed. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a blower mechanism that enables instrument operation even during precipitation events (rain, snow, sleet, or excessive condensation) by causing a flow of air at relatively high velocity tangentially across the antenna system. The air flow is of sufficient force to disallow contact by hydrometeors with the antenna or antenna window of the system by redirecting the path of the falling hydrometeors in flight and/or to sweep hydrometeors reaching or formed at the window from the vicinity of the window. Other mechanisms for such precipitation effects mitigation are also disclosed.

Precipitation effects mitigation at antennae systems

The passive polarimetric microwave radiometer is a simple and low cost radiometric icing detection system that operates over a suitable set of frequency bands in the millimeter wave region of the spectrum to provide useful signatures for detecting aircraft icing conditions. This basic passive polarimetric microwave radiometer observes along a single line of sight and consists of a dual polarization dual frequency radiometer that is pointed in the direction of interest, such as the projected flight path, and operates at a frequency which is sensitive to the polarizing effects of hydrometeors. The passive polarimetric microwave radiometer could also observe in a horizontal plane around the aircraft or ground station and include both vertical and horizontal scanning capability. By utilizing polarimetric observations near two widely separated lines at frequencies with matching attenuations (and therefore matching range sensitivities) a stronger spectral signal providing information on hydrometeor habit (size and shape) can be obtained. Such additional information is especially important to characterize volumes containing mixed phases of liquid water and ice (wetted ice crystals, or interspersed ice and liquid hydrometeors) and for determining hydrometeor shapes and size distributions. The radiometric signals from the antenna can be downconverted with local oscillators centered at around 60 GHz, 118.75 GHz, and/or 183 GHz, and use filter banks to separate out baseband sidebands into a plurality of frequency intervals at various frequency separations from the local oscillator frequency, thus obtaining radiometric sensitivities with a variety of differing weighting functions, and therefore range sensitivities. Alternatively, direct detection of signals passing through high frequency filters at desired frequencies can be utilized.

Passive polarimetric microwave radiometer for detecting aircraft icing conditions

Apparatus and method for forecasting the quality of radio communication links on a short-term basis are disclosed, the apparatus including at least one, and preferably an ensemble of, sensors providing output indicia indicative of evolving atmospheric and/or ionospheric conditions in the vicinity of a monitored communication link. The sensors may include any device that provides data containing predictive information, such as a microwave radiometer for receiving atmospheric emissions that are related to atmospheric scattering and absorption of radio propagation, input for measurement of the signal-to-noise ratio of the radio link carrier, and sensors of surface meteorology including barometric pressure, temperature, and surface winds direction and velocity. Data provided is processed utilizing mathematical inversion (also referred to as function estimation) techniques to provide predictions of changing link quality in the short-term (e.g., down to and less than 15 minutes) requiring communication link adaptation. The apparatus and methods employed are completely automated and link-site based.

Wireless communication link quality forecasting

An atmospheric water vapor sensing system uses Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) to determine the refractivity and Slant-path Water Vapor Delay (SWD) between an Earth-based GPS receiver and a plurality of satellite-based GPS transmitters. The system provides improved precision in position calculation measurements by eliminating the refractivity effects of water vapor. No other system inputs are required apart from conventional GPS satellite signals and conventional satellite orbit data to implement the method. SWD arises from the refractivity in the integrated atmospheric water vapor in a column of atmosphere at an acute angular line-of-sight path between the Earth-based GPS receiver and any one of the plurality of satellite-based GPS transmitters. The system is especially useful in monitoring the Earth's crustal deformation.

Method and apparatus using slant-path water delay estimates to correct

Apparatus and methods for profiling atmospheric temperature, water vapor and/or cloud liquid content utilizing passive microwave remote sensing are disclosed. The apparatus includes an antenna for receiving atmospheric microwave emissions having frequencies of interest, a highly stable, tunable frequency synthesizer, and downconverting system receiving selected frequency outputs from the synthesizer and the received emissions and, responsive thereto, providing output signals indicative of the frequencies of interest and representing the profile.

Profiling of selected atmospheric characteristics utilizing passive

A monitoring system is disclosed that is particularly well suited for use in connection with combustion in a cloud seeding generator. The monitoring system includes an indicator light the energization of which indicates a specific combustion state and normally indicates that combustion has occurred. Energization of the indicator light is controlled by a comparator which has one input connected with a thermocouple positioned in the combustion chamber to monitor the combustion state. The cloud seeding generator is preferably mounted in an aircraft and, when so mounted, the indicator light may be remotely located as, for example, on the aircraft instrument panel to indicate combustion and/or ignition as well as proper operation of the cloud seeding generator.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Fredrick S Solheim