Vaisala Oyj

Other

Lightning Location and Protection, Inc.

Kenneth L Cummins

Alburt E Pifer

Martin J Murphy

Wolfgang Schulz

Leon G Byerley, Iii

Kenneth Hufnagel

William Hiscox

Embodiments of the present invention provide estimates of soil moisture by measuring the change in electrical conductivity near the surface of the earth using surface-propagated electromagnetic fields. A method is provided for estimating near-surface soil moisture, including measuring signals from an electromagnetic ground wave propagating between one or more receiving element locations, determining a transfer characteristic proportional to an average electrical conductivity between pairs of locations; and determining estimated soil moisture in one or more regions derived from analyzing the determined electrical conductivity between pairs of locations and a predetermined regional relationship between electrical conductivity and soil moisture.

Systems and methods for soil moisture estimation

A lightning detection system provides an estimated location of a lightning stroke. The system includes sensors, and an analyzer. Each sensor provides messages having sensor identification, an amplitude responsive to the lightning stroke, and a time of detecting the lightning stroke. The analyzer applies time corrections and amplitude corrections to improve the accuracy of determining the location of the lightning stroke. Time adjustments and amplitude adjustments for the time and amplitude corrections are recalled from a matrix accessed according to a suggested or estimated location. The matrix may be organized by coordinates of longitude and latitude.

Systems and methods for time corrected lightning detection

A lightning detection and data acquisition system. A plurality of remote programmable sensor is utilized to detect cloud to ground and IC lightning strikes. Analog representations of the lightning strikes are converted to digital signals. The digital signals are classified according to user changeable criteria. The classified digital signals are compressed and optionally decimated. The compressed information is transmitted to a central location where it is decompressed and used to correlate the location, magnitude, and travel path of the detected lightning strikes.

Lightning detection and data acquisition system

A power line fault locating system employing combinations of conducted electrical transient signals recorded at specific points in the power delivery network, radiated electromagnetic signals produced by the air-gap arc preceeding the fault current or by the lightning discharge causing the fault, and knowledge of the power line path associated therewith. The arrival time of conducted transient signals produced by the fault are detected with microsecond accuracy through use of a fault recording sensor (FRS). The low level electromagnetic radiation (VHF/UHF) caused by arcing associated with power line faults is detected at at least one arc detection sensor (ADS) located at some distance from the power line. The ADS senses the time of arrival of the radiated signal associated with the fault. These two sensors for detecting the conducted and radiated signals are coupled to a central power line fault locating analyzer (PLFLA) that receives and manipulates the information using appropriate algorithms and databanks containing geographical maps of electric utility power systems, to arrive at the power line fault location. In an alternative system embodiment, multiple ADS units located about a power distribution network determine the time of arrival of arcing information which is communicated to the PLFLA to determine the power line fault location. In a related system, the precise time of occurrence of a lightning discharge associated with a lightning-caused power line fault is combined with the arrival time of conducted signals from at least one FRS and communicated to a PLFLA.

Systems and methods for determining location of a fault on an electric

An omnidirectional lightning ranging, identification and protection system having circuits that produce no false alarms or failures to alarm, responsive to cloud to ground and cloud discharges, capable of differentiating between cloud to ground and cloud discharges insensitive to background noise, autonomous with respect to power and communications conductors for operating reliably in the presence of nearby lightning discharges, requiring no field calibration, that provides local and remote lightning rate and range data, and that provides mechanisms for automatically signalling and disconnecting electrical equipment for the purpose of lightning protection. The system has circuits that are responsive to the electric field changes produced by lightning discharges in the frequency range between 2 khz and about 200 khz and to time coincident optical radiation in the 6000 to 9000 angstroms wavelength range. The sensor has circuits for receiving and manipulating the optical radiation component, circuits for receiving and manipulating the radiation field component and electrostatic field component, and other control circuits for generating the active and inactive states and for controlling a photovoltaic solar power source, and circuits for generating digital signals that produce encoded data representing the occurrence, type and range to signal sources of natural lightning origin and circuits for communicating the composite data signal to a remote controller for further processing and manipulation.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Kenneth L Cummins