Government of the United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Commerce

Steven F Clifford

James H Churnside

David M Farmer

Steen G Hanson

Valery U Zavorotny

A global positioning system (GPS) ocean scatterometer with an adaptable spatial resolution for sensing and processing GPS signals reflected from an ocean surface for wind measurements in a wide range of altitudes and wind velocities. To increase wind sensitivity at low altitudes, the GPS ocean scatterometer employs a sub-chip GPS receiver which includes, inter alia, a signal correlator and a pair of code correlators for generating a sub-chip footprint to boost system resolution. To increase wind sensitivity at high altitudes, the GPS ocean scatterometer employs a multi-chip GPS receiver which includes, inter alia, a wide-band oscillator and a multi-chip generator for generating a multi-chip footprint to boost scattered energy.

Scatterometer with adaptable spatial resolution

The disclosed invention is a measurement device for use in determining wind turbulence in the atmosphere, such as the cross-wind velocity and strength of refractive turbulence in a localized region. In the preferred embodiment, the device is comprised of: a telescope for collimating the light received from the light source, the telescope placed in front of a pair of spatially filtered optical receivers and focussed at infinity; a pair of gratings; a collecting lens, placed behind the gratings to collect the spatially filtered light; a photodetector to collect the light; an amplifier to amplify the signal received from the photodetector, and; a spectrum analyzer to analyze the interference pattern created by the gratings. The device uses the information contained in the light as it is scattered into its various Fourier components as the light passes through the atmosphere. This information, by means of the two filters, is processed to determine the turbulence, whose wavenumber is the difference of the spatial filter wavenumber of the first and the second spatial filters.

Single-ended dual spatial filter detector for the passive measurement of

A system and method are disclosed for acoustic scintillation liquid flow measurement. Measurement is carried out by acoustic beams transmitted perpendicular to the direction the component of liquid flow to be measured, with both phase and amplitude measurements being made to enable generation of accurate speed of flow indications which are indicative of liquid flow through a broad area being monitored as opposed to a single point therein. In one realization of this invention, a pair of projectors are mounted on one side of the flow area, such as a channel to be monitored, and a pair of receivers are mounted on the other side of the flow area with pulsed acoustic signals from each of the projectors being transmitted in separate parallel paths through the liquid, such as water, to the receivers. At the receivers, electrical signals indicative of received acoustic signals in each path are complex demodulated after which the demodulated outputs are shaped, converted and then coupled to a microcomputer for evaluation and, responsive thereto, providing the indication of liquid flow speed.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Steven F Clifford