Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Venkata A Sishtla

Jeffery A Finley

Jacob G Teague

Mark C Fersdahl

Kevin Michael Kronfeld

Roy E Robertson

James B West

Mark B Godfrey

Jiwon L Moran

Divesh Lakhi

Daniel L Woodell

Gregory J Koenigs

Edward A St John

Arlen E Breiholz

James D Cahoon

James H Doty

Roger A Dana

Karen L Walling

Nathanael A Meyer

Terrence P Wey

Steven Sperling

Yoel Sonera

Keith L Kerley

Luis R Granadillo

Xingming Wang

Krystina Rodriguez

Mark Fersdahl

Ryan C Fulton

Robert J Richard

Hsien-Chiang Lue

Steven Grossman

Louis P Nicoli

Divya Sishtla Venkata

Jason E Smithe

A system and method for ice crystal detection and qualification are disclosed. The system for ice crystal detection may include an aircraft weather radar and processing circuitry. The aircraft weather radar may perform scans at one or more elevations at successive times. The processing circuitry may calculate power and reflectivity values based on the scans. The processing circuitry may further compare the power and reflectivity values to threshold values to determine the presence of ice water content. The processing circuitry may display different colors on a display for areas in which the power and reflectivity values are lower than the threshold values.

Ice crystal detection and qualification using vertical weather cell structure

A weather depiction system for an aircraft is disclosed. A radar is configured to scan a surrounding environment of the aircraft and provide weather data. An aircraft computing device is configured to: detect weather patterns using the weather data, receive a flight trajectory of the aircraft from a flight management system (FMS), compare the flight trajectory to an altitude of each of the weather patterns, identify the weather pattern as relevant or non-relevant based on the comparison, and present symbols corresponding to the relevant weather patterns on the weather display and exclude symbols corresponding to the non-relevant weather patterns on the weather display.

Optimized weather and threat depiction based on aircraft flight plan

A radar system performs a plurality of horizontal scans; from the horizontal scans, the radar system identifies several cells. Based on the horizontal scans, the radar system produces a first vertical profile that is applied to the identified cells. The radar system performs one or more vertical scans of one of the identified cells to get measured reflectivity values in elevation. The measured reflectivity values are used to create a second vertical profile. The second vertical profile is used to refine the first vertical profile at the location of the identified cell and also to proximal weather. The data used to create the first and second vertical profiles can be combined into a data packet and stored within the radar or transmitted to a remote device. The remote device can reproduce a third vertical profile from the information in the data packet at any point.

Vertical situation display using cell-based architecture

A radar system including an AESA illuminates a target with a first pulse for a desired beam pointing angle (azimuth and elevation). The AESA then illuminates the target with a second pulse for the desired pointing angle, the second pulse defining a radiation pattern with a main beam in phase with the first pulse, but side lobes that are out of phase. The radar system receives return signals and combines the return signals to null the side lobes by the principle of superposition. The radar processing unit is time synced such that the pulse-pair is interpreted as a single ultra-low level side lobe return radiation pattern.

AESA TX pulse pair radiation pattern phase conjugation for low side lobe/maximum EIRP radiation pattern

A weather radar system initiates a horizontal scan at a first tilt angle, then adjusts the tilt angle down during an intermediate phase of the horizontal scan, and finally adjust the tilt angle back to the first tilt angle for an end phase of the horizontal scan. The intermediate phase may comprise a fifteen-to-twenty-degree arc centered about a centerline of the weather radar antenna. The radar system may perform test horizontal scans at intervals within a predefined range, each having a different fixed tilt angle to identify tilt angles having desirable signal-to-noise ratio and signal-to-clutter ratio at different phases of the scan. Alternatively, the system may execute a vertical scan and at one or more horizontal positions to identify desirable tilt angles at various phases.

Optimized antenna scan strategy for windshear detection

A system including a radar receiver and a processor onboard an aircraft. The processor may be configured to: receive or generate weather radar data; identify an end user computing device to receive the weather radar data; determine whether the end user computing device has a high priority or low priority need for the weather radar data; reduce a size and/or an amount of the weather radar data to be a portion of the weather radar data; and upon a determination that the end user computing device has the low priority need for the weather radar data, route, via a datalink, the portion of the weather radar data having the reduced size and/or reduced amount of the weather radar data to the end user computing device.

Radar system and method using priority based routing of radar data

A radar system identifies the presence of moderate intensity icing based on a single pulse reflectivity versus ice water content relationship. The radar then identifies convective cores in proximity to the aircraft and records features of those convective cores. Convection information, including storm tops, temperature, and cell topology, is used to indicate the presence of severe icing. A trained neural network may relate the various data to make a high intensity icing determination.

Hybrid ice detection using airborne weather radar

A radar system executes an ice crystal detection method where filtered radar power returns with atmospheric ice concentration from a single beam are correlated. Filtered power returns from a typical radar pulse sequence are compared to detect high-altitude ice crystals. Individual, filtered pulses are correlated by bin.

Radar ice crystal detection through single beam integration

A radar system and method for sharing threat data is configured to communicate with other radar systems in surrounding aircraft and share threat specific data. Each radar system may be configured to a specific task according to the priorities of the aircraft and the capabilities of the surrounding aircraft; the gathered data is then shared with the surrounding aircraft such that each aircraft may commit longer dwell time to individual tasks while still receiving data for all of the potential tasks. The radar system may identify a fault and send a request for radar threat data to nearby aircraft. The radar system may receive such data within the operating band of the radar and allow continued operation.

Airborne sensor to sensor information sharing technique

A radar system receives threat relevant data with pulses sufficiently separated to provide sufficient long-range imaging, analyzes the return data to identify features of the threat, and generate a second set of pulses to acquire more detailed, higher granularity data specific to the threat. The system may include an ESA that is configured for pulses in a higher frequency to acquire higher resolution data specific to the threat.

Adaptive cell depth contour beams

A system and method for a multi-panel multi-function active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar operation receives radar commands from individual aircraft systems and segments a plurality of AESA panels fixed (at variable azimuth/elevation about the aircraft) into a plurality of subarrays to carry out each individual function commanded by the individual aircraft system. Dependent on aircraft status and phase of flight, the and individual AESA are designated for use and the subarrays are sized based on desired radar function at the specific phase of flight and specific threat associated with the phase. The system dynamically shifts the designated AESA, subarray size, beam characteristics, power settings, and function to enable multiple simultaneous function of the suite of AESA panels.

Multi-panel multi-function AESA system

A system may include a display and a processor. The processor may be configured to: break down two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data into cells, each cell of the cells having a maximum rainfall rate location and a geometric area; prioritize the cells based at least on each cell's proximity to the aircraft, each cell's intensity, each cell's growth rate, each cell's storm top altitude relative to the aircraft altitude, and/or a threat convective level of the cell to select a highest priority cell; and output, to the display, a highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image of the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data as graphical data, the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image corresponding to an azimuth slice of the two-dimensional weather radar reflectivity data for the highest priority cell. The display may be configured to display the highest priority azimuth slice vertical radar image.

System and method to select and display prioritized azimuth slice vertical radar image

A system and method for a multi-beam multi-function active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar operation receives radar commands from individual aircraft systems and segments a single AESA fixed panel into a plurality of subarrays to carry out each individual function commanded by the individual aircraft system. Dependent on aircraft status and phase of flight, the subarrays are sized based on desired radar function at the specific phase of flight and specific threat associated with the phase. The system dynamically shifts the subarray size, beam characteristics, power settings, and function to enable multiple function of a cost effective single AESA panel.

Multi-beam multi-function AESA system

A system may include a display and a processor. The processor may be configured to: obtain aircraft data associated with an aircraft; obtain or generate storm top data, the storm top data including information associated with storm top altitudes and storm top locations; generate aircraft relative storm top data; generate an aircraft relative storm top image based at least on the aircraft relative storm top data, wherein the aircraft relative storm top image depicts a view of weather in front of the aircraft, wherein the aircraft relative storm top image conveys information associated with a difference between at least some of the storm top altitudes and an altitude of the aircraft; and output the aircraft relative storm top image as graphical data.

System and method to display aircraft relative storm top image

A system and method for applying an adaptive adjustment or taper to an electronically scanned array (ESA) weather radar based on feedback from the weather radar. To minimize ground clutter and enable the ESA to display hazardous weather phenomena, the system adaptively adjusts amplitude and phase of ESA elements to adjust the far field pattern shape and sidelobes to maintain a desirable signal to clutter ratio. The system identifies ground clutter as a strong ground return over several azimuths depending on the radar beamwidth. Once the system IDs the ground clutter, it adaptively adjusts on receive for for the upcoming azimuths. The system selectively suppresses sidelobe echoes while maintaining the signal to noise (SNR) for weather targets. The system adaptively adjusts in real time as well as adjusting using precomputed historically accurate tapers stored in memory.

Growing community of inventors

Marion, IA, United States of America

Venkata A Sishtla