The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 11, 2002
Filed:
Aug. 30, 2000
Michael Smith, Wichita, KS (US);
Bill Vincent, Wichita, KS (US);
WeatherData, Inc., Wichita, KS (US);
Abstract
The invention provides a system and method for predicting areas where lightning strikes are likely to occur by evaluating radar and temperature data. Radar volume data is analyzed to locate cloud tops that extend above a height corresponding to a temperature line of about −10° C. Areas where cloud tops extend above the height of the −10° C. line and that have a radar composite reflectivity greater than 30 dBZ are designated as probable lightning threat areas. Radar movement is tracked across at least two time periods, and a correlation algorithm predicts the future location of lightning threat areas at predetermined time periods (e.g., 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes) based on predicted radar values. A computer display shows the predicted location of the lightning threat areas for the future time periods. In one variation, selected structures or areas (e.g., power lines, factories, or the like) are superimposed on a computer display with predicted lightning threat areas to illustrate where lightning damage is likely to occur.