System with an acoustic sensor and method for real-time detection of meteorological data

Abstract

A system is provided. The system comprises one or more sound transducers, wherein the one or more sound transducers comprise at least one sound sensor (110) for ascertaining sound pressure information. Furthermore, the system comprises a processing unit (120) for determining weather information as a function of the sound pressure information ascertained by the at least one sound sensor (110). The one or more sound transducers are designed to be installed on a mobile unit.

Description

[0001] System with an acoustic sensor and method for real-time acquisition of meteorological data

[0002] Description

[0003] The application relates to a system with an acoustic sensor and a method for real-time acquisition of meteorological data, for example for integration into robotic systems or for integration into unmanned or manned aircraft.

[0004] Weather forecasts are based on complex simulation models and rely on precise measurement data. Given climate change, the assessment of severe weather events and their local impacts in the form of extreme weather is particularly important. However, the stationary distribution of weather stations lacks spatially and temporally high-resolution local weather information. Furthermore, some weather data is evaluated as a time average and is not available in real time. Currently, no concept exists that enables the economical, resource-efficient, and infrastructure-independent measurement of weather information. A widespread distribution of sensors is not economically feasible due to energy consumption, maintenance, and upkeep costs.

[0005] Climate change is increasing the frequency and thus the hazard potential of extreme weather events, natural disasters, or anthropogenic environmental disasters. Symptomatic of this are local storms whose intensity leads to the destruction of infrastructure and endangers life and limb. Local, high-resolution, real-time meteorological data are crucial for initiating targeted measures to protect the population and critical infrastructure as early as possible.

[0006] Although Germany already operates a very dense sensor network of precipitation radars and precipitation measuring devices, so-called pluviometers, compared to the rest of the world, the precise recording of local weather events remains a major challenge. This is due to the high spatio-temporal variability of these weather phenomena. Conventional measurements using pluviometers are subject to measurement errors caused by wind, snow, or evaporation. While precipitation radars achieve sufficient spatial and temporal resolution, determining the rain rate based on radar reflectivity is significantly more difficult because the droplet size distribution is usually unknown. Furthermore, such radar systems are subject to interference from shadowing effects or backscattering of the radar beam. To address the low spatio-temporal resolution, initial research projects are underway, such as the BMBF-funded project »HoWa-innovativ« [1], [3].Based on the signal attenuation between the radio antennas of the cell phone towers, conclusions about rainfall intensity were possible. However, this method relies on the radio network used (CML), which currently roughly follows the population density. As a result, less densely populated regions, in turn, have a reduced spatial resolution of rainfall monitoring. The problem is that, in addition to a reduced level of security in rural regions, the prevailing weather conditions there can also be the cause of impacts in densely populated areas. Furthermore, it was shown that data processing is very complex and requires a special radio network (see [2], [3], [4]).

[0007] Hydrophones have already been used to measure precipitation on large bodies of water at depths of over one meter. Based on simple spectral analyses, hydroacoustic signals caused by raindrops hitting the water surface were evaluated, and an approximation of the raindrop size was attempted (see [5]). In another approach, the noise caused by raindrops was evaluated as a fixed trigger for the exceedance of a static threshold (see [7]). Both approaches have in common that no intelligent conclusions could be drawn about characteristic features. Furthermore, both methods are site-specific and therefore cannot be used flexibly.

[0008] In addition to precipitation, local wind in the atmospheric boundary layer, the peplosphere, is a key factor in the development of severe weather events. Due to the lack of meteorological data, measurement methods using drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) have been evaluated in the literature. Differential pressure sensors are therefore only suitable for aircraft-like drones in steady forward flight and when the wind incidence is within a limited angular range. In contrast, classic mechanical anemometers are limited to two-dimensional measurements and are unusable due to their bulky design. Hot-wire anemometers are not subject to these disadvantages. However, they are very fragile and vulnerable. These types of sensors are not suitable for universal use in robotic systems or (unmanned) aerial vehicles.

[0009] The state of the art describes setups in which an ultrasonic anemometer is attached to a multicopter (see [6], [8]). However, such setups are very complex and have limited applications. Furthermore, this type of ultrasonic sensor does not allow for fully automated, adaptive evaluation of the prevailing weather situation.

[0010] A system according to claim 1, a method according to claim 36 and a computer program according to claim 37 are provided.

[0011] A system is provided. The system comprises one or more sound transducers, wherein the one or more sound transducers comprise at least one sound sensor (for example, a sound pressure sensor and / or a sound pressure gradient sensor) configured to determine sound pressure information (for example, to determine sound pressure and / or to determine a sound pressure gradient). Furthermore, the system comprises a processing unit configured to determine weather information depending on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor. The one or more sound transducers are configured to be installed on a mobile unit.

[0012] Furthermore, a method is provided. The method comprises:

[0013] Determining sound pressure information using at least one sound sensor.

[0014] Determination of weather information depending on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor by a processing unit.

[0015] One or more sound transducers comprising the at least one sound sensor are designed to be installed on a mobile unit.

[0016] Furthermore, a computer program with a program code for carrying out the method described above is provided.

[0017] In one embodiment, a novel sensor system is provided which, depending on an acoustic analysis, performs spatiotemporal high-resolution monitoring of local weather events or severe weather events.

[0018] Although weather conditions are often colloquially described by the sounds of their meteorological elements, acoustic sensors play no role in measuring weather phenomena. Weather data are typically collected at weather stations that have a fixed distribution across the country. Even though weather conditions are large-scale events, their local impact is strongly influenced by location-dependent factors. High-resolution local data is lacking.

[0019] For more reliable weather forecasting, it is particularly important to know the current characteristics of precipitation and wind. Acoustic sensors combined with customized signal processing and AI have the potential to predict the strength of prevailing multiple meteorological elements based on acoustic behavior. Due to the possibility of miniaturizing acoustic sensors, some embodiments are based on the use of such an intelligent sensor system in combination with robotic systems or (unmanned) aerial vehicles as a high-resolution weather measurement system. Such a measurement system can be both location- and infrastructure-independent and can capture complex relationships in real time, opening up entirely new application possibilities.

[0020] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings.

[0021] Fig. 1 shows a system according to an embodiment.

[0022] Fig. 2 shows a system according to an embodiment comprising a noise suppression module.

[0023] Fig. 3 shows a system according to an embodiment in which the one or more sound transducers comprise at least one sound wave generator.

[0024] Fig. 4 shows a system according to an embodiment, further comprising a transmit interface and a receive interface.

[0025] Fig. 1 shows a system according to an embodiment.

[0026] The system comprises one or more sound transducers, wherein the one or more sound transducers comprise at least one sound sensor 110 configured to determine sound pressure information. Furthermore, the system comprises a processing unit 120 configured to determine weather information based on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110.

[0027] The one or more transducers are designed to be installed on a mobile unit.

[0028] The sound sensor can, for example, be a sound pressure sensor and / or a sound pressure gradient sensor.

[0029] The determination of sound pressure information can, for example, involve a determination of sound pressure and / or a determination of a sound pressure gradient (a gradient of sound pressure).

[0030] The mobile unit can, for example, be a movable unit.

[0031] The mobile unit can be, for example, a vehicle, e.g. an aircraft.

[0032] The mobile or movable unit can be, for example, a motorized unit, such as a (flying) drone, a motorized aircraft, or a helicopter, or a motor vehicle. However, the mobile unit can also be a non-motorized vehicle, such as a hot-air balloon or a glider.

[0033] The mobile unit can also be a portable unit, such as a portable module or a case to which, for example, one or more sound sensors can be attached.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the at least one sound sensor 110 can be designed, for example, to determine sound pressure information at least in the infrasound frequency range and in the audible sound frequency range, and / or the at least one sound sensor 110 can be designed, for example, to determine sound pressure information at least in the audible sound frequency range and in the ultrasonic frequency range.

[0035] In one embodiment, the at least one sound sensor 110 can be configured, for example, to determine sound pressure information in the infrasound frequency range, the audible sound frequency range, and the ultrasonic frequency range. According to one embodiment, the at least one sound sensor 110 can be configured, for example, to determine sound pressure information in a frequency range f with 0 sfsx, where 100 kHz £ x £ 1 MHz.

[0036] In one embodiment, the processing unit 120 can, for example, be configured to determine precipitation information and / or wind information and / or temperature information depending on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110 in order to determine the weather information.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine the weather information by determining the precipitation information based on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110. The processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine at least one of the following precipitation information items: a precipitation type, a droplet size and / or grain size of the precipitation, a composition of the precipitation, a kinetic energy of the precipitation, and a direction of origin of the precipitation.

[0038] In one embodiment, the processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine at least the kinetic energy of the precipitation and / or at least one raindrop size of the precipitation to determine the precipitation information. In this case, the processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine an approximation of a cloud height and / or information regarding condensation nuclei and / or particle load in the air depending on the kinetic energy of the precipitation and / or depending on the raindrop size of the precipitation.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the processing unit 120 for determining the weather information can be configured, for example, to determine the wind information based on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110. In this case, the processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine at least one of the following wind information items: a horizontal and / or vertical wind speed, one or more direction vectors relating to the wind, and a wind type.

[0040] In one embodiment, the processing unit 120 can be configured to determine the weather information, for example, based on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110. In this case, the processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine an acoustic virtual temperature to determine the temperature information.

[0041] Fig. 2 shows a system according to one embodiment, which further comprises a noise suppression module 215, which can be configured, for example, to subject the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110 to a noise reduction method in order to obtain one or more noise-suppressed sound signals. The noise suppression module 215 can be configured, for example, to transfer the noise-suppressed signal to the processing unit 120. Thus, the processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine the weather information depending on the one or more noise-suppressed signals.

[0042] In one embodiment, the noise suppression module 215 may, for example, be configured to apply one or more noise suppression filters to at least one received sound signal having a signal representation of the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110 to determine the one or more noise-suppressed signals.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the processing unit 120 may, for example, be configured to determine the weather information depending on the sound pressure information detected by the at least one sound sensor 110 by means of a machine-trained module trained by means of machine learning or deep learning.

[0044] Fig. 3 shows a system according to an embodiment in which the one or more sound transducers comprise at least one sound wave generator 305 for generating sound waves.

[0045] In a specific embodiment, the system of Fig. 3 may additionally include the noise suppression module 215 of Fig. 2. In an alternative embodiment, the system of Fig. 3 may be configured not to include the noise suppression module 215 of Fig. 2.

[0046] According to one embodiment, the at least one sound wave generator 305 can also be designed, for example, to determine sound pressure information, and / or the at least one sound sensor 110 can also be designed, for example, to generate sound waves.

[0047] In one embodiment, the at least one sound sensor 110 in the system can be arranged, for example, to receive sound pressure information that depends on the sound waves generated by the at least one sound wave generator 305. The processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine the weather information based on the sound pressure information that depends on the sound waves generated by the at least one sound wave generator 305 and determined by the at least one sound sensor 110.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the at least one sound sensor 110 can be a plurality of sound sensors forming a two- or three-dimensional arrangement. The processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine direction-dependent information based on the sound pressure information determined by the plurality of sound sensors and based on the two- or three-dimensional arrangement of the plurality of sound sensors. The processing unit 120 can be configured, for example, to determine the weather information based on the direction information.

[0049] In one embodiment, the processing unit 120 may, for example, be configured to determine the weather information depending on a distance between the at least one sound wave generator 305 and the at least one sound sensor 110.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the sound waves generated by the at least one sound wave generator 305 can be, for example, radiated ultrasonic waves and / or, for example, radiated infrasonic waves and / or, for example, radiated audible sound waves. The processing unit 120 can, for example, be configured to determine a wind speed and / or a wind direction vector and / or an acoustic virtual temperature and / or a raindrop size and / or an amount of precipitation depending on the sound pressure information that depends on the ultrasonic waves and / or the infrasonic waves and / or the audible sound waves generated by the at least one sound wave generator 305.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the processing unit 120 can be designed, for example, to determine the wind speed and / or to determine the direction vector of the wind and / or to determine the acoustic, virtual temperature and / or to determine the raindrop size and / or to determine the amount of precipitation by determining at least one of the following precipitation information: a precipitation type, a drop size and / or grain size of the precipitation, a composition of the precipitation, a kinetic energy of the precipitation, a direction of origin of the precipitation.

[0052] In one embodiment, the at least one processing unit 120 can be designed, for example, to determine aeroacoustic characteristics of air flows using the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110 and to determine the weather information depending thereon.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the system may, for example, comprise a housing through which targeted air flows are induced.

[0054] In one embodiment, the one or more sound transducers may comprise at least one vibroacoustic sound receiver for detecting vibroacoustic sound waves. Processing unit 120 may, for example, be configured to determine the weather information based on the vibroacoustic sound waves.

[0055] According to one embodiment, the noise suppression module 215 of Fig. 2 can, for example, be designed to perform the noise suppression depending on the vibroacoustic sound waves that were determined by the at least one vibroacoustic sound receiver.

[0056] In one embodiment, the processing unit 120 can, for example, be configured to determine information about precipitation based on the vibroacoustic sound waves. According to one embodiment, the processing unit 120 can, for example, be configured to detect one or more acoustic events based on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110. The multiple acoustic events can, for example, be the occurrence of a specific type of sound. For example, a specific noise can be detected. The specific noise can be any type of noise, such as a person's voice, an animal noise, a fire noise, etc.

[0057] In one embodiment, the processing unit 120 may, for example, be configured to classify the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor 110.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the processing unit 120 may, for example, be configured to recognize the one or more acoustic events using a machine-trained unit that has been trained using machine learning or deep learning.

[0059] Fig. 4 shows a system according to one embodiment, which further comprises a transmit interface 412 and a receive interface 418. The transmit interface 412 can be configured, for example, to receive the sound pressure information from the at least one sound sensor 110 and transmit it to the receive interface 418. The receive interface 418 can be configured, for example, to receive the sound pressure information from the transmit interface 412 and transfer it to the processing unit 120.

[0060] In a specific embodiment, the system of Fig. 4 may additionally include the noise suppression module 215 of Fig. 2. In an alternative embodiment, the system of Fig. 4 may be configured not to include the noise suppression module 215 of Fig. 2.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the transmission of the sound pressure information from the transmitting interface 412 to the receiving interface 418 can be carried out, for example, wirelessly.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the transmission of the sound pressure information from the transmitting interface 412 to the receiving interface 418 can be carried out, for example, by cable.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the system may, for example, comprise the mobile unit. The at least one sound sensor 110 may, for example, be mounted on the mobile unit. In one embodiment, the system may, for example, comprise two or more mobile units that comprise said mobile unit. The at least one sound sensor 110 may, for example, be at least two sound sensors that may be mounted on different mobile units of the two or more mobile units.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the mobile unit may be, for example, an aircraft.

[0065] In one embodiment, the mobile unit may be, for example, a mobile robotic unit.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the mobile unit may be, for example, a flying drone.

[0067] Specific embodiments of the invention are described below.

[0068] In embodiments, the wind speed and / or wind direction are determined using a stationary or aircraft- or robot-based acoustic sensor system.

[0069] According to one embodiment, an approximation of the amount of precipitation and the size of the raindrops as well as other parameters is also or alternatively derived.

[0070] In one embodiment, the local environment may be monitored for acoustic anomalies in parallel and / or independently.

[0071] According to some embodiments, acoustic event detection is provided.

[0072] The prevailing weather event and / or its impact can be communicated in various forms, e.g. to civil protection and disaster management.

[0073] To achieve these goals, embodiments provide a novel sensor system that can detect ultrasonic measurement technology and / or the audible frequency range (audible sound) and / or infrasound. The sensor system can be designed to withstand difficult, adverse conditions resulting from use at a stationary observation station or on a mobile robotic or (unmanned) aerial vehicle platform.

[0074] Since some embodiments incorporate an acoustic sensor, which may, for example, have a sensor design suitable for the application, highly sensitive mechanical components, such as those required in previous anemometer types, are not required. The acoustic sensor can eliminate the need for multiple sensors and thus enable a more compact and, above all, low-maintenance design.

[0075] In one embodiment, the measurement system, in combination with AI-based signal processing (AI: artificial intelligence), can be capable of detecting complex interactions of weather information from one or more signals. For example, in one embodiment, not only the local weather conditions can be analyzed in detail, but also their immediate impact on the environment can be monitored. For example, it can be provided that the water content of rivers or impending landslides can be detected using soil water absorption.

[0076] According to some embodiments, the use of robotic or aircraft platforms may be provided, for example. This enables flexible and rapid deployment of the system, completely independent of the local network infrastructure.

[0077] In one embodiment, multiple carrier platforms can be deployed simultaneously. This allows, for example, a measurement network with dynamically adaptable spatiotemporal resolution to be operated in any desired application area.

[0078] The aforementioned multimodal advances offer significant advantages for use in civil protection and disaster management. In particular, the advances outlined can overcome practical disadvantages of existing systems.

[0079] In embodiments, one or more of the following parameters can be determined in detail using the novel acoustic sensor system:

[0080] Precipitation parameters:

[0081] - Type of precipitation (e.g. rain, snow, sleet and hail)

[0082] Droplet or grain size(s) of the precipitation

[0083] Composition of precipitation, such as sleet. Kinetic energy of precipitation. Depending on this, an approximation of cloud height and / or conclusions about condensation nuclei or particle load in the air are determined.

[0084] - Direction of origin of precipitation

[0085] Wind parameters:

[0086] Horizontal and / or vertical speed of the wind

[0087] Direction vector(s) concerning the wind

[0088] Type of wind (e.g. gusts, turbulent air currents, etc.)

[0089] Temperature parameters (e.g. a virtual acoustic temperature, also called acoustic virtual temperature).

[0090] Below, two specific sensor designs are described, which can be considered either individually or combined in a combined sensor system. Such a combination can, for example, capture even more detailed and complementary meteorological parameters and correlations in real time.

[0091] First, the similarities between the two concrete examples are described.

[0092] For example, the acoustic sensor in both embodiments can comprise an electroacoustic sound transducer, which can detect the widest possible frequency range, from infrasound through audible sound to ultrasound. For example, the detection range can cover a range of 0 Hz £ fx, where x can have a value of 100 kHz £ x £ 1 MHz. For example, the detection range can cover 0 Hz £ fs 500 kHz.

[0093] In embodiments, a sensor system according to the invention can, for example, in both embodiments, implement an adaptable method for reducing background noise in order to prepare the acoustic signals for further signal processing. This allows the sensor system according to the invention to be specifically adapted to the respective area of ​​application. On the one hand, for example, the information from the robot flight controller about the currently active actuators of the carrier system can be recorded, acoustic filters can be derived from this and applied. On the other hand, the weather measurement data from the acoustic sensor itself can be evaluated to generate filters or adapt filters. By means of a special arrangement of the sound transducers, for example, targeted guided air flows can be determined and an interference sound filter can be derived by evaluating aeroacoustic properties.For example, shielding of certain sound transducer components of the new sensor system can also be used to reduce interference.

[0094] Interactions between meteorological elements and the sensor system's mounting can lead to vibroacoustic phenomena. The same applies to vibroacoustic effects caused by a robotic or flight system. By exploiting the resulting vibroacoustic events, acoustic filters can also be derived to reduce background noise and applied to the acoustic signals from the sound receivers.

[0095] The first embodiment concerns an acoustic sensor system with acoustic measuring sections.

[0096] The first embodiment can, for example, consist of a single combination of a sound receiver and a sound source, or a two- or three-dimensional array of these sound transducers. In this way, dynamic, adaptive directional characteristics of the sound receivers can be achieved using digital signal processing. In specific embodiments, sound sources in the form of electroacoustic actuators can also function as sound receivers, and vice versa. Thus, the electroacoustic sound transducers can be dynamically controlled or used as actuators or sensors depending on the situation.

[0097] In one embodiment, the wind is measured, for example, via one or more ultrasonic measuring sections, each consisting of an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver positioned opposite it at a defined distance. These measuring sections form a corresponding ultrasonic array, for example, in two- or three-dimensional spatial alignments. By emitting signals, such as pulse-like signals, sweeps, individual sine tones, and / or (pseudo-)random signal sequences along the measuring sections, the wind speed and the wind direction vector are derived. Furthermore, it is possible to infer the virtual acoustic temperature. For example, the use of a multi-dimensional alignment can be used in parallel to validate the measurement data.

[0098] According to one embodiment, the wind is measured, for example, via one or more infrasound measuring sections, each consisting of an infrasound transmitter and an infrasound receiver positioned opposite it at a defined distance. These measuring sections form a corresponding infrasound array, for example, in two- or three-dimensional spatial alignments. By emitting signals, such as pulse-like signals, sweeps, individual sine tones, and / or (pseudo-)random signal sequences along the measuring sections, the wind speed and the wind direction vector are derived. Furthermore, it is possible to infer the virtual acoustic temperature. For example, the use of a multidimensional alignment can be used in parallel to validate the measurement data.

[0099] In one embodiment, the wind is measured, for example, via one or more audible sound measurement paths, each consisting of an audible sound transmitter and an audible sound receiver positioned opposite at a defined distance. These measurement paths form a corresponding audible sound array, for example, in two- or three-dimensional spatial alignments. By emitting signals, such as pulse-like signals, sweeps, individual sine tones, and / or (pseudo-)random signal sequences along the measurement paths, the wind speed and the wind direction vector are derived. Furthermore, it is possible to infer the virtual acoustic temperature. For example, the use of a multi-dimensional alignment can be used in parallel to validate the measurement data.

[0100] According to a further embodiment, a combination of two or three of the above three variants (ultrasound, infrasound, audible sound) is provided.

[0101] To detect precipitation, for example, the same ultrasonic transducers and / or infrasound transducers and / or audible sound transducers can be used as for wind measurement. The frequency of the emitted ultrasonic signals and / or infrasound signals and / or audible sound signals can be varied. The interaction of the raindrop size with the respective wavelength of the ultrasonic wave and / or infrasound wave and / or audible sound wave results in scattering and thus attenuation effects. This allows the raindrop size and the amount of precipitation to be approximated. Varying the frequency can be used to more precisely detect the droplet size distribution. The second embodiment relates to an acoustic sensor system without dedicated measuring sections.

[0102] This design can consist of a single sound receiver or a two- or three-dimensional array. In this way, dynamic, adaptive directional characteristics of the sound receivers can be achieved using digital signal processing. Furthermore, the design can, for example, incorporate a vibroacoustic sound receiver to detect the vibrations of the robotic system or aircraft.

[0103] For example, sound receivers for infra-, audible, and ultrasonic sound can be used to measure wind. Through the interaction of the air currents caused by the wind with the special housing and / or the arrangement of the sound receivers, targeted guided air currents can be determined and / or aeroacoustic characteristics of the air currents can be recorded or derived. Through cascaded signal processing, information about the prevailing wind, such as wind speed and direction, as well as turbulent winds, can be detected and analyzed.

[0104] When using the innovative sensor system, precipitation falls onto the sensor housing or, if applicable, nearby components of the support system. Signal analysis from the acoustic sensor components allows information about the precipitation, such as its type and composition, to be determined.

[0105] In addition to measuring meteorological parameters, the acoustic data from all sound receivers in both embodiments can also be used, for example, for the automatic acoustic recognition or detection of acoustic events. For this purpose, the sensor system can be equipped with machine learning and / or deep learning algorithms, for example. In this way, it is possible to draw further conclusions about the weather event and to detect the occurrence of at least one signal class to be monitored. Possible applications here could include the detection of human speech, animal noises or gas leaks, as well as the monitoring of the environment for the (immediate) effects of weather events. For example, river courses and / or dams and / or the terrain can be monitored for signs of landslides.

[0106] In embodiments, the processed sensor data can be provided via a wired and / or wireless interface. If, for example, no connection exists, the data can be buffered for later transmission according to one embodiment. Furthermore, this data can, for example, serve as a starting point for autonomous reactions of the robotic systems or unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0107] Potential applications include authorities and organizations with security responsibilities, as well as meteorological research facilities and operators of critical infrastructure. Another potential application arises with providers of vertical mobility solutions, as corresponding sensor technology is important for weather forecasting. An acoustic sensor system according to the invention can also be used in combination sensors, for example, in combination with hazardous materials sensors.

[0108] Although some aspects have been described in the context of a device, it should be understood that these aspects also represent a description of the corresponding method, so that a block or component of a device can also be understood as a corresponding method step or as a feature of a method step. Analogously, aspects described in the context of or as a method step also represent a description of a corresponding block, detail, or feature of a corresponding device. Some or all of the method steps may be performed by (or using) a hardware apparatus, such as a microprocessor, a programmable computer, or an electronic circuit. In some embodiments, some or more of the key method steps may be performed by such an apparatus.

[0109] Depending on specific implementation requirements, embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware or in software, or at least partially in hardware or at least partially in software. The implementation may be carried out using a digital storage medium, for example a floppy disk, a DVD, a Blu-ray disc, a CD, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, or a FLASH memory, a hard disk, or other magnetic or optical storage device on which electronically readable control signals are stored that can interact or interact with a programmable computer system such that the respective method is carried out. Therefore, the digital storage medium may be computer-readable.Some embodiments according to the invention thus comprise a data carrier having electronically readable control signals capable of interacting with a programmable computer system such that one of the methods described herein is carried out.

[0110] In general, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a computer program product having a program code, wherein the program code is effective to perform one of the methods when the computer program product is run on a computer.

[0111] The program code can, for example, also be stored on a machine-readable medium.

[0112] Other embodiments include the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein, wherein the computer program is stored on a machine-readable medium. In other words, one embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a computer program that has program code for performing one of the methods described herein when the computer program is executed on a computer.

[0113] A further embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a data carrier (or a digital storage medium or a computer-readable medium) on which the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein is recorded. The data carrier or the digital storage medium or the computer-readable medium is typically tangible and / or non-transitory.

[0114] A further embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a data stream or a sequence of signals that represents the computer program for carrying out one of the methods described herein. The data stream or the sequence of signals can be configured, for example, to be transferred via a data communication connection, for example, via the Internet.

[0115] A further embodiment comprises a processing device, for example a computer or a programmable logic device, configured or adapted to perform one of the methods described herein. A further embodiment comprises a computer on which the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein is installed.

[0116] A further embodiment according to the invention comprises a device or system designed to transmit a computer program for performing at least one of the methods described herein to a recipient. The transmission can be electronic or optical, for example. The recipient can be, for example, a computer, a mobile device, a storage device, or a similar device. The device or system can, for example, comprise a file server for transmitting the computer program to the recipient.

[0117] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field-programmable gate array, an FPGA) may be used to perform some or all of the functionalities of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a field-programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor to perform any of the methods described herein. In general, in some embodiments, the methods are performed by any hardware device. This may be general-purpose hardware such as a computer processor (CPU) or method-specific hardware such as an ASIC.

[0118] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to others skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the following claims and not by the specific details presented in the description and explanation of the embodiments herein. Glossary

[0119] Anemometer An anemometer is a measuring instrument for measuring local

[0120] Wind speed. An anemometer can be of various designs (mechanical anemometer, hot-wire anemometer, and many more).

[0121] CML Commercial Microwave Link (CML) (commercial microwave

[0122] Connection) describes commercial radio links between mobile phone networks, which usually operate at a frequency between 18 and

[0123] 27 GHz. The density distribution of this radio network roughly follows population density.

[0124] Peplosphere The atmospheric boundary layer, also called peplosphere, describes the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere directly adjacent to the Earth's surface.

[0125] Bibliography

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[0135]

[0010] EP 3071999 A.

[0136]

[0011] RU 2016112082 A.

[0012] CN 212008640 U,

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[0013] US 5528224 A.

[0014] KR 101961633 B1.

[0138]

[0015] CN 111916089 A.

[0139]

[0016] CA 1104245 A.

Claims

Claims: System comprising: one or more sound transducers, wherein the one or more sound transducers comprise at least one sound sensor (110) configured to determine sound pressure information, and a processing unit (120) configured to determine weather information based on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110), wherein the one or more sound transducers are configured to be installed on a mobile unit. System according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is configured to determine sound pressure information at least in the infrasound frequency range and in the audible sound frequency range, and / or wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is configured to determine sound pressure information at least in the audible sound frequency range and in the ultrasonic frequency range.System according to claim 2, wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is configured to determine sound pressure information in the infrasound frequency range, the audible sound frequency range, and the ultrasound frequency range. System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is configured to determine sound pressure information in a frequency range f with 0 fsx, wherein 100. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information, precipitation information and / or wind information and / or temperature information, depending on the sound pressure information received by the at least one sound sensor (110). System according to claim 5, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information, specifically the precipitation information, depending on the sound pressure information received by the at least one sound sensor (110), and wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine at least one of the following precipitation information: a precipitation type, a droplet size and / or particle size of the precipitation, a composition of the precipitation, a kinetic energy of the precipitation, and a direction of origin of the precipitation.System according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine at least the kinetic energy of the precipitation and / or at least a raindrop size of the precipitation for the purpose of determining precipitation information, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine an approximation of a cloud height and / or information concerning condensation nuclei and / or particle load of the air depending on the kinetic energy of the precipitation and / or depending on the raindrop size of the precipitation. System according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information, specifically the wind information as a function of the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110), and wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine at least one of the following wind information: a horizontal and / or vertical wind speed, one or more direction vectors relating to the wind, or a wind type. System according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information, specifically the temperature information as a function of the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110), and wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine an acoustic virtual temperature as a function of the temperature information.System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system comprises a noise suppression module (215) configured to subject the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110) to a noise reduction method in order to obtain one or more noise-suppressed sound signals, wherein the noise suppression module (215) is configured to transmit the one or more noise-suppressed signals to the processing unit (120). wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information depending on the one or more noise-suppressed signals.

11. System according to claim 10, wherein the noise suppression module (215) is configured to apply one or more noise suppression filters to at least one received sound signal that has a signal representation of the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110) in order to determine the one or more noise suppressed signals.

12. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information depending on the sound pressure information obtained from the at least one sound sensor (110) by means of a machine-trained module that has been trained by machine learning or by deep learning.

13. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more sound transducers comprise at least one sound wave generator (305) for generating sound waves.

14. System according to claim 13, wherein the at least one sound wave generator (305) is further configured to determine sound pressure information, and / or wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is further configured to generate sound waves.

15. System according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is arranged in the system to determine sound pressure information which depends on the sound waves generated by the at least one sound wave generator (305), wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information depending on the sound pressure information which depends on the sound waves generated by the at least one sound wave generator (305) and which was determined by the at least one sound sensor (110).

16. System according to claim 15, wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is a plurality of sound sensors forming a two- or three-dimensional arrangement, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine direction-dependent information depending on the sound pressure information determined by the plurality of sound sensors and depending on the two- or three-dimensional arrangement of the plurality of sound sensors, and wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information depending on the direction information.

17. System according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information depending on a distance between the at least one sound wave generator (305) and the at least one sound sensor (110).

18. System according to one of claims 15 to 16, wherein the sound waves generated by the at least one sound wave generator (305) are emitted ultrasonic waves and / or emitted infrasound waves and / or emitted audible sound waves, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured, depending on the sound pressure information derived from the ultrasonic waves and / or infrasound waves and / or audible sound waves generated by the at least one sound wave generator (305), a wind speed and / or a wind direction vector and / or a to determine acoustic virtual temperature and / or a raindrop size and / or a precipitation amount.

19. System according to claim 18, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine at least one of the following precipitation information for determining the wind speed and / or the direction vector of the wind and / or the acoustic, virtual temperature and / or the raindrop size and / or the amount of precipitation: a precipitation type, a droplet size and / or particle size of the precipitation, a composition of the precipitation, a kinetic energy of the precipitation, a direction of origin of the precipitation.

20. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one processing unit (120) is configured to determine aeroacoustic characteristics of air currents by means of the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110) and to determine the weather information depending thereon.

21. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system comprises a housing through which directed airflows are generated.

22. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more sound transducers comprise at least one vibroacoustic sound receiver for detecting vibroacoustic sound waves, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine the weather information depending on the vibroacoustic sound waves.

23. System according to claim 22, further depending on claim 10 or 11, wherein the noise suppression module (215) is configured to perform the noise suppression depending on the vibroacoustic sound waves detected by the at least one vibroacoustic sound receiver.

24. System according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to determine information about precipitation depending on the vibroacoustic sound waves.

25. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to detect one or more acoustic events depending on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110).

26. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to classify the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110).

27. System according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the processing unit (120) is configured to detect one or more acoustic events by means of a machine-trained unit trained by machine learning or deep learning.

28. System according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system comprises a transmitting interface (412) configured to receive the sound pressure information from the at least one sound sensor (110) and to transmit it to a receiving interface (418), wherein the system comprises the receiving interface (418) configured to receive the sound pressure information from the transmitting interface (412) and to transmit it to the processing unit (120).

29. System according to claim 28, wherein the transmission of the sound pressure information from the transmitting interface (412) to the receiving interface (418) is wireless.

30. System according to claim 28, wherein the transmission of the sound pressure information from the transmitting interface (412) to the receiving interface (418) is carried out by cable.

31. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system comprises the mobile unit, wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is mounted on the mobile unit.

32. System according to claim 31, wherein the system comprises two or more mobile units comprising said mobile unit, wherein the at least one sound sensor (110) is at least two sound sensors mounted on different mobile units of the two or more mobile units.

33. System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mobile unit is an aircraft.

34. System according to any of the preceding claims, where the mobile unit is a mobile robotics unit.

35. System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mobile unit is a flying drone.

36. Procedure, comprehensive: Determining sound pressure information using at least one Sound sensor (110), Determination of weather information depending on the sound pressure information determined by the at least one sound sensor (110) by a processing unit (120), wherein one or more sound transducers comprising the at least one sound sensor (110) are designed to be installed on a mobile unit.

37. Computer program with program code for carrying out the method according to claim 36

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