Aircraft Weather Radar Artifact Correction via Motion Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft weather radar systems face challenges in accurately displaying weather data due to the relatively slow scan rate and the aircraft's mobility, leading to artifacts such as sudden jumps in weather cell bearing and changes in distance or shape when the aircraft banks or pitches, which can be misleading to pilots.
Innovation Solution
An electronic display processor that receives aircraft heading and pitch data, along with radar scan data, to correct the display angle and range of echo information, ensuring accurate representation of weather patterns by accounting for changes in aircraft orientation and radar tilt, thereby minimizing artifacts and providing consistent, accurate data to pilots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the radar scan rate is increased to provide more frequent weather data updates, then the productivity of the radar system is improved, but the artifacts in the display caused by aircraft mobility between scans are exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from aircraft motion sensors (gyroscopes and accelerometers) to detect changes in aircraft orientation between radar scans. This feedback is then used to computationally correct the radar data, compensating for the aircraft's movement and eliminating display artifacts without requiring a faster scan rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational processing step that acts as a mediator between the radar data and the display. This processing unit uses aircraft motion data to calculate correction factors and adjust the radar echo positions, effectively decoupling the display accuracy from the radar scan rate limitation.
2Measurement precision
If the radar antenna mechanically scans to cover the field of view, then the measurement precision of weather patterns is improved, but the time required for data acquisition increases due to the slow scan rate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by measuring aircraft orientation at multiple points during the radar scan interval using high-rate motion sensors. This preliminary measurement of aircraft motion allows the system to pre-calculate the necessary corrections before the radar data is displayed, eliminating the time delay and artifacts associated with mechanical scanning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures that weather data is displayed accurately and consistently, reducing misleading artifacts and enhancing pilots' ability to make real-time course adjustments, improving safety and fuel efficiency by providing reliable and stable weather pattern information.
Implementation Method 1
Weather radar uses echo returns from transmitted radio signals (typically in the megahertz and gigahertz spectrum) to locate and characterize precipitation and its motion
Implementation Method 2
motion characterized by Doppler principles in which moving particles provide a frequency shift to the echo return
Implementation Method 3
some weather radar systems stabilize the angle of the scanning plane of the radar using a vertical gyroscope on the aircraft
Data Source
AI summary
An avionic weather radar system tracks aircraft orientation with respect to acquired scan radar data to correct the display of the weather radar data for range distortion and orientation changes of the aircraft between radar acquisition and display, reducing image artifacts.