Weather Radar Control System External Data Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Weather radar systems on aircraft are limited by their maximum range and often require high-bandwidth datalinks to receive supplemental weather data, which can be expensive and unreliable.
Innovation Solution
A weather radar control system that acquires and correlates first weather data from onboard systems with second weather data from external sources via a communication system, generating display data for areas beyond the radar's range, using low-bandwidth data packages transmitted from ground-based or satellite-based systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If weather radar systems use external supplemental data sources to extend detection range, then weather threat detection capability is improved, but communication bandwidth requirements increase and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential weather data elements needed for threat detection (reflectivity, position, velocity) and transmits them as compressed data packages, rather than transmitting complete radar datasets. This selective extraction maintains detection capability while reducing bandwidth requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the aircraft requesting comprehensive weather data from external sources, the system inverts the approach by having external weather systems automatically process and transmit only the critical threat information directly to the aircraft, reversing the traditional data request flow and reducing communication overhead.
2Loss of information
If weather radar systems use high-bandwidth datalinks to receive supplemental weather data, then data quality is improved, but system cost increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multiple external weather data sources (ground-based radar, satellite, other aircraft) that can be selectively accessed based on availability. This redundancy of cheaper, shorter-lived data sources compensates for the unreliability of any single datalink, maintaining data quality without dependence on expensive high-bandwidth connections.
3Area of stationary object
If onboard weather radar scans larger areas to detect distant weather, then detection range is improved, but scan resolution and accuracy decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges data from multiple external weather sources (ground-based radar systems, satellite data, other aircraft radar) with the onboard radar data. This combination provides comprehensive wide-area coverage while maintaining high resolution through the integration of multiple data sets, overcoming the limitation of single-radar scan resolution.
Data Source
AI summary
A weather radar control system includes a processor configured to acquire first weather data for a first area extending from an aircraft from a weather radar system onboard the aircraft. The first weather data includes a first location of a weather event in the first area. The processor is further configured to receive second weather data for a second area with respect to the aircraft via the communication system from an external location where the second weather data includes a second location of a weather event in the second area, and correlate the first weather data and the second weather data. The processor is further configured to generate display data for display based on the correlated weather data where the display data is for a display area at least partially defined by the first and second areas, and provide the display data to a display system onboard the aircraft.