Weather Radar Ground Calibration via Reference Map Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for initializing a weather radar system on aircraft are time-consuming and costly, requiring extensive flight tests to calibrate the alignment servo, and often rely on unavailable or poorly maintained external calibration tools.
Innovation Solution
A ground calibration system that uses a reference aircraft to generate a ground reference map, which is then compared to an uncalibrated aircraft's map to determine pitch, roll, and elevation offsets, allowing for calibration without a test flight by applying these offsets to the weather radar's memory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional flight test calibration method is used, then calibration accuracy is improved, but calibration time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a reference aircraft with a calibrated weather radar to generate a reference ground map, which serves as a copy or template of the correct calibration state. The uncalibrated aircraft's radar map is then compared to this reference copy to determine calibration offsets, eliminating the need for actual flight test calibration while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a reference aircraft as an intermediary carrier that holds the calibrated radar system and generates the reference ground map. This intermediary allows the calibration process to occur on the ground using pre-calibrated data rather than requiring direct calibration flight tests.
2Measurement precision
If traditional flight test calibration method is used, then calibration accuracy is improved, but calibration cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the calibrated radar map from the reference aircraft and uses this copy for comparison. This digital copying approach replaces expensive flight test operations with ground-based data processing, significantly reducing calibration costs while maintaining accuracy.
3Adaptability or versatility
If external reflector devices or transmitters are used for calibration, then calibration capability is improved, but device availability and reliability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the weather radar system to calibrate itself by comparing its own uncalibrated ground map against a reference ground map generated by a calibrated system. This self-service approach eliminates dependency on external reflector devices or transmitters that may be unavailable or poorly maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference aircraft serves as an intermediary that provides the calibrated reference ground map without requiring physical calibration devices. This intermediary approach replaces unreliable external calibration hardware with a data-based solution.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for ground calibration of an aircraft weather radar (WxR) (100) employs a calibrated WxR already flight tested on a reference aircraft to generate a ground reference map from a specific ground position on a specific heading. A WxR alignment tool (102) receives the ground reference map and compares it to an uncalibrated ground map generated by an uncalibrated WxR in the same ground position and on the same heading. Once compared, the alignment tool determines a delta between the ground reference map and the uncalibrated ground map and determines offset values in pitch, roll, and elevation to reduce the delta to a desired operational value and make the maps nearly identical. The alignment tool then applies to offset values to the uncalibrated WxR to calibrate the WxR for operational use.