Weather Station Calibration with Temperature-Based Altitude Error Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing weather stations are prone to drift, leading to inaccurate altitude estimates for mobile devices, especially in urban environments, which can result in delayed emergency responses and navigation errors, and current calibration methods are costly or unavailable, limiting their effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A method to determine a maximum allowed altitude error for weather stations based on temperature variation, allowing for cost-effective calibration using less-expensive estimation methods, such as terrain databases or building information, rather than expensive survey equipment, ensuring accurate altitude estimation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If expensive survey equipment is used to determine weather station altitude, then altitude estimation accuracy is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of altitude error tolerance from a fixed strict requirement to a variable parameter based on temperature conditions. By allowing larger altitude errors when temperature variation is high and stricter errors when temperature is stable, the system enables cost-effective calibration methods to achieve sufficient accuracy without requiring expensive survey equipment in all scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustment of calibration requirements based on real-time temperature measurements. The maximum allowed altitude error is not fixed but dynamically determined by current temperature conditions, allowing the system to adapt calibration stringency to environmental factors and reduce overall calibration costs.
2Measurement precision
If strict altitude error requirements are enforced for weather station calibration, then altitude estimation accuracy is improved, but the number of available weather stations decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the calibration parameter from a fixed strict altitude error threshold to a temperature-dependent variable threshold. This allows weather stations in environments with high temperature variation to be calibrated with more lenient altitude error tolerances, increasing the number of usable stations while maintaining sufficient accuracy for their specific conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different altitude error tolerance standards to different weather stations based on their local temperature conditions. Rather than applying a uniform strict standard to all stations, the system tailors the calibration requirements to each station's environmental context, maximizing the number of available stations while ensuring adequate accuracy for each specific location.
3Ease of manufacture
If less accurate altitude estimation methods are used, then cost is reduced, but altitude estimation accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the acceptance criterion for altitude estimation accuracy from a fixed threshold to a temperature-conditioned variable threshold. This allows less expensive estimation methods to be used in high-temperature-variation environments where larger altitude errors are tolerable, while still achieving sufficient accuracy for emergency response and navigation applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the use of cheaper, less accurate altitude estimation methods (such as those based on terrain databases or building information) by establishing that they can provide sufficient accuracy when temperature variation is high. This allows deployment of cost-effective calibration solutions without requiring expensive survey equipment, particularly in challenging environmental conditions.
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
This approach improves the accuracy and cost-efficiency of weather station calibration, expanding altitude estimation coverage and reliability, enabling quicker emergency responses and better navigation by using less-costly methods tailored to specific temperature conditions.
Implementation Method 1
altitude can be computed using a measurement of pressure from a pressure sensor of a mobile device along with ambient pressure measurement(s) and temperature measurement(s) from a calibrated network of weather stations that have pressure and temperature sensors
Implementation Method 2
altitude can be computed using a measurement of pressure from a pressure sensor of a mobile device along with ambient pressure measurement(s) and temperature measurement(s) from a calibrated network of weather stations
Data Source
AI summary
Calibrating weather stations using maximum allowed altitude errors. Particular embodiments described herein include machines that determine a maximum allowed pressure calibration error for a weather station, determine a temperature variation associated with an environment in which the weather station resides, determine a maximum allowed altitude error for the weather station using the maximum allowed pressure calibration error and the temperature variation, and use the maximum allowed altitude error to determine if a first maximum possible altitude error associated with a first approach for estimating an altitude of the weather station exceeds the maximum allowed altitude error. If the first maximum possible altitude error associated with the first approach does not exceed the maximum allowed altitude error, the first approach is used to estimate an altitude of the weather station for use in calibrating a pressure sensor of the weather station.