Conical scan weather radar
AssigneeThe Tomorrow Companies Inc.
InventorJames R. CARSWELL
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A new measurement approach is disclosed that facilitates significantly smaller size, weight, and power (SWaP) spaceborne radar systems that can provide wide swath, high resolution observations. Multiple beams employed in the scan and the complex volume and/or surface backscatter signals of each beam is recorded. Each beam is electronically swept in azimuth where each beam is held at a constant incidence angle over the azimuth sector that covers the swath. Once the sweep is complete, the platform moves forward, by one along track pixel, and the sweep is repeated in order to provide continuous mapping of the volume and surface covered by the swath. Complex volume backscatter is recorded and mapped to each altitude layer to provide full mapping of the atmosphere.
Claims30
A method comprising:
- causing an electronically steerable radar array suspended above a surface at a high elevation to generate, on a common scan pass, at least a first pencil beam having a first direction and a second pencil beam having a second direction different from the first direction, including indexing each of the first and second pencil beams generated by said electronically steerable radar array to define points on a grid having a cross track perpendicular to a direction of travel of said radar array and an along track in line with said direction of travel of said radar array;
- causing the electronically steerable radar array to independently direct the first pencil beam and the second pencil beam at respective fixed incidence angles along at least one scan path that sweeps across said cross track and illuminates the points on the grid;
- causing the electronically steerable radar array to receive first pencil beam return signals and second pencil beam return signals, the received first pencil beam return signals and second pencil beam return signals comprising combinations of atmospheric layer return signals and surface return signals;
- and
- causing processing of the received first pencil beam return signals and second pencil beam return signals to generate information based on combinations of atmospheric layer return signals and surface return signals.
A method comprising:
- causing an electronically steerable radar array suspended above a surface at a high elevation to generate, on a first scan pass, to direct a first pencil beam along a first, fixed incident angle along at least one scan path that sweeps across a cross track perpendicular to a direction of travel of said radar array and an along track in line with said direction of travel of said radar array, and illuminates points on a grid;
- causing the electronically steerable radar array suspended above the surface at the high elevation to generate, on a second scan pass different from the first scan pass, to direct a second pencil beam at a second, fixed incident angle different from the first, fixed incident angle along the at least one scan path that sweeps across the cross track perpendicular to the direction of travel of said radar array and the along track in line with said direction of travel of said radar array, and illuminates additional points on the grid;
- causing the electronically steerable radar array to receive first pencil beam return signals and second pencil beam return signals, the received first pencil beam return signals and second pencil beam return signals each comprising a combination of atmospheric layer return signals and surface return signals;
- and
- causing processing of the received first pencil beam return signals and second pencil beam return signals to generate information based on combinations of atmospheric layer return signals and surface return signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.