Lightning detection and data acquisition system
AssigneeVaisala Oyj
InventorsMartin J. Murphy, Kenneth L. Cummins, Alburt E. Pifer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lightning detection and data acquisition system. A plurality of remote programmable sensor is utilized to detect cloud to ground and IC lightning strikes. Analog representations of the lightning strikes are converted to digital signals. The digital signals are classified according to user changeable criteria. The classified digital signals are compressed and optionally decimated. The compressed information is transmitted to a central location where it is decompressed and used to correlate the location, magnitude, and travel path of the detected lightning strikes.
Claims56
A lightning detection system, comprising:
- a source of an electrical detection signal representative of an electromagnetic field from a lightning flash comprising a series of lightning discharges;
- an analog-to-digital converter, responsive to said electrical detection signal, for producing a digital detection signal representative of said electromagnetic field;
- and
- a digital processor, responsive to said digital detection signal, for determining the type of at least one of said lightning discharges that produced said electromagnetic field based on characteristics of said digital detection signal, said digital processor continually processing said digital detection signal so as to eliminate dead time between said lightning discharges.
A method for detecting lightning, comprising:
- producing in response to an electromagnetic field from a lightning flash comprising a series of lightning discharges an electrical detection signal representative of said electromagnetic field;
- producing, in response to said electrical detection signal, a digital detection signal representative of said electromagnetic field;
- and
- determining the type of at least one of said lightning discharges that produced said electromagnetic field based on characteristics of said digital detection signal while continually processing said digital detection signal so as to eliminate dead time between said lightning discharges.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.