Downdraft velocity estimator for a microburst precursor detection system

• Main Author: RUBIN; WILLIAM L
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.12.1992
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; METEOROLOGY; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TESTING

A weather surveillance apparatus utilizes a set of beams in an elevation angular sector, one beam being offset from the other by a predetermined offset angle. Radar signal returns in each beam are processed to establish an average doppler frequency shift for the signals in the respective beams. An average of the averages and a difference of the averages are determined which are utilized to establish horizontal and vertical wind velocities. These velocities are further processed to determine whether a microburst precursor exists and the location, magnitude, time to impact, and track of any resulting windshear.