Claims
- 1. A system for determining atmospheric disturbance that may exist in front of an aircraft comprising:a plurality of sensor arrays, each array containing at least one sensor element including an antenna having a known beam pattern, and concurrently receiving at least one signal; a receiving system in communication with a corresponding one of said at least one sensor element in each of said plurality of sensor arrays, said receiving system operable to isolate a same signal from said at least one received signal in each of said plurality of sensor arrays; means for determining a phase value for each of said same signals; means for determining a rate of phase change for selected subsets of said same signals; means for indicating turbulence when said rate of phase change exceeds a known threshold associated with selected subsets of said same received signals.
- 2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said known pattern associated with at least one said sensor arrays is electronically configured to receive substantially a maximum signal energy of said same signal.
- 3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said known pattern associated with at least one said sensor arrays is electronically configured to create a spatial null about substantially a maximum signal energy of said same signal.
- 4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said known pattern associated with at least one said sensor arrays is mechanically positioned to receive substantially a maximum signal energy of said same signal.
- 5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said known pattern associated with at least one said sensor arrays is mechanically positioned to create a spatial null about substantially a maximum signal energy of said same signal.
- 6. A method for determining air turbulence which can undesirably affect the operation of an aircraft subjected to said turbulence comprising the steps of:receiving via a plurality of sensor arrays, a signal at a predetermined frequency in an area where said turbulence is expected, each array containing at least one sensor element, arranged in a known pattern for concurrently receiving said predetermined frequency signal; processing said received signal at a receiving system corresponding to each of said at least one sensor elements; determining a phase value for each received signal; determining a rate of phase change for selected subsets of said received signals; detecting a phase change in said received signal due to turbulence; comparing said detected phase change with a threshold value; and indicating the presence of said turbulence when said detected phase change exceeds said threshold value.
- 7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein said known pattern associated with at least one said sensor arrays is electronically configured to receive substantially a maximum signal energy of said same signal.
- 8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein said known pattern associated with at least one said sensor arrays is electronically configured to create a spatial null about substantially a maximum signal energy of said same signal.
- 9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein known pattern associated with at least one said sensor arrays is mechanically positioned to receive substantially a maximum signal energy of said same signal.
- 10. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein said known pattern associated with at least one said sensor arrays is mechanically positioned to create a spatial null about substantially a maximum signal energy of said same signal.
CLAIM FOR PRIORITY
This application is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser. No. 10,067,154 filed Feb. 4, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,590,520 entitled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING AIR TURBULENCE USING BI-STATIC MEASUREMENTS.
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Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10/067154 |
Feb 2002 |
US |
Child |
10/357626 |
|
US |