Airborne based monitoring

Abstract

A weather monitoring and prediction system that uses a fleet of aircraft to obtain data. Each aircraft has a local air data system that facilitates the measurement, recordation, and transmittal of local atmospheric data such as barometric pressure, and the corresponding temporal, positional, and altitudinal data. The data is electronically transmitted from each aircraft to a ground based processing system where it is stored. The data may then be transmitted to subscribing users such as aircraft, other weather data systems or to air traffic control centers in either a compiled form or in a raw form. Another embodiment also provides for measuring barometric pressure as a function of altitude at an in-flight aircraft.

1 . An apparatus for measuring weather conditions, including barometric pressure as a function of altitude of an in-flight aircraft, said apparatus comprising: 
 an atmospheric pressure transducer for measuring outside air pressure and generating signals relating said outside air pressure;    an altimeter for determining altitude and generating signals relating said altitude without regard to atmospheric pressure;    a set of tertiary sensors for measuring at least one of the following tertiary data of static air temperature, wind speed, and wind direction, and for generating signals relating to said tertiary data;    a computer for receiving said signals respectively from the transducer, the tertiary sensors, and the altimeter, said computer being configured to co-record said signals from the transducer and altimeter, with those from the tertiary sensors, as data; and    a transmitter, in communication with said computer, for transmitting said co-recorded data from the computer to a ground-based station at least while said aircraft is in flight.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said computer further said comprises: 
 a data storage for recording a recordset of data, wherein each recordset includes a datapoint from the transducer co-recorded with a datapoint from the altimeter.    
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each said recordset further includes a datapoint representing a time of measurement.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein each said recordset further includes a datapoint representing a position of the aircraft at the time of measurement.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said transmitter for transmitting recorded data from the computer to said ground-based station while the aircraft is in flight includes electronic transmission equipment for autonomously transmitting digital data.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said transmitter substantially overcomes data bandwidth limitations by implementing a data transfer technique selected from the group consisting of message prioritization and group transmission delay.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , further comprising, a means for determining navigation position and providing the same to said computer as navigation signals for said co-recording within said data at said computer.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said altimeter comprises a GPS receiver.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said altimeter comprises a radio altitude sensor used in conjunction with a digital terrain database.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said transmitter further transmits an indication of turbulence.