Measurement of temperature inversions

Claim 2

In the method of determining the height of an atmospheric temperature inversion, the steps of radiating a beam of electromagnetic wave energy upwardly from a point adjacent the surface of the earth and causing said beam of wave energy to be radiated at a frequency at which it will be at least partially reflected from the interface between a lower cooler air mass and an upper warmer air mass, and detecting at a point adjacent the earth''s surface which is spaced from said first-mentioned point the beam of radiation reflected from said interface and its angle of incidence with respect to the earth, whereby the height of said interface can be calculated from a consideration of the distance between said points and the angle of incidence of said reflected beam.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein said electromagnetic wave energy is radiated at a frequency in the range of 2,000 to 3,000 megahertz.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 wherein said electromagnetic wave energy is radiated at a frequency of about 2,300 megahertz.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 including the step of electrically calculating the height of said interface above the earth''s surface from a consideration of the distance between said points and said angle of incidence.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein said beam of radiation is transmitted and received by directional transmitting and receiving antennas, and including the steps of positioning said transmitting antenna at different angular positions facing upwardly toward said interface such that a beam of radiation transmitted therefrom will be at least partially reflected back from said interface toward the receiving antenna, and causing said receiving antenna to scan through an arc within which it can detect a reflected beam each time the transmitting antenna is positioned at a different angular position.

Claim 7

The method of claim 5 wherein said antennas are adapted to scan through an essentially common plane which is essentially normal to said interface.

Claim 8

The method of claim 5 wherein said transmitting antenna is moved through 90* in successive increments to position it at said different angular positions and said receiving antenna is caused to scan through an arc of 90* each time the transmitting anTenna is positioned at a different one of said angular positions.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 wherein said 90* scans of the transmitting and receiving antennas have lower limits where the axes of said directional antennas are horizontal and upper limits where said axes are vertical.

Claim 10

The method of claim 5 wherein said steps are repeated without and with a temperature inversion present above said antennas, and comparing the returns received by said receiving antenna with and without an inversion present to determine the existence of the inversion.

Claim 11

Apparatus for determining the existence of an atmospheric temperature inversion comprising transmitting and receiving directional antennas positioned at spaced points on the ground surface at essentially the same elevation above sea level, means for causing said transmitting antenna to move in increments through an arc of essentially 90* from a position where its axis is horizontal and its beam is radiated toward the receiving antenna to a position where its axis is vertical, means for causing said receiving antenna to scan through an arc of essentially 90* from a position where its axis is horizontal and intersects the position of said transmitting antenna to a position where its axis is vertical, the transmitting antenna being stopped each time it scans through an increment and the receiving antenna scanning through a complete 90* arc each time the transmitting antenna is stopped, and means coupled to said receiving antenna for detecting wave energy transmitted from said transmitting antenna and reflected from the uppermost limit of the temperature inversion to said receiving antenna, whereby the existence of said temperature inversion can be determined.

Claim 12

Apparatus for determining the existence of an atmospheric temperature inversion comprising transmitting and receiving directional antennas positioned at spaced points on the ground surface at essentially the same elevation above sea level, means for causing said transmitting antenna to move in increments through an arc of essentially 90* from a position where its axis is horizontal and its beam is radiated toward the receiving antenna to a position where its axis is vertical, means for causing said receiving antenna to scan through an arc of essentially 90* from a position where its axis is horizontal and intersects the position of said transmitting antenna to a position where its axis is vertical, the transmitting antenna being stopped each time it scans through an increment and the receiving antenna scanning through a complete 90* arc each time the transmitting antenna is stopped, and means coupled to said receiving antenna for detecting wave energy transmitted from said transmitting antenna and reflected from the uppermost limit of the temperature inversion to said receiving antenna, whereby the existence of said temperature inversion can be determined.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 including means for producing an electrical signal indicative of the angular position of said receiving antenna, and means responsive to said signal and the detected wave energy for determining the existence of a temperature inversion.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 10 including a chart recorder for continually recording the amplitude of the detected radiation and the position of said receiving antenna whereby increases in amplitude in the detected radiation can be correlated with the positions of the receiving antenna at which those increases in amplitude occur.