3-d weather for digital radar landmass simulation

Claim 3

The method of real time weather generation recited in claim 1 wherein said step of inputting weather top and weather bottom data is performed using weather reflectivity maps.

Claim 4

The method of real time weather generation recited in claim 2 wherein said weather reflectivity maps are used to compute both a modified attenuation distance and, in addition, backscattering due to weather.

Claim 5

The method of real time weather generation recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of: inputting position and reflectivity data for chaff; and computing radar jamming.

Claim 6

A modularized digital radar land mass simulator comprising: means for compressing off line digital aspect, elevation, reflectivity and weather data as compressed data for the simulation; means for storing the compressed data in a database for later access and reconstruction; first, second and third channels for accessing said compressed data in said database and reconstructing and storing respectively aspect, elevation and reflectivity data and synchronously and continuously retrieving said data in real time; means for generating scan and depression angles and computing radar incident vectors; aspect computer means connected to said first channel for generating radar aspect returns; shadowing and converter means connected to said second channel for calculating shadowing due to elevation and slant range as a function of ground range; radar equation means connected to said third channel and said aspect computer means and said shadowing and converter means for calculating a simulated radar image; display means connected to said radar equation means for displaying a simulated radar image; a fourth channel for accessing said compressed data in said database and reconstructing and storing weather data and synchronously and continuously retrieving said weather data in real time, said fourth channel including: data input means for temporarily storing cloud top data, cloud bottom data, weather expansion, rotation and translation data, depression angle of a simulated radar antenna pattern, terrain height and ownship height; detecting means responsive to data temporarily stored in said data input means for detecting the respective relative positions of ownship and terrain with respect to clouds; and computing means responsive to said detecting means for selecting data from said data input means for computing a modified attenuation distance between ownship and terrain due to weather effects, said computing means computing weather expansion, rotation and translation as ownship approaches a weather mass in a weather simulation; said radar equation means being responsive to said modified attenuation distance for modifying said simulated radar image to account for weather effects in real time.

Claim 7

A modularized digital radar land mass simulator comprising: means for compressing off line digital aspect, elevation, reflectivity and weather data as compressed data for the simulation; means for storing the compressed data in a database for later access and reconstruction; first, second and third channels for accessing said compressed data in said database and reconstructing and storing respectively aspect, elevation and reflectivity data and synchronously and continuously retrieving said data in real time; means for generating scan and depression angles and computing radar incident vectors; aspect computer means connected to said first channel for generating radar aspect returns; shadowing and converter means connected to said second channel for calculating shadowing due to elevation and slant range as a function of ground range; radar equation means connected to said third channel and said aspect computer means and said shadowing and converter means for calculating a simulated radar image; display means connected to said radar equation means for displaying a simulated radar image; a fourth channel for accessing said compressed data in said database and reconstructing and storing weather data and synchronously and continuously retrieving said weather data in real time, said fourth channel including: data input means for temporarily storing cloud top data, cloud bottom data, weather expansion, rotation and translation data, depression angle of a simulated radar antenna pattern, terrain height and ownship height; detecting means responsive to data temporarily stored in said data input means for detecting the respective relative positions of ownship and terrain with respect to clouds; and computing means responsive to said detecting means for selecting data from said data input means for computing a modified attenuation distance between ownship and terrain due to weather effects, said computing means computing weather expansion, rotation and translation as ownship approaches a weather mass in a weather simulation; said radar equation means being responsive to said modified attenuation distance for modifying said simulated radar image to account for weather effects in real time.

Claim 8

The modularized digital radar land mass simulator as recited in claim 5 further including weather map means for storing weather maps from which are input said cloud top and cloud bottom data.

Claim 9

The modularized digital radar land mass simulator as recited in claim 6 wherein said weather maps are used by said means for computing to compute both said modified attenuation distance and backscattering due to weather.

Claim 10

The modularized digital radar land mass simulator as recited in claim 5 wherein said data input means also temporarily stores chaff distance and reflectivity data, said means for computing additionally computing radar jamming.

Claim 11

A real-time three-dimensional, high-resolution weather channel for a modular digital radar land mass simulator comprising: means for compressing off line digital weather data as a compressed weather database for the simulation; storage and data retrieval means for accessing said database and reconstructing and storing weather data and synchronously and continuously retrieving said weather data in a real time; data input means connected to said storage and data retrieval means for temporarily storing cloud top data, cloud bottom data, weather expansion, rotation and translation data, depression angle of a simulated radar antenna pattern, terrain height and ownship height; detecting means responsive to data temporarily stored in said data input means for detecting the respective relative positions of ownship and terrain with respect to clouds; and computing means responsive to said detecting means for selecting data from said data input means for computing in real time weather expansion, rotation and translation as ownship approaches a weather mass in a weather simulation, said computing means computing from said weather top, weather bottom and depression angle data and from the computed weather expansion, rotation and translation a modified attenuation distance between ownship and terrain due to weather effects.

Claim 12

A real-time three-dimensional, high-resolution weather channel for a modular digital radar land mass simulator comprising: means for compressing off line digital weather data as a compressed weather database for the simulation; storage and data retrieval means for accessing said database and reconstructing and storing weather data and synchronously and continuously retrieving said weather data in a real time; data input means connected to said storage and data retrieval means for temporarily storing cloud top data, cloud bottom data, weather expansion, rotation and translation data, depression angle of a simulated radar antenna pattern, terrain height and ownship height; detecting means responsive to data temporarily stored in said data input means for detecting the respective relative positions of ownship and terrain with respect to clouds; and computing means responsive to said detecting means for selecting data from said data input means for computing in real time weather expansion, rotation and translation as ownship approaches a weather mass in a weather simulation, said computing means computing from said weather top, weather bottom and depression angle data and from the computed weather expansion, rotation and translation a modified attenuation distance between ownship and terrain due to weather effects.

Claim 13

The weather channel recited in claim 9 further including weather map means for storing weather maps from which are input said cloud top and cloud bottom data.

Claim 14

The weather channel recited in claim 10 wherein said weather maps are used by said means for computing to compute both said modified attenuation distance and backscattering due to weather.

Claim 15

The weather channel recited in claim 9 wherein said data input means also temporarily stores chaff distance and reflectivity data, said means for computing additionally computing radar jamming.