GB2107456A

GB2107456A - Meteorological measurement system

Info

Publication number: GB2107456A
Application number: GB08223628A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joseph Rufino Cordeiro
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-08-20
Filing date: 1982-08-17
Publication date: 1983-04-27
Also published as: GB2107456B

Abstract

A meteorological measurement system is described in which transducers 1, 3 sense meteorological conditions (wind speed and direction) and produce signals representative of the sensed conditions. These signals are encoded by an encoder transmitter 5 and transmitted on to a link 7 by means of a transmitter interface 9. The transmitted signal is received by a receiver interface 11 and decoded by a decoder receiver 13. Processing circuitry 15 processes the output signal from the decoder coder receiver 13, and provides operating signals to various displays 17, 23, thereby displaying a representation of the meteorological conditions. The system is particularly useful at airports where transducers are remote from the visual control room. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Meteorological measurement system This invention relates to a system for measuring and displaying meteorological information. A particular, but not sole, application of the invention is to the display of wind speed and wind direction and is particularly useful at airports.

It is desirable that the wind speed and wind direction at the landing threshold of an airport runway should be known at the visual control room of an airport. In practice, it is usual for the visual control room to have information concerning the wind speed and direction at some other position on the airfield, and this information may not accurately indicate the conditions at the landing threshold of the runway.

According to the invention there is provided an electronic system for measuring and displaying meteorological information comprising: a transducer for producing a signal representative of a meteorological condition; an encoder transmitter for encoding said signal and transmitting the encoded signal via a transmitter interface; a receiver interface for receiving the transmitted signal; a decoder receiver for decoding the received signal to provide an output signal; means for processing the output signal to provide a further signal capable of operating a display; and a display for displaying said further signal thereby representing said meteorological condition.

The present invention enables information concerning, for example, the wind speed and direction at the landing threshold to be transmitted to the visual control room and for this information to be displayed in a manner which enables itto be readily assimilated.

In orderthatthe invention may be more readily understood it will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

A wind-speed sensor in the form of a cupanemometer 1 has a reed-switch or an opticallycoupled transistor switch associated with it to produce an output pulse per revolution. Awind direction sensor 3 has a shaft coupled to an optically scanned angle encoder. These sensors are mounted on a short mast which is positioned close to the landing threshold of an airport runway. Obviously, further transducers can be included to measure other meteorological conditions. The information from the tranducers is encoded by digital encoder transmitter 5 incorporating computer-based LSl circuits and dedicated logic devices to form a data processor and a time division multiplexer transmitter unit. The encoder/transmitter 5 is continuously scanning and is interfaced with a transmitter line 7 via an interface 9.The transmitter line 7 may be a pair of wires, VHF, UHF or microwave circuit.

Conveniently the information is transmitted in the Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) or Tone Shift Keying (TSK) mode.

At a position remote from the landing threshold, i.e. in the visual control room, a standard interface 11 accepts incoming signals and gates them to a decoder receiver 13 which incorporates computerbased LSI circuits and special logic circuitry to form a time division multiplexer receiver unit. Decoded outputs from the receiver 13 are fed into an electronic processing package 15. In the package 15 the decoded information is further processed and used to drive various digital visual displays.

The display 17 for wind direction is a digital display 19 surrounded by a circular, compass-like array of 36 LED's 21. Thus, both the angle of the wind direction and a visual representation thereof are displayed.

For the wind speed, the pulse output is counted in two counters, one of which is gated for 10 seconds and the other for 100 seconds. The counter output is divided by 10 or 100 as appropriate and fed to a digital display 23. The long term integrated time period represents normal wind speed while the short term integrated time period represents wind speed during gusting.

At airports where more than one runway is in use, each runway has a transmitter unit for information obtained from the landing threshold and one receiver/display unit is provided in the visual control room.

Switching means are provided for connecting the receiver unit to the required transmitter unit.

1. An electronic system for measuring and displaying meteorological information comprising: a transducer for producing a signal representative of a meteorological condition; an encoder transmitter for encoding said signal and transmitting the encoded signal via a transmitter interface; a receiver interface for receiving the transmitted signal; a decoder receiver for decoding the received signal to provide an output signal; means for processing the output signal to provide a further signal capable of operating a display; and a display for displaying said further signal thereby representing said meteorological condition.

2. An electronic system as claimed in claim 1 including a second transducer for producing a signal representative of a meteorological condition; said signal being transmitted, received and processed to produce a further signal by said transmitter, receiver and processing means respectively and a second display for displaying said further signal corresponding to the output of said second transducer.

3. An electronic system as claimed in claim 1, where said transducer is a wind speed sensing transducer which produces an output signal representative of the sensed wind speed.

4. An electronic system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the wind speed sensing transducer is a cup-shaped anemometer having a reed switch associated therewith which produces an output signal once per revolution of the anemometer.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Meteorological measurement system This invention relates to a system for measuring and displaying meteorological information. A particular, but not sole, application of the invention is to the display of wind speed and wind direction and is particularly useful at airports. It is desirable that the wind speed and wind direction at the landing threshold of an airport runway should be known at the visual control room of an airport. In practice, it is usual for the visual control room to have information concerning the wind speed and direction at some other position on the airfield, and this information may not accurately indicate the conditions at the landing threshold of the runway. According to the invention there is provided an electronic system for measuring and displaying meteorological information comprising: a transducer for producing a signal representative of a meteorological condition; an encoder transmitter for encoding said signal and transmitting the encoded signal via a transmitter interface; a receiver interface for receiving the transmitted signal; a decoder receiver for decoding the received signal to provide an output signal; means for processing the output signal to provide a further signal capable of operating a display; and a display for displaying said further signal thereby representing said meteorological condition. The present invention enables information concerning, for example, the wind speed and direction at the landing threshold to be transmitted to the visual control room and for this information to be displayed in a manner which enables itto be readily assimilated. In orderthatthe invention may be more readily understood it will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing. A wind-speed sensor in the form of a cupanemometer 1 has a reed-switch or an opticallycoupled transistor switch associated with it to produce an output pulse per revolution. Awind direction sensor 3 has a shaft coupled to an optically scanned angle encoder. These sensors are mounted on a short mast which is positioned close to the landing threshold of an airport runway. Obviously, further transducers can be included to measure other meteorological conditions. The information from the tranducers is encoded by digital encoder transmitter 5 incorporating computer-based LSl circuits and dedicated logic devices to form a data processor and a time division multiplexer transmitter unit. The encoder/transmitter 5 is continuously scanning and is interfaced with a transmitter line 7 via an interface 9.The transmitter line 7 may be a pair of wires, VHF, UHF or microwave circuit. Conveniently the information is transmitted in the Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) or Tone Shift Keying (TSK) mode. At a position remote from the landing threshold, i.e. in the visual control room, a standard interface 11 accepts incoming signals and gates them to a decoder receiver 13 which incorporates computerbased LSI circuits and special logic circuitry to form a time division multiplexer receiver unit. Decoded outputs from the receiver 13 are fed into an electronic processing package 15. In the package 15 the decoded information is further processed and used to drive various digital visual displays. The display 17 for wind direction is a digital display 19 surrounded by a circular, compass-like array of 36 LED's 21. Thus, both the angle of the wind direction and a visual representation thereof are displayed. For the wind speed, the pulse output is counted in two counters, one of which is gated for 10 seconds and the other for 100 seconds. The counter output is divided by 10 or 100 as appropriate and fed to a digital display 23. The long term integrated time period represents normal wind speed while the short term integrated time period represents wind speed during gusting. At airports where more than one runway is in use, each runway has a transmitter unit for information obtained from the landing threshold and one receiver/display unit is provided in the visual control room. Switching means are provided for connecting the receiver unit to the required transmitter unit. CLAIMS

5. An electronic system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the wind speed sensing transducer is a cup-shaped anemometer having an optically coupled transistor switch associated therewith which produces an output signal once per revolution of the anemometer.

6. An electronic system as claimed in any one of claims 3,4 or 5, wherein the output signal of the wind speed sensing transducer is in the form of a series of pulses and the processing means includes a counter which is gated for a first time period to produce a count of the output pulses which is representative of the normalised wind speed.

7. An electronic system as claimed in any one of claims 3,4,5 or 6, wherein the output signal of the wind speed sensing transducer is in the form of a series of pulses and the processing means inludes a counter which is gated for a second time period to produce a count of the output pulses which is representative to wind speed during gusting.

8. An electronic system as claimed in claim 7 when dependent on claim 6, wherein the second time period is substantial one-tenth of the first time period.

9. An electronic system as claimed in claim 1, where said transducer is a wind direction sensing transducer incorporating an optically scanned angle encoder, which produces an output signal representative of the angle of incidence of the wind on the transducer.

10. An electronic system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the display includes a digital display for displaying the wind angle and a compass-like array of indicators arranged to give a visual indication of the wind direction.

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11. An electronic system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the encoder/transmitter includes a data processor and a time division multiplexer and the decoder receiver includes a time division multi plexer.

12. An electronic system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the encoded signals are transmitted by frequency shift keying over a wire, UHF or VHF link.

13. An electronic system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said transducer is a wind speed sensing transducer and the second transducer is a wind direction sensing transducer.

14. An electronic system for measuring and displaying meterological information substantially as herein described with reference to the accom panying drawing.