US3638882A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Thunderstorm observation satellite
Assignee: International Standard Electric Corp
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Filing: 1970-02-19
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Granted: 1972-02-01
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Expires: 1990-02-19
Abstract
Abstract This relates to equipment on board a spin-stabilized satellite for locating and counting lightning discharges. The discharges are detected by a plurality of n X n photocell matrices to deliver two quantized angles which define unambiguously the position of the discharge projected on the surface of the earth. The matrices effectively divide the earth surface into 2H X 2H km. zones (H being equal to the altitude of the satellite) centered along the subsatellite great circle and each zone is quantized into n X n quadrilaterals. The angle values are processed to obtain coordinate values defining the quadrilateral where the discharges occurred. The coordinate value are stored in the appropriate one of n X n portions of the appropriate one of a plurality of zone memory. Further processing allows discrimination between long and short discharges which information is stored in the appropriate one of the n X n portions of the proper memory during the time the quadrilateral corresponding to the memory portion was observed by the satellite. The content of the memories are sent to ground stations at regular intervals.
Inventors
- 👤 Jean Emile Turriere
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 03:42
CPC Classifications
B; B64; B64G; B64G1/00; B64G1/10; B64G1/1021; B64G1/22; B64G1/66; B64G3/00; G; G01; G01S; G01S11/00; G01S11/12; G01W; G01W1/00; B64G1/24; B64G1/28; B64G1/281
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
A thunderstorm observation satellite for determining the location of lightning comprising on board said satellite; first means to detect said lightning and provide quantized information about the value of two angles to enable determining unambiguously the position of said detected lightning projected on the earth surface; second means coupled to said first means to process and store said quantized information; and third means coupled to said second means to transmit said stored quantized information to ground stations at regular intervals; said second means including fourth means to determine and store the duration of said detected lightning.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
96 words
A thunderstorm observation satellite for determining the location of lightning comprising on board said satellite; first means to detect said lightning and provide quantized information about the value of two angles to enable determining unambiguously the position of said detected lightning projected on the earth surface; second means coupled to said first means to process and store said quantized information; and third means coupled to said second means to transmit said stored quantized information to ground stations at regular intervals; said second means including fourth means to determine and store the duration of said detected lightning.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
139 words
A satellite according to claim 1, wherein said fourth means includes a first cyclic memory means to store for a first given time the quantized position of one said lightning, fifth means coupled to said first memory means to compare the quantized position of said one said lightning to the quantized positions of all said lightning stored in said first memory means to produce an identity signal if said one said lightning has the same quantized position as that of one of said all said lightning, and sixth means coupled to said fifth means to generate a first signal if said identity signal has a first given delay relative to said first given time and a second signal if said identity signal has a second given delay different than said first given delay relative to said first given time.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
138 words
A satellite according to claim 2, wherein said second means further includes seventh means for processing said information concerning said lightning when one of said first and second signal have been generated having second cyclic memory means coupled to said first cyclic memory means, eighth means coupled to said second memory means to control asynchronously the readout of said information therefrom, ninth means coupled to said second memory means and said eighth means to block said readout as soon as a set of said information has been extracted, and tenth means coupled to said second memory means to produce a first control signal when said lightning occurs in a zone on said earth surface over which said satellite is located and a second control signal when said lightning occurs in the next adjacent zone on said earth surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
152 words
A satellite according to claim 3, wherein said first means defines on the earth surface a plurality of zones each of which are divided into n X n quadrilaterals, where n is an integer greater than one; and said second means further includes a plurality of zone memories each corresponding to a different one of said zones on said earth surface selected in time sequence according to the displacement of said satellite; each of said memories including n X n addresses reserved to the n X n quadrilaterals of one of said zone on said earth surface, and an additional address for storing the number of said zones which said satellite has flown over from a given reference point on said earth surface, each of said n X n addresses including one part to store the number of said first signal and second part to store the number of said second signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
62 words
A satellite according to claim 4, further including eleventh means to transfer said information from said seventh means to the appropriate one of said zone memories and for selecting the appropriate address in said one of said zone memories when said first control signal is present and in the next one of said zone memories when said second control signal is present.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
60 words
A satellite according to claim 5, further including twelfth means coupled to said eleventh means to increase by one unit the number stored in said one part of said appropriate address if said first signal is present and to increase by one unit the number stored in said second part of said appropriate address if said second signal is present.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A satellite according to claim 6, wherein said first means include a plurality of n X n matrices of photosensitive means, where n is an integer greater than one.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-01-31 | 1975-08-02 | 1976-02-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-01-31 | 1979-08-02 | 1980-02-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-01-31 | 1983-08-02 | 1984-02-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |