Importance

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Abstract

A distributed lightning detection system comprises a plurality of lightning detection stations located at different positions with respect to a common frame of reference with the position of at least one detection station being mobile with respect to the common frame of reference. Each station includes a lightning strike detector, first and second receivers, a processor, and a transmitter. The first receiver receives signals from at least one common transmitting system, preferably the GPS system, for establishing a common lightning position and occurrence time frame of references for all of the stations. The processor is governed by a strike indication signal generated by the detector and determines the time of occurrence of the detected lightning strike and the station's own position corresponding thereto. The processor is further operative to generate a report for each detected strike including data of time of occurrence, station's own position and a bearing signal from the detector corresponding to each strike. The bearing signal of the mobile stations being compensated for the station's mobility. The transmitter transmits the strike reports over a data link to other lightning detection stations. The second receiver receives the strike reports from other lightning detection stations over the data link and provides same to the processor. The processor correlates received strike reports with detected strike reports to determine reports generated from common lightning strikes and computes a range from the station to each of the common lightning strikes based on the data of the correlated strike reports corresponding thereto.

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First Claim