Patent ID: 11869346
Assignee: RUMFERT, LLC
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  B | IPC B  G

Claim 9:
10. A process for automatically distributing turbulence reports between a reporting aircraft and a receiving aircraft, the aircraft each having an ADS-B system currently utilized for reporting aircraft position to each other via ADS-B messages having pre-defined format type codes, the format type code defining the substance and format of the data contained therein, the ADS-B system messages comprising a plurality of defined message formats as well as a plurality of ‘reserved’ message formats, the reporting aircraft further having a turbulence sensing and reporting system for sensing and reporting turbulence, the automated turbulence sensing and reporting system piggybacking on the existing ADS-B system by using its processing, transmitting, and receiving subsystems for distributing and presenting the turbulence reports, by repurposing one or more of the currently reserved ADS-B system messages for conveying the turbulence data between aircraft, the process including:
acquiring raw sensed turbulence data using the turbulence sensing and reporting system,
processing the raw turbulence data with the turbulence sensing and reporting system to determine a turbulence intensity level,
communicating the turbulence intensity level to the ADS-B system, the ADS-B system encoding (incorporating) the turbulence intensity level into one or more previously designated ‘reserved’ ADS-B standard protocol message formats, the newly designated format type code defining a turbulence format type code, the constituted message defining a turbulence message, and
broadcasting the turbulence message via the ADS-B system transmitter.