A Method of Three‐Dimensional Location for LFEDA Combining the Time of Arrival Method and the Time Reversal Technique

Abstract

AbstractBased on fast electric field waveforms of the Low‐frequency E‐field Detection Array (LFEDA), we introduce the time reversal technique into lightning three‐dimensional location for the first time and propose a new algorithm for the three‐dimensional location of lightning low‐frequency discharges. Without using complex filtering algorithms to remove higher‐frequency component, this method obtains similar results to the newly reported LFEDA refinement algorithm. The new algorithm can obtain finer, more continuous, and richer positioning results with a minimum of four stations, 5‐dB signal‐to‐noise ratio, and 500‐ns time error compared with the low‐frequency signal time of arrival three‐dimensional positioning method. These results indicate that the new algorithm has the advantages of low requirements on the number of stations, certain anti‐interference ability, and low requirements on time accuracy. The standard deviations in the X and Y directions for return strokes of triggered lightning flashes are both approximately 90 m.