Nokia phones to offer lightning detection

After announcing the first mobile phones that offer energy-saving alerts, Nokia Corp. is set to add another innovation to its handsets.

The Finnish handset maker has filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a lightning detection system for mobile phones. The innovation involves having an RF device that includes radio interfaces for at least two communication channels or frequency ranges. One of the two channels should be a normal telecom frequency range to be used for lightning detection.

Another feature of the system is using a less power-consuming radio, like RFID tag in triggering mode. An I/Q demodulator can be used to detect lighting strikes while the mobile device is being used for other functions. Also, a man-made noise elimination method software is included to find fixed interval peaks in the received signal and filter them.

Details of the lighting detection system are outlined in the company's patent application.