Weighing precipitation gauge
AssigneeDavis Instruments Corporation
InventorRICHARD C. ANDERSON
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rainfall and precipitation gauge, in which the weight of collected fluid is continuously measured and recorded in positive increments in a collection vessel with a force gauge or load cell, and where the fluid is discharged once the collected fluid has reached a certain weight. In particular, the rainfall and precipitation gauge can include an armature which is magnetically coupled to a magnet and provides resistance to the weight of collected fluid. The weight of the collected fluid, once sufficient or beyond a threshold, can constitute a force in opposition to the magnetic attractive force and cause the collection vessel to pivot from a collection and measurement position to a fluid discharge position.
Claims20
A precipitation gauge comprising:
- a base assembly;
- a base adaptor, coupled to the base assembly;
- a collection vessel having a collection arm and a counterweight arm configured to receive fluid in the collection arm, mounted to the base adaptor via a pivot rod, and operable between a collection and measurement position and a fluid discharge position;
- a magnet located on the collection arm;
- an armature configured to magnetically couple to the magnet and hold the collection vessel in the collection and measurement position;
- and
- a load cell electrically coupled to the armature and configured to transmit signals corresponding to tension on the armature.
A method of measuring precipitation comprising:
- collecting precipitation in a collection vessel in a collection and measurement position;
- sensing a tensile force caused by the weight of precipitation collected with at least one load cell coupled to the collection vessel;
- correlating the tensile force sensed by the at least one load cell with a precipitation measurement;
- discharging precipitation collected in the collection vessel once a threshold volume of precipitation has been collected by pivoting the collection vessel to a fluid discharge position;
- and
- returning the collection vessel to the collection and measurement position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.