# US 2025/0093221 A1 · Mechanical strain-based weather sensor

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- Number: US 2025/0093221 A1
- Document ID: US20250093221A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/642,917
- Filed: 2024-04-23
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-12
- Assignees: Understory, LLC
- Applicants: Understory, Inc.
- Inventors: Alexander C. Kubicek; Bryan A. Dow; Alexander T. Jacobs
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250093221A1

## CPC

- G01L 5/00: Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes
- G01P 5/02: by measuring forces exerted by the fluid on solid bodies, e.g. anemometer
- G01P 13/02: Indicating direction only, e.g. by weather vane
- G01W 1/00: Meteorology
- G01W 1/02: Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed (G01W1/10 takes precedence)
- G01W 1/10: Devices for predicting weather conditions (computers per se G06; display devices G09)
- Y02A 90/10: Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation
- G01L: MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE (weighing G01G)
- G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G})
- G01W: METEOROLOGY (radar, sonar, lidar or analogous systems, designed for meteorological use G01S13/95, G01S15/88, G01S17/95)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## Abstract

Provided herein is technology relating to weather sensors and particularly, but not exclusively, to devices, methods, and systems related to collecting weather data by measuring bending and compression stresses in a weather sensor device.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-46. (canceled)

### Claim 47

A method for providing hail impact force magnitude and direction information for a geographic area, the method comprising:
a) collecting hail impact force data from a weather-sensing apparatus present in a geographic area;
b) modeling hail impacts for the geographic area using the hail impact force data from the weather-sensing apparatus; and
c) providing real-time or predicted hail impact force magnitude and hail impact force direction information for the geographic area,
wherein the weather-sensing apparatus measures the hail impact force data in at least one spatial dimension along an axis having an angle greater than zero relative to a normal axis of a surface of the weather-sensing apparatus.

### Claim 48 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, wherein the method comprises collecting hail impact force data from a plurality of the weather-sensing apparatuses present in the geographic area.

### Claim 49 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, wherein said hail impact force data comprises a time series of hail impact force data.

### Claim 50 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, further comprising providing hail size data.

### Claim 51 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, wherein collecting hail impact force data comprises differentiating wind detected by the weather-sensing apparatus from hydrometeor impacts impacting the weather-sensing apparatus by analyzing a time-series dataset of force measurements recorded as a function of the time domain.

### Claim 52 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, further comprising providing an alert.

### Claim 53 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, wherein modeling hail impacts for the geographic area using the hail impact force data comprises signal processing and/or peak fitting.

### Claim 54 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, wherein modeling hail impacts for the geographic area comprises applying a statistical analysis to said hail impact force data.

### Claim 55 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, wherein providing real-time or predicted hail impact force information for the geographic area comprises providing real-time or predicted hail impact force magnitude and direction information graphically to a user.

### Claim 56 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, wherein the weather-sensing apparatus comprises a processor configured to determine an amount of hail impacting the apparatus during a time period.

### Claim 57 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, wherein the weather-sensing apparatus comprises an accelerometer and/or a sound sensor.

### Claim 58 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, further comprising communicating said hail impact force data over a wireless network.

### Claim 59 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, further comprising communicating the real-time or predicted hail impact force magnitude and hail impact force direction information for the geographic area over a wireless network.

### Claim 60 (depends on 47)

The method of claim 47, further comprising providing hail geographic location data.