Modular data acquisition system
OwnerEdward J. McCarthyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A modular data acquisition system includes a stacked assembly of a rain gauge module mounted on a data recorder module, in turn mounted on a water level sensor module which in turn is mounted on an observation well casing. Each module has a housing that is sized and configured to engage and nest with the adjacent housing and the housings can be locked together to minimize vandalism. The rain gauge module and the water level sensor module, have sensors that are electrically connected to a data recorder in the data recorder module through connectors on the module housings that are positioned to connect and establish electrical contact when the module housings are nested together.
Claims13
A modular data acquisition system, comprising:
- a rain gauge module including a rain gauge housing and a funnel for collecting rain water and conveying said rainwater to a water measuring device, said water measuring device producing a signal indicative of the amount of rain water said device measures;
- a data recorder module having a housing and a data recorder contained in said data recorder housing, said rain gauge module housing and said recorder housing being sized and configured to engage and nest together so that said rain gauge module is supported on said recorder module when said modules are coupled together;
- a water level sensor module having a housing and a water level sensing unit in said water level, sensor module housing, said water level sensing unit having a sensor for sensing the level of a body of water remote from said sensing unit and producing a signal indicative of the depth of said water level below a reference position, said water level sensor module housing having a coupling structure for mounting said water level module on a well casing or support and for receiving and supporting said data recorder module;
- an electrical system for conveying electrical signals from said rain gauge module to said recorder and from said water level sensor to said recorder, said electrical system including a first pair of electrical connectors on said rain gauge module and said recorder module positioned to connect and establish electrical contact when said rain gauge module is mounted on said recorder module, and a second pair of electrical connectors on said data recorder module and said water level sensor module positioned to connect and establish electrical contact when said recorder module is mounted on said water level sensor module.
A method of remotely collecting environmental data pertaining to the water level of a body of water or groundwater over time as a function of rainfall, comprising:
- embedding a well casing in the ground to a depth at least to about the mean level of the water table in the ground at that location, and leaving an open ended upper portion of said well casing protruding above the surface of the ground;
- mounting a water level sensor module, having a water level sensor, on said upper portion of said well casing, with said water level sensor positioned over said open end of said well casing in position to sense the water level of said water table;
- mounting a data recorder module, having a data recorder, atop said water level sensor module and establishing an electrical connection between said water level sensor and said data recorder through mating electrical connectors on said water level sensor module and said data recorder module;
- mounting a rain gage module, having a rain water measuring device, atop said data recorder module and establishing an electrical connection between said rain water measuring device and said data recorder through mating electrical connectors on said rain gage module and said data recorder module.
A method of remotely collecting environmental data pertaining to the water level of a body of water or groundwater over time as a function of rainfall, comprising:
- collecting rain water in a rain gage module and measuring said collected rain water in a rain water measuring device;
- generating a first electrical signal in said rain water measuring device that is representative of the amount of rain water collected in said rain gage module;
- transmitting said first signal from said rain water measuring device through a first electrical connector on said rain gage module directly to a first mating electrical connector on a data recorder module on which said rain gage module is mounted and supported;
- receiving said first signal from said first mating electrical connector and recording said first signal on a data recorder in said data recorder module;
- measuring the distance between the upper surface of a body of water in a casing and a reference horizontal plane with a water level sensor in a water level sensor module mounted atop and supported by said casing;
- generating a second electrical signal representative of said distance and conducting said second signal through a second electrical mating contact on said data recorder module mounted atop and supported by said water level sensor module;
- conducting said second signal from said second mating electrical contact to said data recorder and recording said second signal in said data recorder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.