Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
A Precipitation Neasuring System and a Nethod for
Precipitation Neasurement
BACKGROUN~ OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a precipitation
measuring system and a method for precipitation measurement.
In prior art, people usually use an electrically On/Off
sensor to perform precipitation measurement, which sensor is
constructed such that whether or not there is a precipitation
may be determined by detecting whether or not there is a
conduction between two specific electric contacts. Further,
in order to determine the form of a precipitation, i. e., to
determine whether the precipitaion is rain or snow, it is
necessary to use some specific instruments to measure the
temperature and the optical penetrability thereof so as to
determine whether it is in solid or liquid phase. However,
when determining if the precipitation is snow, sleet or
graupel, an only usable method is to perform such a
determination by way of eye observation.
Recently, there has been an increasingly high demand for
precipitation measurement in people's daily life and their
daily production activities, and it has become necessary for
people to be kept constantly informed of a precipitation form
(rain, snow, sleet or graupel) and quantity thereof. If such
a precipitation measurement is possible in practice, it could
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allow people to obtain information such as snow depth, in
particular it permits people to easily know what kind of
trouble a snow fall will bring about to railways, highways,
electric power supply cables However, the above-mentioned
conventional system, because eye observation is inevitable, is
in fact impossible to satisfy the above-mentioned
requirements.
SUNNARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an
improved precipitation measuring system and an improved method
for precipitation measurement, by measuring (a) an impact
force generated by a kind of precipitation falling down, (b)
an ambient temperature when the precipitation occurs, and (c)
an precipitation quantity, so as to solve the above-mentioned
problems peculiar to the above-mentioned prior arts.
According to a first aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a precipitation measuring system which
comprises: an impact force measuring means for measuring an
impact force generated by a kind of precipitation and for
producing an impact force signal in accordance with a sound or
a vibration freqency caused by the impact force; a temperature
measuring means for measuring an ambient temperature when a
precipitation occurs and for producing an ambient temperature
signal; a precipitation form detecting means for detecting if
the precipitation is rain, snow, sleet or graupel in
accordance with thc impact force signal; a micro-computer for
converting the ambient temperature signal into a correction
signal so as to help the precipitation form detecting means to
exactly determine if the precipitation is rain, snow, sleet or
graupel; a precipitation quantity measuring means for
continuously measuring a precipitation quantity and for
producing an accumulated precipitation quantity signal.
The micro-computer is provided to also receive and
process the accumulated precipitation quantity signal from the
precipitation quantity measuring means, so as to constantly
produce an output data indicating a correct precipitation
quantity.
The impact force measuring means is a sound sensor or a
vibration sensor capable of measuring an impact force
generated by a kind of precipitation impinging upon the
sensor.
According to a second aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a method for precipitation measurement,
which comprises: measuring an impact force generated by a kind
of precipitation and producing an impact force signal in
accordance with a sound or a vibration freqency caused by the
impact force; measuring an ambient temperature when a
precipitation occurs and producing an ambient temperature
- signal; detecting if the precipitation is rain, snow, sleet or
graupel in accordance with the impact force signal; converting
the ambient temperature signal into a correction signal so as
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to help exactly determine if the precipitation is rain, snow,
sleet or graupel; continuously measuring a precipitation
quantity and producing an accumulated precipitation quantity
signal.
The accumulated precipitation quantity signal from the
precipitation quantity measuring means is fed to and processed
in a micro-computer, so as to constantly produce an output
data indicating a correct precipitation quantity.
The above objects and features of the present invention
will become more understood from the following description
with reference to the accompanying drawlngs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONON OF DRA~INGS
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a precipitation
measuring system according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EhBODI~ENTS
Referring to Fig. 1, a precipitation measuring system to
which the present invention is applied, comprises an impact
force measuring means 1 for measuring an impact force
generated by a kind of precipitation and for producing an
impact force signal 4 in accordance with a sound or a
vibration freqency caused by the impact force; a temperature
measuring means 2 for measuring an ambient temperature when a
precipitation occurs and for producing an ambient temperature
signal 8; a precipitation form detecting means 5 for detecting
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if the precipitation is rain, snow, sleet or graupel in
accordance with the impact force signal 4; a micro-computer 3
for converting the ambient temperature signal 8 into a
correction signal 9 so as to help the precipitation form
detecting means 5 to exactly determine if the precipitation is
rain, snow, sleet or graupel; a precipitation quantity
measuring means 6 for continuously measuring a precipitation
quantity and for producing an accumulated precipitation
quantity signal 7.
In the system shown in Fig. 1, the micro-computer 3 is
provided to also receive and process the accumulated
precipitation quantity signal 7 from the precipitation
quantity measuring means 6, so as to constantly produce an
output data 12 indicating a correct precipitation quantity.
In detail, the impact force measuring means 1 is a sound
sensor or a vibration sensor having a sensing element (not
shown) so shaped that it is possible for rain, snow, sleet or
graupel to first impinge upon and then drop off the sensing
member. In practice, the impact force measuring means 1 is so
constructed that a sound or vibration caused by the impinging
of rain, snow, sleet or graupel upon the sensing member will
be converted into an impact force signal in accordance with a
sound or vibration freqency caused by the impact force,
thereby making it possible to measure the impact force
generated by a kind of precipitation falling down.
The operation of the precipitation measuring system shown
in Fig. 1 will be described in detail below with reference to
the drawing.
At first, an impact force generated by a kind of
precipitation is measured in the impact force measuring means
1 so as to produce an impact force signal 4. The impact
force signal 4 is fed to the precipitation form detecting
means 5 to detect if the precipitation is rain, snow, sleet
or graupel in accordance with the impact force signal 4.
Neanwhile, an ambient temperature at that time is
measured by the temperature measuring means 2 to produce an
ambient temperature signal 8. The ambient temperature signal
8 is processed in the micro-computer means 3 so as to be
converted into a correction signal 9. The correction
signal 9 is then applied to the precipitation form detecting
means 5 to help the detecting means 5 to finally and exactly
determine if the precipitation is rain, snow, sleet or
graupel, so as to output a precipitation form data 10
indicating the detected result.
Afterwards, the precipitation quantity measuring means 6
is caused to start operation to continuously measure a
precipitation quantity and to produce an accumulated
precipitation quantity signal 7. Neanwhile, a precipitation
form signal 11 is produced from the precipitation form
detecting means 5 and is fed to the preipitation quantity
measuring means 6, so that the precipitation quantity
measuring means 6 may produce a more correct accumulated
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precipitation quantity signal 7 by taking into account a
precipitation form.
Finally, the accumulated precipitation quantity signal 7
from the precipitation quantity measuring means 6 is fed to
and processed in the micro-computer 3, so as to constantly
output a precipitation quantity data 12 indicating a correct
precipitation quantity.
As is understood from the above description, in
accordance with the present invention, it it possible to
automatically and exactly detect a precipitation form (rain,
snow, sleet or graupel), simply by measuring an impact force
generated by a kind of precipitation falling on the ground and
an ambient temperature when the precipitation occurs.
Further, the present invention allows easy and correct
measurement of a precipitation quantity by virtue of the
precipitation form signal 11. In this way, the
precipitation measuring system of the present invention can be
placed in an unmanned cold area to carry out a desired and
predetermined precipitation measurement.
~hile the presently preferred embodiments of the this
invention have been shown and described above, it is to be
understood that these disclosures are for the purpose of
illustration and that various changes and modifications may be
- made without departing from the scope of the invention as set
forth in the appended claims.
