Method and apparatus for remote siphon drainage type rainfall measurement with self-compensation function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9588253-B2
Application number	US-201213457559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2012
Priority date	Nov 9, 2009
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A siphon drainage type rainfall remote measurement device with self-compensation function is provided. The bottom existence of a rain collection barrel ( 2 ) is connected via a flexible tube ( 14 ) to the bottom of a rainfall measuring tube ( 13 ) to which a siphon ( 5 ) is attached. The tube ( 13 ) and a measurement instrument ( 6 ) are installed on a holding frame ( 9 ). The instrument ( 6 ) is connected to a pressure sensor ( 12 ) and an accumulator ( 11 ) at the bottom of the tube ( 13 ). The whole device is fixed in an outer barrel ( 1 ). According to the pressure of the bottom of the tube ( 13 ), the sensor ( 12 ) measures the height of the water level in the tube ( 13 ) which is directly proportional to the rainfall. The sensor ( 12 ) signal processed by the instrument ( 6 ) is transformed into the rainfall, processed by a compensation algorithm and sent by GSM or GPRS.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for remote siphon drainage type rainfall measurement, with self-compensation, comprising:
an exit at a bottom of a water butt connected to a bottom of a rainfall measuring tube via a water hose;
a siphon in the wall of the rainfall measuring tube;
the rainfall measuring tube and a measuring device installed on a support bracket;
the measuring device connected with a pressure sensor installed in the bottom of the rainfall measuring tube and a battery to provide power to the measuring device;
the whole apparatus is installed in an outer barrel; and
wherein a measured value of the amount of rainfall with compensation h rain (t) is determined by:
collecting rainfall in the rainfall measuring tube;
expressing the amount of rainfall at any time with self-compensation as:

h
rain

⁡

(
t
)

=

K
·

[

n
·

h
N

+

∑

j
=
0

n

⁢

Δ
⁢

⁢

h
N

⁡

(
j
)

+

h

s
⁡

(

n
+
1

)

⁡

(
t
)

]

(
1
)

wherein in formula (1):
h N is the maximum value of h(t), and the value of h N is determined by the structure of a siphon and the rainfall measuring tube, and wherein h N is a constant value in every single measurement;
Δh N (j) is the amount of rainfall in t 1(n+1) ≦t≦t 2(n+1) in the siphon drainage process, during a cycle of the j+1th change of the water level of the rainfall measuring tube;
as a rainfall rate is not constant, each Δh N (j) is generally different, such that Δh N (j−1)≠Δh N (j)≠Δh N (j+1);
n denotes that the loop of the change of the water level of the rainfall measuring tube has completed n cycles, wherein the value of n can be any non-negative integer;
K is a scale factor for converting the water level of the rainfall measuring tube into the amount of rainfall; and
h s(n+1) (t) is expressed as:

h

s
⁡

(

n
+
1

)

⁡

(
t
)

=

{

h
⁡

(
t
)

;

t

2
⁢
n

≤
t
≤

t

1
⁢

(

n
+
1

)

h
N

+

h
⁡

(
t
)

Assignees

• Li Qing
• Wang Wei
• Li Xiong
• Li Hongyang
• Li Gang
• Univ Jiliang China

Inventors

• Li Qing
• Wang Wei
• Li Xiong
• Li Hongyang
• Li Gang

Classifications

• G01W1/14 Primary

  Rainfall or precipitation gauges (measuring volume in general G01F) · CPC title