Multipurpose weather measurement instrument sensor system
A multipurpose weather measurement instrument sensor system in which a fan circulates air past temperature and other sensors to ensure their accurate operation, a basin collects rainwater and precisely directs the rainwater into a tipping receptacle to measure the amount of rainwater collected per unit time and a wind speed gauge is provided with a counter-balanced toggle beam to product wobble-free rotation.
1. A weather measurement instrument sensor system comprising:
a housing having an air inlet;
a temperature sensor located within the housing;
a fan positioned within the housing for drawing outside air into the housing, channeling the outside air past the temperature sensor and circulating the air within the housing; and
means to power the fan;
a basin to collect rainwater and funnel the rainwater through an opening;
a sensor located proximally to the bottom of the basin to measure the rainwater collected in the basin;
a tipping receptacle positioned opposite the opening, the tipping receptacle having equally sized spoon members which cause the receptacle to teeter-totter back and forth to produce a signal indicative of the amount of water collected in the basin; and
a pair of downwardly directed pins positioned across the opening for directing the flow of the water from the basin in a vertical path between the pins and onto the tipping receptacle.
2. The weather measurement instrument sensor system of claim 1 including a solar cell to power the fan.
3. The weather measurement instrument of claim 1 also including one or more additional sensors positioned in the path of the moving air chosen from the group consisting of: humidity sensors, barometric pressure sensors, and solar radiation sensors.
4. The weather measurement instrument sensor system of claim 1 including a screen covering the opening to prevent debris from passing through the opening.
5. The weather measurement instrument sensor system of claim 4 in which the screen is user-replaceable.
6. The weather measurement instrument sensor system of claim 4 in which the screen includes a tab to facilitate grasping of the screen.
7. The weather measurement instrument of claim 1 in which the spoon members have radiused ends to facilitate spilling of water from the spoons.
8. The weather measurement instrument sensor system of claim 1 including at least one magnetic pin affixed to the receptacle that moves back and forth past a sensor to indicate the quantity of water collected by the tipping receptacle per unit time.
9. The weather measurement instrument sensor system of claim 1 including a wind speed gauge having equally spaced radially oriented cups mounted to the distal end of a post and a toggle beam attached to and disposed perpendicularly at the proximal end of the post, the toggle beam having a magnetic member adjacent one end of the beam and a counter-balancing member adjacent the opposite end of the beam.