Weather/environment communications node

• US 20060244615A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hansen, Mark C., Koors, Mark A., Baker, Andrew R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,268,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/02 Indicating direction only, e.g. by weather vane
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 5/04 using deflection of baffle-plates
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/14 Rainfall or precipitation gauges measuring volume in general G01F

Abstract

An apparatus for gathering weather related information is disclosed, in particular wind related information and rain related information, along with associated methods of using the apparatus. The apparatus may calculate at least one of a wind speed, a wind direction, and a rainfall amounts. The apparatus may include a controller, a sensor, and a communication member.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring weather related information including wind related information and rainfall related information related to the environment, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to detect both wind related information and rainfall related information, the sensor including a sensing element which provides data related to both rainfall and at least one of wind speed and wind direction; and

a controller operably coupled to the sensor and configured to calculate a rainfall amount and at least one of a wind speed and a wind direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect wind related information in three axes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

a communication member operably coupled to the controller and configured to communicate with a remote device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the communication member communicates with the remote device by wireless communication.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a power supply adapted to be coupled to a power line and wherein the communication member communicates with the remote device through the power line.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a housing and wherein the sensor includes

a symmetrical first portion positioned such that the symmetrical first portion is contactable by the wind;

a second portion positioned within the housing and having a plurality of sensor elements;

a deflectable member overlaying the sensor elements of the second portion;

and a coupler coupling the symmetrical first portion to the deflectable member.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sensor elements include at least three conductive areas on a support and the deflectable member is grounded such that the conductive areas and the deflectable member cooperate to form at least three capacitors.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the contact of wind on the symmetrical first portion results in a deflection of the deflectable member such that the capacitance of at least one of the capacitors changes and wherein the controller interprets this change in capacitance as the presence of wind.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the contact of rain on the symmetrical first portion results in a deflection of the deflectable member such that the capacitance of at least one of the capacitors is changed, the change in capacitance being an impulse and wherein the controller interprets this impulse as the presence of rain.

10. An apparatus for measuring weather related information including wind related information related to the environment, the apparatus comprising:

a non-rotatable sensor configured to detect wind related information; and

a controller operably coupled to the sensor and configured to calculate at least one of a wind speed and a wind direction.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the non-rotatable sensor is configured to detect wind related information in three axes.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising

a communication member operably coupled to the controller and configured to provide the calculated at least one of wind speed and wind direction from the controller to a remote device.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a housing and wherein the non-rotatable sensor includes

a symmetrical first portion positioned such that the symmetrical first portion is contactable by the wind;

a second portion positioned within the housing and having a plurality of sensor elements;

a deflectable member overlaying the sensor elements of the second portion; and

a coupler coupling the symmetrical first portion to the deflectable member.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sensor elements include at least three conductive areas on a support and the deflectable member is grounded such that the at least three conductive areas and the deflectable member cooperate to form at least three capacitors.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the contact of wind on the symmetrical first portion results in a deflection of the deflectable member such that the capacitance of at least one of the capacitors changes and wherein the controller interprets this change in capacitance as the presence of wind.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a reference sensor whose output the controller uses in analyzing the change in capacitance of the at least three capacitors to distinguish between the presence of a wind event and a non-wind event.

17. A method of gathering weather related information including wind related information and rainfall related information, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a sensor contactable by the wind and the rain;

monitoring changes in the output of the sensor; and

calculating based on changes in the output of the sensor a rainfall amount and least one of a wind speed and a wind direction.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of

monitoring a reference sensor;

and

using the output of the reference sensor in the step of calculating the rainfall amount and the at least one of a wind speed and a wind direction.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein an impulse change in the output of the sensor corresponds to the detection of rain.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the rainfall amount is calculated by the following steps:

measuring an amplitude of the impulse;

correlating the mass of the raindrop to the measured amplitude.