Digital weather station

• US 4,287,762 A
• Filed: 08/06/1979
• Issued: 09/08/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BASF AG (BASF SE)
• Original Assignee: Rainwise Incorporated
• Inventors: Baer, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MYRACLE, JERRY
• Application Number:
  US06/063,789
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 73/170 R, 73/DIG. 11, 250/231 SE
• US Class Current: 73/170.16
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/3473 Circular or rotary encoders
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/04 giving only separate indications of the variables measured

Abstract

A totally digitalized weather station provides a digital display with selection elements for selecting a particular transducer and indication elements for indicating which parameter is being sensed at the time. Elements are provided to select from memory maximum and minimum readings of various parameters. Some transducers may employ a broadly new digital technique whereby the dial cooperable with a pointer on the shaft is used to produce digital calibrations which are attached to the shaft and move with the shaft and are read by at least a pair of fixed heads. In non-linear situations, corresponding scales are adjustable rotationally relative to one another to permit the corresponding calibrations of the two scales to be present underneath the respective reading heads simultaneously.

Claims

1. Digital readout gauge means having a rotatable shaft responsive to a condition sensing element for producing a reading of a condition sensed comprising:

a support means;

calibration means supported on and rotating with the rotating shaft in the form of a translucent member made from a photographic reproduction providing a mirror image of fixed calibrations used with a pointer on a rotatable shaft having the same analog positions as the shaft, the photographic reproduction providing a pattern of digital calibrations arranged concentric to the shaft whereby as the condition sensor means drives the shaft it drives the calibration means rotatably about the shaft;

optical reader means to detect calibration marks and absence of calibration marks as a digital calibration pattern and generate an output pattern representative of digital counts;

means to sense and interpret direction of movement;

up-down counter means having a selectable starting value and receiving impulses from the reader means to modify the starting value as counts are added or subtracted by impulses from the reader means in accordance with the sensed and interpreted direction of movement; and

digital display means connected to and displaying the count of the counter.

2. Digital readout guage means for reporting a current condition comprising:

a support means;

calibration means bearing non-linear digital calibrations in two separate but identically responsive scales movably supported relative to the support means to be adjustable to one another in the direction of their movement and coupled to a condition sensor means to drive the calibration means so that successive positions of the calibration means are analogs of the parameter being sensed by the condition sensor means;

separate reader means on the frame cooperating with the respective scales of the calibration means to sense the digital calibrations thereon and generate impulses representative of digital counts, said reader means being slightly offset from one another relative to the corresponding mark, whereby comparison of the sequence of pattern detection discloses direction of movement of the calibration means, the adjustment in position of the scales relative to one another in the direction of movement facilitating proper positioning of the corresponding calibrations relative to the separate photo reader means;

means to sense and interpret direction of movement;

up-down counter means having a selectable starting value and receiving impulses from the reader means to modify the starting value as counts are added or subtracted by impulses from the reader means in accordance with the sensed and interpreted direction of movement; and

digital display means connected to and displaying the count of the counter.

3. Digital readout weather condition sensing guage apparatus comprising:

a support means;

calibration means bearing digital calibrations in circular patterns including an output shaft rotatable relative to the support means and coupled to a selected type of weather condition sensor means to drive the shaft so that rotational positions of the shaft are analogs of the parameter being sensed by the condition sensor means, said digital calibrations being calibration patterns in identical circular configurations on separate support discs at different radii with the discs being coaxially supported on the shaft and rotationally movable relative to one another about that axis, the calibrations being a set of non-transmissive marks alternating with light transmission areas, said marks having essentially parallel edges arranged concentrically around the shaft of each of said calibration support means being representative of digital calibration;

a light source supported on the frame on one side of each support disc,

separate photo-pickup reader means on the frame for each circular configuration on the other side of the support disc from the light source and sensing the calibrations to generate impulses representative of digital calibration counts;

means to sense and interpret direction of movement;

up-down counter means having a selectable starting value and receiving impulses from the reader means to modify the starting value as counts are added or subtracted by impulses from the reader means in accordance with the sensed and interpreted direction of movement; and

digital display means connected to and displaying the count of the counter.

4. The method of converting into a pulse generating digital output transducer a condition sensing transducer having a rotatable shaft carrying a pointer whose rotational position relative to a fixed calibrated dial face represents an analog of the condition comprising:

copying proportionally in size and distribution calibration marks from the first tabulated dial face used with the pointer to produce a digital calibrated scale which is a mirror image of the dial face;

attaching the digital calibrated scale to the movable output member;

supporting sensing means in fixed position to detect marks of the digital calibrated scale as the output member moves and to detect direction of movement; and

providing an up-down counter having a selectable starting value responsive to the sensing means to increase or decrease a reading count in accordance with interpretation of direction of movement.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the copying of the dial face is done photographically.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the photographically copied calibration marks from the dial face are modified in width in the direction of motion to be suitable for use with a digital photo pickup.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the dial is copied and involves the calibrations which are enlarged in width in proportion to their spacing from one another.

8. The method of claim 7 in which two translucent disc copies of different enlargement and therefore scale diameter are made and coaxially mounted relative to one another and the movable member which is a rotating shaft so that the discs are movable relative to one another but normally move together on the rotatable shaft past two sensing means one for each scale at the corresponding mark of each scale.

9. A weather display comprising:

a display panel;

sensing means sensing the various parameters on a continuing basic provided with digital outputs of those values to be displayed;

means sensing count direction up or down;

presettable counting means responding to count direction information and counting the digital outputs to enable a digital numeric value to be provided for display;

means for storage of selected values of selected parameters;

digital display means on said panel showing in digital amounts of the various parameters selected for display;

selection means on said panel for selecting parameters available for display;

indicator means on said panel for indicating which of the selected parameters is displayed; and

means on the panel to select display of the stored values alternative to the display of current values of the same parameter.

10. The weather display of claim 9 in which a clock is provided and is provided as an input into a microprocessor and coordinated with continuing parameter inputs to provide readings of the selective parameter and the time of occurrence.

11. The weather display of claim 10 in which means is provided to store maximum readings of selected parameters, means is provided to search the memory to detect the maximum value and display the maximum value alternately with the time at which the maximum value occurred.

12. The weather display of claim 10 in which means is provided to store minimum readings of selected parameters, means is provided to search the memory to detect the minimum value and display the minimum value alternately with the time at which the minimum value occurred.

13. The weather display of claim 10 comprising means to sense rise or fall in reading and generate a pulsating signal to cause flashing or predetermined reading when that reading is headed in a predetermined direction and cause it to appear steady when it is headed.

14. The weather display of claim 10 in which successive positions of selection means illuminating means are activated to indicate which parameter is being displayed currently at the same time the value of that particular parameter is displayed.

15. The weather display of claim 14 in which an automatic scanning feature causes the selection to be periodically changed from display of one parameter value to another.

16. The weather display of claim 9 in which counter means receives digital counts from a transducer providing digital outputs for each of the parameters and the associated counter means counts up or counts down from a predetermined starting value to provide an output representative of the current value and capable of driving the display to show that current value.

17. The weather display of claim 16 in which certain devices are normally analog output devices and are provided with conversion means to convert them to digital outputs so that all weather parameters are output to the counters in terms of digital signals.

18. The weather display device of claim 17 in which the selection means is manual switch means which, in part, connects the counter and the display for the selected parameters.