Digital weather station
First Claim
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.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. Digital readout gauge means having a rotatable shaft responsive to a condition sensing element for producing a reading of a condition sensed comprising:
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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.
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2. Digital readout guage means for reporting a current condition comprising:
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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.
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3. Digital readout weather condition sensing guage apparatus comprising:
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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.
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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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A weather display comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification