Aspirated radiation shield for weather sensor
First Claim
1. A radiation shield for weather sensors comprising in combination:
- a housing defining an internal vertical flow path for aspirated air;
the housing defining a volume for the placement of at least one weather sensor;
a plurality of radiation deflecting surfaces surrounding the housing, the radiation-deflecting surfaces having flow apertures defined therein to permit passage of convention currents through the radiation deflecting surfaces independent of the internal vertical flow path;
a powered fan mounted at one end of the housing for drawing air from the other end of the housing to the fan and then out of the vertical flow path; and
, a support for supporting a weather measuring sensor in the vertical flow path away from the fan whereby atmosphere drawn by the fan into the vertical flow path passes over the weather sensor to enable measurement of parameters of the passing air.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cylindrical housing is provided with outside protecting louvers and central cylindrical aspirated flow paths. First, the surrounding louvers are circular and slope downward at their cylindrical inner and outer edges so as to deflect radiation outwardly of the shield and permit cooling by ambient wind. Second, these surrounding louvers along the upper surface are each provided with vertical convection flow apertures to permit natural convection currents. Third, the housing and the louvers are given a small spatial separation to prevent heat conduction. Fourth, a motor driven fan is placed at the top of the central cylindrical flow path. Air is drawn from the bottom of the housing at a screen-guarded circular opening. Air then passes around an aerodynamically shaped radiation baffle into the sensor chamber of the shield. Fifth, air drawn between the walls of the protecting housing is drawn along at least two flow paths. A first flow path travels along the length of the inside surface of the outer wall of the housing. A second cylindrical-shaped stream of traveling air provides cooling to the wall immediately surrounding the measuring sensor. Finally, a solar powered fan motor and battery circuit is provided with a resistor in series with the battery. The fan motor powering circuit enables increased aspiration during direct sunlight hours, limits solar cell charging current to the during sunlight hours, and finally reduces discharge current during non sunlight hours to prolong battery driven fan operation. Maximum accuracy of temperature and humidity measurement is enabled.
27 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A radiation shield for weather sensors comprising in combination:
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a housing defining an internal vertical flow path for aspirated air;
the housing defining a volume for the placement of at least one weather sensor;
a plurality of radiation deflecting surfaces surrounding the housing, the radiation-deflecting surfaces having flow apertures defined therein to permit passage of convention currents through the radiation deflecting surfaces independent of the internal vertical flow path;
a powered fan mounted at one end of the housing for drawing air from the other end of the housing to the fan and then out of the vertical flow path; and
,a support for supporting a weather measuring sensor in the vertical flow path away from the fan whereby atmosphere drawn by the fan into the vertical flow path passes over the weather sensor to enable measurement of parameters of the passing air. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
the series of peripheral louvers is spatially separated from the housing to prevent a direct conductive flow path to the housing.
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3. A radiation shield for weather sensors according to claim 1 and comprising in further combination:
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the internal vertical flow path includes a baffle divider around the weather measuring sensor in the vertical flow path, the baffle divider defining inner and out air cooling flow paths;
the inner and outer air cooling flow paths cooling a plurality of walls surrounding the internal vertical flow path around the weather sensor.
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4. A radiation shield for weather sensors according to claim 1 and comprising in further combination:
the powered fan is an electrically powered fan.
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5. A radiation shield for weather sensors according to claim 4 and comprising in further combination:
the electrically powered fan is powered by a solar cell.
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6. A radiation shield for weather sensors comprising in combination:
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a housing defining an exterior and an internal vertical flow path for placement of at least one weather sensor;
a plurality of discrete concentric walls defined interior of the housing, the discrete concentric walls separated by spatial intervals to permit passage of cooling air around the walls and independent of the internal vertical flow path for the placement of at least one weather sensor;
a powered fan mounted at one end of the housing for drawing air from the other end of the housing to the fan and then out of the vertical flow path; and
,a support for supporting a weather measuring sensor in the vertical flow path away from the fan whereby atmosphere drawn by the fan into the vertical flow path first passes over the weather sensor to measure weather parameters from the passing air surrounded by the housing and the layer of atmosphere insulation and second through the fan. - View Dependent Claims (7)
a plurality of radiation deflecting surfaces surrounding the housing, the radiation deflecting surfaces having flow aperture defined therein to permit passage of air through the radiation deflecting surfaces independent of the internal vertical flow path for the placement of at least on weather sensor.
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8. In combination with:
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a housing defining an internal vertical flow path for placement of at least one weather sensor an electrically powered fan mounted at a first end of the housing for drawing air from a second end of the housing to the electrically powered fan and then out of the vertical flow path;
the improvement of an electrical power source for the electrically powered fan comprising;
a solar cell;
a battery;
a circuit for maintaining the solar cell and the battery in parallel with the electrically powered fan; and
,a resistor in series with the battery and the electrically powered fan to lower driving current to the electrically powered fan when the solar cell does not have incident insolation, provide greater driving current to the electrically powered fan when insolation is incident on the solar cell, and limit charging current to the battery during the incidence of insolation on the solar cell. - View Dependent Claims (9)
a plurality of radiation deflecting surfaces surrounding the housing, the radiation deflecting surfaces having flow aperture defined therein to permit passage of cooling air through the radiation deflecting surfaces independent of the internal vertical flow path for the placement of at least one weather sensor.
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Specification