US4613938A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Present weather observing system utilizing particulate size and velocity measurements
Assignee: FIW Inc A CORP OF
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Filing: 1985-01-25
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Granted: 1986-09-23
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Expires: 2005-01-25
Abstract
Abstract A present weather observing system including a radiation source for providing a beam of radiation in the atmosphere and a detector for detecting scattered radiation from suspended or precipitating particles within a sample volume, the detector having a field of view intersecting the beam to define the sample volume. The invention further includes a device for determining the size and velocity of at least one particle precipitating through the sample volume, and an element responsive to the device for determining size and velocity for identifying the type of precipitation.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald F. Hansen
- 👤 William K. Shubert
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 14:31
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N15/00; G01N15/02; G01N15/0205; G01N15/0227; G01N2201/00; G01N2201/12; G01N2201/126
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 41
Claim 1
Independent Claim
74 words
A present weather observing system comprising: means for providing a beam of radiation in the atmosphere; means, having a field of view intersecting said beam to define a sample volume, for detecting scattered radiation from particles within said sample volume; means for determining the size and velocity of at least one particle precipitating through said sample volume; and means responsive to said means for determining size and velocity for identifying the type of precipitation.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
74 words
A present weather observing system comprising: means for providing a beam of radiation in the atmosphere; means, having a field of view intersecting said beam to define a sample volume, for detecting scattered radiation from particles within said sample volume; means for determining the size and velocity of at least one particle precipitating through said sample volume; and means responsive to said means for determining size and velocity for identifying the type of precipitation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The observing system of claim 1 in which the means for determining size and velocity includes means for resolving a signal due to at least one precipitating particle from signals due to suspended particles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said resolving means includes means for setting a threshold above which a precipitating particle is resolved.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The observing system of claim 3 in which said resolving means includes means for maintaining said threshold above the level due to suspended particles.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said means for determining size and velocity includes means for generating a peak signal value and means for generating a time-in-sample value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said identifying means includes means for matching size and velocity of said precipitating particle with predetermined values of precipitation particle sizes and velocities.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said resolving means includes means for distinguishing a precipitating particle signal greater than a predetermined magnitude from a precipitating particle signal less than the predetermined magnitude.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
The observing system of claim 7 in which said greater signal is due to a particle having a size larger than said predetermined magnitude and said lesser signal is due to a particle having a size smaller than said predetermined magnitude.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
72 words
The observing system of claim 7 in which said means for determining size and velocity includes: means for generating a peak signal value having a first peak signal generator responsive to said greater signal and a second peak signal generator responsive to said lesser signal; and means for generating a time-in-sample value having a first time-in-sample generator responsive to said greater signal and a second time-in-sample generator responsive to said lesser signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The observing system of claim 7 in which said means for determining size and velocity includes means for indicating said resolved precipitating particle signal and means for counting said indications.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
The observing system of claim 10 in which said identifying means includes means for matching size and velocity of said precipitating particle with first predetermined values for precipitation sizes and velocities when an indication rate is less than a predetermined rate and with second values when the indication rate greater than a predetermined rate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The observing sytem of claim 1 further including means, responsive to said means for identifying, for ascertaining the amount of precipitation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The observing system of claim 12 in which said ascertaining means includes means for discerning the volume of said precipitating particle.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The observing system of claim 13 in which said ascertaining means includes means for summing the volumes of more than one precipitating particle over a known time period.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said means for providing a beam emits square-wave modulated radiation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
The observing system of claim 15 in which said radiation is emitted at a rate of one to four kilohertz.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The observing system of claim 15 in which said means for determining size and velocity includes adjusting means for synchronizing said determining means with said pulse rate.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
The observing of claim 2 in which said means for providing a beam emits radiation having a wavelength selected from visible and near-visible spectral regions.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
18 words
The observing system of claim 18 in which said means for providing a beam includes a light-emitting diode.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said detecting means has a field of view encompassing only the forward scattered radiation.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
31 words
The observing system of claim 20 in which said field of view encompasses radiation scattered forward at an average angle of 30 to 55 degrees from the axis of said beam.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
15 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said detecting means includes a photoelectric element.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
15 words
The observing system of claim 22 in which said photoelectric element is a photovoltaic cell.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
26 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said detecting means includes means for separating signals due to scattered radiation from signals due to ambient radiation.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
18 words
The observing system of claim 24 in which said means for separating signals includes an optical bandpass filter.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
22 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said sample volume is in the range of two hundred to one thousand milliliters.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
24 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said resolving means includes rectifying means for inverting negative peaks of signals from said detecting means.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
28 words
The observing system of claim 2 in which said resolving means also resolves the precipitating particle signal from signals due to signal noise created by said detecting means.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
126 words
A present weather observing system comprising: means for providing a modulated beam of radiation in the atmosphere; means, having a field of view intersecting said beam to define a sample volume, for detecting scattered radiation from particles within said sample volume and having at least one photoelectric element; means, responsive to said detecting means, for determining size and velocity of at least one particle precipitating through said sample volume, said means for determining size and velocity including means for resolving a signal due to at least one precipitating particle from signals due to suspended particles and due to signal noise created by said detecting means; and means, responsive to said detecting means and said means for determining size and velocity, for defining the atmospheric extinction coefficient.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
126 words
A present weather observing system comprising: means for providing a modulated beam of radiation in the atmosphere; means, having a field of view intersecting said beam to define a sample volume, for detecting scattered radiation from particles within said sample volume and having at least one photoelectric element; means, responsive to said detecting means, for determining size and velocity of at least one particle precipitating through said sample volume, said means for determining size and velocity including means for resolving a signal due to at least one precipitating particle from signals due to suspended particles and due to signal noise created by said detecting means; and means, responsive to said detecting means and said means for determining size and velocity, for defining the atmospheric extinction coefficient.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
53 words
The observing system of claim 29 in which said coefficient defining means includes means, responsive to said detecting means, for subtracting signals due to scattered radiation detected when at least one precipitating particle is resolved from scattered radiation detected during the remainder of the sampling period when such a particle is not resolved.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
30 words
The observing system of claim 30 in which said coefficient defining means includes means for averaging said scattered radiation signals and means for averaging the output of the subtracting means.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
49 words
The observing system of claim 31 in which said coefficient defining means includes means for obtaining the total extinction coefficient from the average of the scattered radiation signals and means for obtaining the extinction coefficient due to suspended particles from the average of the output of the subtracting means.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
60 words
The observing system of claim 32 further including a humidity sensor for sensing relative humidity and means, responsive to said humidity sensor and said means for obtaining, for identifying the type of suspended particles within the sample volume by matching the extinction coefficient due to suspended particles with predetermined values for types of suspended particles and with the relative humidity.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
32 words
The observing system of claim 30 in which said means for defining the extinction coefficient includes means responsive to said detecting means for providing said scattered radiation signals in DC analog form.
Claim 37
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of identifying the type of precipitation comprising: providing a beam of radiation in the atmosphere; detecting scattered radiation in a sample volume of the beam; resolving at least one precipitating particle from suspended particles; generating a peak signal value and a time-in-sample value for a resolved particle; determining particle size from the peak signal value; determining velocity from the time-in-sample value; and matching size and velocity of the particle with predetermined values of precipitation particle sizes and velocities.
Claim 38
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of identifying the type of precipitation comprising: providing a beam of radiation in the atmosphere; detecting scattered radiation in a sample volume of the beam; resolving at least one precipitating particle from suspended particles; generating a peak signal value and a time-in-sample value for a resolved particle; determining particle size from the peak signal value; determining velocity from the time-in-sample value; and matching size and velocity of the particle with predetermined values of precipitation particle sizes and velocities.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 35 further including: discerning the volume of said precipitating particle; and summing the volumes of more than one precipitating particle over a known time period to determine the amount of precipitation.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
85 words
The method of claim 35 further including: subtracting signals due to scattered radiation detected when at least one precipitating particle is resolved from scattered radiation detected during the remainder of a sampling period when such a particle is not resolved to provide signals due to suspended particles; averaging the scattered radiation signals; averaging the suspended-particle signals; obtaining the total extinction coefficient from the average of the scattered radiation signals; and obtaining the extinction coefficient due to suspended particles from the average of the suspended-particle signals.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 37 further including sensing the relative humidity and identifying the type of suspended particle within the sample volume by matching the extinction coefficient due to suspended particles with predetermined values for types of suspended particles and with the relative humidity.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-09-22 | 1990-03-24 | 1990-09-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-09-22 | 1994-03-24 | 1994-09-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-09-22 | 1998-03-24 | 1998-09-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |