GB2569159A

GB2569159A - Weather station

Info

Publication number: GB2569159A
Application number: GB1720431.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alden James; Baranowski Paul; Kalaichelvan Vanita; Kulendran Davinia; Owusu Deloris; Sadeghi Namaghi Keyan; Brueckner Gabriel
Original assignee: Climate Edge Ltd
Current assignee: Climate Edge Ltd
Priority date: 2017-12-07
Filing date: 2017-12-07
Publication date: 2019-06-12
Also published as: GB201720431D0

Abstract

A weather station system comprises one or more weather-monitoring instruments mounted on a pole 1 and a ground anchor 2 for driving into the ground to a predefined depth. The ground anchor comprises a receptacle for receiving a lower portion of the pole, wherein the lower portion of the pole comprises one or more soil-monitoring sensors at a predetermined location on the pole such that, when the lower portion of the pole is received in the ground anchor, the or each soil-monitoring sensor is at a desired location relative to the ground level. The soil monitoring sensor may include a soil temperature or soil moisture sensor. A second claimed invention comprises a weather station comprising a radiation shield 3 for preventing direct exposure of a humidity sensor to sunlight, wherein the radiation shield comprises a humidity sensor encapsulated within a waterproof capsule housed in the radiation shield, the capsule comprising a duct aligned with an aperture in the radiation shield, the duct and aperture together allowing the passage of air through a semi-permeable membrane within the duct or aperture from a region external to the radiation shield to an active humidity-sensing element on the humidity sensor. A third claimed invention comprises a weather station comprising one or more weather-monitoring instruments and a solar panel assembly 4 for powering the or each instrument, the solar panel assembly mounted to the weather station by way of first and second brackets spaced apart and relatively displaceable along a first axis, wherein the first bracket is coupled to the solar panel assembly by way of a first shaft passing through corresponding holes in the bracket and the solar panel assembly in a direction orthogonal to the first axis and the second bracket is coupled to the solar panel assembly by way of a second shaft parallel to the first shaft and passing through holes in the second bracket and corresponding slots in the solar panel assembly, the slots in the solar panel assembly being spaced apart from the holes in the solar panel assembly, whereby relative movement of the first and second brackets along the first axis causes an inclination of the solar panel assembly to vary.

Description

This invention relates to a weather station. More specifically, it relates to a weather station system comprising one or more weather-monitoring instruments mounted on a pole and a ground anchor for driving into the ground, a weather station comprising a radiation shield for preventing direct exposure of a humidity sensor to sunlight, and a weather station comprising one or more weather-monitoring instruments and a solar panel assembly for powering the or each instrument.

Weather stations are expensive instruments to purchase, install and maintain. For example, weather stations must provide robust and durable sensors for a variety of environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. Such sensors are, however, typically quite fragile and they must be exposed to the elements for them to carry out their function. Reconciling these requirements results in expensive solutions. In addition, building work is often required to install weather stations, for example they may need to be concreted into the ground to provide a solid foundation. Moreover, since they are often situated remotely from a convenient power source, a significant investment is required to connect them to a mains power supply, or frequent refilling of a petrol or diesel generator is required, or frequent monitoring and replacement of batteries might be required depending on the weather station.

The use of weather stations is becoming increasingly important to farmers for whom they support decision making which can be critical to enable appropriate actions to be taken to deal with unpredictable weather events to avoid poor crop yield, or indeed, total devastation of a crop. Ironically, the farmers who could most benefit from the data obtainable from a weather station are often those who can least afford to invest in one. These farmers include those in third world countries who tend to operate on a small scale but are directly dependent on their crop for their livelihood and tend to experience the worst of unpredictable climates.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a weather station system comprising one or more weather-monitoring instruments mounted on a pole and a ground anchor for driving into the ground to a predefined depth, the ground anchor comprising a receptacle for receiving a lower portion of the pole, wherein the lower portion of the pole comprises one or more soil-monitoring sensors at a predetermined location on the pole such that, when the lower portion of the pole is received in the ground anchor, the or each soil-monitoring sensor is at a desired location relative to the ground level.

By providing a ground anchor that can be driven into the ground and support a pole on which weather-monitoring instruments are mounted, the invention avoids the need for building work to be carried out and allows for a farmer to install the system himself. Moreover, the arrangement ensures that soil-monitoring sensors are deployed at a suitable depth within the soil so that a farmer can deploy such sensors without needing any specialist skill or knowledge. This is particularly helpful as the information delivered by this kind of sensor can be very important but is often unavailable owing to the difficulty of installing the sensors.

The system may further comprise a locking mechanism on the ground anchor and/or the lower portion of the pole to prevent relative movement between them. The locking mechanism may simply prevent relative rotation of the ground anchor and pole. For example, a flat section of the receptacle in the ground anchor may receive the lower portion of the pole only when a corresponding flat section of the lower portion of the pole is in alignment. Alternatively, the locking mechanism may lock the orientation and prevent separation of the pole and ground anchor. A suitable mechanism might comprise a springloaded button in the pole which is urged outwardly so that it will engage with a corresponding aperture on the ground anchor. Another suitable mechanism might simply be a bolt passed through corresponding apertures in the ground anchor and pole and then held in place with a nut.

The receptacle may comprise an open end for insertion of the lower portion of the pole and a base opposite the open end on which the lower portion of the pole can rest. This is one way of ensuring that the bottom of the pole rests at a suitable depth below ground level. Another way is for the lower portion of the pole to have a narrower diameter than an upper portion of the pole so that the upper portion of the pole comes to rest on a rim of the receptacle.

The dimensions of the open end may be defined by a collar inserted in the ground anchor.

The depth to which the ground anchor should be driven into the ground to achieve the predefined depth may be the entire length of the ground anchor or it may be indicated to a user in an instruction manual. Alternatively, the ground anchor may further comprise a marker for indicating a depth to which the ground anchor should be driven into the ground. The marker therefore provides one way for indicating the predefined depth for driving the ground anchor into the ground, whereby the or each soil-monitoring sensor is at a desired location relative to the marker when the ground anchor is driven into the ground to the level of the marker. The marker may be a line on the ground anchor. The line may be engraved or printed on the ground anchor. Alternatively, when a collar is inserted in the ground anchor, the marker may be an interface between the collar and the ground anchor. This interface will generally be clearly visible, especially where the collar and ground anchor are dissimilar materials having different colours.

The or each soil-monitoring sensor may include a soil temperature sensor. In this case, the weather station system may further comprise a thermally conductive paste between the lower portion of the pole in the region of the soil temperature sensor and the ground anchor.

The or each soil-monitoring sensor may include a soil moisture sensor. In this case, the weather station system may further comprise a channel in the ground anchor to provide fluid communication through the ground anchor to the soil moisture sensor.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a weather station comprising a radiation shield for preventing direct exposure of a humidity sensor to sunlight, wherein the radiation shield comprises a humidity sensor encapsulated within a waterproof capsule housed in the radiation shield, the capsule comprising a duct aligned with an aperture in the radiation shield, the duct and aperture together allowing the passage of air through a semi-permeable membrane within the duct or aperture from a region external to the radiation shield to an active humidity-sensing element on the humidity sensor.

The combination of the duct, semi-permeable membrane and encapsulation of the humidity sensor within a waterproof capsule ensures that the humidity sensor can be exposed to the air to measure humidity (and temperature) without being exposed directly to the force of the elements.

As the skilled person will appreciate, humidity sensors typically measure both temperature and humidity. The humidity sensor may therefore measure and provide signals representative of either humidity alone or both humidity and temperature.

The aperture may lie beneath a first dome forming part of the radiation shield. Thus, the dome provides further protection against rainfall which cannot directly impinge on the aperture and prevents direct exposure of the humidity sensor to sunlight.

The first dome may be an upper dome and the radiation shield may comprise at least one lower dome beneath the first dome, the aperture lying between the first dome and the at least one lower dome. This presents a particularly labyrinthine path for rainfall to prevent it from reaching the aperture.

The or each lower dome comprises one or more air holes. This promotes air circulation within the radiation shield for accurate measurements of humidity.

The weather station may further comprise one or more piezoelectric rainfall sensors in or on the first dome.

The first dome may have a hydrophobic surface or a hydrophobic surface coating. This prevents rainfall from accumulating on the first dome which could affect the accuracy of a piezoelectric rainfall sensor within it.

The waterproof capsule may comprise a housing overmoulded on a substrate supporting the humidity sensor, the duct passing through the housing. The substrate may be a printed circuit board (PCB).

The substrate may have a contact region extending beyond the housing and provides electrical connections from the contact region to the humidity sensor. Thus, the capsule allows electrical connections to be made to the humidity sensor without compromising its waterproof nature.

In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a weather station comprising one or more weather-monitoring instruments and a solar panel assembly for powering the or each instrument, the solar panel assembly mounted to the weather station by way of first and second brackets spaced apart and relatively displaceable along a first axis, wherein the first bracket is coupled to the solar panel assembly by way of a first shaft passing through corresponding holes in the bracket and the solar panel assembly in a direction orthogonal to the first axis and the second bracket is coupled to the solar panel assembly by way of a second shaft parallel to the first shaft and passing through holes in the second bracket and corresponding slots in the solar panel assembly, the slots in the solar panel assembly being spaced apart from the holes in the solar panel assembly, whereby relative movement of the first and second brackets along the first axis causes an angle to inclination of the solar panel assembly to vary.

Thus, the invention allows for solar panels to be adjusted to suit the latitude at which the weather station is deployed. This optimises the efficiency of the solar panels to ensure that they can provide sufficient power for the weather station at a modest size and cost. It does away with the need for monitoring and maintenance of batteries or generators or the installation of a permanent supply that are mentioned above.

The second bracket may be fixedly coupled to the weather station and the first bracket is releasably coupled to the weather station so as to be moveable along the first axis.

The second bracket may support a housing for power supply and/or processing circuitry associated with the weather station. In this case, the weather station may further comprise a third bracket spaced apart from the second bracket along the first axis, the third bracket providing additional support to the housing.

The first axis may be coaxial with a central axis of a pole on which one or more weathermonitoring instruments are mounted. In this case, the first and second brackets may be relatively displaceable along the pole.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a combination of the subject-matter of the first aspect with the subject-matter of the second aspect or the subject-matter of the third aspect, or a combination of any of the second aspect with the subject-matter of the third aspect, or a combination of the subject-matter of the first aspect with the subject-matter of the second aspect and the subject-matter of the third aspect.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures la and lb show illustrations of a weather station from different viewpoints;

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view through a lower part of the weather station including a ground spike;

Figure 3 shows a first exploded view of a radiation shield;

Figure 4 shows a second exploded view of the radiation shield; and

Figure 5 shows a detailed view of a solar panel mounting arrangement.

A weather station embodying aspects of the invention is shown in Figures la and lb. Figure la shows a perspective view of the weather station, and Figure lb shows a side view. The weather station is built around a pole 1. The pole 1 may be made from a variety of materials, but typically it will be a steel pole. To prevent corrosion, it may be made from stainless steel. Instead, or as well, it may be powder coated or painted.

At its bottom end, the pole 1 is inserted into a ground anchor 2. The ground anchor 2 can be driven into the ground and supports the entire weather station.

At its top end, the pole 1 supports a radiation shield 3. The radiation shield 3 will be described in further detail below. It incorporates a humidity and temperature sensor for measuring air temperature and humidity. Optionally, it may include a piezoelectric rainfall sensor.

The weather station is powered by solar panels 4, and power supply and processing circuitry is housed in housing 5. The power supply circuitry conditions the electrical power produced by the solar panels 4 into a form suitable for powering the processing circuitry and the sensors. The processing circuitry receives signals from the various sensors on the weather station and processes them into a digital format. The digital data may be stored in a memory locally and/or it may be transmitted by radio link (for example, a cellular radio link) to a remote terminal.

The ground anchor 2 is shown in more detail in Figure 2. The bottom end has a four-pointed star shape in cross-section to enable it to be driven easily into the ground.

At the top end of the ground anchor 2, a collar 10 is inserted into an open end of a receptacle 11 of the ground anchor 2. The collar 10 has an inner diameter suitable for receiving the pole 1 but forming a tight fit around it to prevent the ingress of water and dirt into the receptacle 11. The collar 10 is typically made of a robust plastic material such as an engineering nylon or high density polyethylene. The collar 10 may have a colour that contrasts with the colour of the ground anchor 2 so that the interface 12 between the collar 10 and ground spike 2 is clearly visible. The interface 12 therefore can act as a marker to show how far the ground spike 2 should be driven into the ground.

At the bottom of the receptacle 11, there is a base 13 on which the pole 1 can rest (the pole 1 is shown clear of the base 13 in Figure 2 for purposes of clarity). Thus, the receptacle 11 acts as a socket for receiving the pole 1, and when driven into the ground will provide a firm support for it. The tight fit of the collar 10 ensures that the pole 1 and ground anchor 2 are not easily separated.

When the ground anchor 2 has been driven into the ground such that the interface 12 is level with the ground, the height of the pole 1 when fitted into the receptacle 11 is at a predefined level. Therefore, a soil temperature sensor 14 fitted into a lower portion 15 of the pole 1 will be at a predefined depth below the ground. This ensures that the soil temperature sensor 14 is at the correct depth to operate properly. This is important because at too shallow a depth, the soil temperature will be affected by radiation from the sun, the air temperature and potentially evaporation of rainfall.

A suitable device for the soil temperature sensor 14 is the DS18B20 from Dallas Semiconductor. It is encapsulated in a suitable material, such as a potting compound, in the lower portion 15 of pole 1. It is connected to the processing circuitry in housing 5 via a wire 16 running through the pole 1. The gap between the lower portion 15 of pole 1 and the ground anchor 2 may be filled with a thermally conductive paste 17 to ensure good heat transfer from the soil to the soil temperature sensor 14.

Figures 3 and 4 show the structure of the radiation shield 3 in detail. The radiation shield 3 is built around a support plate 20. On its top surface, the support plate 20 carries an upper dome 21. They may be glued or welded together. The underside of the upper dome 21 or the top surface of the support plate 20 may have piezoelectric rainfall sensors attached to them to detect raindrops falling on the upper dome 21. This enables a measurement of depth of rainfall to be obtained, if required.

A spigot 22 projecting from the underside of support plate 20 can be received in holes 23 and 24 in the two lower domes 25 and 26 respectively. A bead of glue on the inner surface of holes 23 and 24 allow the two lower domes 25 and 26 to be fixed to the spigot 22. An array of holes 27 in the two lower domes 25 and 26 promote the circulation of air through the two lower domes 25 and 26 which helps to ensure that accurate measurements of temperature and humidity are obtained.

The upper dome 21, support plate 20, and lower domes 25 and 26 are typically made of high impact polystyrene. A hydrophobic coating may be applied to the upper surface of upper dome 21 to prevent rainfall pooling on it. This ensures that, if a piezoelectric rainfall sensor is used, the pooled rainfall does not distort the results of the rainfall depth measurement.

Holes 28 in the spigot 22 enable it to be fixed to the pole 1 using a nut and bolt passing through a corresponding hole in the pole 1.

The humidity and temperature sensor used may be a Honeywell HIH-6120-021-001. It is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) 29. The lower end of PCB 29 extends into a tab 30 where tracks connecting to the sensor may be terminated. This allows connection to the sensor after it has been encapsulated.

The encapsulation is done by overmoulding the PCB 29 and humidity and temperature sensor after a duct 31 has been fitted to the PCB 29 over the humidity and temperature sensor. The duct 31 prevents the overmoulding process from damaging the sensor and ensures that air can reach the sensor after it has been encapsulated. A semi-permeable membrane (such as, for example, an oleophobic ePTFE or ePTFE/polyester (PET) membrane as used in the PolyVent Protective Vents supplied by WL Gore & Associates GmbH) is fitted within the duct 31 to prevent ingress of water to the sensor. The membrane, however, will allow passage of moisture in the air so that a humidity measurement can be made. The end result is a capsule 32 containing a humidity and temperature sensor that is waterproof but allows the passage of moisture-laden air through the duct 31 and membrane to the sensor.

The completed capsule can be glued in place in hole 33 in spigot 22 so that the duct is in alignment with aperture 34 in the spigot 22. Electrical connections can be made to the tab 30 on PCB 29 to couple the humidity and temperature sensor to the processing circuity in housing 5 via a wire running through pole 1, over which the spigot 22 can be pushed. The radiation shield is then fastened in place via a nut and bolt through holes 28 and a corresponding hole in the pole 1. The hole 33 in spigot 22 also allows passage of connections to the piezoelectric elements of a piezoelectric rainfall sensor, if used.

Thus, when completed the radiation shield shelters the humidity and temperature sensor from direct exposure to the elements: sunlight is preventing from direct impingement by upper dome 21 and lower domes 25 and 26 prevent the effects of ground temperature and wind affecting the sensor. However, the sensor is still able to measure the air temperature and humidity because the air can reach the sensor through the aperture 34 (which lies between the upper dome 21 and lower dome 25), duct 31 and semi-permeable membrane.

Figure 5 shows the arrangement for adjusting the angle of inclination of the solar panels 4. On the underside of the solar panels 4 a pair of shafts 40a and 40b are coupled to the solar panels 4. The shaft 40a passes through a pair of holes in tabs on the underside of the solar panel 4 and through corresponding holes in an upper bracket 41. The tabs fit either side of the bracket so that the solar panel 4 can rotate around the shaft 40a and thus the upper bracket 41.

The shaft 40b passes through a pair of slots 42 in tabs on the underside of the solar panel 4 and through corresponding holes in a lower bracket 43. The tabs fit either side of the lower bracket 43 to allow the slots 42 to slide over the shaft 40b.

Lower bracket 43 is fixed to the pole 1 by way of a nut and bolt 44. However, clamp 45 in upper bracket 41 may be loosened to allow upper bracket 41 to slide along the pole 1 away from or towards lower bracket 43. As upper bracket 41 slides along pole 1, the tab through which shaft 40a passes is caused and the slots 42 slide over the shaft 40b as this occurs.

Thus, the angle of inclination of the solar panel 4 is varied. When the angle of inclination has been adjusted to suit the latitude, the clamp 45 can be retightened to fix the angle.

The lower bracket 43 also serves to support the housing 5 along with a third bracket 46 also fitted to the pole 1.

Claims

1. A weather station system comprising one or more weather-monitoring instruments mounted on a pole and a ground anchor for driving into the ground to a predefined depth, the ground anchor comprising a receptacle for receiving a lower portion of the pole, wherein the lower portion of the pole comprises one or more soil-monitoring sensors at a predetermined location on the pole such that, when the lower portion of the pole is received in the ground anchor, the or each soil-monitoring sensor is at a desired location relative to the ground level.

2. A weather station system according to claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism on the ground anchor and/or the lower portion of the pole to prevent relative movement between them.

3. A weather station system according to either of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle comprises an open end for insertion of the lower portion of the pole and a base opposite the open end on which the lower portion of the pole can rest.

4. A weather station system according to claim 3, wherein the dimensions of the open end are defined by a collar inserted in the ground anchor.

5. A weather station system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the ground anchor further comprises a marker for indicating a depth to which the ground anchor should be driven into the ground, whereby the or each soil-monitoring sensor is at a desired location relative to the marker when the ground anchor is driven into the ground to the level of the marker.

6. A weather station system according to claim 5, wherein the marker is a line on the ground anchor, or when dependent claim 4, the interface between the collar and the ground anchor.

7. A weather station system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each soil-monitoring sensor includes a soil temperature sensor.

8. A weather station system according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a thermally conductive paste between the lower portion of the pole in the region of the soil temperature sensor and the ground anchor.

9. A weather station system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each soil-monitoring sensor includes a soil moisture sensor.

10. A weather station system according to claim 9, further comprising a channel in the ground anchor to provide fluid communication through the ground anchor to the soil moisture sensor.

11. A weather station comprising a radiation shield for preventing direct exposure of a humidity sensor to sunlight, wherein the radiation shield comprises a humidity sensor encapsulated within a waterproof capsule housed in the radiation shield, the capsule comprising a duct aligned with an aperture in the radiation shield, the duct and aperture together allowing the passage of air through a semi-permeable membrane within the duct or aperture from a region external to the radiation shield to an active humidity-sensing element on the humidity sensor.

12. A weather station according to claim 11, wherein the aperture lies beneath a first dome forming part of the radiation shield.

13. A weather station according to claim 12, wherein the first dome is an upper dome and the radiation shield comprises at least one lower dome beneath the first dome, the aperture lying between the first dome and the at least one lower dome.

14. A weather station according to claim 13, wherein the or each lower dome comprises one or more air holes.

15. A weather station according to any of claims 12 to 14, further comprising one or more piezoelectric rainfall sensors in or on the first dome.

16. A weather station according to any of claim 12 to 15, wherein the first dome has a hydrophobic surface or a hydrophobic surface coating.

17. A weather station according to any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the waterproof capsule comprises a housing overmoulded on a substrate supporting the humidity sensor, the duct passing through the housing.

18. A weather station according to claim 17, wherein the substrate has a contact region extending beyond the housing and provides electrical connections from the contact region to the humidity sensor.

19. A weather station comprising one or more weather-monitoring instruments and a solar panel assembly for powering the or each instrument, the solar panel assembly mounted to the weather station by way of first and second brackets spaced apart and relatively displaceable along a first axis, wherein the first bracket is coupled to the solar panel assembly by way of a first shaft passing through corresponding holes in the bracket and the solar panel assembly in a direction orthogonal to the first axis and the second bracket is coupled to the solar panel assembly by way of a second shaft parallel to the first shaft and passing through holes in the second bracket and corresponding slots in the solar panel assembly, the slots in the solar panel assembly being spaced apart from the holes in the solar panel assembly, whereby relative movement of the first and second brackets along the first axis causes an angle to inclination of the solar panel assembly to vary.

20. A weather station according to claim 19, wherein the second bracket is fixedly coupled to the weather station and the first bracket is releasably coupled to the weather station so as to be moveable along the first axis.

21. A weather station according to claim 19, wherein the second bracket supports a housing for power supply and/or processing circuitry associated with the weather station.

22. A weather station according to claim 21, further comprising a third bracket spaced apart from the second bracket along the first axis, the third bracket providing additional support to the housing.

23. A weather station according to any of claims 19 to 22, wherein the first axis is coaxial with a central axis of a pole on which one or more weather-monitoring instruments are mounted.

24. A weather station according to claim 23, wherein the first and second brackets are relatively displaceable along the pole.

25. A combination of the subject-matter of any of claims 1 to 10 with the subject-matter of any of claims 11 to 24, or a combination of the subject-matter of any of claims 11 to 18

5 with the subject-matter of any of claims 19 to 24, or a combination of the subject-matter of any of claims 1 to 10 with the subject-matter of any of claims 11 to 18 and the subjectmatter of any of claims 19 to 24.