JP2001194468A - Optical rain gauge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive highly reliable optical rain gauge for which no special transmitter is required, when the gauge is subjected to in-batch centralized control and which is not influenced by electromagnetic noise. SOLUTION: The optical rain gauge is provided with a tipping bucket 8, which changes its attitude according to flowing-in rain water, a magnet 7 which changes its position following the attitude change of the bucket 8, and an optical switch 1 which works according to the magnetic field received from the magnet 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rain gauge using a fall, and in particular, does not require a special transmission device when collectively centrally managing remotely, is inexpensive, and is not affected by electromagnetic noise. And a highly reliable optical rain gauge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various measuring instruments for measuring rainfall have been developed. As a rain gauge that outputs a signal indicating the amount of rainfall, a water receiving port having an opening of a predetermined size for receiving rainfall, and a fall that accommodates rainwater poured from this water receiving port, causes the measuring section to be operated. When the amount of rainwater accommodated in this fall reaches the specified amount, it falls, but it falls, and this fall movement is detected by a reed switch, and a fall type rain gauge that outputs a contact pulse signal is known. I have.

[0003]

A conventional rain gauge that outputs a contact signal performs measurement at multiple points, and in order to centrally manage the data remotely, it is necessary to remotely transmit data output from the rain gauge. In addition, multiplex transmission equipment having complicated electronic circuits must be used. Further, when performing measurement at multiple points, a large number of multiplex transmission devices must be installed, which increases the cost.

[0004] Conventional rain gauges include a contact, a power line,
Although a signal line is used, these electrical members are easily affected by an electrical environment and have a possibility of malfunction due to electromagnetic noise.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, to eliminate the need for a special transmission device when performing remote centralized management, to be inexpensive, not to be affected by electromagnetic noise, and to have a highly reliable optical device. An object of the present invention is to provide a rain gauge.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a magnet having a position that fluctuates in accordance with the change in posture when the posture changes in response to rainwater inflow. And an optical switch that operates according to the magnetic field received from the magnet.

[0007]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, an embodiment using a Faraday element type optical switch will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rain gauge according to the present invention mainly has a fall 8 whose posture changes in response to the inflow of rainwater, and a position associated with the change in posture of the fall 8. It comprises a fluctuating magnet 7 and an optical switch 1 that operates according to the magnetic field received from the magnet.

[0009] The fall 8 has a rainwater receiving portion 8a formed at a corner portion between the bottom and the wall by providing a wall around the bottom except one side of the flat surface. A weight portion 8b that opposes the weight of the rainwater receiving portion is formed, and is configured to tilt to a predetermined angle on the left and right around a rotation shaft 11 attached to a wall. Rotating shaft 11
Above the water receiving port 10 is an opening having a predetermined size for receiving rainfall and a drain port for draining the received rainwater.
Is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, when the fall 8 is inclined to the right, the drain water is located on the left side of the wall, so that the rainwater collected at the water receiving port 10 flows into the rain water receiving portion 8a. When the amount of rainwater in the rainwater receiving portion 8a reaches the specified amount, the rainwater receiving portion 8a on the left side becomes heavier than the weight portion 8b on the right side, so that the falling 8 tilts to the left (see FIG. 2). When the fall 8 inclines to the left, the rainwater in the rainwater receiving portion 8a is discharged from the left side of the bottom without a wall, and the rainwater receiving portion 8a becomes light, so that the fall 8 inclines to the right. Rainwater receiving part 8
The amount of rainwater that can be stored in a is defined by the weight balance with the weight part 8b.

Here, the magnet 7 is attached to the lower surface on the right side of the weight portion 8b. In addition, a weight 9 for countering the weight of the magnet 7 is attached to the lower surface on the left side of the rainwater receiving portion 8a. The specified amount can be changed by changing the position or weight of the magnet 7 and the weight 9.

The optical switch 1 is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-282461 filed by the present applicant, and includes an optical fiber 2, a lens 3 for condensing light emitted from the optical fiber 2, a lens 3, 3, a birefringent element 4 provided on the transmitting side of the birefringent element 3, a Faraday element 5 provided on the transmitting side of the birefringent element 4, and a reflecting plate 6 provided on the transmitting side of the Faraday element 5. .

The concept of the optical switch 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The optical path in the optical switch 1 is emitted from the optical fiber 2, enters the birefringent body 4 via the lens 3,
The light is separated into two polarization components in directions perpendicular to each other, passes through the Faraday element 5, is reflected by the reflection plate 6, passes through the Faraday element 5 again, is incident on the birefringent element 4, is synthesized, and is synthesized. Through the optical fiber 2. Here, when the magnet 7 is moved closer to the optical switch 1 and a magnetic field is formed in a direction parallel to the direction in which the light travels, the two components separated by the birefringent body 4 into polarization directions perpendicular to each other are separated by the Faraday element 5. When the light is transmitted, the polarization plane is rotated by 45 °, reflected by the reflection plate 6, and transmitted through the Faraday element 5 again. The light that has reentered the birefringent body 4 has passed through the Faraday element 5 twice, and thus has a polarization state rotated by 90 ° from the polarization state before first entering the Faraday element 5. For this reason, the light re-entering the birefringent body 4 is not coupled to the optical fiber 2. That is, the reflected light is blocked between the birefringent member 4 and the optical fiber 2.

The optical switch 1 is turned over as shown in FIG. 1 and the Faraday element 5 in the optical switch 1 is fixed so that the magnetic field of the magnet 7 passes through the optical switch 1 in a state where the optical switch 8 is inclined rightward. . As described above, when the posture of the tipping 8 changes, the positional relationship and the distance between the optical switch 1 and the magnet 7 change, so that the Faraday element 5 is turned on in response to the tipping operation of the tipping 8, that is, the change of the magnetic field. Changes the polarization state of
When the light emitted from the optical fiber 2 passes through the Faraday element 5 and returns to the optical fiber 2 via the reflection plate 6, the amount of reflected light changes.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the operation of the rain gauge according to the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the tipping 8 is tilted to the right, the magnet 7 approaches the optical switch 1 so that the optical path and the magnetic field become parallel and a strong magnetic field is applied to the Faraday element 5.
Range. For this reason, the polarization plane of the light in the Faraday element 5 rotates, and the reflected light is blocked between the reflection plate 6 and the optical fiber 2, and the amount of reflected light of the light emitted from the optical fiber 2 decreases. Thus, the amount of light returning to the optical fiber 2 is reduced.

Since the falling 8 is inclined rightward, rainwater flows into the rainwater receiving portion 8a. When a prescribed amount of rainwater accumulates in the tipping 8, the tipping 8 tilts to the left as shown in FIG. At this time, since the magnet 7 moves away from the optical switch 1, the polarization plane of the light in the Faraday element 5 does not rotate, and the reflected light passes between the reflector 6 and the optical fiber 2 and exits from the optical fiber 2. Light returns to the optical fiber 2.

Therefore, by measuring the intensity of the amount of light reflected by the optical switch 1 at one end (not shown) of the optical fiber 2, the number of times of falling 8 can be detected. Since the amount of rainwater corresponding to one fall is defined, the amount of rain can be known from the number of falls.

The optical switch used in the present invention may have a configuration in which a light shielding plate is moved to block an optical path. In this case, a light-shielding plate is attached to one side of the falling 8 in place of the magnet 7, the Faraday element 5 and the birefringent body 4 in FIG. 3 are removed, and the light-shielding plate projects between the lens 3 and the reflecting plate 6. Good to do. In addition, a reflector may be attached to one side of the fall 8 in place of the magnet 7 so that the reflector appears and disappears on the transmission side of the lens 3.

[0019]

The present invention exhibits the following excellent effects.

(1) Since the optical switch is used, light can be incident on the optical fiber from a distance and the number of changes in the amount of reflected light can be counted. This makes it possible to remotely measure rainfall without using a complicated electronic circuit, thereby realizing an inexpensive rainfall gauge.

(2) Since an optical switch is used, the influence of electromagnetic noise can be eliminated, and a highly reliable rain gauge can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a rain gauge showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the rain gauge of FIG. 1 in another state.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a Faraday element type optical switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical switch 2 Optical fiber 3 Lens 4 Birefringent element 5 Faraday element 6 Reflector 7 Magnet 8 Turn over

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Shuji Umino 1-3-3 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside the Foundation Information Center (72) Inventor Morio Matsushita 3-6 Kandanishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Dentsu Consultants (72) Inventor Ayato Otsuka 880 Sunasawa-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Inside Takasago Plant of Hitachi Cable Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenichi Saito 2-1-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Hitachi Cable Corporation

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A magnet whose position changes in accordance with a change in posture when the posture changes according to the inflow of rainwater, and an optical switch which operates in accordance with a magnetic field received from the magnet. An optical rain gauge, comprising: