KR102571784B1 - System of automated precipitation sampler and operating method - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic precipitation sampler system and its operating method are disclosed. The automatic precipitation sampler system includes a main body having a water outlet thereon, a driving unit disposed in the main body, a circular table disposed in the main body and rotated by the driving unit, and a circular table on a plurality of radial directions of the circular table. It includes a plurality of sample containers arranged at equal intervals at positions spaced apart from the center, and funnels disposed on top of each of the plurality of sample containers and one of which is aligned with the water outlet.

Description

Automatic precipitation sampler system and its operating method {SYSTEM OF AUTOMATED PRECIPITATION SAMPLER AND OPERATING METHOD}

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an automatic precipitation sampler system and an operating method thereof.

The methods for verifying the effect of artificial extension or artificial rainfall experiments are physical studies by ground observations such as radar, radiometer, optical raindrop, and snow design, aerial observations such as PCASP, CCNC, 2DP, FSSP, and CIP, and Random seeding experimental study in which one area is randomly selected and the other area becomes a non-seeding area when the conditions such as temperature, wind, cloud water content, etc. are the same, diffusion of seeding material and seeding effect through numerical simulation (non-seeding mode There is a modeling study that verifies the amount of precipitation in the ding mode and changes in cloud microphysical variables).

In addition, since it is difficult to clearly distinguish through observation whether the increased precipitation after the experiment is due to natural fluctuations or the experiment, research on chemical composition analysis in precipitation before and after the experiment is being conducted in the target area.

In Korea, there is a case where the distribution characteristics of silver background concentration in precipitation were investigated for the evaluation of the experiment. A cylindrical water dispenser made of polyethylene with an inner diameter of 28.8 cm and a height of 34.0 cm was manufactured and installed at a point 1.2 m from the ground, and samples were analyzed from 09:00 on the same day to 09:00 the next day.

In addition, Zipori et al. investigated whether the seeding material reached the target area and whether silver iodide (AgI), a seeding material, contributed to the precipitation formation process in the cloud. In some cases, precipitation was collected by connecting polypropylene tubes. As for the sampling method, the tube was manually replaced once the tube was filled with precipitation or every 30 minutes or 1 hour.

In addition, the Idaho Power Company (IPC) has conducted snow sampling research for several years with Boise State University and Curtain University for chemical analysis in the snow cover of the Fayette River basin in southwestern Idaho, USA. In the case of Boise State University, after digging a hole in a place where several tens of meters of snow accumulated, a sample tube with a diameter of 3 cm was inserted in a downward direction to perform snow sampling. Curtain University conducted snow sampling by inserting a 1cm-thick thin plate into the snow pile and pulling it out again.

The methods introduced above are only possible in places where there is precipitation during the day or where there is a lot of snow, and there are restrictions that people must do it themselves.

Accordingly, the present invention was derived to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is an automatic precipitation sampler system and its It provides a way to operate.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an automatic precipitation sampler system (hereinafter simply referred to as an 'automatic precipitation sampler') according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main body; a driving unit disposed in the main body; a circular table disposed in the main body and rotated by a driving unit; a plurality of sample containers positioned in a plurality of radial directions spaced apart from the center by a circular table; and funnels disposed above each of the plurality of sample containers.

In one embodiment, a control box connected to the driving unit and controlling the operation of the driving unit may be further included.

In one embodiment, the cover of the automatic precipitation sampler is initially opened automatically when the start button is pressed, and the rotation plate (container installation plate) may rotate. Precipitation sampling time can be adjusted with a set timer. If you set 1 hour, water is collected for 1 hour, the rotating plate rotates with the cover open, returns to the next container, repeats receiving precipitation until the set time in the container installed, and when the number of containers is reached, the cover closes and automatically shuts down.

In one embodiment, the automatic precipitation sampler is installed with 9 water collection containers, and if the water collection time is set to 1 hour, sampling is possible for 9 hours. The diameter of the culvert is 19 cm, which may be similar to the diameter of the rain gauge used in practice. To minimize contamination by external factors, the funnel and container for precipitation collection can be collected by moving to another funnel and container after one hour.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an automatic precipitation sampler system according to another aspect of the present invention includes a main body having a water outlet thereon; a driving unit disposed in the main body; a circular table disposed in the main body and rotated by a driving unit; and a plurality of sample containers arranged at equal intervals at positions spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the center of the circular table on a plurality of radial directions of the circular table; and funnels disposed above each of the plurality of sample containers and one of which is aligned with the water inlet.

In one embodiment, the plurality of sample containers are arranged in a circle, rotate on a circular table that rotates by the driving unit, and may be sequentially aligned in the lower part of the water hole.

In one embodiment, the circular table may include container holders for fixing or supporting the plurality of sample containers.

In one embodiment, the automatic precipitation sampler system may further include a control box coupled to the outside of the main body, connected to a cover device of the main body, connected to the driving unit, and controlling operations of the cover device and the driving unit. can

In one embodiment, the controller of the control box controls the cover device according to an input signal or a predetermined command to open and close the cover of the water outlet installed on the upper body of the main body, and according to the input signal or a predetermined command Accordingly, the circular table may be rotated by a predetermined angle at a predetermined time by controlling the driving unit.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an operating method of an automatic precipitation sampler system according to another aspect of the present invention is an operating method of an automatic precipitation sampler system including a main body, a driving unit, a circular table, and a control box, wherein the main body Opening the cover of the water inlet of the upper body; arranging one of a plurality of sample containers circularly arranged on a circular table inside the upper body at a lower part of the water hole; and a controller of the control box controls the driving unit to rotate the circular table and sequentially rotate the plurality of sample containers at predetermined time intervals according to preset operating conditions stored in a memory of the control box.

In one embodiment, the method of operating the automatic precipitation sampler system may further include the step of completing the collection of precipitation in the plurality of sample containers after the rotating step or covering the water outlet according to the preset operating condition. . System status or operating conditions in the steps may be displayed on the touch screen of the control box.

In the case of using the automatic precipitation sampler system and its operating method of the present invention as described above, it is possible to remove most of the restrictions that a person must work directly when verifying the experimental effect in artificial rain or artificial rain.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is an advantage of efficiently recognizing the seeding effect over time.

1 is a partial perspective front view of an automatic precipitation sampler system (hereinafter simply referred to as an automatic precipitation sampler) according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a structure in which an upper cover and an automatic cover device are removed from the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 2 .
4 is a front view for explaining a circular table of the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 1;
5 is an exemplary view of a driving unit that can be employed in the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 1 .
6 is an exemplary view of a control box that can be employed in the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 1 .

Since the present invention can make various changes and have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. Like reference numerals have been used for like elements throughout the description of each figure.

Terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms related to "comprise", "having", etc. are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

Unless otherwise defined herein, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted in a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art, and are not interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a partial perspective front view of an automatic precipitation sampler system (hereinafter simply referred to as an automatic precipitation sampler) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , the automatic precipitation sampler 100 according to the present embodiment includes a main body 10, a driving unit 20, a circular table 30, and a control box 40. In FIG. 1, a portion of the funnel, the funnel detection sensor 51, the container detection sensor 52, a portion of the water outlet 16, the cover device 18, and the lower portion of the support frame of the driving unit 20 are of the main body 10. It is shown in perspective from the front of the upper body (13).

The main body 10 may function to accommodate and protect the components of the system and to position at least one or more components at a specific height or location. The driving unit 20 may be disposed in an area defined or formed by the main body 10 . In addition, a circular table 30 may be disposed within an area defined or formed by the main body 10 . The circular table 30 may be at least partially rotated by the drive unit 20 .

A plurality of sample containers (including 32a) may be arranged on the circular table 30 . A plurality of sample containers may be arranged at equal intervals from each other on a plurality of radial directions spaced apart from the center of the round table 30 by a predetermined distance. In addition, funnels (including 34a) may be arranged on top of each of the plurality of sample vessels. At least one of the funnels may engage a corresponding sample container. In addition, at least one of the funnels may be fixed to the circular table 30 while maintaining a coupling relationship with the corresponding sample container.

A control box 40 may be disposed outside the main body 10 . The control box 40 may be connected to the driving unit 20 and control the operation of the driving unit 20 . In addition, the control box 40 may control the operation of the actuator 18 of the cover device 16 provided on or coupled to the upper side of the main body 10 .

The main body 10 will be described in more detail as follows.

The main body 10 may have a box shape except for the control box 40 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). The box shape may include sizes of about 970 mm, about 970 mm and 1,200 mm in length, width and height. The main body 10 may be composed of a lower frame 12 and an upper body 13 .

The lower frame 12 may include a horizontal frame and a vertical frame, and each frame may be prepared with a square pipe. In addition, an adjuster 11 may be provided below the lower frame 12, and in this case, equipment or a system may be fixed to the floor base with anchor bolts through the adjuster 11.

The upper body 13 may have a door 14 disposed on one surface (front) and the other surface (rear) of the body in the form of a square box. The door 14 may have a window 14w at a central portion. The window 14w may function so that a worker can see the inside of the upper body 13 from the outside. The door 14 may have a structure that can be opened and closed in one direction.

A small heater for maintaining 20° C. may be installed inside the upper body 13 . In addition, an insulator for keeping warm may be disposed inside the upper body 13 . A foam panel or the like may be used as the insulator, and the thickness of the insulator may be about 5 mm.

The upper body 13 may have a structure in which the entire upper portion thereof can be opened and closed. To this end, one side of the upper cover 15 of the upper body 13 may be provided with a hinge portion 15h that hinge-couples the upper cover 15 and the upper main body.

Also, the upper cover 15 of the upper body may be inclined. The upper cover 15 may be installed to have an inclination of about 6 degrees based on a horizontal plane corresponding to the sea level or a horizontal line included therein from one end to the other end. According to the structure or arrangement of the upper cover 15, snow or rainwater falling on the upper cover 15 may fall downward from the upper body 13 on the upper cover 15 due to gravity.

The upper body 13 may have a water outlet 16 disposed at a distance from the center of the upper cover 15 at a predetermined interval or in one area of the upper cover 15 . The water outlet 16 may protrude above the upper cover 15, and thus the upper cover 15 may be divided into a first area A1 and a second area A2 where the water outlet 16 is located. A stepped portion 15a may be disposed at the boundary between the first area A1 and the second area A2 (see FIG. 2 ).

The distance from the center of the upper cover 15 to the center of the water conduit 16 may be about 300 mm, and the diameter of the water conduit 16 may be about 190 mm. The water outlet 16 can be opened and closed by the cover device 18 coupled to the upper body 13 or the upper cover 15.

The cover device 18 may comprise an automatic cover device operated by a separate drive unit. The cover device 18 can open and close the cover 17 of the water outlet in a casement type. To this end, the cover device 18 has a holder 19 coupled to the cover 17, and the holder 19 can be extended or contracted or rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. In addition, a hot wire for removing snow may be attached to the upper cover 15 .

In addition, the upper body 13 may have a drain pipe 14d at its lower part. The drain pipe 14d may extend from the inner bottom of the upper body 13 to the outer lower side of the upper body 13 through the bottom surface of the body. The drain pipe 14d may discharge water not contained in the sample container 32a out of the upper body 13 out of the precipitation entering the upper body 13 through the water outlet 16.

Next, the circular table 30, the drive unit 20, and the control box 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the structure of the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 2 in which an upper cover and an automatic cover device are removed. 4 is a front view for explaining a circular table of the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 1;

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , in the automatic precipitation sampler 100 according to the present embodiment, the circular table 30 is disposed inside the upper body 13 to be rotatable by the driving unit.

The circular table 30 includes a disc-shaped drive plate 31, one end coupled to the drive plate 31 and a plurality of container holder supports 32 arranged radially from the drive plate 31, and each container. A sample container 33a disposed at the other end of the holder support 32 may be provided.

A container holder 32a may be disposed at the other end of each container holder support 32 to support or fix the sample container 33a. A certain portion of each sample container 33a may be inserted into the corresponding container holder 32a. The container holder 32a places the sample container 33a on the circular table 30. The container holder 32a may be referred to as a lower bracket holder.

In addition, the circular table 30 may include a plurality of funnel support parts 35 arranged radially from the driving plate 31 by having one end coupled to the circular driving plate 31 . Each funnel support 35 has a ring shape, and a plastic disposable funnel can be seated on a circular table.

Funnels 34a to 34i may be inserted into corresponding funnel support portions 35 so that an upper end of the funnel contacts the funnel support portion 35 and a lower end thereof is suspended. The lower end of each funnel can be inserted to a certain depth into the upper opening of the corresponding sample vessel.

Pairs of each sample container 33a and corresponding funnel may be spaced apart from each other at equal intervals at radial positions located at a predetermined distance from the center of the circular table 30. Here, the predetermined distance corresponds to half of the diameter of the circular table, and may be about 300 mm to about 320 mm.

For the stacked arrangement of each sample container and the corresponding funnel, each container holder support 32 must have a stepped portion 32d between one end connected to the driving plate 31 and the other end where the container holder 32 is disposed. can A stacked arrangement includes placing a funnel on at least one sample vessel. The funnel may be made of a plastic disposable material. One of the funnels 34a to 34i may be arranged coaxially with the water outlet 16 in one direction. The diameter of the water outlet 16 is 19 cm, which may be similar to the diameter of a rain gage currently in use.

The circular table 30 may be made of an aluminum material having a diameter of 750 mm to 860 mm. In this embodiment, the circular table 30 can be divided and rotated in 9 steps based on the axis (or central axis) of the driving plate 31 located at its center. The driving plate 31 may be coupled to the driving shaft 23 rotated by the driving unit and rotate according to the rotation of the driving shaft 23 .

On the other hand, the circular table 30 is not limited to a configuration using 9 sample containers, and may be configured to use 8 or 10 sample containers. In the case of using an even number of sample containers, the sample containers may have a symmetrical shape in the cross section of the circular table 30 (see FIG. 4).

According to this embodiment, the automatic precipitation sampler can be installed with 9 water sampling containers, that is, sample containers, and if the water sampling time is set to 1 hour, water sampling is possible for 9 hours. To minimize contamination by external factors, the funnel and container for precipitation collection can be moved and replaced with another funnel and container after one hour.

5 is an exemplary view of a driving unit that can be employed in the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , in the automatic precipitation sampler according to the present embodiment, the driving unit 20 includes a motor 21, timing pulleys 21a and 23a, a belt 22, and a driving shaft 23. The driving unit 20 may rotate the driving plate 31 of the circular table connected to the driving shaft 23 by the rotational force of the motor 21 .

The motor 21 may perform a 9-division index operation (/per rotation) of the driving plate 31 or the circular table by applying a stepping motor. The motor 21 is vertically installed by the support frame 24, and the rotational force of the motor 21 is transmitted to the second timing pulley 23a through the first timing pulley 21a and the belt 22, and the second timing pulley 23a. As the driving shaft 23 connected to the timing pulley 23a rotates, the circular table directly connected to the driving shaft 23 can be rotated. The drive shaft 23 may be supported by bearings arranged vertically on one side of the support frame 24 .

Meanwhile, the automatic precipitation sampler according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a sensor for monitoring and controlling the drive unit. The sensor includes at least one sensor for detecting whether the funnel or the sample container is present at a specific location (see 51 and 52 in FIG. 1). As the sensor, an infrared sensor, an optical sensor, a vision sensor, and the like may be used. When it is detected by the sensor that any one of the funnel and the sample container is not located at a specific position, the controller in the control box can pass the current step of the circular table and proceed to the next step.

Also, the sensor may include an origin sensor. The origin sensor can be used to set the initial position of the circular table. If it is detected through the sensor signal that the circular table is operated/started at a place other than the normal position, the controller may perform an overstep or backstep to bring the circular table to the normal position.

6 is an exemplary view of a control box that can be employed in the automatic precipitation sampler of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , in the automatic precipitation sampler according to the present embodiment, the control box 40 may be attached to the side of the upper body of the main body. The control box 40 may be waterproofed or coated with anti-rust to prevent permeation of rainwater or the like from being easily rusted when installed outdoors.

The control box 40 may have an alarm lamp 41 on its top. In addition, the control box 40 has a 5-inch touch screen 42, power button 43, emergency stop button, manual/automatic selector, origin lamp, reset lamp, temperature controller 44, etc. can be provided

The touch screen 42 may display information necessary for operating the equipment or set operating conditions of the equipment. For example, the display information or setting information may include manual operation, operation time adjustment, automatic operation operation/stop, operation time information and remaining operation time, circular table step operation, upper conduit cover opening/closing, and the like.

A processor and a memory may be provided inside the control box 40 . In addition, the control box 40 may receive power from an external commercial power source or battery power source. Power supplied to the control box 40 may be single-phase 220V, 60Hz, but is not limited thereto. The control box 40 may control power supplied to components such as the main body and the driving unit.

An example of the operation method of the automatic precipitation sampler according to the above-described embodiments is as follows.

When the start button is pressed on the front control panel of the control box 40 of the automatic precipitation sampler, the cover is automatically opened at first, and the driving plate can be moved and aligned in the initial position. A total of 9 plastic disposable funnels and sample containers can be provided to collect precipitation by one sample container per hour.

Precipitation sampling time can be adjusted with a set timer. If 1 hour is set, water is collected for 1 hour, and the circular table including the driving plate rotates 1 step with the cover open, so that the next sample container moves under the water outlet and aligns, and the aligned sample container receives precipitation until the specified time. After repeating the precipitation reception for the set time or the number of sample containers, when all the designated sample containers receive precipitation, the cover closes and the precipitation collection can be automatically terminated.

In the case of adopting the automatic precipitation sampler of the above-described embodiment, in order to scientifically and continuously verify the effect of cloud physics research and weather control, it is possible to efficiently analyze the effect by collecting rain and snow before and after the artificial precipitation (extension) experiment. can

In addition, user convenience can be greatly improved by displaying and controlling information necessary for operating the equipment (automatic precipitation sampler) through the touch screen installed in the control box.

In addition, there is an advantage in that a heater and a heating wire for temperature maintenance are placed on the top and inside of the equipment, so that it can be operated to automatically sample precipitation even in snowfall.

Although the above has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will variously modify and change the present invention within the scope not departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims below. You will understand that it can be done.

Claims (1)

Main body having a water outlet at the top;
a driving unit disposed within the main body;
a circular table disposed within the main body and rotated by the driving unit;
a plurality of sample vessels arranged at equal intervals at positions spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the center of the circular table on a plurality of radial directions of the circular table;
a control box coupled to the outside of the main body, connected to a cover device of the main body, connected to the drive unit, and controlling operations of the cover device and the drive unit; and
A funnel disposed on each of the plurality of sample containers and one of which is aligned with the water outlet,
The main body is composed of an upper body and a lower frame supporting the upper body, and an adjuster is provided at the bottom of the lower frame and fixed to the floor base through the adjuster, and the upper body is a front surface of the body in the form of a square box or A door disposed on the rear side is installed, and the door has a window showing the inside,
The upper body has an upper cover to open and close the entire upper part, and a hinge portion for hingedly coupling the upper cover and the upper body to one side of the upper cover, and the upper cover has a first area where the water receptacle is located and a step It is composed of a second area separated from the first area by a part and is installed to have an inclination based on the horizontal line,
The circular table includes a disc-shaped driving plate, a plurality of funnel support parts having one end coupled to the driving plate and radially disposed from the driving plate, and a plurality of funnel supporting parts radially disposed from the driving plate. A plurality of container holder supports disposed at a lower portion and container holders disposed at the other end of each of the plurality of container holder supports, wherein each of the plurality of container holder supports has one end connected to the driving plate and the other end of the plurality of container holder supports. A stepped portion is provided between the other end where each container hold corresponding to each of the plurality of container holder supports is disposed,
The driving unit includes a motor, first and second timing pulleys, a belt, and a driving shaft connected to the circular table to rotate the driving plate of the circular table with a rotational force of the motor,
the first timing pulley is connected to the second timing pulley through the belt, and the second timing pulley is connected to the drive shaft;
The motor is implemented as a stepping motor, and the number of the plurality of sample containers is 9,
The motor is installed vertically by the support frame to operate the drive plate in 9 division indexes,
The rotational force of the motor is transmitted to the second timing pulley through the first timing pulley and the belt, and the circular table directly connected to the drive shaft rotates according to the rotation of the drive shaft connected to the second timing pulley,
The drive shaft is supported by bearings arranged vertically on one side of the support frame,
The plurality of sample containers are seated on the container holds that are lower bracket holders,
Each of the funnels is inserted into a corresponding funnel support among the plurality of funnel supports, the upper end of the funnel is in contact with the funnel support, and the lower end of the funnel is suspended at a predetermined depth into the upper opening of each of the plurality of sample containers,
The controller of the control box controls the cover device according to an input signal or a preset command to open and close the cover of the water receptacle installed on the upper body of the main body, and controls the driving unit according to the input signal or a preset command. Control to rotate the circular table by a certain angle at a preset time,
The cover device includes an automatic cover device operated by a separate driving unit and a holder coupled to the cover, and a hot wire for removing snow is attached to the upper cover,
The plurality of sample containers rotate on the circular table rotated by the driving unit and are sequentially arranged in the lower part of the water hole,
In each of the plurality of sample containers, precipitation that is less polluted by external factors is collected through a funnel that is replaced together at regular intervals. An automatic precipitation sampler system, characterized in that it is used to analyze the seeding effect over time.

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