Rain sensor functions and types

Background:

Due to the strong regional and diurnal variation of rainfall, accurate measurement of rainfall has been difficult to achieve in history. After the establishment of the modern Western scientific observation system, many famous scientists including Franklin began to conduct in-depth research on automated quantitative measurement of rainfall. As a result, rain sensor with different forms or principles have appeared in the history of different countries. Scientists found that the accuracy of rain gauge measurement is closely related to its material, opening size, height of the opening from the ground, and the surrounding environment. Today, most rain gauges are made of plastic that is not easily damaged and more durable.

What is a rain gauge?

A rain gauge is an instrument used to measure the amount of precipitation in a certain area over a period of time (the measurement of snowfall requires the use of a snow gauge). There are many types of rain gauges. Most rain gauges use millimeters as the unit of measurement, and sometimes the measurement results are in inches or centimeters as the unit. The reading of the rain gauge can be read manually or using an automatic weather station, and the frequency of observation can be changed according to the requirements of the collecting unit. In most cases, the collected rainwater will no longer be retained after observation, but there are also a few weather stations that will retain it as a sample for pollution level or other tests.

How does a rain gauge work?

The rain gauge working principle is actually very simple. The one in the picture above, like the seesaw model, is the rain gauge unit of measurement. This instrument will be connected to an electronic recorder. When the rainfall on it reaches a certain value, the weight of the rain will cause the seesaw to jump. One-click, whenever it beats, the electronic recorder will record a piece of data, how many points are totaled and how many pieces of data are transmitted to the computer, and then use the computer to calculate the overall data to form a statistical graph and a data graph, which is then formed into rainfall. 

What is a rain gauge used for?

In terms of meteorology, the rain gauge can record the size of the current rainfall in time, which is very practical. The tipping bucket rain gauge in the rain gauge is a wired telemetry instrument that can continuously record the precipitation over time and measure the accumulated precipitation. It is divided into two parts: a sensor and a recorder, which are connected by a cable.

The siphon rain gauge is an instrument that can continuously record precipitation and precipitation time. The shape and size of the upper water funnel are the same as the rain gauge. The standard rain gauge is an instrument used to measure the accumulated precipitation over a period of time. The shell of the common standard rain gauge is transparent glass or plastic. For the area and shape of the container mouth, a water storage bottle is placed in the lower tube to collect rainwater.

Tipping bucket rain gauge

The tipping bucket rain gauge is one of the weather sensors. Compared with the standard rain gauge, its measuring elements are more complicated and the data is more accurate. It can be used as an outdoor rain gauge alone, or it can be used with an outdoor weather station. Its biggest advantage is that it does not require manual readings and avoids manual errors.

How a tipping bucket rain gauge works? The tipping bucket rain gauge is a typical weather station rain gauge. It is most accurate rain gauge. The tipping bucket rain gauge working principle uses the tipping bucket principle to monitor rainfall changes in real-time. The tipping bucket rainfall sensor is a mechanical bistable structure. Due to gravity, it overturns and is in a waiting state. This process will generate a pulse signal to be recorded and reported to the cloud server through wireless communication to provide data support for industry users’ command and decision-making and improve hydrological monitoring capabilities. At present, the materials of tipping bucket rain gauge commonly used in the market are professional stainless steel rain gauge and cheap ABS rain gauge.

Tipping bucket rain gauge reading

This kind of precision rain gauge records rainfall automatically and relies on the intelligent rainfall monitoring system to upload the data to the data center through wired, GPRS, Ethernet and other communication methods. Users can view data through the computer or mobile APP platform, such as curve viewing period rainfall, daily rainfall, monthly rainfall, and annual rainfall. Historical data can also be exported, and it can also be stored as an EXCEL table file for easy research and inspection. The system can track and record the whole process. It integrates data collection, recording and storage, with remote diagnosis and control functions.