I-Corps: Advanced Optical Disdrometer for Precipitation Observations

雨滴仪是一种仪器，通常用于测量降水微物理特性，如雨滴/雪的大小分布，形状和下降速度，以及识别降水类型（如雪，冰雹，雨）。测距仪用于与地球物理科学（例如气象学、大气科学、水文学）和工程（例如土木工程、环境工程）相关的各种应用。蒸散仪的潜在用户包括联邦机构和类似的国际机构、研究机构、大学、机场和气象站。 大多数的转速计系统是光学或撞击式转速计，其与各种仪器测量伪影相关联。虽然光学衍射仪比其他衍射仪具有更大的商业成功潜力，但这种潜力主要由于与光学景深相关的测量精度问题而受到阻碍。该团队开发了具有高速图像记录功能的高级光学衍射仪（AOD）。AOD的高速成像能力提供了监测水凝物的实际形状和运动的能力。天文台利用影像处理技术，提供高度准确的水凝物形状（例如直径、垂直与水平轴比率、倾斜角度）和运动（例如下落速度、加速度）资料。该系统有两个关键的创新组成部分：体积限制原理和高速（高达每秒1000帧）图像记录能力。体积限制原理克服了与光学衍射仪相关的测量精度问题，并且高速图像记录提供了监测颗粒的实际形状和运动的能力。

Disdrometer is an instrument that is typically used for measurement of precipitation microphysical characteristics such as raindrop/snow size distributions, shapes, and fall velocities as well as identification of precipitation type (e.g. snow, hail, rain). Disdrometers are used in various applications related to geophysical sciences (e.g. meteorology, atmospheric sciences, hydrology) and engineering (e.g. civil engineering, environmental engineering). Potential user segments for disdrometers include federal agencies and similar international agencies, research institutes, universities, airports, and weather stations. Majority of the disdrometer systems are either optical or impact type disdrometers, which are associated with various instrumental measurement artifacts. Although optical disdrometers have a much greater potential for commercial success over other disdrometer types, this potential has been mainly hampered due to measurement accuracy issues related to the optical depth of field.This team has developed the Advanced Optical Disdrometer (AOD) with high-speed image recording capability. The high-speed imaging capability of the AOD provides an ability to monitor the actual shapes and motions of the hydrometeors. Using image processing, the AOD provides information on the shapes (e.g. diameter, vertical to horizontal axis ratio, canting angles) and motions (e.g. fall velocity, acceleration) of hydrometeors with high accuracy. There are two critical innovative components of the proposed system: volume confinement principle and the high-speed (up to 1000 frames per second) image recording capability. Volume confinement principle overcomes the measurement accuracy issues that are pertinent to optical disdrometers and the high-speed image recording provides an ability to monitor the actual shapes and motions of the particles.