20100300198 | OMNIDIRECTIONAL RAIN GAUGE - An Omnidirectional rain gauge measures an azimuth and zenith direction of flying rainwater. The Omnidirectional rain gauge includes catchment and measurement units. The catchment unit has a plural conical cylinders having individually different heights, and being overlaid so that bottom vertexes of the plural conical cylinders coincide with or come close to each other. The overlaid plural conical cylinders are partitioned by partitions, arranged radially in a plurality of horizontal azimuth directions, to form a plurality of catchment cells. Each of the plurality of partitions is shaped as semicircle following a virtual spherical outer circumference. Diameter of each of top opening parts opposite to the bottom vertexes, of the overlaid plural conical cylinders is sized to follow virtual spherical outer circumference. The measurement unit, by the rainwater caught by each of the plurality of catchment cells of the catchment unit dropping in a drop of water of a certain weight, detects the number of the dropping drops of water with respect to each of the plurality of catchment cells, and determines the amount of the rainwater caught by each of catchment cells on the basis of the total detected number of the drops of water. | 12-02-2010 |