#Cup anemometer generator#

In order to measure things, we need special tools. If you look back in history, we have come a long way by studying, and an extensive array of measurements create the very basis of science. This is a great tool to measure low wind speeds. For example, a hot-wire anemometer is used to calculate the speed of the wind by measuring how the air chills a heated wire. In the decades to follow Robinson’s anemometer, other types of devices were invented. In other cases, a propeller can also be used to drive the electric generator, known as the propeller anemometer. The range that can be used of this device is about 5 to 100 knots.

#Cup anemometer generator#

The output of that generator operates an electric meter which is calibrated to the speed of the wind. Andrews Pflitsch is the one who developed the sonic anemometer in 1994.Īnother types of anemometers which is used widely nowadays is the revolving-cup electric anemometer, in which spinning cups drive an electric generator. The sound waves slowing or speeding represent an indication of the wind’s velocity, and it is calculated almost instantly. The device works by measuring sound waves that travel between paired transducers. Modern advancements in this industry include the sonic anemometers. Based on the amount of current wind speeds produced, the specially designed machines were able to read and record the speeds of the wind in multiple locations at the same time. An electric current was generated, at the rod, in the center spun. Since then, anemometers have been improved after electric generators were installed in the base. The original anemometer developed by Robinson stands still where he installed it, on the Observatory roof. He spent many years developing his theory, perfecting the invention and performing various experiments. So, who is this “Robinson” whose name has been connected with the invention of the anemometer? He was an astronomer and also the director of the Armagh Astronomical Observatory in Armagh, United Kingdom. The faster the wind goes, the faster the rod rotates. The cups catch the wind, moving the arms and rotating the rod. At the center, the arms are attached to a vertical rod. The device developed by Robinson includes three or four cups that are connected to horizontal arms.

The anemometer was believed to have been created by John Thomas Romney Robinson, in 1846 that is why the cup anemometer is also known as “the Robinson cup anemometer”. In 1994, Andrews Pflitsch developed the sonic anemometer. Derek Wilson added the feature of measuring wind direction, in 1991. Later, in 1926, John Patterson (1872-1956), a Canadian meteorologist came up with a three-cup anemometer.īrevoort and Joiner also improved Patterson’s version in 1935. Robert Hooke (1635-1703) developed a different version however, in 1846, John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792-1882) improved the device by using four hemispherical cups and mechanical wheels. In the centuries to follow, others developed their own versions, some of them even ended up being incorrectly credited as the inventor. Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472) is stated to have invented the first mechanical anemometer around 1450. This device has been through some changes since its development from the 15th century.