Abstract:
A weather station that generates a natural weather phenomenon to represent weather information to a user is disclosed. The weather station comprises a weather information module that obtains weather information, and a weather simulation module that generates a natural weather phenomenon using physical objects. In an embodiment, the weather station generates natural weather phenomenon for rainy, snowy, windy, sunny, cloudy and foggy weathers. Multiple such weather stations can be placed side-by-side to illustrate the weather forecast over a number of days in one locale.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to a device that presents weather information to a user. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    People rely on accurate weather forecasts for a myriad of reasons, such as arranging travel plans, deciding appropriate attire to wear, etc. Weather information presented to a user, however, may not be easily understood. For example, a user may not understand the language in which the information is presented or misinterpret the symbols used to represent the weather condition. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0003]    In the light of the foregoing background, it is an object of the present invention to provide an alternate weather station. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, the present invention, in one aspect, is a weather station comprising a weather information module that obtains weather information and a weather simulation module connected to the weather information module. The weather simulation module receives the weather information from the weather information module and presents the weather information to a user by generating a natural weather phenomenon in a defined area according to the weather information. 
         [0005]    In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the weather information and weather phenomenon include, but are not limited to, rainfall, sunshine, cloud cover, blowing wind, fog and snow. 
         [0006]    In an embodiment of the present invention, the weather station comprises a container with a water reservoir housed therein. A water dispensing mechanism delivers water stored within the water reservoir to a showering mechanism. When the weather information indicates to a rainy day, the water dispensing mechanism activates to simulate rainfall inside the container. 
         [0007]    In a variation of the above embodiment, the weather station comprises a container with a pool of foam balls and a foam ball dispensing system connected to the pool of foam balls. When snowy weather is indicated, the foam ball dispensing system activates to simulate snowfall within the container. 
         [0008]    In another aspect of the invention, a method for presenting weather information to a user in a defined area is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of obtaining said weather information and generating a natural weather phenomenon within the defined area according to the weather information obtained. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a weather station according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of a weather station according to an exemplary embodiment, indicating rainy weather. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary block diagram of the electronic circuitry in an embodiment. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart of operation of an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of a weather station according to an exemplary embodiment, indicating snowy weather. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of another exemplary embodiment indicating snowy weather. 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of a weather station according to an exemplary embodiment, indicating windy weather. 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a cross sectional view of a weather station according to an exemplary embodiment indicating sunny and cloudy weather. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0017]    As used herein and in the claims, “comprising” means including the following elements but not excluding others. 
         [0018]    As used herein and in the claims, “couple” refers to electrical coupling or connection either directly or indirectly via one or more electrical means unless otherwise stated. 
         [0019]    As used herein and in the claims, “natural weather phenomenon” refers to a weather phenomenon that occurs in nature. This includes, but is not limited to rain, snow, storm, hurricane, clear or cloudy sky, . . . , etc. “Generating or simulating a natural weather phenomenon” refers to a method of creating a three-dimensional scene that visually represents a natural weather phenomenon for the purpose of conveying the weather information to a user in a natural and intuitive way. Physical objects are used for generation of the natural weather phenomenon. This includes, but not limited to, the use of falling water droplets to represent rain, smoke or mist to represent fog, tiny plastic foam balls to represent snow, different colors of lights and objects appropriately shaped to represent sun and cloud, and air blowing to represent wind. 
         [0020]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 , the first embodiment of the present invention is a weather station  20  having a weather simulation module  21  and a weather information module  31 . The weather simulation module  21  comprises a container  22 , and a water reservoir  28  fillable with water  36  is installed at the bottom of the container  22 . A water pipe  34  connected to a water pump  32  has an inlet connected to the water reservoir  28  and an outlet connected to a shower head  24 . The shower head  24  is disposed to the top of the container with shower holes facing downwards. A light source  26  is also disposed inside the container. The weather simulation module  21  also comprises a microcontroller  33 . The microcontroller  33  and the weather information module  31  are included in electronic circuitry  30  that also controls the water pump  32 , the light source  26 , an audio output  37  and a display panel  38 . In one embodiment, the weather simulation module  21  is interchangeable. 
         [0021]    The function of the weather information module  31  is to obtain weather information. There is more than one way to obtain weather information. In one embodiment, the weather information module  31  comprises a plurality of sensors such as barometer or thermometer to obtain weather information of the surrounding environment of the weather station  20  by analyzing atmospheric pressure, temperature, or relative humidity, or other environmental conditions. In another embodiment, the weather information module  31  comprises a wired or wireless transceiver that communicates with an outside source, such as a personal computer, server, or a website, to obtain the weather information. In an exemplary embodiment, the type of weather obtained includes, but is not limited to, rainy, sunny, cloudy, windy, foggy and snowy. It is clear that weather types other than those mentioned above can also be implemented in exemplary embodiments. 
         [0022]    The operation of the weather station  20  is described in a flow chart as shown in  FIG. 4 . The weather information module  31  first obtains the weather information, either from the sensors (step  60 ) or an outside source (step  61 ). The weather information module  31  then interprets the information and sends the weather information to the microcontroller  33  (step  62 ). According to the weather information, the microcontroller  33  controls different components of the weather simulation module  21  to generate a natural weather phenomenon to simulate the type of weather obtained (step  64 ). Some examples of the simulation of different weather types (steps  66 ,  68  and  70 ) are described below. 
         [0023]    When “rainy” is indicated as the weather type, the microcontroller  33  activates the water pump  32  to deliver water  36  from the water reservoir  28  through the water pipe  34  to the shower head  24 . The shower head  24  then sprays the water  36  downwards to produce a rainfall effect. The water  36  drops into the water reservoir  28  so that a water flow loop is complete and no water is lost in the loop. In one embodiment, the light source  26  also emits blue light to illuminate the water droplets such that the water  36  appears blue to the user. 
         [0024]    In one embodiment, the microcontroller  33  further controls the speed of water pumping and spraying according to the rate of rainfall. If the weather information indicates heavy rain, the pumping and spraying rate is higher, whereas when only a drizzle is indicated, the pumping rate is lower. The rate of rainfall is reflected in this embodiment to provide a more accurate presentation of the weather obtained. 
         [0025]    In another embodiment, the water  36  is colored or dyed with a fluorescent pigment that can absorb ambient light energy to create a fluorescent effect under conditions of low ambient light. Using this embodiment, the light source  26  is not needed to illuminate the droplets in low ambient light conditions. This embodiment is more power-efficient and also provides a sharper image to the user in dark surroundings. In one embodiment, the water pump  32  further comprises a water filter that filters water to keep micro-organisms from growing inside the container  22 . This increases the operating life of the weather station  20 . In an embodiment, the water filter is replaceable by the user. 
         [0026]    In another exemplary embodiment as shown in  FIG. 5 , a weather station  20  that generates a natural weather phenomenon indicating snowy weather is illustrated. A pool of tiny plastic foam balls  40  is provided inside the container  22 . A foam ball dispensing mechanism is installed inside the container  22 . In the dispensing mechanism, a conveyor belt  42  is installed with a bottom end in the pool and a top end at the top of the container  22 . A plate  44  provided with a plurality of openings  46  is coupled to the top of the conveyor belt. The size of the opening  46  is designed to allow only a single foam ball  40  to pass through at a time. When snowy weather is indicated, the electronic circuitry  30  activates the conveyor belt  42  to transfer the foam balls  40  upwards onto the top side of the plate  44 . The foam balls  40  then fall through the openings  46  and back into the pool. The foam balls  40  have a low density such that the falling speed is slower and are colored or painted white to imitate snow fall. 
         [0027]    In another exemplary embodiment as shown in  FIG. 6 , a suction pump  52  is installed at the top of the container  22 . When snowy weather is indicated, the microcontroller  33  activates the suction pump  52  to suck the foam balls  40  in the pool to the top of the container  22  through a hollow tube  54 . From the top of the container  22 , the foam balls  40  drop into the pool to imitate the snowfall phenomenon. The dropped foam balls  40  are ready to be sucked up again to form a loop. It is obvious that any other mechanisms that transfer foam balls  40  to the top can be used in lieu of the foam ball dispensing mechanism as shown in this embodiment. 
         [0028]    Windy weather can also be simulated using foam balls as illustrated in an embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . An air blowing mechanism having a fan  50  is disposed inside the container  22 . When windy weather is indicated, the fan  50  activates such that the foam balls  40  move around inside the container  22  as a representation of the windy weather. To disambiguate this with the simulation of snowy weather, the fan  50  is oriented to blow the foam balls  40  in a relatively horizontal direction. It is clear that other objects such as dust can serve the same purpose as the foam balls  40 . In another embodiment, soft paper or cloth objects, shaped in the form of a flag or leaves hanging on a tree trunk, can be placed inside the container  22 . When the fan  50  blows, the wind it generates causes the paper or cloth objects to wave, showing the natural effect of windy condition. In another embodiment, the speed of the fan can be adjusted according to the weather information received, thus showing gentle breeze against stormy weather conditions. It is clear that suction pumps can also be oriented appropriately to achieve the same effect. 
         [0029]    Visual representations of other weather conditions are also possible. In one embodiment, sunny weather is represented by having the light source emitting red light while cloudy weather is represented by blue light. In another embodiment as shown in  FIG. 8 , a sun-shaped object  56  and a cloud-shaped object  58  are used to represent the weather more clearly to the user. An object displacing mechanism  57  is connected to the objects through a length of wire  59 . The sun-shaped object  56  is lowered from a covered area  55  by extending the wire  59  to be visible by the user when sunny weather is indicated. At the same time, the wire  59  connected to the cloud-shaped object  58  retracts so that the cloud-shaped object  58  moves upwards into the covered area  55  to hide from the user, and vice versa. The light source  26  still emits red or blue light according to the weather type. In yet another embodiment, the light source  26  of the corresponding color is housed inside the sun-shaped object  56  and the cloud-shaped object  58  respectively. 
         [0030]    In one embodiment, foggy weather is simulated by generating mist within the container  22 . In an exemplary embodiment, the mist is generated from the water  36  in the water reservoir  28  as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0031]    Some of the above ideas can also be combined. In an embodiment, the electric fan  50  is added to the embodiment as shown in  FIG. 2 . Weather types such as thunderstorm can be represented by activating both the electric fan  50  and the water pump  32 , as well as having the light source  26  flash at a certain rate at the same time to simulate wind, rain and lightning respectively. An audio device can also be added to output a thunder sound to provide a more realistic effect. 
         [0032]    The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are thus fully described. Although the description referred to particular embodiments, it will be clear to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with variation of these specific details. Hence this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. 
         [0033]    It is clear to one skilled in the art that other weather information such as temperature, humidity, or non-weather information such as time can also be displayed to the user through the display panel  38  while the natural weather phenomenon is presented to the user. 
         [0034]    In one embodiment, the user has an option to change the time or place that the weather information is to be displayed. In an embodiment, the time or place is selected from the display panel  38 . 
         [0035]    Multiple containers  22  can be attached together to provide weather information on multiple times or different locales at the same time. For example, the first container displays the weather information today and the second container displays the weather forecast tomorrow, or the first container displays the weather information of the surroundings and the second container displays the weather information of a distant city. In another embodiment, the user can also choose the time and place for each container  22  independently. 
         [0036]    The weather station can also combine laser-engraving crystal technology into the unit. An example of the application of the technology is by using a crystal to represent a cloud and different colors of light is shone at the cloud to indicate the different possibilities of raining in the near future. 
         [0037]    Other than using physical objects, one embodiment can also use optical techniques such as three-dimensional holography to project a three-dimensional image that represents the weather type to the user.