Next Article in Journal
Improving Indoor WiFi Localization by Using Machine Learning Techniques
Previous Article in Journal
Comparative Approach to De-Noising TEMPEST Video Frames
Previous Article in Special Issue
Monoolein-Based Wireless Capacitive Sensor for Probing Skin Hydration
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

A Circular Touch Mode Capacitive Rainfall Sensor: Analytical Solution and Numerical Design and Calibration

1
School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
2
Key Laboratory of New Technology for Construction of Cities in Mountain Area (Chongqing University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400045, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sensors 2024, 24(19), 6291; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24196291 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 12 August 2024 / Revised: 18 September 2024 / Accepted: 27 September 2024 / Published: 28 September 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Low Cost Capacitive Sensors)

Abstract

A circular capacitive rainfall sensor can operate from non-touch mode to touch mode; that is, under the action of enough rainwater, its movable electrode plate can form a circular contact area with its fixed electrode plate. Therefore, the weight of rainwater is borne by only its movable electrode plate in non-touch mode operation but by both its movable and fixed electrode plates in touch mode operation, and the total capacitance of its touch mode operation is much larger than that of its non-touch mode operation. Essential to its numerical design and calibration is the ability to predict the deflection shape of its moveable electrode plate to determine its total capacitance. This requires the analytical solution to the fluid–structure interaction problem of its movable electrode plate under rainwater. In our previous work, only the analytical solution for the fluid–structure interaction problem before its movable electrode plate touches its fixed electrode plate was obtained, and how to numerically design and calibrate a circular non-touch mode capacitive rainfall sensor was illustrated. In this paper, the analytical solution for the fluid–structure interaction problem after its movable electrode plate touches its fixed electrode plate is obtained, and how to numerically design and calibrate a circular touch mode capacitive rainfall sensor is illustrated for the first time. The numerical results show that the total capacitance and rainwater volume when the circular capacitive rainfall sensor operates in touch mode is indeed much larger than that when the same circular capacitive rainfall sensor operates in non-touch mode, and that the average increase in the maximum membrane stress per unit rainwater volume when the circular capacitive rainfall sensor operates in touch mode can be about 20 times smaller than that when the same circular capacitive rainfall sensor operates in non-touch mode. This is where the circular touch mode capacitive rainfall sensor excels.
Keywords: capacitive sensor; rainfall measurement; large deflection; analytical solution; numerical calibration capacitive sensor; rainfall measurement; large deflection; analytical solution; numerical calibration

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

He, X.-T.; Ran, J.-S.; Wu, J.; Li, F.-Y.; Sun, J.-Y. A Circular Touch Mode Capacitive Rainfall Sensor: Analytical Solution and Numerical Design and Calibration. Sensors 2024, 24, 6291. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24196291

AMA Style

He X-T, Ran J-S, Wu J, Li F-Y, Sun J-Y. A Circular Touch Mode Capacitive Rainfall Sensor: Analytical Solution and Numerical Design and Calibration. Sensors. 2024; 24(19):6291. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24196291

Chicago/Turabian Style

He, Xiao-Ting, Jun-Song Ran, Ji Wu, Fei-Yan Li, and Jun-Yi Sun. 2024. "A Circular Touch Mode Capacitive Rainfall Sensor: Analytical Solution and Numerical Design and Calibration" Sensors 24, no. 19: 6291. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24196291

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop