Anemometer
Anemometer
History
The anemometer has changed little since its development in the 15th century. Alberti is
said to have invented it around 1450. In the ensuing centuries numerous others,
including Robert Hooke (1635–1703), developed their own versions, with some
mistakenly credited as its inventor. In 1846, Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882)
improved the design by using four hemispherical cups and mechanical wheels. In 1926,
Canadian meteorologist John Patterson (1872–1956) developed a three-cup
anemometer, which was improved by Brevoort and Joiner in 1935. In 1991, Derek
Weston added the ability to measure wind direction. In 1994, Andreas Pflitsch
developed the sonic anemometer.[1]
Velocity anemometers
Cup anemometers
Cup anemometer animation
A simple type of anemometer was invented in 1845 by Rev. Dr. John Thomas Romney
Robinson of Armagh Observatory. It consisted of four hemispherical cups on horizontal
arms mounted on a vertical shaft. The air flow past the cups in any horizontal direction
turned the shaft at a rate roughly proportional to the wind's speed. Therefore, counting
the shaft's revolutions over a set time interval produced a value proportional to the
average wind speed for a wide range of speeds. This type of instrument is also called
a rotational anemometer.