Abstract: The present invention constitutes a rain sampling device adapted for independent operation at locations remote from the user which allows rainfall to be sampled in accordance with any schedule desired by the user. The rain sampling device includes a mechanism for directing wet precipitation into a chamber, a chamber for temporarily holding the precipitation during the process of collection, a valve mechanism for controllably releasing samples of said precipitation from said chamber, a means for distributing the samples released from the holding chamber into vessels adapted for permanently retaining these samples, and an electrical mechanism for regulating the operation of the device.

Abstract: In glass bottle inspection, a pulse of acoustic wave is injected into a portion of the glass bottle forming a closed path for the propagation of the acoustic wave pulse so that the injected acoustic wave pulse travels round the closed plath, and acoustic wave pulse is detected while it is travelling round the closed path. Whether there is a defect along the closed path is judged in accordance with the magnitude of the detected acoustic wave pulse.

Abstract: In general, used beer, alcoholic drink or medical bottles are collected to be used again. Such used returnable bottles often have defects such as dust and contaminant or cracks, and they must be removed from the bottles before or after the bottle cleaning process. This invention positively satisfies such a requirement. The electro-optic inspection system according to this invention uses a polarized, scanned optical beam and an array of polaroid optical detectors and a logic signal processing system thereby to securely detect the defects on the transparent or semitransparent containers.