JP2005315193A - Floating body type water surface wave energy conversion device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device converting energy of water surface wave to mechanical power at high efficiency as compared with one conventionally devised, capable of operating in a weak wave water zone. <P>SOLUTION: A floating body is freely lowered when the same lowers and only energy when the floating body rises is converted to power. Weak wave energy is effectively converted to power by accumulating power in a elastic body. Height of the device is lowered by lowering and rising the device whole body in a matching manner with the tide level, and an upper part of the device is used for another purpose. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

    The present invention relates to an apparatus for converting energy of waves on a water surface into mechanical energy.

A method of suspending a floating body and obtaining rotational force from this vertical movement has been tried for a long time, but in this method, it is necessary to provide a guide rail so that the floating body is not washed away by the ocean current.
In order to obtain large energy with this method, it is necessary to make the floating body heavy. However, since the heavy floating body has strong inertia, it is difficult to move up and down with a small wave. Thus, it is difficult to increase the efficiency in the method of converting the energy when the floating body descends.

    Although a method has been devised in which a shaft and a bearing are installed on the quay and a floating body is attached to the tip of a lever extending from the shaft to the sea surface, there is a drawback that the obtained rotation angle is very small. To compensate for this drawback, a transmission with a high speed ratio is required. Degradation of the efficiency due to the deflection of the lever is also great, and increasing the rigidity of the lever increases the weight, making it difficult to operate with small waves.

Most of the conventional techniques occupy the coastline, and it has been impossible or difficult to use together with other facilities. There was also a problem of damaging the nearby landscape.
JP-A-10-238450 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-171577 JP-A-7-293420 Edited by Hideo Kondo “Ocean Energy Utilization Technology” Morikita Publishing

    The conventional technology cannot be operated in water areas with weak waves. Moreover, since it occupies the area where the device is installed, it cannot be used together with other purposes. There was also a problem that damaged the landscape.

In order to convert weak wave energy into power, the floating body must be as light as possible. However, since the light floating body has a small energy at the time of descent, if the energy at the time of descent is converted into power, the descent speed will be remarkably slow or will not descent. The device will not operate unless the floating body is raised and lowered.
In order to prevent this, it is configured such that when the floating body is lowered, it is lowered freely and only the energy at the time of rising is converted into power.

    In order to convert short wave energy into power, it is desirable that the size of the floating body be small. However, since a small floating body has a small buoyancy, the energy at the time of rising is also small, and as a result, waves are reflected or passed without obtaining power. In order to prevent this, after the weak energy at the time of rising of the floating body is converted into a rotational force, it is configured to be temporarily stored in an elastic body such as a spring. Once enough energy is stored to operate the device, the device will begin to operate naturally. Also, this mechanism can convert irregular and intermittent wave motion into energy with little fluctuation.

    In order to use the energy converted from sea surface waves in onshore facilities, it is desirable to install the converter on the coast. However, many coasts have already been used for various purposes, and new development is not preferable from the viewpoint of protecting the natural environment. In the present invention, the converter itself is floated on the surface of the water so that the converter moves up and down according to the tide level. As a result, the height of the conversion device can be reduced, and the upper portion of the device can be used for various purposes such as a house, a port, a factory, an amusement park, and a road. Also, the nearby scenery is not damaged.

    The motion of the water surface wave is not only a simple vertical direction, but also a motion that flows down the inclined water surface and a minute motion due to surface tension. Thus, in order to convert the movements in various directions that occur on the water surface into the rising movement of the floating body, the floating body has a shape having an inclination angle with respect to the water surface.

    Since the present invention is configured so as to convert the motion of minute water surface waves into mechanical energy, it can be operated in a bay or a port where waves are weak. Moreover, since the height of the mechanical device is low, the upper part can be used for various purposes, and the surrounding scenery is not impaired.

    Since the present invention obtains mechanical power from water surface waves, it is installed on the sea surface. In order to make effective use of the obtained power, it is used as a power source in the upper part of the apparatus or in a nearby facility. The rotational force may be used directly as a power source for facilities, but it is also conceivable to use it as a power source for generators and air compressors in order to expand the range of use.

    FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a drive unit of the device of the present invention. The driving floating body 5, the driving guide rail 23, and the driving rack 6 move up and down by waves. The upward movement of the drive rack 6 is transmitted to the drive shaft 9 via the drive pinion 7 and the drive one-way clutch 8. One end of the drive shaft 9 is attached to the drive unit main body 12 via a fixed one-way clutch 10. The other end of the drive shaft 9 is connected to the intermediate shaft 24 via the elastic body 11 and transmits a rotational force to the drive sprocket 13. On the other hand, when the drive floating body 5 is lowered, the drive one-way clutch 8 idles. Further, since the rotational force stored in the elastic body 11 is held by the fixed one-way clutch, the driving floating body 5 is quickly lowered by its own weight.

    FIG. 2 is a front view of the apparatus of the present invention, and a plurality of drive units 1 are attached to the main body frame 15. The rotational force of each drive unit 1 and main body pinion 20 is transmitted to the collective shaft 14 via the chain 18. The rotation of the collective shaft 14 is converted into an optimum rotation by the transmission 19 and the generator 3 is operated.

    FIG. 3 is an external view of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. Since the entire device floats on the water surface, the device can maintain a certain distance from the water surface regardless of the tide level. For this reason, since the length of the drive rack 6 and the drive guide rail 23 can be shortened, the height of the entire apparatus can be reduced, and a facility can be provided in the upper part of the apparatus. Moreover, since the inertial force of the floating body can be reduced by shortening the lengths of the drive rack 6 and the drive guide rail 23, the efficiency of the apparatus is improved. Since the fixed rack 16 and the mooring guide rail 22 are fixed to the quay 2 and the main body pinion 20 moves up and down while meshing with this, the vertical movement of the water level is converted into rotational movement.

    It can be used as an energy supply source for houses, factories, and various other facilities in the coastal area. In addition, various disasters such as coastal erosion and ship damage caused by waves can be reduced.

1 is a schematic view of a drive unit of the device of the present invention. It is a front view of this invention apparatus. It is an external appearance of the Example of this invention apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 Drive unit
2 Quay
3 Generator
4 Body support floating body
5 Driving float
6 Drive rack
7 Drive pinion
8 drive one-way clutch
9 Drive shaft
10 Fixed one-way clutch
11 Elastic body (spring, rubber, etc.)
12 Drive unit body
13 Drive sprocket
14 Collective axis
15 Body frame
16 Fixed rack
17 Housing, factory, etc.
18 chain
19 transmission
20 body pinion
21 cable
22 Mooring guide rail
23 Drive guide rail
24 intermediate shaft
25-shaft sprocket

Claims (5)

A conversion device that uses a one-way clutch to move freely by the weight of the floating body when the floating body descends, and convert and utilize only the energy when the floating body rises to rotational motion. A conversion device that obtains smooth rotation with little change by effectively using weak water wave energy by storing irregular kinetic energy and potential energy in an elastic body such as a spring through a floating body. A conversion device that can be used for multiple purposes by floating the device itself on the surface of the water and moving it up and down as the tides rise and fall to lower the height of the device itself. A conversion device with an angled floating body that efficiently converts the energy of waves in various directions into ascending motion by making the vicinity of the waterline have an angle with the water surface. A conversion device that converts the vertical movement of the water surface into a rotational motion by installing a rack on the quay and moving the pinion attached to the floating body while meshing with the rack.

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