# US 10,480,481 B2 · Renewable energy generation based on water waves

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- Number: US 10,480,481 B2
- Document ID: US10480481B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/364,074
- Filed: 2019-03-25
- Published: 2019-07-18
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2014-09-25
- Assignees: Eip Technologies, Inc.
- Applicants: Eip Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Steve Burkle
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480481B2

## CPC

- F03B 13/12: characterised by using wave or tide energy
- F03B 13/10: Submerged units incorporating electric generators or motors
- F03B 13/142: {which creates an oscillating water column}
- F03B 13/1845: {and the wom slides relative to the rem}
- F03B 13/24: to produce a flow of air, e.g. to drive an air turbine {(F03B13/142 takes precedence)}
- H02K 35/02: with moving magnets and stationary coil systems
- H02P 9/04: Control effected upon non-electric prime mover and dependent upon electric output value of the generator
- F03B 15/00: Controlling (controlling in general G05 {; regulation of plants characterised by the use of siphons F03B13/086})
- F05B 2220/7068: equipped with permanent magnets
- Y02E 10/20: Hydro energy
- Y02E 10/30: Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient
- F03B: MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS (positive-displacement engines for liquid F03C; machines for liquids and gases F01; positive-displacement machines for liquids F04, rotary fluid gearing of the hydrokinetic type F16H41/00)
- H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53})
- H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
- F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for wave power generation. In one aspect, a wave power generator device includes a stator assembly and a rotor assembly encased within a tube frame. The stator assembly includes an array of inductor coils in a fixed position within a cavity of the tube frame and a plurality of bearings coupled to the tube frame. The rotor assembly includes a turbine rotor having a central hub and peripheral blades coupled to a high inertia annular flywheel that is moveably engaged with the bearings of the stator assembly, and an array of magnets arranged to be evenly spaced and of alternating axial polarity from one another extending from the annular flywheel into the cavity between the array of inductor coils, such that electric currents are produced based on magnetic field interaction of the magnets with the inductor coils during the rotation of the annular flywheel.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A wave power generator device for converting water wave power into electricity, comprising:
a frame including an open interior and a support base on each end of the frame, the frame operable to interface with and to receive an airflow caused by a water wave;
a stator assembly encased in the frame, including:
an array of inductor coils fixed in position with respect to the support base, and
an array of bearings arranged along the support base, the bearings operable to roll to allow a surface in contact with the bearings to move with respect to the stator assembly; and
a rotor assembly encased in the frame, including:
a flywheel having a hollow interior and an outer wall to provide the flywheel with a high inertia,
a turbine rotor attached to the flywheel at a particular plane along the hollow interior, wherein the turbine rotor includes a disk and a plurality of blades protruding from the disk and wherein the rotor assembly does not include a rotary shaft in the center of the disk, and
an array of magnets arranged on the outer wall of the flywheel to be of alternating axial polarity from one another such that the magnets move with the rotor assembly with respect to the array of inductor coils as the flywheel rotates with respect to the stator assembly, such that relative motion between the magnets and the inductor coils causes generation of electric currents in the inductor coils,
wherein the rotor assembly is engaged to the bearings of the stator assembly such that the flywheel is operable to rotate by rolling motion of the bearings when the received airflow enters the hollow interior and causes the turbine rotor to rotate for conversion of the water wave power into the electric currents in the inductor coils.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, wherein the support base includes openings on each side of the frame leading to the open interior, and wherein the device further comprises a detachable cover for covering the openings and provide a watertight seal of the frame.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a set of threaded holes along an outer surface of the support base to fit a standard pipe flange bolt pattern.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, further comprising:
an electronic module electrically coupled to the array of inductor coils to receive the electric currents from the inductor coils.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, wherein the rotor assembly is operable to slowly spin based on an airflow to initially drive the turbine rotor and cause the rotor assembly to rotate, such that during slow rotation of the rotor assembly magnetic flux circulates at high speed through the through the circular array of inductor coils to generate AC electric power.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The wave power generator device of claim 5, wherein the generated AC electric power includes pure sinusoid AC power, wherein voltage and frequency of the AC electric power increases with increasing speed of the rotor assembly to provide synchronous power.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The wave power generator device of claim 6, the device further comprising:
a plurality of electronic modules electrically coupled to the inductor coils to receive the synchronous power, wherein the electronic modules are wired together in series to provide a high voltage DC output.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, wherein the inductor coils are configured in independent inductor modules that operate independently from one module to another,
wherein each inductor module includes (i) three adjacent inductor coils that are connected to one another to form a 3-phase inductor module to so that the phases of the three adjacent inductor coils are separated by one third of a cycle to collectively produce an AC output current from three currents respectively generated by the three adjacent inductor coils, and (ii) a rectifier circuit coupled to receive the AC output current and to produce a DC output voltage.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The wave power generator device of claim 8, wherein the independent inductor modules are configured as independent inductor module groups where each inductor module group includes three or more inductor modules, the inductor modules within each inductor module group are coupled to produce an inductor module group output, and different inductor module groups are separated and operate independently from one to another.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The wave power generator device of claim 9, wherein each inductor module group includes:
a mode-switching circuit in a selected inductor module in the inductor module group and coupled to the rectifier circuit of the selected inductor module to inactivate the rectifier circuit to allow the selected inductor module to operate in an AC mode for producing an AC output or to activate the rectifier circuit to allow the select inductor module to operate in an DC mode for producing an DC output, and
a control circuit coupled to the mode-switching circuit to control the operation the mode-switching circuit in switching the selected inductor module between the AC mode and the DC mode.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The wave power generator device of claim 10, wherein each inductor module group includes:
a sensing circuit coupled in the selected inductor module in the inductor module group that senses a rotation condition of the rotor assembly based on timing and magnitudes of currents in the inductor coils within the selected inductor module and, based on the sensed rotation condition, the control circuit is configured to control the AC mode operation of the selected inductor module in response to the received airflow condition to accelerate or decelerate the rotation of the rotor assembly so that the rotation of the rotor assembly varies dynamically with a received airflow condition of compressed air within the rotor assembly to maximize an efficiency in converting wave power into electricity.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The wave power generator device of claim 11, wherein the control circuit includes a digital signal processor that is programed with software to control, based on the sensed rotation condition from the sensing circuit, the AC and DC modes of operation of the selected inductor module in the inductor module group.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The wave power generator device of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the inductor coils within the selected inductor module to cause the rotation of the rotor assembly to be in (i) a coasting mode which maintains a constant speed of the rotation of the rotor assembly at a given received airflow condition and produces a DC output of the wave power generator device, (ii) a motoring mode which speeds up the rotation of the rotor assembly while reducing a DC output of the wave power generator device, or (iii) a generating mode which slows down the rotation of the rotor assembly while increasing the a DC output of the wave power generator device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The wave power generator device of claim 13, wherein the control circuit is configured to control, based on the sensed rotation condition from the sensing circuit, the selected inductor module to operate in or switch to one of the coasting mode, the motoring mode, or the generating mode to dynamically synchronize operation of the wave power generator device to the received airflow condition and a load condition that draws power from the wave power generator device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, wherein each inductor coil includes a first half inductor coil part that includes a first magnetic core and a first conductor wire coil that winds around the first magnetic core and a second half inductor coil part that includes a second magnetic core and a second conductor wire coil that winds around the second magnetic core, and the first and second half inductor coil parts are positioned at opposite sides of a plane in which the magnets of the outer wall of the flywheel rotate to position the magnets between the first and second half inductor coil parts.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, wherein the outer wall of the flywheel includes two or more walls made of a high-density material.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The wave power generator device of claim 16, wherein the two or more walls of the outer wall include a thickness of at least ½ inch.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, wherein the outer wall of the flywheel includes a high-density material including one or more of a stainless steel, aluminum, an epoxy resin, or concrete.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The wave power generator device of claim 1, wherein the wave power generation device is interfaced with an oscillating water column that is able to receive water waves and produce outward airflow as a result of the water waves entering the oscillating water column, such that the outward airflow is fed into the wave power generation device to affect the rotation of the turbine rotor for conversion of water wave energy into the electric currents in the inductor coils.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The wave power generator device of claim 19, wherein the generation of the electric currents in the in the inductor coils is based on rotation of the flywheel on the bearings at least initially caused by oscillating airflow into and out of the hollow interior to initiate rotation of the turbine rotor in one direction, such that flywheel is operable to rotate without continuous oscillating airflow caused by water waves so that the electric currents are produced based on the interaction of magnetic fields from the magnets with the inductor coils during the rotation of the flywheel including during absence of the oscillating airflow.

### Claim 21

A method for generating electricity from water wave energy, comprising:
receiving an airflow caused by a water wave into an interior of a wave power generator device to affect rotation of a rotor assembly in the wave power generator device, the device comprising a stator assembly and the rotor assembly encased within a frame, the frame including an open interior and a support base on each end of the frame, the stator assembly including an array of inductor coils in a fixed position with respect to the support base and an array of bearings arranged along the support base, and the rotor assembly including a turbine rotor having a disk and peripheral blades and that is coupled to a flywheel that is engaged with the bearings and an array of magnets arranged on an outer wall of the flywheel to be of alternating axial polarity from one another such that the magnets move with the rotor assembly with respect to the array of inductor coils as the flywheel rotates with respect to the stator assembly, such that relative motion between the magnets and the inductor coils causes generation of electric currents in the inductor coils; and
generating electrical power at the wave power generator device based on rotation of the flywheel on the bearings at least initially caused by the received airflow into and out of the interior of the rotor assembly to initiate rotation of the turbine rotor in one direction, such that electric currents are produced based on the interaction of magnetic fields from the magnets with the inductor coils during the rotation of the flywheel,
wherein the rotation steadily continues in absence of or reduced wave energy from the water waves.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the receiving the water waves includes receiving successive waves that create an oscillating air flow into and out of the wave power generator device while the rotor assembly continues the rotation in a constant direction and at a regulated speed fortified by the flywheel's inertia and electronic interactions to generate a steady electrical power output.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, further comprising:
transferring the generated electrical power to a power aggregation point of a power network, a power storage device, or a power consuming device.