US 2014/0197637 A1 · WAVE POWER GENERATION DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

Abstract

A wave power generation device which eliminates addition of an adjustment mechanism relating to a change in a mass or a shape to a float and an external sensor such as a wave meter and can improve power generation efficiency by synchronizing a vertical movement of the float with all the wave periods while a manufacturing cost of the wave power generation device is suppressed and a method of controlling the same are provided. A wave power generation device has a controller which controls a torque of a power generator, and the controller has a configuration in which a displacement and a speed of a float are estimated from data of a rotation number or a rotation speed of the power generator, a wave period is estimated from the displacement and the speed, and a displacement coefficient corresponding to the wave period is determined from a data table stored in advance and a configuration in which a calculated product of the displacement coefficient and the displacement is transmitted as a torque command to the power generator so as to control a torque of the power generator.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A wave power generation device comprising:

a body;
a float configured to move vertically along the body;
a transmission mechanism configured to convert the vertical movement of the float to a rotary movement;
and
a power generator connected to the transmission mechanism, wherein
the wave power generation device has a controller configured to control a torque of the power generator;
and
the controller has:
either one of a configuration in which a displacement z and a speed z′ of the float are estimated from data of a rotation number or a rotation speed of the power generator, a wave period is estimated from the displacement z and the speed z′, and a displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period is determined from a data table stored in advance or a configuration in which the displacement z and the speed z′ of the float are obtained from an acceleration sensor installed in the float, the wave period is estimated from the displacement z and the speed z′, and the displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period is determined from the data table;
and
a configuration in which a product calculated from the displacement coefficient A and the displacement z is transmitted as a torque command Tq1 to the power generator so as to control a torque of the power generator.

8 more elements

A method of controlling a wave power generation device having a body, a float configured to move vertically along the body, a transmission mechanism configured to convert the vertical movement of the float to a rotary movement, a power generator connected to the transmission mechanism, and a controller configured to control a torque of the power generator, the method comprising:

a data obtaining step of causing the controller to obtain a rotation number or a rotation speed of the power generator;
a float state estimating step of estimating a displacement z and a speed z′ of the float from data obtained in the data obtaining step;
a wave state estimating step of estimating a wave period from the displacement z and the speed z′:
a coefficient determining step of determining a displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period from a data table stored in advance;
and
a torque control step of transmitting a product calculated from the displacement coefficient A and the displacement z as a torque command Tq1 to the power generator so as to control the torque of the power generator.

3 more elements

a wave state estimating step of causing the controller to obtain a displacement z and a speed z′ of the float from an acceleration sensor installed in the float so as to estimate a wave period from the displacement z and the speed z′;
a coefficient determining step of determining a displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period from a data table stored in advance;
and
a torque control step of transmitting a product calculated from the displacement coefficient A and the displacement z as a torque command Tq1 to the power generator so as to control the torque of the power generator.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Wave power generation device and method of controlling the same

Life of this patent

Wave power generation device and method of controlling the same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9