# US 2014/0197637 A1 · Wave power generation device and method of controlling the same

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- Number: US 2014/0197637 A1
- Document ID: US20140197637A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/157,038
- Filed: 2014-01-16
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-17
- Assignees: Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kunio Nakano; Hiroyuki Nakagawa; Shogo Miyajima; Takashi Kawaguchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197637A1

## CPC

- F03B 15/00: Controlling (controlling in general G05 {; regulation of plants characterised by the use of siphons F03B13/086})
- F03B 13/1845: {and the wom slides relative to the rem}
- 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)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The wave power generation device according to claim 1, wherein
the controller has:
a configuration in which a speed coefficient B is determined in addition to the displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period from the data table; and
a configuration in which a sum obtained by adding a product of the speed coefficient B and the speed z′ to the product of the displacement coefficient A and the displacement z is transmitted as a torque command Tq2 to the power generator so as to control the torque of the power generator.

### Claim 3

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.

### Claim 4

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 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.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of controlling a wave power generation device according to claim 3, the method further comprising:
a coefficient determining step of causing the controller to determine a speed coefficient B in addition to the displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period from the data table stored in advance; and
a torque control step of causing the controller to transmit a sum obtained by adding a product of the speed coefficient B and the speed z′ to the product of the displacement coefficient A and the displacement z as a torque command Tq2 to the power generator so as to control the torque of the power generator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method of controlling a wave power generation device according to claim 3, the method further comprising:
the wave state estimating step of causing the controller to estimate a wave height in addition to the wave period; and
the coefficient determining step of causing the controller to determine at least a displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period and the wave height from the data table stored in advance.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of controlling a wave power generation device according to claim 4, the method further comprising:
a coefficient determining step of causing the controller to determine a speed coefficient B in addition to the displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period from the data table stored in advance; and
a torque control step of causing the controller to transmit a sum obtained by adding a product of the speed coefficient B and the speed z to the product of the displacement coefficient A and the displacement z as a torque command Tq2 to the power generator so as to control the torque of the power generator.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The method of controlling a wave power generation device according to claims 4, the method further comprising:
the wave state estimating step of causing the controller to estimate a wave height in addition to the wave period; and
the coefficient determining step of causing the controller to determine at least a displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period and the wave height from the data table stored in advance.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The method of controlling a wave power generation device according to claims 5, the method further comprising:
the wave state estimating step of causing the controller to estimate a wave height in addition to the wave period; and
the coefficient determining step of causing the controller to determine at least a displacement coefficient A corresponding to the wave period and the wave height from the data table stored in advance.