US 6,681,572 B2Granted

Wave power machine

OwnerEdward Floryinventor

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A pair of articulated rods connect between a float and a pair of shafts through a one-way clutch on the respectively shafts. When a float rises an “up” connecting rod causes the “up” shaft to rotate as its clutch is engaged, and when the float falls, that clutch disengages, allowing that shaft to freewheel. Likewise when the float falls a “down” connecting rod causes the “down” clutch to engage and the “down” shaft to rotate, typically rotating opposite the rotation of the “up” shaft. When the float reverses and begins to rise again, the “down” clutch disengages and the “up” clutch reengages. A connecting rod hand member connected pivotably to the forearm at a wrist joint is adjustable in length. The wrist joint adjusts the effective length of the hand member to change the stroke of the machine to match wave amplitude through a computer-controlled pneumatic actuator. A plurality of floats with their attendant connecting rods and clutches typically are connected in series along the two shafts out of phase to track a passing wave such that the shafts continually rotate through input of one or more rising and falling floats.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A wave machine comprising

a first power unit including
a float,
an up one-way clutch,
a down one-way clutch,
an up connecting rod connected between the float and the up one-way clutch,
a down connecting rod connected between the float and the down one-way clutch with down motion of the down connecting rod causing the down clutch to at least partially rotate, the float adapted to float in water laterally and vertically unconstrained except parallel to the drive shafts by attachment of the connecting rods to the float,
an up drive gear,
an up drive shaft connected axially to the up drive gear with the up one-way clutch connected to the drive shaft, up motion of the up connecting rod causing the up drive shaft to at least partially rotate,
a down drive gear engaging the up drive gear,
a down shaft connected axially to the down drive gear with the down one-way clutch connected to the down shaft down motion of the down connecting rod causing the down drive shaft to at least partially rotate,
the up drive gear and down drive gear mechanically connected to a power consuming means
wherein each of said up and down connecting rods comprises an articulated upper arm with one end connected to the drive one-way clutch and another end pivotably connected at an elbow joint to one end of a forearm member with a forearm other end pivotably connected at a wrist joint to one end of a hand member with another end of the hand member connected to the float.

9 more elements

A wave machine comprising

a plurality of power extraction units each including
a float,
a up one-way clutch,
a down one-way clutch,
a up one-way clutch connecting rod connected between the float and the up one-way clutch,
a down one-way clutch connecting rod connected between the float and the down one-way clutch with down motion of the connecting rod causing the down one-way clutch to partially rotate, the float adapted to float in water laterally and vertically unconstrained except parallel to the drive shafts by attachment of the connecting rods to the float,
wherein each of said up and down connecting rods comprises
an articulated upper arm with one end connected to the drive one-way clutch and another end pivotably connected at an elbow joint to one end of a forearm member with a forearm other end pivotably connected at a wrist joint to one end of a hand member with another end of the hand member connected to the float,
an up connecting gear,
an up shaft connected axially to the up connecting gear with the up one-way clutch connected thereto with up motion of the connecting rod causing the up shaft to at least partially rotate,
a down connecting gear engaging the up connecting gear,
a down shaft connected axially to the down connecting gear with the down one-way clutch connected thereto with down motion of the connecting rod causing the down shaft to at least partially rotate, with each up one-way clutch and each down one-way clutch connected respectively along the up shaft and down shaft such that the float of each unit rises and falls out of phase with adjacent floats therein impelling the drive shafts to rotate as a wave passes under the floats in succession, each unit contributing to the rotation of the shafts at a phase different from another unit,
an output gear mechanically connected to the up drive gear and the down drive gear,
a power consuming means,
a transmission connected between the power consuming means and the output gear,
a drive one-way clutch connected between the power consuming means and the output gear,
a flywheel connected between the power consuming means and the output gear,
a electricity generator connected to the output gear.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/998,853Filed 15 Nov 2001
Published: US 2003/0091393 A115 May 2003
Granted: 27 Jan 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

F03B 13/1815
For limited rotation: with an up-and-down movement
E02B 9/08
Water-power plants; Layout, construction or equipment, methods of, or apparatus for, making same: tide or wave power plants
F05B 2240/40
Components: use of a multiplicity of similar components
Y02E 10/30
Energy generation through renewable energy sources: energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient