System and method for converting ocean wave energy into electricity
AssigneeNeptune Wave Power, LLC
InventorSteven C. Hench
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for harnessing power associated with ocean waves and converting that power into electricity. The apparatus is a buoy that houses a vertically oriented central shaft, a pendulum, a generator mechanism, and other components that synergistically operate to optimize power output of the buoy. Both the load on the pendulum and the effective length of the pendulum may be varied in response to changing environmental conditions. Also, the buoy may be part of a network that shares environmental data and a series of best tuning responses to that data, across the network. A library of environmental data and associated tuning responses is built at a central location and shared across the network.
Claims19
A computer readable medium, said medium comprising:
- logic for measuring environmental conditions;
- logic for determining an optimized pendulum setting for said measured conditions;
- and
- logic for varying the effective length of said pendulum or the resistance placed upon said pendulum to optimize power output of said pendulum according to said determined optimized pendulum setting.
A method of optimizing power output of a pendulum rotating under the influence of wave motion, said method comprising:
- evaluating power output of said pendulum;
- optimizing the power output by varying in the effective length of said pendulum or the resistance placed upon said pendulum;
- and
- measuring environmental conditions and optimizing the power output of said pendulum in response to said measuring;
- wherein said measuring environmental conditions is performed remote from said pendulum.
A method of optimizing power output of a pendulum rotating under the influence of wave motion, said method comprising:
- evaluating power output of said pendulum;
- and
- optimizing the power output of said pendulum by varying the effective length of said pendulum or the resistance placed upon said pendulum;
- wherein said optimization of the power output is performed remote from said pendulum.
A method of optimizing power output of a pendulum rotating under the influence of wave motion, said method comprising:
- evaluating power output of said pendulum;
- optimizing the power output of said pendulum by varying the effective length of said pendulum or the resistance placed upon said pendulum;
- and
- storing at least one optimized pendulum setting associated with a first set of measured environmental conditions.
A method of optimizing power output of a pendulum rotating under the influence of wave motion, said method comprising:
- evaluating power output of said pendulum;
- optimizing the power output of said pendulum by varying the effective length of said pendulum or the resistance placed upon said pendulum;
- and
- determining instructions to achieve said optimization;
- wherein said instructions are retrieved from a central location.
A power optimization network, said network comprising:
- a first plurality of buoys, said buoys comprising at least one pendulum generating power under the influence of wave motion and a communication module for transmitting information relating to power output of said pendulum;
- and
- a first central station in communication with said first plurality of buoys, said first central location comprising a database for storing said transmitted information and transmitting instructions comprising one or more pendulum settings optimized according to said power output information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.