Wave-powered autonomous plankton collector
OwnerJohn Hincks Dukeinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An autonomous submersible vessel employs ambient wave energy to both propel itself and to generate required onboard electrical power. The vessel comprises a ballast stabilized stator portion and a rotor portion with wings rotated by wave-induced orbital water particle motion. Phased power generation resists rotor portion rotation when the horizontal component of water motion is in the desired direction of navigation, so increased hydrodynamic drag at that time acts to pull the vessel forward. The vessel further comprises a means to collect and preserve plankton samples. The vessel design enables alternate operation as an oceanographic glider to also navigate in deep water and in calm seas.
Claims11
A vessel that comprises:
- a ballast stabilized stator portion,
- a rotor portion that rotates about a vessel axis in response to wave-induced orbital water particle motion, and
- one or more power generators driven by the relative rotation of the rotor portion about the stator portion, where
- the generators are configured to phase power generation when the horizontal component of water motion is in a desired direction of navigation.
A combined method of propelling a vessel and generating onboard power, the method comprising:
- operating in a volume of water with wave-induced orbital water particle motions,
- moving a set of one or more vessel appendages with respect to the vessel in response to a hydrodynamic force of the wave-induced orbital water particle motions,
- generating power by appendage movement in phase with water particle motion in a desired direction of navigation,
- resisting appendage movement in equal and opposite reaction to the power generating force according to Newton's Third Law,
- increasing hydrodynamic drag on the appendages resulting from resistance to appendage movement, and
- propelling the vessel in the desired direction of navigation by phased hydrodynamic drag in the desired direction of navigation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.