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Wave energy transducer

  • US 20020195823A1
  • Filed: 06/26/2001
  • Published: 12/26/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for extracting power from the wave action of a body of water comprising:

  • at least one paddlewheel having opposing ends and positioned upon the surface of a body of water and having a horizontally oriented paddlewheel axis of rotation and blades extending radially relative to said axis of rotation, a pair of support posts anchored to the floor of said body of water and projecting upwardly to extend above the surface of said body of water and aligned with each other parallel to said paddlewheel axis of rotation, at least a pair of paddlewheel mounting arms each having first and second ends, and said first ends of said arms in each pair are secured to a separate one of said posts for rotation relative thereto about a common surge rotation axis parallel to said paddlewheel rotation axis, and said arms extend laterally from said posts above said body of water, floats secured to said paddlewheel mounting arms remote from said first ends thereof, couplings that mount said paddlewheel for rotation between said mounting arms and said floats to hold said paddlewheel axis of rotation above said surface of said body of water with some of said blades projecting into said body of water, and whereby wave action of said body of water rotates said blades to and fro in opposite directions about said paddlewheel axis of rotation, a pair of unidirectional drive mechanisms, coupled to said paddlewheel and arranged for engagement by rotation of said paddlewheel in opposite direction, whereby said unidirectional drive mechanisms are engaged to provide a driving output, one at a time, depending upon the direction in which said wave action of said body of water rotates said paddlewheel blades, and a power transducer coupled to receive driving inputs from said unidirectional drive mechanisms.

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