Pliant or Compliant Elements for Harnessing the Forces of Moving Fluid to Transport Fluid or Generate Electricity
First Claim
1. A fluid transporting apparatus for transporting a first fluid, comprising:
- a polygonal tube comprised of flexible walls enclosing a first fluid passage and having a polygonal cross-section, with a plurality of tube edges corresponding to corners of the polygonal cross-section;
a plurality of flexible ribbons, each having a first longitudinal edge, a second longitudinal edge, and a contact surface,wherein each of the plurality of flexible ribbons is connected along the first longitudinal edge to one of the plurality of tube edges, andwherein the contact surface projects transverse to a longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of flexible ribbons, the longitudinal axis being oriented substantially parallel to a primary flow direction of a flowing second fluid, and the contact surface being disposed in contact with the flowing second fluid;
at least one deformation retaining component connected to one of the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge of at least one of the plurality of flexible ribbons;
at least one base member fixed with respect to the flowing second fluid and connected to the at least one deformation retaining component; and
wherein dynamic undulations of the plurality of flexible ribbons caused by the flowing second fluid impart forces via the flexible walls of the polygonal tube to a first fluid inside the first fluid passage to transport the first fluid along a longitudinal axis of the first fluid passage.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Pliant, or compliant mechanisms for extracting electrical energy or useful work from a moving fluid are described. Persistent deformations in flexible elements are maintained with deformation retaining, or restraining components. The deformation retaining components may, in various embodiments, include rigid or tensile members, elastic coils, and/or the like. The deformations of the mechanisms may be configured so as to receive forces from moving fluid and transfer those forces in a variety of ways so as to pump fluid or generate electricity from this pumped fluid, or to generate electricity from material strains induced by moving fluid.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A fluid transporting apparatus for transporting a first fluid, comprising:
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a polygonal tube comprised of flexible walls enclosing a first fluid passage and having a polygonal cross-section, with a plurality of tube edges corresponding to corners of the polygonal cross-section; a plurality of flexible ribbons, each having a first longitudinal edge, a second longitudinal edge, and a contact surface, wherein each of the plurality of flexible ribbons is connected along the first longitudinal edge to one of the plurality of tube edges, and wherein the contact surface projects transverse to a longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of flexible ribbons, the longitudinal axis being oriented substantially parallel to a primary flow direction of a flowing second fluid, and the contact surface being disposed in contact with the flowing second fluid; at least one deformation retaining component connected to one of the first longitudinal edge and the second longitudinal edge of at least one of the plurality of flexible ribbons; at least one base member fixed with respect to the flowing second fluid and connected to the at least one deformation retaining component; and wherein dynamic undulations of the plurality of flexible ribbons caused by the flowing second fluid impart forces via the flexible walls of the polygonal tube to a first fluid inside the first fluid passage to transport the first fluid along a longitudinal axis of the first fluid passage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A fluid transporting apparatus for transporting a first fluid, comprising:
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a first flexible ribbon having a first longitudinal edge, a second longitudinal edge, and a first undulating outer contact surface, wherein the first undulating outer contact surface projects transverse to a first longitudinal axis of the first flexible ribbon, the first longitudinal axis being oriented substantially parallel to a primary flow direction of a flowing second fluid, and the first undulating outer contact surface being disposed in contact with the flowing second fluid; a second flexible ribbon having a third longitudinal edge, a fourth longitudinal edge, and a second undulating outer contact surface, wherein the second undulating outer contact surface projects transverse to a second longitudinal axis of the second flexible ribbon, the second longitudinal axis being oriented substantially parallel to the primary flow direction of the flowing second fluid, and the second undulating outer contact surface being disposed in contact with the flowing second fluid; a first crenated strip having a fifth straight longitudinal edge and a sixth undulating longitudinal edge, wherein the sixth undulating longitudinal edge is connected to the first longitudinal edge of the first flexible ribbon; a second crenated strip having a seventh straight longitudinal edge and an eighth undulating longitudinal edge, wherein the eighth undulating edge is connected to the third longitudinal edge of the second flexible ribbon, and wherein the seventh straight longitudinal edge is connected to the fifth straight longitudinal edge of the first crenated strip; a third crenated strip having a ninth straight longitudinal edge and a tenth undulating longitudinal edge, wherein the tenth undulating longitudinal edge is connected to the second longitudinal edge of the first flexible ribbon; a fourth crenated strip having an eleventh straight longitudinal edge and a twelfth undulating longitudinal edge, wherein the twelfth undulating edge is connected to the fourth longitudinal edge of the second flexible ribbon, and wherein the eleventh straight longitudinal edge is connected to the ninth straight longitudinal edge of the first crenated strip; a base member fixed with respect to the flowing second fluid and connected to the first crenated strip; wherein the first flexible ribbon, the second flexible ribbon, the first crenated strip, the second crenated strip, the third crenated strip, and the fourth crenated strip define a first fluid passage, and wherein dynamic undulations of the first flexible ribbon and the second flexible ribbon caused by action of the flowing second fluid on the first undulating outer contact surface and on the second undulating outer contact surface impart forces to a first fluid in the first fluid passage to transport the first fluid along a direction substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis of the first flexible ribbon. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. An apparatus for transporting fluids, comprising:
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a first flexible ribbon having a first longitudinal edge, a second longitudinal edge, and a first undulating outer contact surface, wherein the first undulating outer contact surface projects transverse to a first longitudinal axis of the first flexible ribbon, the first longitudinal axis being oriented substantially parallel to a primary flow direction of a flowing second fluid, and the first undulating outer contact surface being disposed in contact with the flowing second fluid; a second flexible ribbon having a third longitudinal edge, a fourth longitudinal edge, and a second undulating outer contact surface, wherein the second undulating outer contact surface projects transverse to a second longitudinal axis of the second flexible ribbon, the second longitudinal axis being oriented substantially parallel to the primary flow direction of the flowing second fluid, and the second undulating outer contact surface being disposed in contact with the flowing second fluid; a first flexible strip having a first strip edge and a second strip edge, wherein the first strip edge is connected to the first longitudinal edge of the first flexible ribbon; a second flexible strip having a third strip edge and a fourth strip edge, wherein the third strip edge is connected to the third longitudinal edge of the second flexible ribbon, and wherein the fourth strip edge is connected to the second strip edge of the first flexible strip; a third flexible strip having a fifth strip edge and a sixth strip edge, wherein the third strip edge is connected to the second longitudinal edge of the first flexible ribbon; a fourth flexible strip having a seventh strip edge and an eighth strip edge, wherein the seventh strip edge is connected to the fourth longitudinal edge of the second flexible ribbon, and wherein the eighth strip edge is connected to the sixth strip edge of the second flexible strip; a first crenated strip having a fifth straight longitudinal edge and a sixth undulating longitudinal edge, wherein the sixth undulating longitudinal edge is connected to the second strip edge of the first flexible strip and the fourth strip edge of the second flexible strip; a second crenated strip having a seventh straight longitudinal edge and an eighth undulating longitudinal edge, wherein the eighth undulating edge is connected to the sixth strip edge of the third flexible strip and the eighth strip edge of the fourth flexible strip; a base member fixed with respect to the flowing second fluid and connected to the first crenated strip; wherein the first flexible ribbon, the second flexible ribbon, the first flexible strip, the second flexible strip, the third flexible strip, and the fourth flexible strip define a first fluid passage, and wherein dynamic undulations of the first flexible ribbon and the second flexible ribbon caused by action of the flowing second fluid on the first undulating outer contact surface and on the second undulating outer contact surface impart forces to a first fluid in the first fluid passage to transport the first fluid along a direction substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis of the first flexible ribbon.
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38. A fluid transporting apparatus for transporting a first fluid, comprising:
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means for converting motion of a flowing second fluid into dynamic undulations of at least one persistently deformed flexible article; means for imparting a force from the dynamic undulations of the at least one persistently deformed flexible article to a first fluid to transport the first fluid in a preferred direction.
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39. A fluid transporting apparatus for transporting a first fluid, comprising:
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a polygonal tube having flexible walls with adjacent pairs of the flexible walls rotatably connected to each other, wherein the polygonal tube defines a first fluid passage with an elongate hexagonal cross section and has two wider walls opposite from each other and four remaining narrower walls than the two wider walls, wherein each of the two wider walls have external contact surfaces disposed in contact with a flowing second fluid and formed with persistent spatial undulations in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the polygonal tube, which is oriented substantially parallel to a primary flow direction of the second flowing fluid, the persistent spatial undulations having substantially similar undulatory periods and phases and having a projection transverse to the longitudinal axis of the polygonal tube; at least one deformation retaining component connected to the wider walls to maintain the persistent spatial undulations therein; at least one base member fixed with respect to the flowing second fluid and connected to the at least one deformation retaining component; and wherein dynamic undulations of the two wider walls caused by action of the flowing second fluid on the external contact surfaces impart forces to a first fluid in the first fluid passage to transport the first fluid along a direction substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis of the polygonal tube. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41)
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Specification