Power take off apparatus for a WEC
First Claim
1. A wave energy converter (WEC) comprising:
- a float for moving up and down in phase with the waves;
a spar for guiding the up and down movement of the float;
the spar having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion intended to be permanently submerged when the WEC is operational; and
a power take off (PTO) device coupled between the float and the spar for converting their relative motion into useful energy including;
(a) a drum having an axis of rotation rotatably mounted within one of the float and spar; and
(b) cabling means connected between the drum and the other one of the float and spar for causing the drum to rotate as a function of the up and down motion of the float.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wave energy converter (WEC) includes a float which moves generally in phase with the waves and whose up and down motion is guided by and along a spar having an upper portion and a lower portion. A power take off (PTO) device is coupled between the float and the spar for converting their relative motion into useful energy. In some embodiments, the PTO includes (a) a drum having an axis of rotation rotatably mounted within one of the float and spar; and (b) cabling means connected between the drum and the other one of the float and spar for causing the drum to rotate as a function of the up and down motion of the float. In other embodiments, the PTO system is formed using a pre-tensioned roller chain wound around sprocket wheels located within one of the spar and float with the opposite ends of the chain connected to the other one of the spar and float to cause rotation of the sprocket wheels in response to movement of the float relative to the spar.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A wave energy converter (WEC) comprising:
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a float for moving up and down in phase with the waves; a spar for guiding the up and down movement of the float;
the spar having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion intended to be permanently submerged when the WEC is operational; anda power take off (PTO) device coupled between the float and the spar for converting their relative motion into useful energy including; (a) a drum having an axis of rotation rotatably mounted within one of the float and spar; and (b) cabling means connected between the drum and the other one of the float and spar for causing the drum to rotate as a function of the up and down motion of the float. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A wave energy converter (WEC) comprising:
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a float for moving up and down in phase with the waves; a spar for guiding the up and down movement of the float;
the spar having an upper portion and a lower portion which is intended to be permanently submerged when the WEC is operational; anda power take off (PTO) device coupled between the float and the spar for converting their relative motion into useful energy including; (a) a drum rotatably mounted within the float; and (b) first and second cables, each cable having two ends; and
where the first cable is connected at one end to the upper portion of the spar and at its other end to the drum; and
the second cable is connected at one end to the lower portion of the spar and at its other end to the drum;
the connections of the cables to the drum causing the drum to rotate as a function of the up and down motion of the float. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A wave energy converter (WEC) comprising:
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a float for moving up and down in phase with the waves; a spar for guiding the up and down movement of the float;
the spar having an upper portion and a lower portion which is intended to be permanently submerged when the WEC is operational; anda power take off (PTO) device coupled between the float and the spar for converting their relative motion into useful energy including; (a) a drum rotatably mounted along a portion of the spar; and (b) first and second cables;
each cable having two ends;
wherein the first and second cable are connected between the drum and the float so as cause the drum to rotate as a function of the up and down motion of the float.
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13. A wave energy converter (WEC) comprising:
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a float for moving up and down in phase with the waves; a spar for guiding the up and down motion of the float;
the spar having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion being intended to be permanently submerged when the WEC is operational; anda power take off (PTO) device coupled between the float and the spar for converting their relative motion into useful energy including; (a) a link chain extending between the upper and lower portions of the spar; and
a rotatable sprocket arrangement located within the float and contacting the chain and its links for causing the rotatable sprocket arrangement to rotate as the function of the up and down motion of the float. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A wave energy converter (WEC) comprising:
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a float for moving up and down in phase with the waves; a spar for guiding the up and down movement of the float;
the spar having an upper portion and a lower portion which is intended to be permanently submerged when the WEC is operational; anda plurality of power take off (PTO) modules coupled between the float and the spar for converting their relative motion into useful energy;
each PTO module including;(a) a drum having an axis of rotation rotatably mounted within one of the float and spar; and (b) cabling means connected between the drum and the other one of the float and spar for causing the drum to rotate as a function of the up and down motion of the float.
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Specification