Gyroscope-based electricity generator
First Claim
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1. A method for using a gyroscope to generate electricity, comprising:
- engaging a crank arm to an electromagnetic motor-generator to be rotatable in full revolutions around a motor rotation axis of the electromagnetic motor-generator that is perpendicular to the crank arm;
fixing a gyroscope onto the crank arm at a location away from an interception between the motor rotation axis and the crank arm so that the gyroscope moves with the crank arm and to align a spinning axis of a gyroscope wheel in the gyroscope along a radial direction of a rotation of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis;
providing a base, on which the electromagnetic motor-generator is mounted at a fixed position, to interact with an external oscillating motion so as to cause the spinning gyroscope to precess and to cause rotation of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis so as to convert the external oscillating motion into a continuous rotation motion of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis; and
controlling a spinning speed of the gyroscope wheel of the gyroscope in response to an oscillating frequency of the external oscillating motion to sustain the continuous rotation motion of the electromagnetic motor-generator to generate electricity.
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Abstract
Techniques and devices that use precession of at least one spinning gyroscope to drive a motor generator to produce electricity from an oscillating motion that causes the precession of the gyroscope. A buoy may be used to produce the oscillating motion from the motion of water waves so that electricity may be produced from motion of water waves. An oscillating motion caused by other sources, such as wind, may also be used to generate electricity.
102 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method for using a gyroscope to generate electricity, comprising:
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engaging a crank arm to an electromagnetic motor-generator to be rotatable in full revolutions around a motor rotation axis of the electromagnetic motor-generator that is perpendicular to the crank arm; fixing a gyroscope onto the crank arm at a location away from an interception between the motor rotation axis and the crank arm so that the gyroscope moves with the crank arm and to align a spinning axis of a gyroscope wheel in the gyroscope along a radial direction of a rotation of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis; providing a base, on which the electromagnetic motor-generator is mounted at a fixed position, to interact with an external oscillating motion so as to cause the spinning gyroscope to precess and to cause rotation of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis so as to convert the external oscillating motion into a continuous rotation motion of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis; and controlling a spinning speed of the gyroscope wheel of the gyroscope in response to an oscillating frequency of the external oscillating motion to sustain the continuous rotation motion of the electromagnetic motor-generator to generate electricity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A device for generating electricity, comprising:
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a base reactive to an oscillating motion acting on the base to move in response to the oscillating motion; a gyroscope comprising a gyroscope body and a gyroscope wheel spinning around a gyroscope axis fixed in the gyroscope body and movably engaged to the base to rotate in full revolutions with respect to the base, the gyroscope operable to precess in response to the oscillating motion of the base when the gyroscope wheel is spinning; an electromagnetic motor-generator fixed in position to the base and comprising a rotor to rotate and to generate electricity; and a coupling unit coupled between the gyroscope and the electromagnetic motor-generator to rotate the rotor of the electromagnetic motor-generator in full revolutions in generating the electricity, wherein the coupling unit is fixed to and processes with the gyroscope in rotating the rotor of the electromagnetic motor-generator in full revolutions to produce a unidirectional torque to the rotor in response to an alternating torque caused by the oscillating motion so as to transfer the precession of the gyroscope to continuous rotation of the electromagnetic motor-generator, thus converting energy of the oscillating motion into electricity, wherein the coupling unit comprises a crank arm that is engaged to the electromagnetic motor-generator to be perpendicular to a rotation axis of the rotor and is engaged and fixed to the gyroscope body to move with the gyroscope body and to place the gyroscope axis to be parallel to the crank arm, and wherein rotation of the crank arm rotates the electromagnetic motor-generator to generate the electricity. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A device for generating electricity, comprising:
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a floating device to float in water; a base engaged to the floating device to be substantially parallel to a water surface at a location where the base is located; a gyroscope movably engaged to the base to rotate in full revolutions with respect to the base and operable to precess with respect to the base around a procession axis that is perpendicular to the base and the water surface, when the gyroscope is spinning, in response to an oscillating motion of the base when floating on the water; an electromagnetic motor-generator engaged to the base at a fixed position and comprising a rotor to rotate around a motor rotation axis and to generate electricity; a crank arm engaged to the electromagnetic motor-generator to be perpendicular to the motor rotation axis and operable to rotate the rotor of the electromagnetic motor-generator around the motor rotation axis and engaged to the gyroscope so that an entirety of the gyroscope is fixed to and moves with the crank arm in full revolutions with an axis of the spinning of the gyroscope being parallel to the crank arm and perpendicular to the motor rotation axis, the crank arm operable to precess with the gyroscope to rotate around the motor rotation axis in full revolutions and to transfer the precession of the gyroscope into continuous rotation of the electromagnetic motor-generator, thus converting energy of the oscillating motion into electricity; and a control module coupled to control spinning of the gyroscope according to a frequency of the oscillating motion. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for using a gyroscope to generate electricity, comprising:
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engaging a crank arm to an electromagnetic motor-generator to be rotatable in full revolutions around a motor rotation axis of the electromagnetic motor-generator that is perpendicular to the crank arm; fixing a gyroscope onto the crank arm so that the gyroscope moves with the crank arm and to align a spinning axis of a gyroscope wheel in the gyroscope along a radial direction of a rotation of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis; providing a base, on which the electromagnetic motor-generator is mounted at a fixed position, to interact with an external oscillating motion so as to cause the spinning gyroscope to precess and to cause rotation of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis so as to convert the external oscillating motion into a continuous rotation motion of the crank arm around the motor rotation axis; controlling a spinning speed of the gyroscope wheel of the gyroscope in response to an oscillating frequency of the external oscillating motion to sustain the continuous rotation motion of the electromagnetic motor-generator to generate electricity; providing motion sensors on the base to monitor motion of the base caused by interacting with the external oscillating motion; using measurements from the motion sensors to control the spinning speed of the gyroscope; comparing pitch and roll motions of the base obtained from the motion sensors to the procession motion of the precessing gyroscope; and adjusting an electrical load to the electromagnetic motor-generator based on a comparison between the pitch and roll motions of the base to the procession of the precessing gyroscope.
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Specification