Energy converter, flag type energy converter

• US 7,626,281 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyoto University
• Original Assignee: Kyoto University
• Inventors: Kawai, Hiromasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko; Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuevas; Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US11/665,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20090121489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 290/1.R, 290/54, 290/55
• US Class Current: 290/54
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 5/06 the wind-engaging parts swinging to-and-fro and not rotating
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2210/16 Air or water being indistinctly used as working fluid, i.e. the machine can work equally with air or water without any modification
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/311 flexible or elastic
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2280/6001 Fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: F05C 2253/02 Fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1892 Generators with parts oscillating or vibrating about an axis
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/185 using fluid streams
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/70 Wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

An energy converter comprises a flexible plane unit 1 placed in a position to be exposed to a flow of fluid such as wind, at least a part of peripheral edge of the flexible plane unit 1 being capable of fluttering freely with the flow, an energy conversion unit 31 for converting vibration energy into electric energy, and a transmission unit 2 connected to the flexible plane unit 1 and for transmitting a vibration caused on the flexible plane unit by the flow to the energy conversion unit 31.

Claims

1. An energy converter characterized by comprising a flexible plane unit made of cloth and placed in a position to be exposed to a flow of fluid such as wind, at least a part of peripheral edge of the flexible plane unit being capable of fluttering freely with the flow, an energy conversion unit for converting vibration energy into electric energy, a transmission unit connected to the flexible plane unit and for transmitting a vibration caused on the flexible plane unit by the flow to the energy conversion unit, and a base structure being able to be fixed on a building, a ground or the like,

wherein a supporting pole supported on the base structure supports the flexible plane unit so as to flutter freely without a proper period, and

the energy conversion unit is a rotatable dynamo using a electromagnetic induction of a magnetic substance and a coil.

2. The energy converter according to claim 1,

wherein a stopper having a pair of stopper edge provided away from the pedestal side of the peripheral edge of the flexible plane unit made of cloth so as to sandwich the pedestal side of the peripheral edge which becomes the reference axis of fluttering is provided.

3. The energy converter according to claim 1, wherein a hanging unit for hanging the part or whole of the peripheral edge of the flexible plane unit made of cloth with allowance of fluttering substantially free is provided.

4. The energy converter according to claim 1, wherein a stopper having a pair of stopper edge provided away from the pedestal side of the peripheral edge of the flexible plane unit made of cloth so as to sandwich the pedestal side of the peripheral edge which becomes the reference axis of fluttering is provided.

5. The energy converter according to claim 1, wherein the flexible plane unit is of a vertically long flag having a longitudinal dimension in perpendicular direction.

6. The energy converter according to claim 1, wherein a supporting pole being provided along the pedestal side of the flexible plane unit which becomes the reference axis of fluttering and supporting the flexible plane unit indirectly or directly, and a rotatable supporting portion supporting the supporting pole so as to be able to rotate around a axis of the supporting pole.

7. The energy converter according to claim 1, wherein when the flexible plane unit made of cloth is placed in substantially parallel in a flowing direction of the fluid, the transmission unit transmits to the energy conversion unit a vibration generated in a flowing direction of the fluid at an upstream side of the fluid of the flexible plane unit made of cloth.

8. The energy converter according to claim 1, wherein when the flexible plane unit made of a cloth is placed in substantially parallel in a flowing direction of the fluid, the energy conversion unit is installed on a flagpole functioning as the transmission unit and a vibration generated on the flexible plane unit made of cloth is transmitted to the energy conversion unit as the flagpole vibration.

9. The energy converter according to claim 1, wherein a transmission unit coupled at intermediate position between the upstream side and downstream side of the fluid of the flexible plane unit transmits to the energy conversion unit the vibration generated by making an end of downstream side of the fluid of the flexible plane unit made of cloth into a free end.

10. The energy converter of claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is composed by a string.