JP2013076392A - Hydraulic power generation method and hydraulic power generation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hydraulic power generation method and a hydraulic power generation apparatus which facilitate to extract torque for generating power by floating a float in a tank, rotating the float through water energy, and extracting the torque generated to the float so as to generate power.SOLUTION: The hydraulic power generation method includes: a first step where water is poured in the tank 1 having the float disposed therein to float the float on water surface, the water surface is boosted to an upper limit, and then the water in the tank is discharged to lower the float to an lower limit; a second step where the float is rotated by the water energy when the float is elevated and lowered; and a third step where a generator 6 is driven to generate power through the transmission of the torque generated by the rotation of the float.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hydroelectric power generation method for generating electricity using hydropower and a hydroelectric generator used in this method.

  Using the periodic fluctuation of the tide level, the float is moved up and down, and the air turbine is rotated when moving the air in the air tank along with the vertical movement, and the vertical movement of the float is converted into rotation by the rack and pinion mechanism In other words, it is known to generate electricity by driving a generator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-060441

  However, in the case of a configuration using an air tank, it is difficult for the conventional technology to maintain airtightness in order to reliably bring air into and out of the air tank. Further, when the rack and pinion mechanism is used, there is a problem that it is difficult to stably obtain a sufficient torque.

  The present invention relates to a hydroelectric power generation method in which a float floats in a water tank, the float is rotated by the energy of water, and torque generated in the float is taken out to generate power, thereby making it easy to extract torque for power generation and An object is to provide a hydroelectric generator that can be used in this method.

  The hydroelectric power generation method of the present invention includes first to third steps. In a 1st process, the float which floats on the water surface in a water tank is raised to upper limit height with water supply, and is lowered to lower limit height with drainage. In the second step, the float is rotated by the energy of water when the float is raised and lowered. In the third step, power is generated by driving the generator with torque generated by rotation of the float.

  The first hydroelectric generator of the present invention includes a water tank, a float, a linear-rotation conversion mechanism, a torque extraction mechanism, and a generator. The water tank can supply and drain water. The float floats on the water surface in the water tank, and moves up and down following the vertical movement of the water surface accompanying water supply and drainage into the water tank. The linear-rotation conversion mechanism rotates the float when the float moves up and down. The torque extraction mechanism extracts the torque generated by the rotation of the float to the outside. The generator generates electricity by driving the generator with the torque extracted to the outside.

  The second hydroelectric generator of the present invention includes a water tank, water supply / drainage means, a float, a torque extraction mechanism, and a generator. The water tank can supply and drain water. The water supply / drainage means generates a rotating water flow inside the water tank at the time of water supply / drainage. The float floats on the water surface in the aquarium, rotates following the rotating water flow, and moves up and down following the vertical movement of the water surface. The torque extraction mechanism extracts the torque generated by the rotation of the float to the outside. The generator generates electricity by driving the generator with the torque extracted to the outside.

  According to the hydraulic power generation method of the present invention, when the float is moved up and down between the upper limit height and the lower limit height in the water tank, the torque generated in the float is extracted to the outside by rotating the float with hydraulic energy. Because it generates electricity by driving, it is possible to generate electricity that efficiently uses hydropower.

  According to the first hydroelectric generator of the present invention, when the float floats on the water surface in the water tank and moves up and down with water supply and drainage, the float is mainly rotated by the linear-rotation conversion mechanism, and is generated in the float. Since the generated torque is taken out and the generator is driven to generate electric power, it is possible to generate electricity using hydraulic energy that can efficiently extract the torque.

  According to the second hydroelectric generator of the present invention, the float floats on the surface of the water in the water tank, and a rotating water flow is generated inside the water tank when supplying and draining water from the water supply / drainage means, and the float is rotated mainly by the rotating water flow. Since the torque generated in the float is taken out and the generator is driven to generate electric power, it is possible to generate electric power using hydraulic energy that can efficiently extract the torque.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the hydroelectric generator concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the water tank part in alignment with the II-II 'line of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view which follows the III-III 'line of FIG. It is a bottom view of the float of the hydroelectric generator concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the VV 'line of FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (a) The expansion cross-sectional view which shows the linear-rotation conversion mechanism of the hydroelectric generator concerning one Embodiment of this invention, and (b) An expansion longitudinal cross-sectional view. It is sectional drawing which follows the VII-VII 'line of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of installation of the hydraulic power unit concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front longitudinal cross-sectional view of the hydraulic power unit concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is side surface longitudinal cross-sectional view similarly. It is a front longitudinal cross-sectional view of the hydraulic power unit concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front longitudinal cross-sectional view of the hydraulic power unit concerning the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd installation example of the hydroelectric generator of this invention.

[First embodiment of a hydroelectric generator]
Hereinafter, in the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the hydroelectric generator WG includes a water tank 1, a water supply / drainage means 2, a float 3, a linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4, a torque extraction means 5, and a generator 6. It has. The present embodiment is a combination of the first and second inventions relating to a hydroelectric generator, and can be used when the hydroelectric power generation method of the present invention is implemented. However, in the first and second inventions related to the hydroelectric power generator, many of the components are common. Further, as described later, by removing some of the constituent elements, the first or second invention according to the hydroelectric power generation apparatus can be configured as a single embodiment, and the first and second inventions are combined. This makes it possible to further increase the efficiency of hydropower utilization. Hereinafter, each component will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

[About aquarium]
The water tank 1 is configured such that water can be supplied to the inside of the water tank and water stored therein can be discharged. By supplying water into the aquarium 1, the water level stored in the aquarium 1 rises to the upper limit height. Moreover, by draining the water stored in the water tank 1, the water level drops to the lower limit height. That is, the water surface moves up and down with water supply and drainage into the water tank 1. However, the upper limit height and the lower limit height of the water surface in the water tank 1 can be set to appropriate values within a range allowed by the water tank 1.

  In addition, the internal volume and shape of the water tank 1 are not particularly limited. An appropriate internal volume, that is, an opening area of the water tank 1, such as a diameter and a height, can be selected according to the power generation capacity. The constituent material of the water tank 1 is not particularly limited. For example, the water tank 1 can be constructed using metal, concrete, brick, or using natural terrain. In the illustrated embodiment, the water tank 1 has a cylindrical shape and is thus a preferable shape, but may have a rectangular tube shape or the like as desired.

  Further, the water tank 1 is provided with an upper lid 11 that can be opened and closed to facilitate maintenance inside the water tank 1. The opening 11a formed in the central portion of the upper lid 11 is means for loosely inserting a lead screw portion 41 and a lead nut portion 42 of the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 described later. This makes it possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust from entering the water tank 1. Further, for maintenance, manholes (not shown) can be provided on the side surfaces of the upper lid 11 and the water tank 1.

  Furthermore, the water tank 1 has a position sensor and a mechanical lock mechanism (both not shown) for detecting a lower stop position and an upper stop position of the float 3 in order to stop a float 3 to be described later at a predetermined position in the water tank 1. .) Can be provided. The detection output of the position sensor can be linked to control means (not shown) that controls water supply and drainage. The lower stop position and the upper stop position are the positions of the float 3 when the water surface is at the lower limit height and the upper limit height. The mechanical lock mechanism is a means for mechanically locking the float 3 in the vicinity of its upper limit height, and can be used when the water in the water tank 1 is drained and the inside is maintained.

[About water supply and drainage means]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the water supply / drainage means 2 is means for supplying water into the water tank 1 and draining the water tank 1 in the first aspect of the hydroelectric generator. Similarly, in the second aspect of the invention, the water is supplied into the water tank 1 and drained in the water tank 1, and a rotating water flow, that is, a vortex flow is formed in the water tank 1 at the time of water supply and drainage. In the illustrated embodiment, a water supply port 21 and a water discharge port 22 which are independent from each other are provided in order to perform water supply and drainage separately. However, if desired, a single water supply / drainage port may be provided and the water supply / drainage may be switched.

  The water supply port 21 is means for supplying water into the water tank 1 and raising the float 2 in the water tank 1. When the water supply port 21 is connected to the water collection unit 8 shown in FIG. 8 by piping, a drop between the water supply port 21 and the water collection unit 8, in other words, the water pressure is changed in the water tank 1. The water level is preferably set to a value that allows water to be supplied into the water tank 1 with sufficient kinetic energy, that is, hydraulic power, at any height within the allowable range. For the water supply port 21, the pipe functions as a water supply pipe 21a.

  Further, in the second invention relating to the hydroelectric power generator, a rotating water flow, that is, a vortex flow is generated in the water tank 1 by water supply. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable to arrange the water supply port 21 so that water is ejected in the direction in which the rotating water flows. For example, the water supply port 21 is opened toward the substantially tangential direction of the inner surface of the water tank 1. Then, the water discharged from the water supply port 21 flows while curving along the inner surface of the water tank 1, so that a rotating water flow is easily formed in the water tank 1.

  Furthermore, when a plurality of, for example, a pair of the water supply ports 21 having the above-described opening shape are arranged in a point-symmetrical relationship within the same horizontal plane on the inner surface of the water tank 1, a well-balanced rotating water flow is more effectively formed. It becomes easy to do. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a pair of water supply ports 21 are arranged in front of each other, that is, at intervals of 180 °.

  Furthermore, although not shown, a plurality of sets of water supply ports can be provided in the vertical direction of the water tank 1 as desired, and the water supply ports can be sequentially switched upward to supply water during water supply. Thereby, when the float 2 rises, it becomes possible to always supply water from the water supply port close to the float 2. As a result, it is possible to generate a strong and constant rotating water flow that directly rotates the float 2 with the water flow ejected from the water supply port.

  The drain port 22 is a means for discharging the water in the water tank 1 to the outside and lowering the float 2. A drain pipe 22 a is connected to the drain port 22. In addition, the drain port 22 can be easily discharged to the outside through the water distribution pipe 22a by disposing the drain port 22 below the water tank 1.

  Further, when a rotating water flow, that is, a vortex flow is generated at the time of drainage, in order to generate a rotating water flow with a water flow generated toward the drain port, the drain port 22 is directed in the direction in which the rotating water flow flows, for example, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to drain. That is, it is preferable to open the drain port 22 toward the tangential direction of the inner surface of the water tank 1. Then, since the water discharged from the drain port 22 flows while curving along the inner surface of the water tank 1, a rotating water flow whose rotation direction is opposite to that of the rotating water flow at the time of water supply is easily formed.

  By opening the drain port 22 in the same tangential direction as the water supply port 11, it is possible to contribute to the generation of a rotating water flow opposite to the above normal and reverse. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the drainage ports 12 are located 90 ° away from the water supply port 11 and the center of rotation, and the pair is disposed in a face-to-face relationship. With this arrangement, the water supply port 21 and the water discharge port 22 can be attached in a balanced manner.

[About float]
The float 3 floats on the water surface in the water tank 1 like a ship, for example, and moves up and down following the vertical movement of the water surface accompanying water supply and drainage into the water tank 1. In order to set the mass of the float 3 to a desired value, a ballast is added inside or outside, the thickness of the float 3 is increased, or the aquarium 1 is manufactured using a material having a large specific gravity. Or a part or all of the above means can be combined as appropriate. As a result, the drainage mass of the float 3 becomes large, and even if the sinking from the water surface increases, there is no problem as long as it floats on the water surface. Therefore, in the present invention, the float 3 uses the buoyancy due to water for power generation when the float 3 rises and uses the mass of the float 3 for power generation when the float descends as long as the upper part is exposed on the water surface. can do.

Further, in the present embodiment, the hydroelectric generator includes a float rotating unit that rotates the float 3 in accordance with the water supply into the water tank 1 and the drainage from the water tank 1 when the water tank 1 is raised and lowered. . By providing the float rotating means, the torque generated in the float is taken out and the generator is driven to generate electric power. Therefore, it is possible to generate electric power using hydraulic energy efficiently. An example of the float rotating means is as follows.
(1) The linear motion of the float 3 caused by the vertical movement of the water surface is converted into the rotational motion of the float 3 by the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 3.
(2) A rotating water flow is generated in the water tank 1 by the water supply / drainage means 2, and the float 3 is rotated by this rotating water flow.
(3) The float 3 is rotated by the combined use of the means shown in (1) and (2) above.

  The rotation (1) will be described. This rotation is the rotation employed in the first invention of the hydroelectric power generation apparatus. When the water surface rises, the water pressure acts on the float 3, and the float 3 moves as the water surface rises due to water supply. When linearly moving upward, the float 3 rotates via a linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 described later. In order to obtain sufficient buoyancy and torque, the float 3 is configured to have as large an area as possible while freely moving up and down in the water tank 1. Further, in order to increase the torque, the mass of the float 3 may be set as large as possible.

  When the water surface descends, the float 3 moves linearly downward along with this. When the float 3 moves linearly, the float 3 rotates through the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 due to the gravity or mass of drainage. Therefore, when the water surface rises, the buoyancy of the float 3 can be used for power generation. On the other hand, when the water level is decreasing, if the decrease in water level and the decrease in float 3 are synchronized, the drainage gravity of float 3 is accelerated, and the rate of decrease in water level is greater than the rate of descent of float 3 by expelling drainage. In some cases, the mass of the float 3 can be used for power generation.

  The rotation (2) will be described. This rotation is the rotation employed in the second invention of the hydroelectric power generator. When a rotating water flow is generated in the water in the water tank 1 by the water supply / drainage means 2 at the time of water supply / drainage, the float 3 that floats on the water surface also becomes a rotating water flow. Follow and rotate.

  The rotation (3) will be described. This rotation is the optimum mode because the rotations of (1) and (2) above occur simultaneously, so that it is possible to generate electric power by utilizing hydraulic energy as much as possible.

  Further, the shape of the float 3 can be freely selected. However, the shape that is easy to rotate is preferably a disc shape. Thereby, the stability at the time of rotation is high, and the maximum buoyancy can be obtained with a constant water line length, that is, the maximum drainage gravity can be easily set.

  In the illustrated embodiment, a lower end of a lead nut portion 42 of the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 to be described later is fixed to the center of gravity of the float 3, and the torque is extracted from the rotation center portion of the float 3 to the outside. Yes. This structure is preferable because there is an advantage that the torque can be easily and stably taken out.

  In any of the first and second aspects of the hydroelectric generator, a rotation assisting member that assists the rotation of the float 3 can be disposed on the outer surface of the float 3. For example, an appropriate number of fins 31 and 32 can be arranged on the side surface and / or bottom surface of the float 3. These fins 31 and 32 are formed in a radial pattern around the center of rotation. Further, if desired, curved surfaces such as water turbines and windmills can be formed on the fins 31 and 32 so that the kinetic energy of the rotating water flow can be easily converted into torque when the float 3 rotates. By arranging the rotation assisting member as described above, in the first invention of the hydroelectric generator, there is an effect of promoting the activation of the float 3. In the second invention of the hydroelectric generator, the float 3 is more reliably driven with respect to the rotating water flow.

  In a preferred embodiment in which a linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 to be described later in the first aspect of the hydroelectric generator is disposed at the center of rotation of the float 3, the water tightness is maintained at the center of gravity of the float 3, and the float 3 is penetrated. A mouth 33 is formed. The lower end of the lead nut portion 42 is fixed to the through-hole 33. In other words, the lead nut portion 42 of the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 stands from the center of gravity of the float 3.

[Linear-rotation conversion mechanism]
The linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is a characteristic component in the first aspect of the hydroelectric generator, and is means for rotating the float 2 using the linear motion when the float 3 moves up and down, that is, in linear motion. is there. The driving force for rotating the float 3 is obtained by the correlation between the rising speed of the water surface in the water tank 1 and the buoyancy of the float 3 when rising. Further, when the float 3 descends, a driving force for rotating the float 3 is obtained by the correlation between the drainage gravity of the float 3 and the descending speed of the water surface. For this reason, the rotation of the float 3 obtained is opposite to each other when it rises and when it descends. Note that the buoyancy of the float 3 and the gravity of drainage are reversed in their working directions, but the magnitude of the force can be made equal. Further, since the buoyancy and drainage gravity change depending on the water contact area and mass of the float 3, the desired buoyancy and drainage gravity can be set by selecting an appropriate water contact area and mass. The rising speed of the water level is proportional to the amount of water supplied per unit time, and the descending speed is proportional to the amount of drainage per unit time. Accordingly, by appropriately selecting the amount of water supply and the amount of drainage, it is possible to make the ascending speed and the rotational speed at that time substantially coincide with the descending speed and the rotational speed at that time.

  Further, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 can be configured using known means. Basically, it is preferable to configure the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 using a lead screw mechanism. The lead screw mechanism includes a lead screw portion 41 and a lead nut portion. The lead screw portion 41 is fixed to have a length that covers the linear movement distance of the float 3 in which the lead screw groove 41a is formed on the outer surface. The lead nut portion 42 includes a female screw groove 42a that is screwed into the lead screw groove 41a of the lead screw portion 41. When the lead nut portion 42 is released and pushed along the axial direction of the lead screw portion 41, the lead nut portion 42 linearly moves along the lead screw portion 41 while rotating.

  When the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is applied between the water tank 1 and the float 3, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 3 is preferably configured between the center of gravity of the float 3 and the planned rotation center of the water tank 1. However, the rotation conversion mechanism 4 can be configured between the rotating peripheral edge of the float 3 and the inner peripheral surface of the water tank 1 as desired. Hereinafter, further explanation will be made on both aspects.

(Configuration in which a linear-rotation conversion mechanism is arranged at the center of gravity of the float)
The configuration in which the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is disposed between the center of gravity serving as the rotation center of the float 3 and the planned center of the rotation center of the water tank 1 is as follows. That is, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 includes the lead screw portion 41 and the lead nut portion 42 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 and as described above.

  The lead screw portion 41 constitutes a fixed shaft that stands up from a predetermined portion at the center of rotation of the float 3 in the water tank 1. The lower end of the roof is fixed to the bottom of the water tank 1 via, for example, the base 43, the middle part loosely passes through the insertion port 11a and the base part 7 of the upper lid 11 of the water tank 1, and the upper end covers the water tank 1 and related equipment. For example, it is fixed to an appropriate structure 9 such as a mounting base 44. A lead screw groove 41a is formed on the outer surface.

  The lead screw groove 41a is preferably set to have a relatively large lead angle in a mode where a rotating water flow is not used together in order to improve the lead action, for example, about 45 to 85 °, and more preferably about 50 to 80 °. Can be set to However, if the sliding resistance between the lead screw groove 41a and the female screw groove 42a of the lead nut portion 42 is reduced, linear-rotation conversion operation can be performed even if the angle is less than 45 °. The angle may be about 10 ° or more. As a means for reducing the slip resistance, a known means such as a ball bearing can be interposed in the slip portion. A ball screw can be used as this kind of means.

  Further, when the second invention of the hydroelectric power generator that rotates the float 3 by the rotating water flow generated by the water supply / drainage means 2 is carried out together with the first invention, the torque is added by the rotating water flow. The lead angle can be reduced according to the degree of addition, and the number of rotations of the float 3 increases for the amount of water supplied into the water tank 1, so that the first invention of the hydroelectric generator is carried out independently The lead angle can be made relatively smaller than that of, for example, about 5 to 45 °.

  The lower end of the lead nut portion 42 is fixed to the float 3, and the upper end loosely penetrates the opening 11a of the upper lid 11 of the water tank 1 and the base portion 7, forming a sleeve shape as a whole. While surrounding the periphery, a female screw groove 42a is formed on the inner surface. The female screw groove 42a is screwed into the lead screw groove 41a. Note that a spline groove 51a of a torque extraction portion 51 of the torque extraction mechanism 5 described later is formed on the outer surface of a portion of the lead nut portion 42 protruding upward from the float 3. When the lead nut portion 42 is pushed in the axial direction of the lead screw shaft 41 and linearly moves in the longitudinal direction of the lead screw shaft 41 together with the float 3, the lead nut portion 42 rotates. Float 3 rotates. The force that pushes up the lead nut portion 42 is buoyancy that acts on the float 3 as the water level rises. Further, the force that pushes down the lead nut portion 42 is the gravity of drainage acting on the float 3 or the mass of the float 3 as the water surface descends.

  Further, the lower end of the lead nut portion 42 is fixed to the center of gravity of the float 3 as described above, and is integrated with the float 2. For this reason, when the lead nut portion 42 rotates, the float 3 rotates together. That is, the buoyancy and drainage gravity of the float 3 acts as a push-up force and a push-down force on the lead nut portion 42. As a result, the float 3 also rotates to generate torque, and the float 3 rotates when moving up and down. Become.

(Configuration in which a linear-rotation conversion mechanism is arranged at the rotation peripheral edge of the float)
The configuration in which the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is disposed between the inner surface of the water tank 1 and the rotation peripheral edge of the float is as follows. That is, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 3 in this embodiment is configured by a lead nut portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the water tank 1 and a lead screw portion formed on the outer peripheral edge portion of the float 2, although not shown.

  The lead nut portion functions as a guide groove of the spiral float 3 in which a female thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the water tank 1. The internal thread can be configured to have a cross-sectional groove shape or a ridge shape.

  The lead screw portion has a male screw formed on the periphery of the float 3 and is screwed into the lead nut portion. And it functions as a guide which engages, that is, is screwed into the female thread groove of the lead nut portion. The female screw groove may form a continuous male screw groove, or may form a male screw groove divided into an arm shape or the like protruding from the peripheral surface of the float 3 at a constant interval. Further, when the lead nut portion has a concave groove shape, the male screw groove engages in the concave groove. Further, when the lead nut portion has a ridge shape, the lead nut portion is engaged so as to sandwich the upper and lower surfaces of the ridge portion. In any of the above embodiments, it is preferable that a sliding member such as a roller bearing or a ball bearing is interposed in the sliding portion of the guide in order to reduce resistance when the float 2 moves up and down in the engaged state.

[Torque extraction mechanism]
The torque extraction mechanism 5 is means for extracting the torque generated in the rotating float 3 to the outside of the water tank 1 and transmitting the torque to the generator 7 in order to drive the generator 7 described later. The function of the torque extraction mechanism 5 includes a torque extraction unit 51, a rotation direction switching unit 52, and a speed increaser 53. Hereinafter, each function will be described.

(Torque extraction part)
The torque extraction unit 51 is a functional unit for extracting torque from the rotating float 3 to the outside, and the specific structure thereof is not particularly limited in the present invention. For example, in the first aspect of the hydroelectric generator, as shown in FIG. 1, when the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is arranged at the center of gravity of the float 3, the spline groove 51 a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lead nut portion 42. And a gear 51b whose inner teeth are spline-coupled to the spline groove 51a and a gear 51c of another shaft that meshes with the gear 51b can be provided to extract the torque to the outside.

  Further, in the case where the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is arranged at the rotation peripheral portion of the float 3, although not shown, a fixed shaft similar to the lead screw portion 41 of FIG. 1 except that the lead screw groove 41a is not provided. A sleeve similar to the lead nut portion 42 of FIG. 1 is fixed to the center of gravity of the float 3 except that it is fitted to the fixed shaft and does not have a female thread groove, and is attached to the outer surface of the sleeve. If a spline groove similar to the spline groove 51a is formed, a gear similar to the gear 51b that is splined to the spline groove, and a gear similar to the gear 51c are arranged on different axes, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 As in the case of the above-described configuration in which is arranged at the center of gravity of the float 3, the rotational torque can be taken out from the center of gravity of the float 3.

(About the rotation direction switching part)
The rotation direction switching unit 52 is a functional means for constantly changing the rotation of the generator 7 to a predetermined constant direction in this case, although the rotation of the float 3 is reversed between when it is raised and when it is lowered. In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation direction switching unit 52 includes a thrust shaft 52a, a pair of drive bevel gears 52b and 52c, thrusters 52d, a driven shaft 52e, and a driven bevel gear 52f that are opposite to each other.

  The thrust shaft 52a is disposed in parallel with the lead nut portion 42, and a spline groove 52a1 is formed on a part of the outer surface in the longitudinal direction. The internal teeth of the gear 51c are splined to the spline groove 52a1. Although the gear 51c is not shown in FIG. 1 so that the mesh with the thrust gear 51a is not disengaged even if the thrust shaft 52a is thrust moved, the position in the vertical direction is restricted. Further, the thrust shaft 52a is axially fixed so as to be thrustable by a predetermined distance in the axial direction.

  The pair of driving bevel gears 52b and 52c in the opposite directions are fixedly loaded on the thrust shaft 52a in a state where the bevel teeth inclined by 45 ° face each other. In addition, the pair of driving bevel gears 52b and 52c are separated by a distance such that a driven bevel gear 52f, which will be described later, can selectively mesh with only one of the driving bevel gears 52b or 52c when the thrust shaft 52a is thrust. doing.

  The driven shaft 52e is disposed orthogonal to the thrust shaft 52a and is rotatably supported. The driven shaft 52a can also serve as the input shaft of the speed increaser 53 described later.

  The driven bevel gear 52f is fixedly loaded on the driven shaft 52e and meshes with one of the pair of driving bevel gears 52b and 52c, and the torque of the float 3 passes through the above-described mechanisms 4 and 5 respectively. The driven shaft rotates the driven shaft (input shaft) 52e.

  The thruster 52d is a means for sliding the thrust shaft 52a in the axial direction and meshing the required one of the pair of driving bevel gears 52b and 52c with the driven bevel gear 52f. And remote control and interlocking control can be made possible by using remote control means such as electric or hydraulic pressure.

(About the gearbox)
The speed increaser 53 is interposed between the rotation direction switching unit 52 and the generator 7 to increase the rotation speed obtained from the rotation direction switching unit 52 to the rotation speed at which the efficiency of the generator 6 is increased, This is means for driving the generator 6 by outputting from the output shaft 53a. Known speed increasers can be used.

[About the generator]
The generator 6 is arranged to be driven by the torque of the rotating float 3 to generate power. The type of the generator 6 is not particularly limited. For example, a synchronous generator, an induction generator, etc. can be used.

[About the power generation unit]
As described above, the power generation unit GU including the gear 51c, the rotation direction switching unit 52, the speed increaser 53, and the power generator 6 as a unit can be configured. In the case of this embodiment, since the torque obtained from the float 3 is large, it is possible to arrange a plurality of generator units GU around the lead screw shaft 41 or the rotation shaft in accordance with the magnitude of the torque. In the illustrated embodiment, four generator units GU, each of which can be surrounded by a jacket, are arranged around the lead screw shaft 41 at 90 ° intervals.

[Hydraulic power generation method and operation of the hydroelectric generator]
Next, the operation of the hydroelectric power generation method and the hydroelectric power generator in the illustrated embodiment will be described.

(Hydropower generation method)
In the first step, when the water supply into the water tank 1 is started, the water level in the water tank 1 starts to rise, and the float 3 made inside rises to the surface of the water. It is raised to the upper limit height shown above with a two-dot chain line. Stop water supply when the maximum height is reached. Then, when the drainage in the tank 1 is started subsequently, the water level in the tank 1 begins to drop, and the float 3 also descends in synchronization with this, so the drainage continues and the float 3 is shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Lower to the lower limit height shown below. Stop draining when the lower limit is reached. The above operation is repeated continuously.

  In the second step, the float 3 is rotated by the energy of the water in the water tank 1 when the float 3 is raised and lowered. In addition, in order to rotate the float 3, the 1st aspect rotated when the float 3 raises and descends using the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4, the rotation water flow is produced in the water tank 1 by water supply and drainage. Any of the second mode of rotating the float 3 and the third mode of using the first and second modes together may be used.

  In the third step, the torque generated by the rotation of the float 3 is taken out from the water tank 1 by the torque take-out mechanism 5 and conducted to the generator 7 to generate power.

(Operation of the hydroelectric generator in the first invention)
In the first invention, the hydroelectric generator WG includes a linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 as means for rotating the float 3. In the first hydroelectric generator, when water is supplied into the water tank 1 from the water supply port 21, the water level in the water tank 1 rises. For this reason, the float 3 floats on the water surface, and the float 3 rises as the water level rises. As the float 3 moves up, the lead nut portion 42 screwed into the lead screw portion 41 of the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is pushed in the axial direction of the lead screw portion 41. On the other hand, since the upper and lower ends of the lead screw portion 41 are fixed, the lead nut portion 42 moves in the axial direction along the screw groove 41a of the lead screw portion 41. At this time, the lead nut portion 42 moves in the axial direction while rotating. As a result, the float 3 rotates and rises with the water surface while rotating.

  When the lead nut part 42 rises together with the rise of the float 3, the spline groove 51a of the take-out part 51 of the torque take-out mechanism 5, each gear 51b, 51c, the bevel gear 52c in the rotation direction switching part 52, the driven gear 52f, and the driven Torque is conducted via the shaft 52e and the speed increaser 53, and the generator 6 is driven at a required rotational speed to generate power.

  Next, when drainage is started from the drain port 22, the thruster 52 d is controlled in conjunction with this, and the thruster shaft 52 a is pulled up in FIG. 1, and the water surface begins to drop, and accordingly the float 3 begins to descend. At this time, the lead nut portion 42 screwed into the lead screw portion 41 of the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is pushed downward in the axial direction of the lead screw portion 41. For this reason, the float 3 rotates in the direction opposite to that when it rises. The rotation at this time is sequentially conducted to the spline groove 51a and the gears 51b and 51c on the outer periphery of the lead nut portion 42, but rotates in the opposite direction. Due to the drive of the thruster 52d, the bevel gear 52b is meshed with the driven gear 52f, so that the driven shaft 52e rotates in the same direction as when it is raised.

  Thus, even when the float 3 is lowered, the generator 6 is driven and generated in the same manner as when it is raised. A large torque is generated when the float 3 rotates as the water surface rises and falls, so that sufficient generated power can be obtained. Further, since the gears 51c of the four power generation units GU are meshed with the gear 51b of the torque extraction mechanism 5, the four generators 6 perform the parallel operation by sharing the torque.

(Operation in the second invention of the hydroelectric generator)
In the second invention, the hydroelectric generator WG includes a water supply / drainage means 2 as means for rotating the float 3 instead of the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4. In this second hydroelectric power generation device, a rotating water flow is generated by water supply / drainage, and the float 3 is rotated. Therefore, the structure for generating rotation is simplified.

(Operation in the fusion of the first and second inventions of the hydroelectric generator)
In the first and second inventions, the hydroelectric generator can be configured by fusing the characteristic constituent parts of each invention. In this case, since the rotation by the buoyancy of the float 3 and drainage gravity and the rotation by the rotating water flow at the time of water supply / drainage can be obtained, more torque can be obtained. For this reason, more generated electric power can be obtained.

  Next, a first installation example of the hydroelectric generator WG of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The water collection unit 8 secures the amount of water used for power generation, and the hydroelectric generators WG described above are arranged in series in a single or a plurality of stages at positions where a required head (or water pressure) is obtained from the water collection unit 8. Then, the water collecting unit 8 and the hydroelectric generator WG are connected by a water pipe. From the viewpoint of the hydroelectric generator WG, the water pipe is the water supply pipe 21a on the water supply side and the drain pipe 22a on the drain side.

  A hydroelectric generator WG may be installed upstream of the river or a water supply tower in a water supply system, for example, as the water collecting section 8 and in a water pipe connected to the downstream or a water tower. In the case of a water supply system, if there is a water pressure corresponding to the required head, the hydropower generation method and the hydropower generator of the present invention operate normally even if there is no actual head, so there is no particular problem.

[Second Embodiment of Hydroelectric Generator]
A second embodiment of the hydroelectric generator of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. The same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the torque is extracted from the vertical movement of the water tank 1 and used. A water tank 1, a water tank vertical movement means 110, a linear-rotation conversion means 120, and a torque utilization means 130 are provided.

(Water tank 1)
The water tank 1 is provided with a water supply / drainage means 2 'shown in FIG. 10, and the water supply to the inside of the water tank 1 and the drainage of the water stored therein are substantially affected by the vertical movement of the water tank 1. It is possible without The entire mass of the water tank 1 including the water stored in the tank 1 changes with water supply and drainage. The water tank 1 is allowed to have functions other than those described above. For example, the float 3 can be disposed in the water tank 1 as in the first embodiment shown in FIG. Since the float 3 moves up and down as the water level in the water tank 1 moves up and down, torque can be extracted from the rotation and used as a power source for power generation.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the specific configuration of the water supply / drainage means 2 ′ that does not hinder the vertical movement of the water tank 1 is not particularly limited, as it is only necessary to select and employ various known means. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a water supply / drainage means 2 ′ is configured by using a water supply pipe 21 ′ and a drainage pipe 22 ′ each having a telescopic piping structure. In the present embodiment, the water supply pipe 21 ′ and the drain pipe 22 ′ are symmetrically sandwiched between the center of the bottom of the water tank 1 in a direction perpendicular to a pair of pump devices P that are torque utilization means described later. Has been placed.

  The water supply pipe 21 'extends from the bottom of the water tank 1 to the outside in a watertight manner and is fitted to the outer pipe 21a' directly connected to the water tank 1 and inside the outer pipe 21a 'through a seal structure 21c' so as to be able to advance and retreat. An inner tube 21b ′ is provided. The inner pipe 21b is connected to a water source (not shown).

  The drain pipe 22 'extends from the bottom of the water tank 1 to the outside in a watertight manner, and is fitted to the outside of the inner pipe 22a' through the seal structure 22c 'so as to be movable forward and backward. An outer tube 22b ′ is provided. Then, drainage is performed from the outer pipe 22b to the outside.

[Water tank vertical movement means 110]
The water tank up-and-down moving means 110 is means for moving the water tank 1 up and down in accordance with the mass change of the entire water tank 1 due to water supply and drainage into the water tank 1. The vertical movement of the water tank 1 is preferably moved up and down in such a manner that the water tank 1 descends when the total mass of the water tank 1 increases, and conversely rises and returns to its original position when the mass decreases.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the water tank vertical movement means 110 includes a water tank holding body 111 and a return mechanism 112.

  The water tank holding body 111 is configured to include a guide part 111a, a base part 111b, a sliding means 111c, and an upper lid 111d that hold the water tank 1 from the outside and guide the water tank 1 so that the water tank 1 can smoothly move up and down. . The water tank guide 111a is a cylindrical or frame-shaped part that loosely holds the water tank 1 from the outside. The water tank 1 moves up and down in the water tank guide 111a. The base 111b is located at the base of the water tank guide 111a and supports the water tank holding body 111. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, a double bottom structure is formed, and the upper bottom portion A faces the bottom portion of the water tank 1. Further, in a space between the lower bottom portion B and the upper bottom portion A, a part of torque use means 130 and a linear-rotation conversion means 120 described later are disposed. The sliding means 111c is a means for interposing between the side surface of the water tank guide 111a and the side surface of the water tank 1 to improve the sliding of the water tank 1, and is configured by supporting a roller on the inner surface of the water tank guide 111a, for example. ing. The upper lid 111d closes the upper end opening of the guide portion 111a and places the power generation unit GU on the upper surface.

  The return mechanism 112 is configured such that after the water tank 1 descends when the amount of water stored inside increases due to water supply and the mass of the entire water tank 1 increases, the water tank 1 A means to raise 1 and return it to its original position. The remaining configuration of the return mechanism 112 is not particularly limited.

  In the illustrated embodiment, as one example, the return mechanism 112 is configured by a combined use of a hydraulic cylinder 112a and a coil spring 112b. The return mechanism 112 is disposed between the lower surface of the water tank 1 and the upper bottom part A so that an appropriate number of sets, for example, four sets are arranged at intervals of 90 ° around the water tank 1. In addition, in order to receive and place the upper end portion of the return mechanism 112, the bottom portion of the water tank 1 is formed with a concave portion 1a having an appropriate depth in the receiving portion of the upper end portion. However, the return mechanism 112 may be a mechanism that raises the water tank 1 to return to the original position when the mass of the water tank 1 is reduced by drainage after the water tank 1 is lowered when the mass of the entire water tank 1 is large. It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[Linear-rotation conversion means 120]
The linear-rotation conversion means 120 is means for converting the vertical motion of the water tank 1 into rotational motion and extracting the torque. The remaining configuration of the linear-rotation conversion means 120 is not particularly limited. For example, it is preferable to arrange the linear-rotation conversion means 120 at the center of the bottom of the water tank 1.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the linear-rotation conversion means 120 converts the vertical motion of the float 3 due to the buoyancy and mass of the float 3 in the first embodiment into rotational motion to extract torque, or from the rotational motion of the float. It is constituted by a mechanism similar to the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 for extracting torque. That is, the linear-rotation conversion means 120 is configured mainly with the male screw shaft 121 and the female screw body 122. Then, the male screw shaft 121 is fixed to the bottom outer surface of the water tank 1 by a support part 123 so as to protrude preferably non-rotatably downward from the center of gravity, and the female screw body 122 is rotatably arranged in the base part 111b of the water tank vertical movement means 110. Has been. However, if desired, the input / output relationship can be reversed to that in the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 of the first embodiment.

  Therefore, when the water tank 1 moves up and down, the female screw body 122 is sandwiched between the upper bottom portion A and the cover C so that the male screw shaft 121 moves up and down together with the water tank 1 so that it cannot substantially move up and down. Therefore, the male screw shaft 121 rotates when it moves up and down. The rotation of the female screw body 122 is opposite to each other when the water tank 1 is raised and lowered.

[Torque utilization means 130]
Since the vertical movement of the water tank 1 is converted into a rotational motion by the linear-rotation conversion means 120 and the torque is taken out, the torque utilization means 130 is operated by the extracted torque. A mode of using the torque is not particularly limited. For example, a machine such as a pumping pump can be operated directly with the extracted torque. Moreover, it is also possible to generate power by driving a separate generator from that in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, a torque utilization means is not specifically limited.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the torque utilization means 130 includes a pump device P including a first gear 131, a second gear 132, a rotation direction switching unit 133, a speed increaser 134, and a pumping pump 136.

  The first gear 131 is integrated around the female screw body 122 of the linear-rotation conversion means 120. A pair of flanges 131a are in contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the first gear 131, and between the upper flange 131a and the lower surface of the upper bottom portion A and between the lower flange 131a and the cover C in the figure, Sliding means 131b is disposed so as to interpose each other. Further, until the male screw shaft 121 is lowered, the female screw body 122 is in contact with the lower surface of the upper bottom portion A via the sliding means 131b.

  Thus, when the male screw shaft 121 is lowered, the first gear 131 is initially moved by the female screw body 122 following the male screw shaft 121, so that the first gear 131 is slightly lowered in the axial direction away from the lower surface of the upper bottom A. Stops by contacting the inner surface of C. As a result, since the axial movement of the female screw body 122 stops, when the male screw shaft 121 continues to descend, the female screw body 122 rotates while contacting the inner surface of the cover C, and the first gear 131 also rotates together. On the other hand, when the male screw shaft 121 is raised, the female screw body 122 is initially in contact with the inner surface of the cover C. When the male screw shaft 121 rises, the female screw body 122 is also driven at the beginning, and therefore rises slightly in the axial direction of the male screw shaft 121. However, since the female screw body 122 immediately contacts the lower surface of the upper bottom portion A, it stops. Thereafter, the male screw shaft 121 continues to rise, but the female screw body 122 rotates in a state of being in contact with the lower surface of the upper bottom portion A. The rotation of the female screw body 122 when the male screw shaft 121 is raised is opposite to the rotation at the time of lowering. Accordingly, the rotation of the first gear 131 is also reversed.

  The second gear 132 is fixedly mounted on a drive shaft 133a of a rotation direction switching unit 133, which will be described later, and meshes with the first gear 131. In this state, the second gear 132 is sandwiched between the pair of flanges 131a and 131a of the first gear 131. For this reason, the second gear 132 is moved slightly in the axial direction together with the first gear 131 and rotated as the male screw shaft 121 of the linear-rotation conversion means 120 descends and rises.

  The rotation direction switching unit 133 includes a drive shaft 133a, a coil spring 133b, a pair of reverse bevel gears 133c and 133d, and an output bevel gear 133e. In FIG. 7, the drive shaft 133a can be displaced in the vertical direction by a pair of bearings 133a1 and 133a2, and is rotatably supported. The coil spring 133d may be omitted, but when the water tank 1 is lifted, the elastic force assists the upward displacement of the drive shaft 134a, so that the axial movement of the second gear 132 and the first gear 131 is prevented. The load at the time is reduced. The pair of reverse bevel gears 133c and 133d are fixedly mounted so as to face and separate from the drive shaft 133a. The output bevel gear 133e meshes with one of the pair of reverse bevel gears 133c and 133d according to the displacement of the drive shaft 133a.

  The speed increaser 134 includes an input shaft 134a, and an output bevel gear 133e is fixedly mounted on the input shaft 134a. And the rotation accelerated from the output shaft which has abbreviate | omitted illustration can be obtained.

  The pumping pump 135 is a pump driven by the output of the speed increaser 135, and includes a water suction pipe 135a and a water supply pipe 135b. In the present embodiment, the use of the pumping pump 135 is not particularly limited. However, a preferred application is to pump water drained from the water tank 1 after being used for power generation to a high place and reuse it for power generation. In addition, the pumping in this case can be adapted to various purposes, for example, it can be adapted to power generation at the peak load of a general power transmission system when the power generation capacity is large. It can be used for the purpose of reducing the amount of water used in power generation by the rotation of the float 3.

  When the pumping pump 135 is used for pumping, as will be described later, the water suction pipe 135a is sucked from a water collecting portion having a low head, pressurized by the pumping pump 135, and sent to the water feeding pipe 135b. Then, the water is pumped up to the water collecting portion disposed at a high head position as seen from the hydroelectric generator via the water pipe 135b. Then, the pumped water can be turned into a high drop from the water collecting section and reused for power generation.

[Description of Operation in Second Embodiment]
In 2nd Embodiment, float 3 falls in water tank 1 with the rotation when float 3 rises in water tank 1 with the rise of the water level by the water supply in water tank 1, and the water level fall by drainage In addition to the power generation similar to that already described in the first embodiment using the rotation of the time, the water tank accompanying the increase or decrease of the mass of the entire tank 1 due to the increase or decrease of the amount of water in the water tank 1 The torque is taken out by using the vertical movement of 1 and is used. Hereinafter, the latter power generation will be described in detail.

  As the mass of the entire water tank 1 including the water stored therein increases when water is supplied into the water tank 1, the water tank 1 is lowered by the water tank vertical movement means 110. When the water tank 1 starts to descend, the male threaded shaft 121 of the linear-rotation conversion means 120 descends together with the water tank 1, so that the female thread body 122 meshing with the male threaded shaft 121 is initially moved slightly downward as described above. Then rotate counterclockwise. By this rotation, the first gear 132 rotates together with the female screw body 122, so that the second gear 133 meshing with the first gear 132 is driven and rotated clockwise.

  Further, the drive shaft 133a is axially moved downward in FIG. 9 against the elasticity of the coil spring 133b in accordance with the axial movement of the second gear 132 following the axial movement of the first gear 131. Therefore, the output bevel gear 133e of the direction switching unit 133 is meshed with the upper bevel gear 133c in the drawing. In summary, when the water tank 1 is lowered, the output bevel gear 133e also rotates clockwise as the bevel gear 133c rotates clockwise. The speed increaser 134 further increases the rotation speed, and the pumping pump 135 is operated by the increased output of the speed increaser 134.

  Next, when the water tank 1 starts draining, the water tank 1 is raised by the water tank vertical movement means 110 as the mass of the entire water tank 1 decreases. When the water tank 1 rises, the male screw shaft 121 of the linear-rotation conversion means 120 rises together with the water tank 1, so that the female screw body 122 meshing with the male screw shaft 121 first rises slightly, and the vertical movement means After contacting the inner surface of the upper bottom A of 110 via the sliding means 131b, it rotates clockwise. By this rotation, the first gear 132 rotates clockwise, and the second gear 133 meshing with the first gear 132 is driven to rotate counterclockwise.

  On the other hand, the drive shaft 133a is moved upward in FIG. 9 due to the axial movement of the second gear 132 following the axial movement of the first gear 131 at the start of its rise, so that the output bevel gear 133e is In the figure, it meshes with the lower bevel gear 113d. For this reason, when the second gear 132 rotates counterclockwise as described above, the output bevel gear 133e rotates in the same clockwise direction as when the water tank 1 is lowered. Therefore, the speed increaser 134 always rotates clockwise when the water tank 1 moves up and down, and exhibits a speed increasing action. For this reason, the pumping pump 135 is driven both when the water tank 1 moves up and down, in other words, when water is supplied into the water tank 1 and when it is drained.

[Third embodiment of the hydroelectric generator]
A third embodiment of the hydroelectric generator of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same part as 2nd Embodiment of the hydroelectric generator shown to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, only the torque obtained from the vertical movement of the water tank 1 is extracted to generate power. And the vertical movement means 110 similar to that in the second embodiment is provided, the simplified water tank 1, the linear-rotation conversion means 120 having the inverse relation to that in the second embodiment, and the power generator Torque utilization means 130 made of G.

(Water tank 1)
The water tank 1 is provided with a water intake / drainage means 2 '(not shown) and a bottomed hollow cylindrical body 16 standing from the center of the inner surface of the bottom. The water suction / drainage means 2 has the same structure as that of the second embodiment shown in FIG. The hollow portion formed in the bottomed hollow cylinder 16 passes through the bottom surface of the water tank 1 and faces the outside while maintaining a watertight relationship. In order to maintain the watertight relationship, it is allowed to interpose a female screw body 121 of the linear-rotation conversion means 120 described later. Moreover, since the structure of the water tank 1 is simple as described above, the depth dimension can be reduced as compared with the first embodiment if desired.

[Water tank vertical movement means 110]
The water tank vertical movement means 110 has the same configuration as that of the second embodiment.

[Linear-rotation conversion means 120]
The linear-rotation conversion means 120 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 9 except that the female screw body 122 is fixed to the water tank 1 and the male screw shaft 121 is in a reverse relationship in which it is rotatably supported by the water tank vertical movement means 110. This is substantially the same as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. That is, the female screw body 122 is arranged in a coaxial relationship at the center of the bottom of the water tank 1 so as to close the open end of the bottomed hollow body 16. The male screw shaft 121 is rotatably supported by a bearing 124 disposed on the upper bottom A of the base 111b of the water tank vertical movement means 110, and when the female screw body 122 moves up and down when the water tank 1 moves up and down. It rotates following this. Then, the portion of the male screw shaft 121 protruding upward from the female screw body 122 enters the inside of the bottomed hollow body 16. Therefore, the depth dimension inside the bottomed hollow body 16 is determined so that the screw shaft 121 can enter the hollow portion 12a from the tip thereof by a distance corresponding to the maximum vertical movement distance of the water tank 1. For this reason, when the water tank 1 moves up and down, the male screw shaft 121 rotates without changing its position in the vertical direction as the female screw body 122 moves along the axial direction of the male screw shaft 121 together with the water tank 1. The rotation of the male screw shaft 121 is in the opposite direction when the water tank 1 is raised and lowered.

[Torque utilization means 130]
The torque utilization means 130 includes a rotation shaft 136, a first gear 131 ′, a rotation direction switching unit 133, and a generator 135, and differs from the second embodiment in that the power generation apparatus G is configured as a whole. .

  The rotation shaft 136 is integrated with the male screw shaft 121 of the linear-rotation conversion means 120, and the lower end thereof is rotatably supported by the bearing 136a. The first gear 131 ′ is fixedly mounted on the rotary shaft 136 and has a relatively large tooth width. The second gear 133 is fixedly mounted on a drive shaft 131 of a rotation direction switching unit 134, which will be described later, and the tooth width of the first gear 131 ′ to be engaged is wide, so that the drive shaft 133a is described later. Thus, even when displaced in the axial direction, the first gear 132 is always engaged.

  The rotation direction switching unit 133 includes a drive shaft 133a, a coil spring 133b, a pair of reverse bevel gears 133c and 133d, an output bevel gear 133e, an air pump 133f, and a hydraulic pump 133g. The drive shaft 133a is axially displaceable and rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 134a1 and 134a2. The air pump 133b pushes down the drive shaft 133a in conjunction with the descent of the water tank 1. At this time, the hydraulic pump 134c acts as a shock absorber. The coil spring 133b displaces the drive shaft 134a upward by its own elasticity when the pushing force by the air pump 134b and the hydraulic pump 134c disappears when the water tank 1 is raised. The pair of reverse bevel gears 133c and 133d and the output bevel gear 133e are the same as those in the second embodiment.

  The speed increaser 134 and the generator 135 are disposed on a base 137. The generator 135 is driven by the output of the speed increaser 134 to generate power.

[Fourth Embodiment of Hydroelectric Generator]
A fourth embodiment of the hydroelectric generator of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the present embodiment includes power generation control means GC that performs control so as not to generate power in a predetermined section of the ascending and descending operations of the float 3. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, power can be generated in all sections of the lift 3 ascending and descending operations. However, it is clear from the above description that the essence of the present invention has not changed even in a mode in which power generation is not limited to all sections and power generation is not performed in some sections of the lift 3 lowering and lowering operations. is there. Therefore, in the present embodiment, for example, the power generation control means GC controls the power generation control means GC so as not to generate power in a desired partial section such as the float 3 ascending operation section or the float 3 descending operation section. The power generation configuration is adopted.

[Power generation control means GC]
The power generation control means GC may be any means that controls so as not to generate power in a predetermined section of the lifting and lowering operations of the float 3, and the specific configuration for this is not particularly limited. In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, a specific configuration of the power generation control means GC is exemplified as follows, and it is understood that various configurations can be adopted as is apparent from this illustration. it can.
(1) In the predetermined section, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 is disabled so that the float 3 can freely rise or fall. That is, by disabling the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4, the generator 6 is not driven because the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 does not generate torque even when the float 3 is raised or lowered.
(2) The torque transmission between the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 and the generator 6 is stopped in the predetermined section. That is, as the float 3 moves up or down, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 generates torque, but since this torque does not reach the generator 6, the generator 6 is not driven. The illustrated embodiment described below is an example of this configuration.
(3) In the predetermined section, the generator 6 is configured to perform no-load operation. That is, the generator 6 is released from the load circuit. As a result, when viewed from the load circuit, the hydroelectric generator does not generate power.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the power generation control means GC is incorporated as a function of the thruster 52d of the rotation direction switching unit 52. That is, the thruster 52d incorporates the power generation control means GC so that the thrust shaft 52a can be switched to the position where the pair of bevel gears 52b and 52c are not meshed with the driven gear 52f in addition to the switching of the meshing with the driven gear 52f. It is configured so that it can be selectively switched. By switching the thruster 52d so that the power generation control means GC functions, the torque transmitted from the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 to the thrust shaft 52a via the gears 51b and 51c is not transmitted to the driven gear 52f. As a result, the generator 6 is not driven.

  Therefore, power generation is not performed in a desired section when the float 3 is rising and falling. In order to operate the power generation control means GC in conjunction with the movement of the float 3, for example, the movement direction and position of the float 3 is detected by a detection means such as a sensor (not shown) to move the float 3. When it is determined that the direction and position have reached a predetermined section, the power generation control means GC can be operated as described above to prevent power generation.

  Next, other configurations and effects of the hydroelectric generator in the first mode in which the predetermined section is when the float 3 is raised and the second mode in which the predetermined section is also lowered will be described.

[Configuration and Effect in the First Aspect]
The water supply / drainage means 2 can increase (increase) the amount of water supplied per unit time (water supply speed) into the water tank 1 to speed up the water level in the water tank 1. When the water supply speed is increased, the movement of water in the water tank 1 is likely to be disturbed, and when the float 3 is relatively small and its water contact area is small, it is easily affected. As a result, when the float 3 is lifted, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 may not perform a smooth conversion operation or the durability of the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 may be reduced. Note that when the float 3 is large, its mass increases, so that even if the movement of water in the water tank 1 is disturbed, it is less likely to be affected.

  On the other hand, in the first embodiment, when the float 3 is raised, the load due to power generation does not act on the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4, and therefore the float 3 becomes free, so that the above-described inconvenience hardly occurs.

  Since the float 3 generates torque to be used for power generation due to its mass when descending, it is preferable to set the mass as large as possible in order to obtain a large torque even if the float 3 is relatively small. . The mass of the float 3 can be set large within a range where the float 3 floats on water.

  According to the first aspect, even if a disturbance in the movement of water occurs due to water supply when the float 3 rises, power generation is not performed in that section, so the influence on the float 3, the linear-rotation conversion mechanism 4 and the generator 6 Is less likely to cause problems in practice, and the float 3 and the water tank 1 can be downsized to provide a compact hydroelectric generator for small power.

[Configuration and Effect in Second Aspect]
In the second mode, torque used for power generation is generated via the float 3 floating on the water surface when the water level in the water tank 1 rises, and no power is generated when the water level is lowered. Therefore, in order to obtain a large torque at the time of power generation, the mass of the float 3 is hardly affected and it is sufficient that the buoyancy of water acting on the float 3 is large. For this reason, the float 3 may be lightweight, and if the water contact area is set large, the large buoyancy of water can be converted into torque when the water level rises. The mass of the float 3 may be such that the float 3 can be lowered by its own weight.

  According to the second aspect, since the mass of the float 3 can be reduced, it is possible to provide a lightweight and easily movable hydroelectric generator.

[Example of installation of hydroelectric generator]
A second installation example of the hydroelectric generator of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. In this example, a basic arrangement in which the desired pairs WG1 and WG2 of any of the first to third hydroelectric generators described above are connected in cascade is provided. If desired, a plurality of basic arrangements can be further connected in parallel and / or in series.

  That is, in FIG. 12, the amount of water used for power generation is secured in the first water collecting portion 8A located at the high head point, and the first head is at a position where the required head (or water pressure) is obtained from the first water collecting portion 8A. The hydroelectric generator WG1 is arranged, and the water supply pipe 21a1 is connected to the water collecting section 8A through a water channel. Further, a second hydraulic power generation device WG2 is disposed at a position where a required head (or water pressure) is obtained from the drain pipe 22a1 of the first hydroelectric power generation device WG1, and the water supply pipe 21a2 is drained from the first hydraulic power generation device WG1. It is connected to the pipe 22a1 through a water channel. Furthermore, the waste water flowing out from the water distribution pipe 22a2 of the second hydroelectric generator WG2 is discharged to the second water collecting section 8B. Then, at least a part of the second water collecting unit 8B is configured to pump water to the first water collecting unit 8 via the pump 9 and the pumping pipe 10.

  According to this installation example, the drainage in the drainage process of the second hydroelectric generator is once stored in the second water collecting section 8B, and the water collected in the water collecting section 8B is first pumped to the first high drop point. Since the water collecting unit 8A is pumped, pumping is possible even during a time zone that is not the drainage process of the drainage second hydroelectric generator. Therefore, even with a relatively small capacity pump P, the required amount of water can be pumped. Further, by using the pump device P provided in the hydroelectric generator of the second embodiment, water can be pumped without consuming electric power. Furthermore, in the hydroelectric generator of the second embodiment, if desired, the pump device P of the torque utilization means 130 that operates using the vertical movement of the water tank 1 is replaced with the power generator G, and the pump for pumping water in this installation example The pump P can be driven using the electric power generated by the power generator G by arranging P in the water collecting section or in the vicinity thereof. This simplifies the piping for the pump P and improves the degree of freedom with respect to the position of the pump.

  1 ... Water tank, 11 ... Top lid, 11a ... Opening, 2 ... Water supply / drainage means, 21 ... Water supply port, 21a ... Water supply pipe, 22 ... Drain port, 22a ... Drain pipe, 3 ... Float, 31, 32 ... Fin, 4 ... Line -Rotation conversion mechanism, 41 ... lead screw portion, 41a ... lead screw groove, 42 ... lead nut portion, 42a ... female screw groove, 5 ... torque take-out mechanism, 51 ... torque take-out portion, 51a ... spline groove, 51b ... gear, 51c ... gear, 52 ... rotation direction switching part, 52a ... thrust shaft, 52b ... bevel gear, 52c ... bevel gear, 52d ... thruster, 52e ... driven shaft (input shaft), 52f ... driven gear, 53 ... speed increaser, 53a ... Output shaft, 6 ... Generator, 7 ... Base part, 8A ... First water collecting part, 8B ... Second water collecting part, GU ... Power generation unit, WG ... Hydraulic power generator

Claims (5)

A first step of supplying water into a water tank in which a float is disposed to float the float above the water surface, raising the water surface to the upper limit height, and then draining the water tank to lower the float to the lower limit height;
A second step of rotating the float with water energy as the float is raised and lowered;
A third step of generating power by driving a generator by transmitting torque generated by rotation of the float;
A hydroelectric power generation method comprising: A water tank capable of supplying and draining water;
A float that floats on the surface of the water in the aquarium and moves up and down following the up and down movement of the water accompanying the supply and drainage of water into the aquarium;
A linear-rotation conversion mechanism for rotating the float when the float moves up and down;
A torque extraction mechanism for extracting the torque generated in the float to the outside;
A generator that generates power by being driven by externally extracted torque;
A hydroelectric power generator comprising: A water tank capable of supplying and draining water;
Water supply / drainage means for generating a rotating water flow in the water tank by water supply and drainage into the water tank;
A float that floats on the surface of the water in the aquarium, rotates following the rotating water flow, and moves up and down following the vertical movement of the water surface;
A torque extraction mechanism for extracting the torque generated in the float to the outside;
A generator that generates power by being driven by externally extracted torque;
A hydroelectric power generator comprising: Water tank up-and-down moving means for moving the water tank up and down according to the mass change of the water tank accompanying water supply and drainage into the tank
A linear-rotation conversion means for converting the vertical movement of the aquarium into a rotational movement to extract torque;
Torque utilization means for utilizing the torque extracted by the linear-rotation conversion means;
The hydroelectric power generator according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by comprising:   The hydroelectric generator according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising power generation control means for controlling power generation so as not to be generated in a predetermined section of the float rising and lowering operations.