KR101946390B1 - Apparatus for wave surge converter - Google Patents

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a wave surge converter inducing relative motion among buoys to increase power generation efficiency. To this end, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the wave surge converter comprises: a front buoy including a rear body part having an outline of a sectional surface formed in an arced shape and a front body part having an outline of a sectional surface, in which upper and lower extension lines extended from the rear body part are met each other, and performing first reciprocating motion on the water surface with respect to a predetermined horizontal axis based on that the outline of the sectional surface of the front and rear body parts are asymmetrically formed with each other; a rear buoy including a C-shaped member disposed to surround the outer circumferential surface of the rear body part and having a sectional surface of a C shape and a protrusion member extended from the C-shaped member and performing second reciprocating motion in a direction opposite to the direction of the first reciprocating motion with respect to the horizontal axis; a gear unit mounted on the front and rear buoys; and an energy conversion means to convert wave energy into electricity based on the first and second reciprocating motions.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR WAVE SURGE CONVERTER [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wave surge converter and a system thereof, and more particularly, to a wave surge converter and a wave surge converter system for generating electrical energy based on counter- .

Wave energy refers to the vibration energy of sea water caused by wind in ocean energy. Unlike tidal waves, waves represent the reciprocating kinetic energy of moving up and down or right and left of seawater. The wave power generation is getting the electric energy from the wave energy, and it is attracting attention as an environment friendly future energy source. Specifically, the cyclic up and down movement of the surface by the wave or the forward and backward movement of the water particle are converted into mechanical kinetic energy through the energy conversion device, and then the electric energy is changed.

Most of these energy conversion devices cause the bouy to vibrate according to the movement of the waves and convert them into electric energy through the generator.

However, devices for converting conventional wave energy into electric energy mostly require a fixed body that is not tuned to the motion of buoys.

For example, in US 3928967A, energy removing members (2a-2h) are formed by fins or ribs (3a, 3b, 3c) So as to exercise. Also, in US4300871A, as shown in Fig. 2, an electric energy converting mechanism is implemented by introducing a configuration of a spine portion (reference numeral 15) as a fixed body.

In addition, these prior art wave surge converters have all chosen a parallel expanding scheme to create motionless motors for buoy motion. In addition, a single frame for restricting the parallel movement of the parts and the parts thereof is disposed, and a power conversion device is disposed between the relative movements of the buoys relative to the frame to convert the kinetic energy into electric energy.

However, this approach requires a large and robust frame compared to the buoy. In addition, as the frame size increases, the risk of damage due to waves increases. Therefore, it is important to secure reliability of the frame stability. Although this method can be advantageous in terms of the scalability of the electric production capacity, there is a limitation that it is not applicable to a marine power solution requiring only a small electric capacity.

Therefore, there is a need for a device capable of a mechanism capable of inducing relative motion in one buoy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned needs, and it is a first object of the present invention to provide a wave surge converting apparatus capable of increasing power generation efficiency by inducing relative motion between parts.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a wave surge converting apparatus capable of not only parallel expansion of a plurality of entities but also having a power generation efficiency even in the independent configuration of a single buoy.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a wave surge converting apparatus which can be utilized as a marine power solution requiring a small amount of electricity supply since a large frame for fixing the parts is not necessary.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rear body part having an outline of a longitudinal section formed in an arc shape and a front body part in which an outline of the longitudinal section meets an upper extension line extending from the rear body part and a lower extension line, A front portion for performing a first reciprocating motion on a water surface around a predetermined horizontal axis based on the outline of the longitudinal section of the front body portion formed asymmetrically; A C-type member having a C-shaped longitudinal section and a protruding member extending from the C-type member and protruding downward from the front body part, the first member having a first reciprocating motion A rear portion which performs a second reciprocating motion in a direction opposite to the direction of the second reciprocation; A gear unit mounted on each of the front portion and the rear portion; And energy conversion means for converting the wave energy into electric power based on the first and second reciprocating motions.

The rear portion may include a weight, a buoyancy providing portion, and a neutral buoyancy providing portion.

The protruding member may be such that the angle formed by the upper surface and the horizontal surface is 20 to 60 degrees below the horizontal surface.

The gear unit may be a rack-pinion gear mounted to the C-type member and the rear body part, respectively, and the energy converting means may include a generator connected to the pinion gear to produce electricity.

The front portion is formed with a shaft hole along the horizontal axis,

The wave surge converting apparatus includes: a shaft positioned in a shaft hole; A first support rim mounted on the front portion along the rim of the shaft hole, and a second support rim connected to the first support rim from the first hub, And a first supporting module including a load.

The wave surge converting apparatus includes a second hub that is inserted into the shaft and performs a rotational motion in accordance with the second reciprocating motion, a second supporting rim mounted on the rear portion along the rim of the shaft hole, a second supporting rim mounted on the second supporting rim And a second supporting module including a second supporting rod connected to the second supporting module.

According to an embodiment of the present invention as described above, generation efficiency can be increased by inducing relative motion between the parts.

In addition, it is possible not only to parallel expansion of many parts, but also to have power generation efficiency by independent configuration of a single buoy.

And since there is no need for a huge frame to hold the parts, it can be used as a marine power solution that requires a small amount of electricity supply.

Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating conventional wave surge converting devices,
3 is a schematic view schematically showing a wave surge converting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a diagram illustrating a motion state of a wave surge converting apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a rack pinion gear and a PTO generator module are mounted on a wave surge converting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the rack gear and the first supporting module are integrally mounted on the front part of the configuration of FIG. 5,
7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a second supporting module is mounted on a rear portion of the structure of FIG. 5,
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a plurality of modulated wave surge converting apparatuses are arranged on a water surface in a state where a plurality of modulated wave surge converting apparatuses are connected according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to or limited by the embodiments.

Various modifications may be made to the embodiments described below. It is to be understood that the embodiments described below are not intended to limit the embodiments, but include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives to them.

The terms used in the examples are used only to illustrate specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the embodiments. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. And terminologies used herein are terms used to properly represent embodiments of the present invention, which may vary depending on the user, intent of the operator, or custom in the field to which the present invention belongs. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

In the following description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant explanations thereof will be omitted. In the following description of the embodiments, a detailed description of related arts will be omitted if it is determined that the gist of the embodiments may be unnecessarily blurred.

Wave surge Converting  Device

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a wave surge converting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a motion state of a wave surge converting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention . Hereinafter, the operation mechanism of the wave surge converting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The wave surge converting apparatus 100 basically comprises a front buoy 110 and a rear buoy 120 as shown in FIG. The wave surge converting apparatus 100 is positioned so as to float on the water surface where the sea water or wave surge is formed and the front buoy 110 is pivotally moved about the horizontal axis C corresponding to the wave surge, And at the same time, the rear buoyant 120 performs a second reciprocating motion in the reverse direction to the first reciprocating motion. As a result, the energy conversion means can convert the kinetic energy corresponding to the wave energy into electric energy based on the reciprocal of the first and second reciprocal motions.

Here, moving in the horizontal direction by a wave is called a surge, and a hinge-type moving object type wave generator is called a wave surge converter.

The front buoy 110 includes a rear body portion 112 having an outline of a longitudinal section formed in an arc shape and a front body portion 114 in which an outline of the longitudinal section is extended from an extension line extending from the rear body portion 112, . However, the rear body part 112 may have a cavity or shaft hole 116 formed in the horizontal axis C direction, and the upper extension part and the lower extension part of the front body part 114 may be formed as straight lines or curved lines, respectively . The portion where the upper extension line and the lower extension line meet may be formed as a curved portion as shown in FIG.

The front buoy 110 includes a first body portion 112 and a front body portion 114 which are formed in a manner such that contours of the longitudinal sides of the rear body portion 112 and the front body portion 114 are asymmetrically formed, Perform reciprocating motion.

The front buoy 110 may be filled with a filler that is empty or less than the density of water and may be further weighted on the bottom of the front buoy 110 that floats in a horizontal plane and a diagonal line. The front buoy 110 is capable of self floating without any constraint by weight and self buoyancy. The horizontal axis C is locked with a waterline of about 70% of the rear radius of the front buoy 110 and the front buoy 110 floated in a diagonal line has a front surface of the front body part 114, It is preferable to form an angle of view.

A cavity may be formed around the horizontal axis C in order to prevent excessive buoyancy while lightening the dry weight of the front buoy 110. Such a cavity may also be utilized as the shaft hole 116 in this embodiment .

The rear buoy 120 which makes a mutual opposing motion with the front buoy 110 includes a C type member 122 having a vertical C shape and a C type member 122 arranged to surround the outer circumferential surface of the rear body part 112, 122 and a protruding member 124 protruding downward from the front body part 114. [

Here, the rear buoy 120 is formed and arranged so as to be coaxial with the horizontal axis C of the front buoy 110. For this, the C-type member 122 is preferably formed in a letter C 'shape in longitudinal section so as to surround the outer circumferential surface of the rear body part 112 of the front buoy 110. The interior of the rear buoy 120 is filled with filler material that is empty or less than the density of water to provide buoyancy. In the present embodiment, the rear buoy 120 is additionally disposed in the vicinity of the lower end so as to be exposed to the water surface properly. In addition, a buoyant portion or a neutral buoyancy providing portion may be present inside the rear buoy 120.

The protruding member 124 extends from the C-type member 122 and protrudes downward from the front body portion 114. The protruding member 124 may be formed such that the angle between the upper surface and the horizontal surface is 20 to 60 degrees below the horizontal surface. Consequently, in the same wave surge phase, the direction of motion of the front body part 114 of the front buoy 110 and the direction of motion of the protruding member 124 are opposite to each other. Here, the protruding member 124 may be defined as a portion where the above-mentioned 'C' shape ends at the lower end, that is, a portion whose radius changes from the horizontal axis C.

The volume, weight, and shape of these protruding members 124 can be selected to account for volume, weight, and shape of the front buoys 110 and to provide maximum efficiency in a variety of actual wave surge situations.

The front buoy 110 and the rear buoy 120 may have various fluid coupling arrangements so that they can move relative to each other and the gear unit and the generator module as energy converting means may be connected to the front buoy 110 or the rear buoy 120 The kinetic energy due to the relative motion of the front and rear buoyants 110 and 120 can be converted into electrical energy.

Referring to FIG. 4, the motion state of the front and rear buoyings of the present embodiment will be described. First, the wave surge converting apparatus 100 floats on the water surface with an oblique line at a proper angle with the horizontal plane corresponding to a predetermined phase of the wave surge (left figure). The front buoy 110 makes a first reciprocating motion P1 in a counterclockwise direction and the rear buoyant 120 makes a second reciprocating motion P3 in a clockwise direction based on the wave surge which is changed afterwards . The front buoy 110 then makes a first reciprocating motion P2 in a clockwise direction and the rear buoy 120 simultaneously makes a second reciprocating motion P4 in a counterclockwise direction ). These first and second reciprocating motions can be repeatedly performed on a continuous wave surge.

Modular Wave Surge Converting  Device

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a rack pinion gear and a PTO generator module are mounted on a wave surge converting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a front view of the structure of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the second supporting module is mounted on the rear portion of the structure of FIG. 5. FIG. An embodiment of a modularized wave surge converting apparatus will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG. In the scope of overlapping with the above-described wave surge converting apparatus, the description thereof will be omitted and the same reference numerals are used for the same components.

The modulated wave surge converting apparatus shown in Fig. 5 provides an embodiment of the arrangement of the energy converting means which can be actually applied based on the operation principle of the above-described wave surge converting apparatus, and the kind and arrangement of the gear unit . In addition, the modularized wave surge converting apparatus may include a shaft 160 configuration required for single or expansion, a configuration and arrangement of the supporting modules, and a configuration and arrangement of the fixing frames 190a, 190b, 190c, 190d, and 190e Lt; / RTI >

One embodiment of the modularized wave surge converting apparatus uses rack-pinion gears 152 and 154 as gear units for power transmission and PTO generator 142 as an energy conversion module. The rack gear 152 is positioned along the arc of the profile of the front buoy 110 along the arc and can be mounted to the left or right of the front buoy 110 as shown in Figs. In this case, since the radius of curvature of the rack gear 152 can be increased, the speed ratio can be maximized. The PTO generator 142 is mounted on the rear portion 120 on the central axis line of the pinion gear 154. The pinion gear 154 is disposed on the rear portion 120 of the pinion gear 154, Here, the PTO generator 142 is mounted on the upper front surface of the C-type member 122 of the rear part 120, but if the arrangement of the pinion gear 154 is changed or other additional gears are used, the arrangement thereof may be varied.

The rack gear 152 may be disposed along the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical rear body portion 112 in addition to the left or right position of the front buoy 110 or may form a groove over the rear body portion 112 and the front body portion 114, It can be placed in the groove. Thus, any configuration may be possible as long as the rear surface of the front buoy 110, i.e., the large radius of curvature of the rear body portion 112, is available.

The modularized wave surge converting apparatus has a shaft hole 116 formed along the horizontal axis of the front buoy 110 so that the shaft 160 can be disposed. And a first support module for supporting the reciprocation of the front buoy 110 and for coupling with the rear buoy 120.

The first supporting module includes a first hub 170 which is inserted into the shaft 160 and rotates in accordance with a first reciprocating motion and a second support 170 which is mounted on the front buoy 110 along the rim of the shaft hole 116, A rim 172 and a first supporting rod 174 connected to the first supporting rim 172 from the first hub 170. The first hub 170 may include a bearing structure to reduce friction with the shaft 160. The first support rim 172 may be integrally formed with the rack gear 152 as shown in Figure 6, . In addition, the first supporting rod 174 is for connecting and fixing the first hub 170 and the first supporting rim 172, and therefore, the first supporting rod 174 may be provided in at least one number.

The modularized wave surge converting apparatus includes a second supporting module that shares the same horizontal axis with the front buoy 110 and is mounted to the rear buoy 120 for engagement with the front buoy 110.

The second supporting module includes a second hub 180 fitted in the shaft 160 and performing a rotational motion in accordance with the second reciprocating motion and a second support 180 mounted on the rear buoy 120 along the rim of the shaft hole 116. [ Rim 182 and a second supporting rod 184 connected to the second supporting rim 182 from the second hub 180. The second hub 180 may include a bearing structure to reduce friction with the shaft 160 and the second supporting rim 182 may be mounted along the inner circumferential surface of the C-type member 122 as shown in FIG. 7 C-type member 122. In addition, The second supporting rod 184 is for connecting and securing the second hub 180 and the second supporting rim 182, so that the second supporting rod 184 may be provided in at least one number.

Although the first supporting module and the second supporting module are not shown in the drawings, the first supporting module and the second supporting module may be disposed on the left side and the right side of the front buoy 110 and the rear buoy 120, respectively, .

Meanwhile, the modularized wave surge converting apparatus can be provided in an expandable form by mounting the fixed frame 190a at both ends of the shaft 160 disposed in the shaft hole 116 of the front buoy 110.

The fixed frame 190a is mounted on the outer sides of the first hub 170 and the second hub 180 and is formed to have the entire alphabetic character 'H' shape so that four different modulated wave surge converting So that the devices 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, and 100e can be interconnected.

Of course, since the fixed frames 190a, 190b, 190c, 190d, and 190e shown in FIG. 8 are not intended to be limited to specific shapes, various modifications are possible, and the fixed frames 190a, 190b, 190c, 190d, Are provided in a structure such as a hinge or a joint so as to enable fluid coupling instead of fixed coupling. Therefore, the fixed frames 190a, 190b, 190c, 190d, and 190e can be angularly changed freely according to various changes of the wave surge according to the position of the sea surface.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood that the invention may be practiced. It is therefore to be understood that the embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. In addition, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the above detailed description. Also, all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

C: Horizontal axis W: Water
P1, P2: first reciprocating motion P3, P4: second reciprocating motion
100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e: wave surge converting device
110: front portion 112: rear body portion
114: front body part 116: shaft hole
120: rear portion 122: C type member
124: protruding member 142: PTO generator
152: rack 154: pinion
160: shaft 170: first hub
172: first supporting rim 174: first supporting rod
180: second hub 182: second supporting rim
184: second supporting rod 190a, 190b, 190c, 190d, 190e:

Claims (6)

A rear body portion having an outline of a longitudinal section formed in an arc shape and a front body portion in which an outline of the longitudinal section meets an upper extension line and a lower extension line each extending from the rear body portion, A front portion for performing a first reciprocating motion on a water surface around a predetermined horizontal axis based on the mutually asymmetrically formed portions;
A C type member having a longitudinal cross-section and a C-shaped member disposed to surround the outer circumferential surface of the rear body part, and a protruding member extending from the C type member and protruding to the lower portion of the front body part, A rear portion performing a second reciprocating motion in a direction opposite to the direction of the first reciprocating motion;
A gear unit mounted on the front portion and the rear portion, respectively; And
And energy conversion means for converting the wave energy into electric power based on the first and second reciprocating motions,
The front part has a shaft hole formed along the horizontal axis,
A shaft positioned in the shaft hole; And
A first support rim mounted on the front portion along a rim of the shaft hole, and a second support rim mounted on the first support rim from the first hub, Further comprising a first supporting module including a first supporting rod connected thereto.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the rear portion includes a weight and buoyancy providing portion therein.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the protruding member is protruded such that the angle between the upper surface and the horizontal surface is 20 to 60 degrees below the horizontal surface.
The method according to claim 1,
The gear unit is a rack-and-pinion gear mounted on the C-type member and the rear body part, respectively,
Wherein the energy converting means includes a generator connected to the pinion gear to produce electricity.
delete The method according to claim 1,
A second support rim mounted on the rear portion along a rim of the shaft hole; and a second support rim mounted on the second support rim from the second hub, And a second supporting module including a second supporting rod connected to the second supporting module.

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