Patent ID: 6814633
Filing Date: 2004-11-09
Classification: B63H,Y02T

Abstract:
A wave powered vessel comprising:a hull body extending in a longitudinal direction; a propeller mounted to be rotatable relative to said hull body, and adapted to be submerged in a body of water so as to propel said hull body forward; a driven shaft mounted to drive said propeller to rotate; a drive transmission shaft which is disposed in and which is rotatable relative to said hull body about a rotation axis, which is adapted to be spaced apart from the water level in an upright direction, and which extends in the longitudinal direction to couple with said driven shaft so as to drive said propeller to rotate; a suspending member mounted relative to said hull body, and extending in the longitudinal direction; a plurality of float members which are suspended by and which are movable relative to said suspending member in the upright direction, and which are disposed to be displaced from one another in the longitudinal direction, each of said float members including bottom and top walls which are opposite to each other in the upright direction, and which are respectively adapted to be submerged below and floating above the water level, and a force transmitting rod which is disposed to extend from said top wall uprightly, and which includes a first rack segment disposed to be moved upwards and downwards with said force transmitting rod when a respective one of said float members is moved upwards and downwards respectively by rising and falling tides; and a plurality of first gear trains, each including a first uni-directional gear unit which has a first toothed wheel that surrounds a first axis, and that is disposed to mesh with said first rack segment so as to be rotated clockwise and counterclockwise, and a first uni-directional gear wheel coupled relative to said first toothed wheel so as to permit said first uni-directional gear wheel to be rotated coaxially with said first toothed wheel only when said first toothed wheel rotates clockwise, and a first driven wheel disposed downstream of said first uni-directional gear wheel so as to transmit rotation of said first uni-directional gear wheel to drive said drive transmission shaft, thereby driving said propeller to rotate.