Patent Publication Number: US-2013234440-A1

Title: Sea wave power generation equipment

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 101107688, filed Mar. 7, 2012, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a power generation equipment, and more particularly to a sea wave power generation equipment. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Since the global warming and limited petroleum reserves, the renewable energy which is environmental-friendly has been growing vigorously, such as the solar power generation, the wind power generation, the geothermal power generation, and the sea wave power generation. Because the ocean has two-thirds of the earth surface, the sea wave power generation is inexhaustible. Moreover, the kinetic energy of the sea wave is stable and relatively accessible. Therefore, there are many countries regarding the sea wave as an active development renewable energy. 
     The sea wave power generation is a renewable energy utilizing the kinetic energy which is formed from the sea wave. The process of generating the sea wave power is significantly clean and safe. For island countries, since the whole country is surrounded by the ocean, the sea wave power generation equipment is worth being developed and deployed. If a country can utilize the sea wave to generate power efficiently, the fraction of the thermal and the nuclear power generation can be reduced. When the requirements of the nonrenewable energies, such as coal, petroleum, or uranium, are reduced, the air pollution decreases, and so does the nuclear waste, such that the ecological environment is protected. Furthermore, compared with the sea wave power generation and the solar power generation, in that the sea wave power generation does not need the sunlight, the sea wave power generation can generate electrical power day and night continuously. 
     There are different types of sea wave power generation equipments with more or less disadvantages, such as expensive prices, complicated structures, and difficulty for setting. For example, some of the sea wave power generation equipments need to be fixed on the sea floor, operators need to dive into water to assemble or repair the sea wave power generation equipments. As a result, not only the labor cost is increased, but also the sea wave power generation equipments are repaired difficultly when the climate is bad. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aspect of the present invention is to provide a heat dissipation structure. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a sea wave power generation equipment includes a floating body, a frame, a plurality of rotating shafts, a plurality of first gear wheels, at least one fixing base, a generator, a transmission shaft, a plurality of second gear wheels, a plurality of collision boards, and a plurality of ratchet structures. The floating body floats on a sea surface. The frame is fixed on the floating body and includes a hollow portion, a first side, and a second side parallel to the first side. The hollow portion is above the sea surface. Each of the rotating shafts includes a first end portion and a second end portion, and the first end portion is rotatably connected to the first side, and the second end portion is rotatably connected to the second side. The first gear wheels are respectively fixed on the first end portions. The fixing support is located on the floating body. The generator is located on the floating body. The transmission shaft is rotatably connected to the fixing support and the generator. The second gear wheels are fixed on the transmission shaft, and each of the second gear wheels is coupled to one of the first gear wheels. The collision boards are located in the hollow portion, and each of the collision boards includes a rotation portion and a board body. The rotation portion is rotatably sleeved on one of the rotating shafts. The board body is fixed on the rotation portion, and a portion of the board body is located under the sea surface. Each of the ratchet structures includes a pawl portion and a ratchet portion. The pawl portion is located on one of the rotation portions. The ratchet portion is fixed on one of the rotating shafts and adjacent to one of the rotation portions. The ratchet portion includes a plurality of teeth coupled to the pawl portion. When the board bodies are collided with a sea wave in a direction, each of the pawl portions hooks one of the teeth of one of the ratchet portions, such that the respective rotating shafts are correspondingly rotated with the respective ratchet portions. The transmission shaft is rotated by the first gear wheels and the second gear wheels, such that the generator generates electrical power. When the board bodies are collided with another sea wave in another direction reverse to the direction, each of the pawl portions slides a portion of the teeth of one of the ratchet portions, such that the rotating shafts do not respectively rotated with the ratchet portions. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the rotation portion includes two parallel protruding portions for clamping the board body. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the two protruding portions includes a first fixing hole. Each of the board bodies includes a second fixing hole. The two first fixing holes are aligned with the second fixing hole. Each of the collision boards further includes at least one fixing element coupled to the two first fixing holes and the second fixing hole, such that each of the board bodies is fixed between the two protruding portions. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the fixing elements includes a screw. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the two protruding portions includes a fixing hole, and each of the board bodies includes two concave portions respectively aligned with the two fixing holes. Each of the collision boards further includes two fixing elements respectively coupled to the two fixing holes and in contact with the two concave portions, such that each of the board bodies is fixed between the two protruding portions. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the fixing elements includes a setscrew. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the rotating shafts are parallel, and each of the rotating shafts is perpendicular to the transmission shaft. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the length of each of the board bodies is smaller than the distance between two of the adjacent rotating shafts. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the sea wave power generation equipment further includes a power storage device electrically connected to the generator for saving the electrical power generated by the generator. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the rotation portions and each of the board bodies are integrally formed as a single piece. 
     In the aforementioned embodiments of the present invention, since the generator is located on the floating body and the transmission shaft is rotatably connected to the fixing support and the generator, when the transmission shaft rotates in a power generation direction, the generator generates electrical power. When the board bodies are collided with a sea wave in a direction, the board bodies and the ratchet structures can ensure the transmission shaft only rotates in a single direction (i.e., the power generation direction of the generator). Moreover, unavoidable disturbances are located on the sea surface except the direction of the sea wave, and each of the two adjacent sea waves has a timing gap. The board bodies of the collision boards can return to under the sea surface by the ratchet structures due to the gravity or a disturbance reverse to the direction of the sea wave, such that the board bodies can wait for the next collision of the sea wave. 
     That is, when the board bodies are collided with a sea wave in a direction, each of the pawl portions can hook one of the teeth of one of the ratchet portions, such that the rotating shafts are respectively rotated with the ratchet portions. Simultaneously, the transmission shaft is rotated by the first gear wheels and the second gear wheels, such that the generator generates electrical power. When the board bodies are collided with another sea wave in another direction reverse to the direction, each of the pawl portions slides a portion of the teeth of one of the ratchet portions, such that the rotating shafts do not respectively rotated with the ratchet portions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a sea wave power generation equipment of an embodiment of the present invention floating on a sea surface; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a collision board and a ratchet structure shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the collision board and the ratchet structure shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the sea wave power generation equipment taken along line  4 - 4 ′ shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the sea wave power generation equipment collided with a sea wave in a direction D 3  shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the sea wave power generation equipment collided with the sea wave in the direction D 3  shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is another embodiment of the collision board and the ratchet structure shown in  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is another embodiment of the collision board and the ratchet structure shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a sea wave power generation equipment  100  of an embodiment of the present invention floating on a sea surface  200 . The sea wave power generation equipment  100  includes a floating body  110 , a frame  120 , a plurality of rotating shafts  130 , a plurality of first gear wheels  136 , at least one fixing base  140 , a generator  150 , a transmission shaft  160 , a plurality of second gear wheels  162 , a plurality of collision boards  170 , and a plurality of ratchet structures  180 . The floating body  110  floats on the sea surface  200 . The frame  120  is fixed on the floating body  110  and includes a hollow portion  122 , a first side  124 , and a second side  126  substantially parallel to the first side  122 . The hollow portion  122  is above the sea surface  200 . The fixing support  140  and the generator  150  are located on the floating body  110 . Each of the rotating shafts  130  includes a first end portion  132  and a second end portion  134 , and the first end portion  132  is rotatably connected to the first side  124 , and the second end portion  134  is rotatably connected to the second side  126 . The first gear wheels  136  are respectively fixed on the first end portions  132 . The transmission shaft  160  is rotatably connected to the fixing support  140  and the generator  150 . When the transmission shaft  160  rotates in a power generation direction, the generator  150  can generate electrical power. The second gear wheels  162  are fixed on the transmission shaft  160 , and each of the second gear wheels  162  is coupled to one of the first gear wheels  136 . The rotating shafts  130  are substantially parallel, and each of the rotating shafts  130  is perpendicular to the transmission shaft  160 . 
     The collision boards  170  are located in the hollow portion  122 , and each of the collision boards  170  includes a rotation portion  172  and a board body  174 . The rotation portion  172  is rotatably sleeved on one of the rotating shafts  130 . The board body  174  is fixed on the rotation portion  172 , and a portion of the board body  174  is located under the sea surface  200 . Each of the ratchet structures  180  is located adjacent to a side of one of the rotation portions  172 . 
     In addition, the sea wave power generation equipment  100  may further include a power storage device  190  electrically connected to the generator  150 . The power storage device  190  can save the electrical power generated by the generator  150 . The power storage device  190  may be a electric accumulator, and can be located on land or the floating body  110 , as long as the power storage device  190  is electrically connected to the generator  150 , does not limit the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the collision board  170  and the ratchet structure  180  shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  is a front view of the collision board  170  and the ratchet structure  180  shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , each of the ratchet structures  180  includes a pawl portion  182  and a ratchet portion  184 . The pawl portion  182  is located on one of the rotation portions  172 . The ratchet portion  184  is fixed on one of the rotating shafts  130  and adjacent to one of the rotation portions  172 . Moreover, the ratchet portion  184  includes a plurality of teeth  185  coupled to the pawl portion  182 . 
     In this embodiment, the rotation portion  172  includes two substantially parallel protruding portions  173  to clamp the board body  174 . Each of the two protruding portions  173  includes a first fixing hole  175 . Each of the board bodies  174  includes a second fixing hole  176 , and the two first fixing holes  175  are aligned with the second fixing hole  176 . Furthermore, each of the collision boards  170  further includes at least one fixing element  178  coupled to the two first fixing holes  175  and the second fixing hole  176 , such that each of the board bodies  174  can be fixed between the two protruding portions  173 . Each of the fixing elements  178  may include a screw. The shape of each of the board bodies  174  may be round-shaped, arc-shaped, rectangular shaped, N-sides polygon-shaped, or the combinations thereof. N is a natural number more than or equal to 3. 
     In other embodiments, the board body  174  may be fixed on the rotation portion  172  by other fixing methods. For example, each of the rotation portions  172  and each of the board bodies  174  may be integrally formed as a single piece in accordance with requirements of designers. 
     In use, when the rotation portion  172  is rotated in a direction D 1 , the pawl portion  182  can hook one of the teeth  185  of the ratchet portion  184 , such that the rotating shaft  130  is rotated with the ratchet portion  184 . Moreover, when the rotation portion  172  is rotated in a direction D 2 , the pawl portion  182  cannot hook the teeth  185  of the ratchet portion  184  and only slides a portion of the teeth  185  of the ratchet portion  184 . As a result, the ratchet portion  184  cannot rotate, such that the rotating shaft  130  does not be rotated with the ratchet portion  184 . 
     Referring  FIG. 1  simultaneously, by the aforementioned arrangement, when the rotation portion  172  rotates in the direction D 1 , the transmission shaft  160  is rotated in the power generation direction of the generator  150  by the first gear wheels  136  fixed on the rotating shaft  130  and the second gear wheels  162 , such that the generator  150  generates electrical power. When the rotation portion  172  rotates in the direction D 2 , the transmission shaft  160  is motionless and does not rotate in a direction reverse to the power generation direction of the generator  150 . 
     It is to be noted that the connection relationship of the aforementioned elements will not be repeated in the following description, and only aspects related to the situation when the board body  174  is collided with a sea wave will be described. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the sea wave power generation equipment  100  taken along line  4 - 4 ′ shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 4 , when the board bodies  174  are collided with a sea wave in a direction D 3 , each of the pawl portions  182  hooks one of the teeth  185  of one of the ratchet portions  184 , such that the rotating shafts  130  are respectively rotated in the direction D 1  with the ratchet portions  184 . The state of the collision boards  170  after rotating in the direction D 1  as shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 . Consequently, the transmission shaft  160  (see  FIG. 1 ) can be rotated in the power generation direction of the generator  150  (see  FIG. 1 ) by the collision boards  170  and the ratchet structures  180 . 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the sea wave power generation equipment  100  collided with the sea wave in the direction D 3  shown in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 6  is a top view of the sea wave power generation equipment  100  collided with the sea wave in the direction D 3  shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , in this embodiment, the length L of each of the board bodies  174  is smaller than the distance D between two of the adjacent rotating shafts  130 , such that the board body  174  can rotate to a horizontal state. Unavoidable disturbances may be formed on the sea surface  200  except the direction D 3  of the sea wave, and each of the two adjacent sea waves has a timing gap. The board bodies  174  of the collision boards  170  can return to under the sea surface  200  in the direction D 2  by the ratchet structures  180  due to the gravity or a direction D 4  reverse to the direction D 3  of the sea wave, such that the board bodies  174  can wait for the next collision of the sea wave in the direction D 3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  simultaneously, when the board bodies  174  are collided with the sea wave in the direction D 4 , each of the pawl portions  182  only slides a portion of the teeth  185  of one of the ratchet portions  184 , such that the rotating shafts  130  do not respectively rotated with the ratchet portions  184 . As a result, the generator  150  does not generate electrical power. 
       FIG. 7  is another embodiment of the collision board  170  and the ratchet structure  180  shown in  FIG. 2 . The difference between this embodiment and the aforementioned embodiments is that each of the two protruding portions  173  includes a fixing hole  175 , and each of the board bodies  174  includes two concave portions  177  respectively aligned with the two fixing holes  175 . Moreover, each of the collision boards  170  further includes two fixing elements  178  respectively coupled to the two fixing holes  175  and in contact with the two concave portions  177 , such that each of the board bodies  174  is fixed between the two protruding portions  173 . Each of the fixing elements  178  may include a setscrew. 
       FIG. 8  is another embodiment of the collision board  170  and the ratchet structure  180  shown in  FIG. 3 . The difference between this embodiment and the aforementioned embodiments is that the shape of the board body  174  may be N-sides polygon-shaped. In this embodiment, N is equal to 6. 
     Compared with a conventional sea wave power generation equipment, the structure of the sea wave power generation equipment of the present invention is simple and the sea wave power generation equipment is assembled easily. Therefore the material costs can be reduced. Furthermore, since the sea wave power generation equipment floats on the sea surface, managers do not need to dive into water to assemble or repair the sea wave power generation equipments. As a result, the labor cost can be reduced. Since the generator is located on the floating body and the transmission shaft is rotatably connected to the fixing support and the generator, when the transmission shaft rotates in a power generation direction, the generator generates electrical power. When the board bodies are collided with a sea wave in a direction, the board bodies and the ratchet structures can ensure the transmission shaft only rotates in a single direction (i.e., the power generation direction of the generator). In addition, unavoidable disturbances are formed on the sea surface except the direction of the sea wave, and each of the two adjacent sea waves have a timing gap. The board bodies of the collision boards can return to under the sea surface by the ratchet structures due to the gravity or a disturbance reverse to the direction of the sea wave, such that the board bodies can wait for the next collision of the sea wave. 
     The reader&#39;s attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. 
     All the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.