Patent ID: 8277146

Claim:
An apparatus for collecting and transforming wave energy in a fluid mass, said apparatus comprising a frame including at least one hinged tilting or rotating surface, in the form of a barrier, for collecting energy from passing wave pressure fronts via a tilting or rotating motion within the frame, wherein the hinge is positioned below the surface of the fluid at the trough of the passing waves, said barrier being connected to a device capable of transforming the tilting or rotating motion into different types of energy, wherein said barrier is arranged to provide a buoyancy just large enough to lift rotationally the barrier around the hinge from a downwardly pointing direction towards the seabed to an upwardly pointing vertical upright position, wherein the barrier is allowed to rotate through 360° in the frame, wherein the hinge is attached to a tilting release mechanism that release the hinge such that the barrier can rotate freely around the hinge, and wherein the tilting release mechanism is released when a force from a wave passing the apparatus exceeds a predefined limit, wherein the hinge of the barrier is positioned horizontally in the fluid, and the hinge is arranged at the lower edge of the barrier when the barrier is in the upwardly pointing position, and the apparatus is equipped with a float device so as to be suspended in the fluid mass at a suitable height.