Wave energy collecting device based on coupling beam structure

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of wave energy collection, in particular to a wave energy collection device based on a coupling beam structure. The device is composed of a shell, a supporting system and a coupling beam system. The coupling beam system comprises an inner beam subsystem, an outer beam subsystem and a coupling spring. When the device floats on the water surface, the shell floats and swings under the action of waves, the inner beam and the outer beam are excited to vibrate asynchronously, the outer beam magnet and the inner beam coil move relatively, induced electromotive force is generated in the coil, electric energy is output, and wave energy is converted into electric energy. The device has the low-frequency broadband response characteristic, the magnet and the coil are arranged in a non-contact mode, mechanical transmission loss is avoided, no movable part makes direct contact with water, and reliability is high. The device can be used in a single machine, can also be deployed in a point-shaped, linear or planar array mode, and is suitable for collecting ocean wave energy of different scales.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wave energy harvesting technology, and in particular to a wave energy harvesting device based on a coupled beam system. Background Technology

[0002] With the proposal of my country's "dual carbon" goals, the development and utilization of green, low-carbon, and efficient energy has become an important strategic direction for energy structure transformation and technological innovation. The ocean, as an important carrier of renewable energy, contains enormous wave energy reserves, possessing significant advantages such as high energy density and good stability. Statistics show that ocean wave energy density is typically 2–3 kW / m², far exceeding that of solar energy (0.1–0.2 kW / m²) and wind energy (0.4–0.6 kW / m²); the global total wave energy is approximately 20,000 to 80,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) annually, possessing enormous potential to meet global electricity demand. Recently, six ministries, including the Ministry of Natural Resources, jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Large-Scale Utilization of Ocean Energy" (Natural Resources Development

[2025] No. 34), clearly stating that the large-scale development and utilization of ocean energy should be accelerated, and support should be given to independent core technology research and development, system integration innovation, and the engineering application of offshore ocean energy devices.

[0003] Existing wave energy generation devices come in various types, including pendulum type, float type, and oscillating water column type. However, traditional wave energy generation devices generally suffer from the following shortcomings:

[0004] Mechanical transmission losses are significant. Many wave energy devices rely on complex mechanical transmission systems, resulting in substantial energy consumption during mechanical transmission.

[0005] Insufficient reliability and durability. Critical moving parts are directly exposed to seawater, making them prone to wear and corrosion during long-term operation. Maintenance and replacement are difficult, affecting the reliability, lifespan, and operational stability of the equipment.

[0006] The limited natural frequency restricts energy capture efficiency. Most devices achieve optimal energy capture only when the wave frequency matches their natural frequency; once the wave frequency deviates from the natural frequency, the energy conversion efficiency drops significantly. However, in actual sea conditions, the wave frequency distribution is wide and usually low, making it difficult to match the natural frequency of traditional devices, resulting in poor energy absorption under low-frequency wave conditions.

[0007] In summary, there is an urgent need for a new type of wave energy harvesting device that can efficiently capture energy under broadband, low-frequency wave conditions, reduce mechanical friction losses, and avoid direct contact between key moving parts and seawater, thereby improving the device's durability, reliability, and adaptability to meet the needs of large-scale ocean energy utilization. Utility Model Content

[0008] To address the problems of narrow operating bandwidth, poor low-frequency response, severe mechanical transmission losses, and direct contact between key moving parts and seawater in existing wave energy devices, this invention provides a wave energy harvesting device based on a coupled beam system. This device can efficiently capture energy under wide-bandwidth, low-frequency wave conditions and significantly improve the reliability and durability of the device.

[0009] This utility model is achieved using the following technical solution:

[0010] This utility model discloses a wave energy harvesting device based on a coupled beam structure, including a shell, a support system and a coupled beam system, wherein the support system and the coupled beam system are arranged inside the sealed shell, and the support system is fixedly connected to the shell to support and carry the coupled beam system.

[0011] The coupled beam system is used for wave energy capture and conversion, and includes at least one coupled beam branch subsystem. Each branch subsystem includes at least one inner beam subsystem, one outer beam subsystem, and a set of coupling springs. The inner beam carries the coil shaft and coil, and the outer beam carries the magnet sleeve subsystem. The magnet is a permanent magnet or a group of permanent magnets, and the coil is made of multi-turn wire and connected to an external load or energy storage device through lead wires. Each coupled beam branch subsystem of this invention includes N inner beams and N+1 outer beams, where N≥1. By changing the value of N, different levels of coupling structures can be flexibly designed to adapt to different wave energy capture requirements.

[0012] Both the inner and outer beams are connected to the support system at their ends. The inner beam is connected to the outer beam via beam coupling springs, and the outer beam is connected to the support system via support coupling springs, forming a coupled beam structure with multiple vibration modes. The inner beam subsystem, outer beam subsystem, and coupling spring assembly together constitute a beam system with concentrated mass, theoretically possessing an infinite number of natural frequencies. By adjusting the quantity and mass of the inner beam coils, coil shafts, or counterweights, or by adjusting the length, stiffness, mass, and stiffness of the inner beam and its coupling springs; simultaneously, the outer beam magnet sleeve subsystem, the quantity or mass of the counterweights, and the stiffness of the outer beam and its coupling springs can be adjusted, thereby enabling the coupled beam subsystem to possess multiple effective natural frequencies close to the target wave frequency, achieving broadband energy capture.

[0013] The inner beam subsystem and the outer beam subsystem have different structural parameters and natural frequencies, and their vibration modes also differ. Under the action of waves, the shell and support system generate vertical vibration and swaying. When the wave frequency is close to some frequencies of the coupled beam subsystem, the inner beam and the outer beam vibrate asynchronously. Relative motion occurs between the outer beam magnet and the inner beam coil. The magnet reciprocates in the coil, and the coil cuts the magnetic lines of force to generate an electromotive force, which can then output electrical energy through a circuit.

[0014] The inner and outer beams of this invention adopt a Type II structure, which facilitates vertical deformation and enables free vertical vibration; it also exhibits high stiffness and minimal lateral deformation. Therefore, a large clearance is maintained between the inner beam coil shaft and the outer beam magnet sleeve along the beam length to accommodate larger relative displacements; a smaller clearance is maintained perpendicular to the beam length to enhance the electromagnetic induction efficiency between the magnet and the coil. The inner beam coil shaft and the outer beam magnet sleeve remain in a non-contact state during operation, effectively avoiding frictional energy loss. Other similar structures (such as Type III, Type IIII, etc.) are also within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0015] To improve the adaptability of the device under different sea conditions, this invention allows for optimization by adjusting the vibration parameters of the outer beam, inner beam, and coupling spring; at the same time, the effective operating frequency range of the device as a whole can be increased by increasing the number of coupling beam branch subsystems.

[0016] Furthermore, this invention allows for interchangeable installation positions of the coil and magnet; that is, the coil can be installed on the outer beam, and the annular magnet can be installed on the inner beam. The inner beam counterweight, outer beam counterweight, and lower support spring are all optional configurations to meet different design requirements.

[0017] In special cases, when the stiffness of the inner beam subsystem approaches infinity and the vertical displacement is extremely small, the vertical deformation stiffness of the outer beam subsystem should be ensured to be finite. In this case, only the outer beam subsystem contributes the effective natural frequency. Conversely, when the stiffness of the outer beam subsystem approaches infinity, the vertical deformation stiffness of the inner beam subsystem should be ensured to be finite. In this case, only the inner beam subsystem contributes the effective natural frequency.

[0018] This invention is also applicable to situations where the lengths of the inner beam subsystem and the outer beam subsystem are unequal in each branch subsystem, and also to situations where the beam lengths of different branch subsystems are different, so as to enhance the diversity of frequency distribution.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages:

[0020] The design of the coupled beam system significantly broadens the operating frequency band of the device and improves the energy capture efficiency under low-frequency wave conditions;

[0021] The non-contact electromagnetic induction energy harvesting method effectively avoids energy loss from mechanical transmission and significantly improves the energy harvesting performance of the device.

[0022] All power generation components are enclosed inside the casing to prevent seawater from corroding and impacting critical components, resulting in a compact structure and high reliability.

[0023] The device is flexible in deployment; it can operate independently as a single unit or be arranged in a linear or planar array to form a large-scale wave energy harvesting field, meeting the needs of ocean energy utilization at different scales. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this utility model, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The accompanying drawings of this utility model schematically illustrate some embodiments of this utility model and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 1 This is an internal structural diagram of the wave energy harvesting device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a diagram of the outer shell structure;

[0027] Figure 3 To remove Figure 1 Exploded view of the centrally coupled beam system;

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Exploded view of the central column and connecting plate;

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Top view of the support system excluding the coupled beam system;

[0030] Figure 6 for Figure 1 Top view of the coupled beam system excluding the support system;

[0031] Figure 7 for Figure 1 Main view of the first branch subsystem of the centrally coupled beam system;

[0032] Figure 8 for Figure 1 Exploded view of the first unit of the first branch subsystem of the medium-coupled beam system;

[0033] Figure 9 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the first unit of the first branch subsystem of the medium-coupled beam system after assembly;

[0034] Figure 10 for Figure 1 Front view, left view, top view and perspective view of the inner and outer beam elements of the coupled beam;

[0035] Figure 11 for Figure 1 Front view, left view, top view and perspective view of the beam connection unit within the coupled beam;

[0036] Figure 12 for Figure 1 Front view, left view, top view and perspective view of the inner beam coil axis of the coupling beam;

[0037] Figure 13for Figure 1 Front view, left view, top view and perspective view of the intermediate coupled beam and outer beam connection unit;

[0038] Figure 14 for Figure 1 The front view, left view, top view, bottom view, sectional view and perspective view of the inner beam coil shaft, inner beam connecting unit and outer beam magnet sleeve after assembly of the coupling beam;

[0039] Figure 15 for Figure 14 Enlarged cross-sectional view of the inner beam coil shaft, inner beam connecting unit, and magnet sleeve of the coupling beam;

[0040] Figure 16 for Figure 1 Exploded view of the magnet sleeve subsystem of the central coupling beam and outer beam.

[0041] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0042] 1. Outer shell

[0043] 11. Inspection cover

[0044] 12. Top cover

[0045] 13. Shell

[0046] 2. Support System

[0047] 21. Supporting columns

[0048] 22. Supporting Frame

[0049] 23. Support column connector

[0050] 3. Coupled beam system

[0051] 30. Coupled beam connection plate

[0052] 31. First branch subsystem of the coupled beam system

[0053] 32. Second branch subsystem of coupled beam system

[0054] 33. The third branch subsystem of the coupled beam system

[0055] 34. Fourth branch subsystem of coupled beam system

[0056] 35. Fifth branch subsystem of coupled beam system

[0057] 36. The sixth branch subsystem of the coupled beam system

[0058] 311. First branch of the coupled beam system, external beam subsystem

[0059] 3111, External Beam Unit

[0060] 3112. External beam connection unit

[0061] 3113. External beam counterweight

[0062] 3114. External beam magnet sleeve subsystem

[0063] 31141. Outer beam magnet connecting sleeve

[0064] 31142. Outer beam magnet connecting pipe cover

[0065] 31143. External beam magnet

[0066] 31144. External beam magnet segmentation block

[0067] 312. The first branch of the coupled beam system, the inner beam subsystem

[0068] 3121. Internal Beam Unit

[0069] 3122. Internal beam connection unit

[0070] 3123, Inner Beam Coil Shaft

[0071] 3124. Inner beam coil

[0072] 3125. Internal beam counterweight

[0073] 313. Coupling spring assembly

[0074] 3131. Upper support coupling spring

[0075] 3132. Lower support coupling spring

[0076] 3133, Upper coupling spring

[0077] 3134. Lower coupling spring

[0078] 41. Reserved connection holes

[0079] 42. Reserved connection holes Detailed Implementation

[0080] The technical solution of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments and their special cases are only a part of the embodiments of this utility model, and not all of them. Other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the disclosed embodiments of this utility model without creative effort should all fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0081] Unless otherwise stated, the technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. The terms "or," "and," etc., as used in this specification include any and all combinations of the listed items.

[0082] Overall structure of the device:

[0083] See Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6 This embodiment discloses a wave energy harvesting device based on a coupling beam system 3, including a shell 1, a support system 2, and a coupling beam system 3. The interior of the shell 1 forms a sealed and waterproof space, within which the support system 2 and the coupling beam system 3 are both disposed. Under normal operating conditions, the device 1 can float on the water surface and undergo up-and-down and swaying motions with the waves.

[0084] Shell structure:

[0085] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 The outer shell 1 consists of a shell 13, a top cover 12 and an inspection cover 11, and is hexagonal in shape.

[0086] Support system structure:

[0087] See Figure 1 , Figures 3 to 5 The support system 2 includes six branch frames 22, a central column 21, and six sets of central column connectors 23. The six branch frames 22 are distributed along the diagonal of a regular hexagon and are used to support the coupled beam system 3 and the outer shell 1; each set of central column connectors includes four joints.

[0088] Coupled beam system structure:

[0089] See Figure 1 and Figure 6 The coupled beam system 3 consists of six branch subsystems 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36, each with a different natural frequency to achieve broadband energy capture.

[0090] See Figure 1 , Figures 6 to 9The first branch subsystem of the coupled beam system includes the outer beam subsystem 311, the inner beam subsystem 312, and the coupling spring assembly 313.

[0091] The outer beam subsystem 311 includes five outer beam units 3111, five outer beam connection units 3112, ten outer beam counterweights 3113, and an outer beam magnet sleeve subsystem 3114. Two outer beams 3111 are connected by the magnet sleeve subsystem 3114.

[0092] The inner beam subsystem 312 includes five inner beam units 3121, five inner beam connection units 3122, one inner beam coil shaft 3123, one inner beam coil 3124, and ten inner beam counterweights 3125.

[0093] The coupling spring group 313 includes five groups of upper support coupling springs 3131, five groups of lower support coupling springs 3132, five groups of upper coupling springs 3133 and five groups of lower coupling springs 3134; each group contains four springs.

[0094] The remaining five branch subsystems 32-36 have the same or similar structural forms, differing only in parameters to obtain different natural frequencies.

[0095] See Figure 16 The outer beam magnet sleeve subsystem 3114 includes an outer beam magnet sleeve 31141, an outer beam magnet sleeve cover 31142, three outer beam magnets 31143, and two outer beam magnet dividing blocks 31144.

[0096] The outer beam magnet 31143 is a permanent magnet. The outer beam magnet sleeve 31141 and the inner beam coil shaft 3123 are made of non-magnetic materials to ensure that the magnetic field can effectively penetrate and interact with the inner beam coil 3124. The inner beam coil 3124 is made of multi-turn wire and is connected to an external load or energy storage device through lead wires.

[0097] Both the inner beam subsystem 312 and the outer beam subsystem 311 are connected to the central column 21 via coupling beam connecting plates 30. The inner beam subsystem 312 is connected to the outer beam subsystem 311 via coupling springs 3133 and 3134, while the outer beam subsystem 311 is also connected vertically to the support system 2 via supporting coupling springs 3131 and 3132. The outer beam subsystem 311 carries the outer beam magnet sleeve subsystem 3114, and the inner beam subsystem 312 carries the inner beam coil shaft 3123 and coil 3124.

[0098] Component structural characteristics:

[0099] See Figure 10 and Figure 13 The inner beam unit 3121, the outer beam unit 3111, and the outer beam connection unit 3112 adopt a type II structure.

[0100] See Figure 8 , Figure 9 , Figure 11 , Figure 12 and Figure 14 The inner beam coil 3124 is wound on the inner beam coil shaft 3123, and the inner beam coil shaft 3123 is inserted into the inner beam connecting unit 3122 from the side.

[0101] See Figure 8 , Figure 9 , Figure 14 and Figure 15 The outer beam magnet sleeve 31141 passes through the inner hole of the coil shaft 3123 and is fixed on the other side by the outer beam magnet connecting tube cover 31142. The outer beam magnet connecting sleeve 31141 and the outer beam magnet connecting tube cover 31142 are respectively connected to the two outer beam connecting units 3112.

[0102] See Figure 14 and Figure 15 The net distance between the outer beam magnet connecting sleeve 31141 and the coil shaft 3123 in the vertical direction is small, while the net distance in the horizontal direction is large, so as to ensure that the outer beam magnet 31143 and the inner beam coil 3124 have good magnetic coupling, while allowing sufficient relative displacement without contact.

[0103] See Figure 10 , Figure 14 and Figure 15 When designing the outer beam unit 3111 and the inner beam unit 3121, their deformation in the direction perpendicular to the beam length is minimized, thereby reducing the net distance between the outer beam magnet sleeve 31141 and the inner beam coil 3124 and coil shaft 3123, enhancing the magnetic coupling effect, and avoiding contact friction.

[0104] Working principle:

[0105] When device 1 moves under the action of waves, the six branch subsystems 31 to 36 of the coupled beam system 3 are disturbed. Due to the different natural vibration characteristics and structures of the inner beam subsystem 312 and the outer beam subsystem 311, they will vibrate asynchronously under the disturbance, thereby causing relative motion between the outer beam magnet 31143 and the inner beam coil 3124. When the wave frequency is close to the natural frequency of a certain branch subsystem, the relative displacement between the inner and outer beam subsystems in that branch subsystem increases. The movement of the outer beam magnet 31143 relative to the inner beam coil 3124 causes the inner beam coil 3124 to cut the magnetic lines of force, generating an electromotive force, and outputting electrical energy to the external load through the lead wire.

[0106] Parameter adjustment and applicability:

[0107] To adapt to different sea conditions, the parameters of the inner beam subsystem 312, outer beam subsystem 311, and coupling spring assembly 313 in this embodiment are all adjustable. By adjusting the quantity and mass of the inner beam coil 3124, inner beam coil shaft 3123, or inner beam counterweight 3125, as well as the length, mass, stiffness of the inner beam 312 and the stiffness of its coupling springs; and by changing the parameters of the outer beam body 3111, outer beam connecting unit 3112, outer beam magnet sleeve subsystem 3114, or outer beam counterweight 3113, combined with adjusting the stiffness of the supporting coupling springs 3131 and 3132, each branch subsystem can have multiple effective natural frequencies close to the target wave frequency.

[0108] Device 1 can be deployed alone as a point absorber, or multiple devices can be arranged into a linear or planar array to meet the needs of ocean energy utilization on different scales.

[0109] Optional solutions and variations:

[0110] In this embodiment, the coupled beam branch subsystem has a structure of one inner beam 312 and two outer beams 311. Depending on the needs, the subsystem can also be stacked vertically, for example, by adding an upper coupling spring 3133, an inner beam subsystem 312, a lower coupling spring 3134, an outer beam 311, and its magnet sleeve subsystem 3114, thereby forming a branch subsystem containing a multi-layered coupling structure.

[0111] When the stiffness of the inner beam subsystem 312 approaches infinity, resulting in extremely small vertical displacement, the outer beam subsystem 311 should have finite vertical stiffness so that it can vibrate freely in the vertical direction and contribute an effective natural frequency. Conversely, when the stiffness of the outer beam subsystem 311 approaches infinity, the inner beam subsystem 312 should be able to vibrate freely in the vertical direction and contribute an effective natural frequency.

[0112] Although the inner and outer beams of each branch subsystem in this embodiment have the same length, this invention is also applicable to situations with different lengths, including situations where the inner and outer beams of the same branch subsystem have unequal lengths.

[0113] The inner beam body 3121, the outer beam body 3111 and the outer beam connection unit 3112 adopt a type II structure to ensure that the vertical stiffness is small and the lateral stiffness is large; similar type III, type IIII and other structures can also be adopted as needed.

[0114] In special cases, if the lateral deformation is large, the net distance between the inner beam coil shaft 3123 and the outer beam magnet sleeve 31141 in the direction perpendicular to the beam length can be appropriately increased, but it is necessary to ensure that the magnet 31143 and the coil 3124 still have good magnetic coupling.

[0115] The number of branch subsystems in the coupled beam system 3 can be increased or decreased according to the application scenario to meet different wave energy harvesting requirements. In addition, the inner beam counterweight 3125, the outer beam counterweight 3113, and the lower support spring 3132 are all optional configurations to meet different design requirements.

Claims

1. A wave energy harvesting device based on a coupled beam structure, characterized in that, It includes an outer shell, a support system, and at least one coupling beam branch subsystem, wherein the support system is fixedly connected to the outer shell, and both the support system and the coupling beam branch subsystem are disposed within the outer shell; The outer shell constitutes a sealed floating structure for floating on the water surface and moving with the waves; The coupled beam branch subsystem includes: At least one inner beam subsystem is used to carry the coil shaft and the coil, the coil shaft being used to carry the coil and moving with the inner beam subsystem; At least one external beam subsystem is used to support the magnet sleeve subsystem; At least one set of coupling springs, including a spring for connecting the inner beam subsystem and the outer beam subsystem, and a spring for connecting the outer beam subsystem and the support system; in: The magnet sleeve subsystem includes at least one magnet sleeve and at least one magnet; The coil is made of multiple turns of wire and is connected to an external load or energy storage device through lead wires; The ends of both the inner beam subsystem and the outer beam subsystem are connected to the support system.

2. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner beam subsystem and the outer beam subsystem have different natural frequencies and natural modes; the coil can move relative to the magnet on the outer beam subsystem under the drive of the inner beam subsystem, generating an induced electromotive force in the coil, and outputting electrical energy through the lead wire to an external load or energy storage device.

3. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coupling spring includes an upper coupling spring, a lower coupling spring, an upper support coupling spring, and a lower support coupling spring; the lower support coupling spring is an optional configuration.

4. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coil shaft and the magnet sleeve have a large clearance in the direction parallel to the beam length and a small clearance in the direction perpendicular to the beam length, in order to enhance the electromagnetic induction effect and avoid contact.

5. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, In another embodiment, the magnet is mounted on the inner beam subsystem, and the coil is mounted on the outer beam subsystem at a position opposite to the magnet.

6. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lateral deformation stiffness of the inner and outer beam subsystems along the direction perpendicular to the beam length is at least three times that along the vertical direction.

7. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The beam lengths of different coupled beam branch subsystems can be the same or different, and the lengths of the inner beam subsystem and the outer beam subsystem in the same coupled beam branch subsystem can be the same or different, so as to adjust the natural vibration characteristics of the device and broaden the frequency response range according to the design requirements.

8. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The coupled beam branch subsystem has multiple adjustable effective natural frequencies. By changing the length and stiffness of the inner beam subsystem and the outer beam subsystem, the counterweight installed on the inner beam or the outer beam subsystem, and the spring constant of the coupling spring, the natural frequency of the coupled beam branch subsystem can be made close to the target wave frequency.

9. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the vertical deformation stiffness of the inner beam subsystem or the outer beam subsystem is close to the stiffness of the support system, the effective natural frequency of the coupled beam branch subsystem is determined by the beam subsystem with lower stiffness.

10. The wave energy harvesting device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The counterweight is an optional component, the quantity and position of which are adjustable, and it can be omitted when not needed.

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