A generator driven by water pressure.

Abstract

We provide a generator that is driven using water pressure. [Solution] The drive mechanism of this generator has a pair of bellows pump chambers 102 and 112 in which bellows pumps 101 and 111 are arranged, a pair of pistons 227 and 237 that are driven by air flowing alternately into each of the bellows pump chambers 102 and 112, and a generator 240 that rotates in conjunction with the pistons 227 and 237, and at least the bellows pump chambers 102 and 112 are located underwater. The opening and closing doors 321 and 331 of the bellows pump chambers 102 and 112 open and close alternately like hinged doors. When the opening and closing doors 321 and 331 begin to open, the water pressure applied to the bellows pumps 101 and 111 increases, improving the power generation efficiency of the generator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a generator provided with a drive mechanism for driving a rotating shaft of the generator using water pressure.

Background Art

[0002] The inventor of the present application has previously proposed to drive the rotating shaft of a generator using water pressure (Patent Document 1 below). As shown in FIG. 10, the drive mechanism of this generator includes a pair of bellows pump chambers 221 and 231 in which bellows pumps 222 and 232 are arranged, a pair of piston chambers 226 and 236 in which pistons 227 and 237 are arranged, and crankshafts 228 and 238 that convert the reciprocating motion of the pistons 227 and 237 into the rotational force of the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240. The generator 240 and the piston chambers 226 and 236 are arranged in water, and only the tips of the bellows pump chambers 221 and 231 protrude from the water surface 300, while the other parts are present in water.

[0003] Slide doors 223 and 233 that slide electrically are provided at the upper ends of the main bodies of the bellows pump chambers 221 and 231, and these slide doors 223 and 233 are controlled such that when one of them is open, the other is closed. The pair of piston chambers 226 and 236 communicate with each other at their lower ends via a flow passage 150. Further, the lower part of the bellows pump chamber 221 and the upper part of the piston chamber 226 are connected by a pipe 225 through which air can flow. Similarly, the lower part of the bellows pump chamber 231 and the upper part of the piston chamber 236 are connected by a pipe 235 through which air can flow.

[0004] In this drive mechanism, as shown in Figure 10, when the sliding door 233 of one bellows pump chamber 231 is closed, the sliding door 223 of the other bellows pump chamber 221 is open. As a result, water enters the bellows pump chamber 221, and the water pressure pushes down the bellows pump 222 in the bellows pump chamber 221. Consequently, some of the air accumulated in the bellows pump 222 is sent through the pipe 225 to the piston chamber 226, causing the piston 227 in the piston chamber 226 to descend.

[0005] As the piston 227 in piston chamber 226 descends, the air that was below the piston 227 flows into the adjacent piston chamber 236 through the flow passage 150, pushing up the piston 237 in piston chamber 236. As a result, the air above the piston 237 is sent through the pipe 235 to the bellows pump chamber 231, pushing up the upper end of the bellows pump 232 in the bellows pump chamber 231. Consequently, the water present at the upper end of the bellows pump chamber 231 is discharged into the atmosphere from the drainage tower 234. During this process, the movement of the descending piston 227 in piston chamber 226 and the ascending piston 237 in piston chamber 236 causes the crankshafts 228 and 238 to rotate, and consequently the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240 rotates, generating electricity.

[0006] As is widely known, this type of generator has a cylindrical arrangement of magnets and a coil that rotates with a rotation axis at the center of the cylinder, or conversely, a cylindrical arrangement of coils and a magnet that rotates with a rotation axis at the center of the coil, and generates electricity based on electromagnetic induction.

[0007] Next, when the sliding door 233 of the bellows pump chamber 231 opens and the sliding door 223 of the bellows pump chamber 221 closes, water enters the bellows pump chamber 231, and the water pressure pushes down the bellows pump 232 in the bellows pump chamber 231, causing the piston 237 in the piston chamber 236 to descend and the piston 227 in the piston chamber 226 to rise, pushing up the upper end of the bellows pump 222 in the bellows pump chamber 221, and the water present at the upper end of the bellows pump chamber 221 is discharged into the atmosphere from the drainage tower 224.

[0008] During this process, the crankshafts 238 and 228 rotate in conjunction with the movement of the descending piston 237 in the piston chamber 236 and the ascending piston 227 in the piston chamber 226, and the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240 continues to rotate in the same direction, resulting in continuous power generation. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. Publication (Patent Application 2024-030740) [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] However, in the configuration shown in Figure 10, there is a problem in that, in the initial stage when the sliding doors 223, 233 of the bellows pump chambers 221, 231 begin to open, the amount of water flowing into the bellows pump chambers 221, 231 is small, making it impossible to quickly operate the bellows pumps 222, 232. The operating speed of these bellows pumps 222 and 232 will also affect the driving speed of the pistons 227 and 237, as well as the speed of the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240.

[0011] This invention aims to solve these problems and to provide a generator drive mechanism that can increase the operating speed of a bellows pump from the initial stage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present invention relates to a generator equipped with a drive mechanism that drives the rotating shaft of the generator using water pressure, comprising a pair of bellows pump chambers in which bellows pumps containing air are arranged, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the rotating shaft of the generator in cooperation with the bellows pump chambers, wherein the pair of bellows pump chambers are arranged below the water surface, and each of the pair of bellows pump chambers is equipped with an opening / closing door that opens and closes a water inflow hole into the bellows pump chamber, and a discharge tower that serves as a water discharge passage when the opening / closing door is closed. The opening and closing state of the aforementioned doors is controlled so that water flows alternately into the pair of bellows pump chambers. When the aforementioned door is opened, the bellows pump in one of the bellows pump chambers into which water flows reduces its volume and sends the air it contains to the rotating mechanism. The rotating mechanism, into which the air flows, uses the incoming air to rotate the rotating shaft of the generator and also sends the used air to the other bellows pump chamber. The bellows pump in the other bellows pump chamber into which the air flows expands its volume, and as a result, the water that was present in the other bellows pump chamber is discharged from the discharge tower. The opening and closing doors of the pair of bellows pump chambers are rotationally driven by a motor fixed to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber, and alternately repeat a closed state that keeps parallel to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber and blocks the water inlet hole, and an open state that rotates downward relative to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber and opens the inlet hole.

[0013] In this drive mechanism, the opening and closing door opens and closes like a "swing door," opening and closing the water inlet. Compared to conventional sliding door systems, this makes it possible to widen the opening area from the initial stage of opening and closing.

[0014] Furthermore, when the door opens, the door itself pushes water against the bellows pump, increasing the water pressure on the pump. As a result, the operating speed of the bellows pump can be increased from the initial stage when the water inlet opens.

[0015] Furthermore, the rotating mechanism of the present invention comprises a pair of piston chambers in which pistons are arranged, and a crankshaft that converts the reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotational force on the rotating shaft of the generator. In this rotating mechanism, air supplied from the bellows pump in one bellows pump chamber pushes down the piston in one piston chamber and pushes up the piston in the other piston chamber, causing the crankshaft, which is linked to each piston, to rotate the rotating shaft of the generator.

[0016] In this rotating mechanism, the piston chamber, crankshaft, and generator may be placed underwater. Alternatively, the piston chamber, crankshaft, and generator may be arranged above water. When the generator is arranged above water, the maintenance of the generator is easy.

[0017] Further, the rotation mechanism of the present invention may be configured to include a windmill chamber in which a windmill is arranged. The windmill is urged to rotate by air flowing alternately from each of the pair of bellows pump chambers, and the rotating shaft of the generator rotates in conjunction with the windmill to generate electricity.

[0018] In this rotation mechanism, the windmill chamber and the generator may be arranged underwater. Alternatively, the windmill chamber and the generator may be arranged above water.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] The generator of the present invention can increase the operating speed of the bellows pump from the initial stage, and can improve the power generation efficiency of the generator driven by using water pressure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] A diagram showing a first embodiment of a generator provided with the drive mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an opening / closing mechanism of an opening / closing door. [Figure 3] A diagram showing the state transition of an opening / closing door and an opening / closing mechanism. [Figure 4] A diagram showing a control system of an opening / closing door. [Figure 5] A diagram showing another embodiment of an opening / closing door. [Figure 6] A diagram showing a second embodiment of a generator provided with the drive mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 7] A diagram showing a third embodiment of a generator provided with the drive mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 8] A diagram showing a flow path switching structure of air acting on a windmill. [Figure 9] A diagram showing the state transition of the flow path switching structure. [Figure 10]A diagram showing a generator equipped with the drive mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. As shown in Figure 1, the drive mechanism of the generator of the present invention comprises a pair of bellows pump chambers 221, 231 in which bellows pumps 222, 232 are arranged, a pair of piston chambers 226, 236 in which pistons 227, 237 are arranged, and crankshafts 228, 238 that convert the reciprocating motion of the pistons 227, 237 into rotational force of the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240. The generator 240, piston chambers 226, 236 and bellows pump chambers 221, 231 are located below the water surface 300.

[0022] This drive mechanism differs from the drive mechanism in Figure 10 only in the configuration of the opening and closing doors 321 and 331 that control the inflow of water into the bellows pump chambers 221 and 231.

[0023] Figure 2(b) shows a magnified view of the opening / closing door 321 of the bellows pump chamber 221 shown in Figure 2(a). The bellows pump chamber 221 is provided with an inlet 326 (Figure 1) for water to flow in from outside the bellows pump chamber 221, and in Figure 2(b), this inlet 326 is blocked by a closed door 321. The opening / closing door 321 is connected to the upper wall of the bellows pump chamber 221 by a hinge 324, and the opening / closing door 321 can open and close the inlet hole 326 of the bellows pump chamber 221 like a hinged door. To drive the opening and closing door 321, a motor 322 capable of forward and reverse rotation is fixed to the upper wall of the bellows pump chamber 221, and the rotating shaft 325 of this motor 322 and the opening and closing door 321 are connected by a link mechanism 323.

[0024] Figure 3 shows the state in which the opening / closing door 321 is blocking the water inlet hole 326 (Figure 3(a)), the state in which the opening / closing door 321 is partially open as the motor 322 rotates forward (Figure 3(b)), and the state in which the opening / closing door 321 is fully open (Figure 3(c)). As shown in Figure 3(a), the opening / closing door 321 remains parallel to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber 221 and blocks the water inlet hole 326. In Figure 3(a), the opening / closing door 321 maintains a flush state with the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber 221. When the motor 322 starts rotating in the forward direction, the opening / closing door 321, which is connected to the rotating shaft 325 of the motor 322 via a linkage mechanism 323, rotates downward relative to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber 221, as shown in Figure 3(b), to open the water inlet 326. As shown in Figure 3(c), after the opening / closing door 321 rotates until it is approximately perpendicular to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber 221, the motor 322 starts to reverse, and the opening / closing door 321 returns to the state shown in Figure 3(a) via the state shown in Figure 3(b). The opening and closing door 321 repeats these operations in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 322.

[0025] Figure 4 shows the control system that controls the opening and closing of the door 321 of the bellows pump room 221 and the door 331 of the bellows pump room 231. Motor 322 located in the bellows pump chamber 221 and motor 332 located in the bellows pump chamber 231 are each equipped with control units 327 and 337 that control the operation of the motors, and these control units 327 and 337 control the respective motors 322 and 332 based on instructions from the controller 400. The controller 400 issues instructions to the motor control units 327 and 337 of each motor so that motors 322 and 332 repeatedly rotate in the forward and reverse directions at the same cycle, and so that when one motor 322 or 332 is rotating in the forward direction, the other motor rotates in the reverse direction.

[0026] The doors to the bellows pump rooms 221 and 231 may be double doors, as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5(a) shows the double doors in the closed position, and Figure 5(b) shows the double doors in the open position.

[0027] Thus, when a door opens and closes like a "swing door," the opening area in the initial stages of opening and closing can be wider compared to a sliding door. Furthermore, when this door opens, the door itself pushes water against the bellows pump, increasing the water pressure on the pump. As a result, the operating speed of the bellows pump can be increased from the initial stage when the water inlet opens.

[0028] Furthermore, the piston chambers 226, 236 and the generator 240 in Figure 1 may be positioned above the water surface 300, as shown in Figure 6. In this case, maintenance of the generator 240 becomes easier.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, a wind turbine 121 can be used instead of a piston chamber for the rotating mechanism that rotates the generator's rotating shaft. In this case, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240 is directly connected to the rotating shaft of the wind turbine 121.

[0030] When using the wind turbine 121 to rotate the generator 240, it is necessary to make the direction in which the wind turbine 121 rotates with the air supplied from one bellows pump chamber 221 to the wind turbine chamber 120 the same as the direction in which the wind turbine 121 rotates with the air supplied from the other bellows pump chamber 231 to the wind turbine chamber 120. Therefore, as shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, the wind turbine chamber 120 is provided with flow path plates 125 and 126 that restrict the flow of air, and a pair of flow path switching plates 123 and 124 that switch the airflow within the wind turbine chamber 120 so that air flowing into the wind turbine chamber 120 from one bellows pump chamber 221 flows along the flow path plate 125, and air flowing into the wind turbine chamber 120 from the other bellows pump chamber 231 flows along the flow path plate 126.

[0031] The flow path switching plates 123 and 124 rotate around pivot points 128 and 129, respectively, in conjunction with the movement of the opening and closing doors 321 and 331 of the bellows pump chambers 221 and 231. As shown in Figure 7, when the door 321 of the bellows pump chamber 221 is open and the door 331 of the bellows pump chamber 231 is closed, the flow path switching plates 123 and 124 block the flow path along the flow path plate 126, causing the air flowing in from the bellows pump chamber 221 to flow along the flow path plate 125. Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the state of the flow path switching plates 123 and 124 at this time.

[0032] On the other hand, when the door 331 of the bellows pump chamber 231 is open and the door 321 of the bellows pump chamber 221 is closed, the flow path switching plates 123 and 124 block the flow path along the flow path plate 125, causing the air flowing in from the bellows pump chamber 231 to flow along the flow path plate 126. Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the state of the flow path switching plates 123 and 124 at this time.

[0033] This causes the wind turbine 121 to rotate in one direction, and the generator 240 connected to the wind turbine 121 continuously generates electricity.

[0034] The wind turbine chamber 120 and the generator 240 may be positioned above the water surface 300, as shown in Figure 7. Furthermore, it is also possible to place the wind turbine chamber 120 and the generator 240 underwater. [Industrial applicability]

[0035] The generator of the present invention can be widely used as a power generation method with high power generation efficiency. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 120 Windmill room 121 Windmill 123 Flow path switching plate 124 Flow path switching plate 125 Flow channel plate 126 Flow channel plate 128 Fulcrum 129 Fulcrum 150 Distribution path 221 Bellows pump room 222 Bellows pump 223 Sliding door 224 Drainage tower 225 pipe 226 Piston chamber 227 Piston 228 Crankshaft 231 Bellows pump room 232 Bellows pump 233 Sliding door 234 Drainage Tower 235 pipe 236 Piston chamber 237 Pistons 238 Crankshaft 240 generators 241 Rotation axis 300 water surface 321 Opening and closing doors 322 Motor 323 Link Mechanism 324 Hinge 325 Motor Rotating Shaft 326 Inflow hole 327 Motor Control Unit 331 Opening and closing doors 332 Motor 337 Motor Control Unit 400 Controllers

Claims

1. A generator equipped with a drive mechanism that uses water pressure to drive the rotating shaft of the generator, A pair of bellows pump chambers, each containing a bellows pump that incorporates air, A rotating mechanism that works in cooperation with the bellows pump chamber to rotate the rotating shaft of the generator, It is equipped with, The pair of bellows pump chambers are located below the water surface. Each of the pair of bellows pump chambers is equipped with an opening / closing door that opens and closes the water inlet into the bellows pump chamber, and a discharge tower that serves as a water discharge passage when the opening / closing door is closed. The opening and closing state of the aforementioned doors is controlled so that the water flows alternately into the pair of bellows pump chambers. When the aforementioned door is opened, the bellows pump in one of the bellows pump chambers into which the water flows reduces its volume and sends the air it contains to the rotating mechanism. The rotating mechanism into which the air flows uses the incoming air to rotate the rotating shaft of the generator, and also sends the used air to the other bellows pump chamber. The bellows pump in the other bellows pump chamber into which the air flows expands in volume, and as a result, the water present in the other bellows pump chamber is discharged from the discharge tower. The opening and closing doors of the pair of bellows pump chambers are rotationally driven by a motor fixed to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber, and alternately repeat a closed state that keeps parallel to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber and blocks the water inlet hole, and an open state that rotates downward relative to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber and opens the inlet hole. A generator characterized by the following features.

2. A generator according to claim 1, The aforementioned rotating mechanism comprises a pair of piston chambers in which pistons are arranged, and a crankshaft that converts the reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotational force on the rotating shaft of the generator. Air supplied from the bellows pump in one of the bellows pump chambers pushes down the piston in one of the piston chambers and pushes up the piston in the other piston chamber, causing the crankshaft, which is linked to each of the pistons, to rotate the rotation axis of the generator. Generator.

3. The generator according to claim 2, The piston chamber, the crankshaft, and the generator are located in water. Generator.

4. The generator according to claim 2, The piston chamber, the crankshaft, and the generator are arranged on the water. Generator.

5. A generator according to claim 1, The aforementioned rotating mechanism comprises a wind turbine chamber in which a wind turbine is arranged, The wind turbine rotates, biased by the air that alternately flows in from each of the pair of bellows pump chambers. The rotating shaft of the generator rotates in conjunction with the wind turbine. Generator.

6. A generator according to claim 5, The wind turbine chamber and the generator are located underwater. Generator.

7. A generator according to claim 5, The wind turbine chamber and the generator are located on the water. Generator.

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