Power generation equipment

Abstract

To provide a technique for further improving the durability of a differential gear than a conventional technique.SOLUTION: The power generation apparatus disclosed in the prevent invention includes a first rotary body and a second rotary body for converting the energy of fluid into rotational movement, the differential gear connected to the first rotary body via a first transmission passage and connected to the second rotary body via a second transmission passage for outputting the rotational movement of the first rotary body put together with the rotational movement of the second rotary body, and a power generator for converting the rotational movement output by the differential gear into electric energy, the first rotary body and the second rotary body being set in array in a first direction, the differential gear being arranged offset from the first rotary body and the second rotary body in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a power generating device, and in particular to a power generating device having a rotor (for example, a water wheel or a wind wheel) that converts fluid energy into rotational motion. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a power generating device including a first rotating body (referred to as a first impeller in Patent Document 1), a second rotating body (referred to as a second impeller in Patent Document 1), and a differential device (referred to as a differential gear device in Patent Document 1) provided between the two rotating bodies. The differential device combines the rotational motion of the first rotating body and the second rotating body, and transmits it to the input shaft of the generator. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-115027 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the power generating device of Patent Document 1, a differential gear is coaxially arranged between a first rotor and a second rotor. In such a configuration, there is a high possibility that the differential gear is exposed to a fluid, which may deteriorate the durability of the differential gear. This specification provides a technology that can improve the durability of the differential gear compared to the conventional technology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The power generating device disclosed in this specification includes a first rotor and a second rotor that convert energy of a fluid into rotational motion, a differential gear that is connected to the first rotor via a first transmission path and to the second rotor via a second transmission path, combines the rotational motion of the first rotor and the rotational motion of the second rotor, and outputs the resultant combination, and a generator that converts the rotational motion output by the differential gear into electrical energy. The first rotor and the second rotor are arranged along a first direction. The differential gear is offset in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the first rotor and the second rotor.

[0006] In the above-described vehicle, the differential gear is disposed offset in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the first rotor and the second rotor arranged along the first direction in the fluid. Therefore, the differential gear is disposed outside the fluid. As a result, in the power generation device disclosed in this specification, the differential gear is less likely to be exposed to the fluid. This allows the power generation device to improve the durability of the differential gear compared to the conventional technology.

[0007] Details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in this specification are described in the following "Forms for Carrying Out the Invention". [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 shows a front view of a power generating device 100 according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 shows a side view of a power generating device 100 according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] In one embodiment of the present technology, the first direction may be a horizontal direction, and the second direction may be a vertical direction. In that case, the differential device may be located vertically above the first rotating body and the second rotating body. However, in another embodiment, for example, the first direction may be a vertical direction, and the second direction may be a horizontal direction.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present technology, the first transmission path may include a first vertical rotation shaft extending upward from the first rotor, a first horizontal rotation shaft extending horizontally from the first vertical rotation shaft to the differential device, and a first transmission connecting the first vertical rotation shaft and the first horizontal rotation shaft to each other. The second transmission path may include a second vertical rotation shaft extending upward from the second rotor, a second horizontal rotation shaft extending horizontally from the second vertical rotation shaft to the differential device, and a second transmission connecting the second vertical rotation shaft and the second horizontal rotation shaft to each other. According to this configuration, for example, the rotation speed of the first vertical rotation shaft can be changed by using a mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the first vertical rotation shaft into the rotational motion of the first horizontal rotation shaft. This allows the structure to be simplified compared to a configuration in which the mechanism and the first transmission are separately provided.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present technology, the fluid may be water. In that case, the differential gear may face the fluid via a weir that guides the fluid downward. The generator may be located on the opposite side of the weir with respect to the differential gear. With this configuration, the first rotating body and the second rotating body can be brought closer to the weir. This makes it possible to efficiently convert the falling energy of the fluid into the rotational motion of the first rotating body and the second rotating body.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present technology, the vehicle may further include a third transmission provided between the differential device and the generator. With this configuration, the rotational motion resulting from the combination of the rotational motion of the first rotating body and the rotational motion of the second rotating body can be changed by the third transmission. This allows the structure to be simplified compared to a configuration including separate transmissions for changing the rotational motion of each rotating body.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present technology, the system may further include a circuit breaker that is provided between the third transmission and the generator and cuts off a connection between the third transmission and the generator. According to such a configuration, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the generator and the rotational motion of the input shaft of the generator is stopped to inspect or repair the generator, the connection between the third transmission and the generator is cut off by the circuit breaker, so that the rotational motion of each rotating body can be continued. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the generator, the fluid can be continuously provided downstream of the power generation device.

[0014] (Example) A power generating device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The power generating device 100 according to the embodiment is a hydroelectric power generating system that drives a generator using hydroelectric power, and is particularly classified as a relatively small-scale micro hydroelectric power generating system. Fig. 1 is a front view of the power generating device 100 as viewed from the upstream side of a waterway 2. Fig. 2 is a side view of the power generating device 100. The power generating device 100 includes a generator 4, a first hydraulic turbine 10f, a first transmission 24f, a second hydraulic turbine 10s, a second transmission 24s, a differential gear 30, a third transmission 6, and a circuit breaker 8. The power generating device 100 accelerates the rotational motion of each of the hydraulic turbines 10f and 10s by the transmissions 24f, 24s, and 6. The power generating device 100 transmits the accelerated rotational motion to an input shaft 42 of a generator 4, and generates electricity by converting the transmitted rotational motion into electrical energy by the generator 4. The power generated by the power generation device 100 is transmitted to a power system (not shown). In the figure, the positive Z-axis direction on the coordinate axis indicates the upward direction in the vertical direction, and the negative Z-axis direction indicates the downward direction in the vertical direction. The positive Y-axis direction indicates the right side in the horizontal direction, and the negative Y-axis direction indicates the left side in the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, the positive Z-axis direction may be simply referred to as "upper", the opposite side may be simply referred to as "lower", the positive Y-axis side may be simply referred to as "right", and the opposite side may be simply referred to as "left".

[0015] Both water turbines 10f, 10s are disposed in a waterway 2. The waterway 2 is a flow path through which water flows, and may be, for example, a waterway for agricultural irrigation. As shown by arrows F1 to F3 in FIG. 2, in the waterway 2, water flows toward the positive side in the X-axis direction (i.e., toward the right side of the paper in FIG. 2). When water flows in the waterway 2, the first water turbine 10f rotates in a first vertical direction 14f, and the second water turbine 10s rotates in a second vertical direction 14s. Each water turbine 10f, 10s is a rotating body that converts the energy of the water flowing in the waterway 2 into rotational motion.

[0016] The first hydraulic turbine 10f is connected to the differential gear 30 via a first transmission path 20f. The first transmission path 20f includes a first vertical rotating shaft 22f, a first transmission 24f, and a first horizontal rotating shaft 29f. The first vertical rotating shaft 22f is a drive shaft extending upward from the first hydraulic turbine 10f. When the first hydraulic turbine 10f rotates in the first vertical direction 12f, the first vertical rotating shaft 22f also rotates in the first vertical direction 14f. The first vertical rotating shaft 22f is connected to the first transmission 24f via a joint. The first transmission 24f includes a first vertical bevel gear 26f and a first horizontal bevel gear 28f. The first vertical bevel gear 26f is connected to the first vertical rotating shaft 22f. The first horizontal bevel gear 28f is connected to the first horizontal rotating shaft 29f. In this manner, the first transmission 24f connects the first vertical rotation shaft 22f and the first horizontal rotation shaft 29f to each other. Each of the bevel gears 26f, 28f has a slant surface on which a plurality of teeth (not shown) are provided.

[0017] When the first vertical rotation shaft 22f rotates in the first vertical direction 14f, the first vertical bevel gear 26f also rotates in the first vertical direction 14f. This causes the first horizontal bevel gear 28f to rotate in the first horizontal direction 16f. In this way, the first transmission 24f converts the rotational motion in the first vertical direction 14f into rotational motion in the first horizontal direction 16f.

[0018] Furthermore, the number of teeth of the first vertical bevel gear 26f is smaller than the number of teeth of the first horizontal bevel gear 28f. In this embodiment, the number of teeth of the first vertical bevel gear 26f is twice the number of teeth of the first horizontal bevel gear 28f. Therefore, while the first vertical rotation shaft 22f rotates once in the first vertical direction 14f, the first horizontal rotation shaft 29f rotates twice in the first horizontal direction 16f. That is, the first transmission 24f accelerates the rotational motion of the first vertical rotation shaft 22f and transmits it to the first horizontal rotation shaft 29f. In addition, in a modified example, the number of teeth of the first vertical bevel gear 26f may be three or four times the number of teeth of the first horizontal bevel gear 28f.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the first hydraulic turbine 10f and the first transmission path 20f, and the second hydraulic turbine 10s and the second transmission path 20s have a symmetrical shape. Therefore, like the first hydraulic turbine 10f, the second hydraulic turbine 10s is connected to the differential gear 30 via the second transmission path 20s. The second transmission path 20s includes a second vertical rotating shaft 22s, a second transmission 24s, and a second vertical rotating shaft 22s. The second transmission path 20s includes a second vertical bevel gear 26s and a second horizontal bevel gear 28s. The second transmission 24s connects the second vertical rotating shaft 22s and the second horizontal rotating shaft 29s to each other. The rotational motion of the second hydraulic turbine 10s is transmitted to the differential gear 30 at an increased speed in the second horizontal direction 16s via the second transmission path 20s.

[0020] In this way, the power generation plant 100 converts the rotational motion of each of the vertical rotation shafts 22f, 22s into the rotational motion of each of the horizontal rotation shafts 29f, 29s by the transmissions 24f, 24s, and also accelerates the rotational motion. This simplifies the structure compared to a configuration that includes separate mechanisms for converting the rotational motion of each of the vertical rotation shafts 22f, 22s into the rotational motion of each of the horizontal rotation shafts 29f, 29s, and a mechanism for accelerating the rotational motion.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the first hydraulic turbine 10f rotates in a first longitudinal direction 12f and the second hydraulic turbine 10s rotates in a second longitudinal direction 12s that are opposite to each other. The rotational motion of the first hydraulic turbine 10f in the first longitudinal direction 12f is transmitted to the first side gear 32f of the differential gear 30 via a first transmission path 20f. The rotational motion of the second hydraulic turbine 10s in the second longitudinal direction 12s is transmitted to the second side gear 32s of the differential gear 30 via a second transmission path 20s.

[0022] The differential 30 includes two spider gears 34, 36. As shown in FIG. 1, inside the differential 30, the side gears 32f, 32s mesh with the spider gears 34, 36. Furthermore, the spider gears 34, 36 are rotatably connected to a link gear 38. As a result, the differential 30 rotates the link gear 38 by the rotational motion of the water wheels 10f, 10s. That is, the differential 30 combines the rotational motion of the water wheels 10f, 10s as the rotational motion of the link gear 38. In this way, the differential 30 has a similar configuration to, for example, a differential gear mounted on a vehicle. Therefore, the differential 30 may be a differential gear of a vehicle.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the link gear 38 meshes with the pinion gear 62. As a result, the rotational motion of the link gear 38 in the direction 18 is output to the pinion gear 62 as a rotational motion in the direction 66. When the pinion gear 62 rotates in the direction 66, the composite shaft 64 also rotates in the direction 66. The composite shaft 64 is connected to the input shaft 42 of the generator 4 via the third transmission 6 and the circuit breaker 8. Therefore, the rotational motion output from the link gear 38 to the pinion gear 62 is output to the input shaft 42 of the generator 4 as a rotation in the direction 46 via the third transmission 6 and the circuit breaker 8. In this way, the differential gear 30 combines the rotational motions of the first hydraulic turbine 10f and the second hydraulic turbine 10s and outputs the combined motion to the generator 4. The generator 4 converts the rotational motion output from the differential gear 30 into electrical energy.

[0024] As described above, water such as agricultural water flows in the waterway 2, and foreign matter may be mixed into the water. If the differential gear 30 is disposed in the waterway 2, foreign matter flowing in the waterway 2 may enter between the gears 32f, 32s, 34, 36 of the differential gear 30, causing a risk of malfunction in the differential gear 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the water turbines 10f, 10s are arranged in the waterway 2 along the horizontal direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction). In contrast, the differential gear 30 is offset from the water turbines 10f, 10s in the vertical direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the horizontal direction, and is positioned vertically above the water turbines 10f, 10s. Therefore, the differential gear 30 is disposed above the water flowing in the waterway 2. As a result, the differential gear 30 is not exposed to the water in the water passage 2, and the water in the water passage 2 is prevented from reaching the differential gear 30 through the transmission paths 20f, 20s. Therefore, even if foreign matter enters the water passage 2, the foreign matter will not get into the spaces between 32f, 32s, 34, and 36 of the differential gear 30. In other words, according to the power generation device 100 of this embodiment, the durability of the differential gear 30 can be improved.

[0025] Although not shown in the figure, the third transmission 6 includes an input gear connected to the composite shaft 64 and an output gear connected to the input shaft 42. In this embodiment, the number of teeth of the input gear of the third transmission 6 is 25 times the number of teeth of the output gear. That is, the third transmission 6 further accelerates the rotational motion in the direction 66 of the composite shaft 64. As a result, the rotational motion suitable for power generation of the generator 4 is input to the input shaft 42 of the generator 4. In the power generating device 100 of this embodiment, the third transmission 6 is provided between the differential gear 30 and the generator 4. Therefore, the third transmission 6 can accelerate the rotational motion resulting from the synthesis of the rotational motions of the respective hydraulic turbines 10f, 10s. As a result, the structure can be simplified compared to a configuration including two third transmissions 6 that accelerate the rotational motions of the respective hydraulic turbines 10f, 10s.

[0026] The circuit breaker 8 cuts off the connection between the third transmission 6 and the input shaft 42 of the generator 4. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the generator 4, it is necessary to stop the rotational motion of the input shaft 42 of the generator 4 in order to inspect or repair the generator 4. If a configuration without the circuit breaker 8 is adopted, the rotational motion of each of the water turbines 10f, 10s will also stop by stopping the rotational motion of the input shaft 42. In that case, the flow rate in the water channel 2 may decrease due to each of the water turbines 10f, 10s. For example, when agricultural water flows through the water channel 2, if the flow rate of the water channel 2 decreases, the agricultural water may not be used downstream of the water channel 2. In the power generation device 100 of this embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in the generator 4, the circuit breaker 8 cuts off the connection between the third transmission 6 and the input shaft 42. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the generator 4, the flow rate of the water channel 2 can be suppressed from decreasing, and the agricultural water (or other water) downstream of the water channel 2 can be used continuously. Moreover, the barrier 8 is provided between the third transmission 6 and the generator 4, and only needs to transmit and interrupt the rotational motion after the speed increase. Therefore, the torque of the rotational motion that the barrier 8 needs to transmit and interrupt is relatively small, and a relatively simple barrier 8 can be used.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the waterway 2 includes a weir 50 and an upper wall 52. The weir 50 and the upper wall 52 are a structure that forms the waterway 2, and are made of concrete. The power generation device 100 is placed on the upper surface of the upper wall 52. As shown by the arrow F2 in FIG. 2, the water in the waterway 2 is guided downward by the weir 50. The water in the waterway 2 falls downward by the weir 50. The water that falls downward reaches the first hydraulic turbine 10f as shown by the arrow F2, and rotates the first hydraulic turbine 10f in the first vertical direction 14f. In this way, by using the falling energy of the water to rotate the first hydraulic turbine 10f, the first hydraulic turbine 10f can be rotated energy efficiently even with a small amount of water.

[0028] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, the differential gear 30 faces the water in the waterway 2 via the weir 50. The generator 4 is located on the opposite side of the differential gear 30 from the weir 50. This allows the first water turbine 10f and the second water turbine 10s to be closer to the weir 50, allowing each water turbine 10f, 10s to efficiently utilize the falling energy of the water. Also, by bringing each water turbine 10f, 10s closer to the weir 50, the structure around the weir 50 can be reduced. This makes it easier to manufacture the waterway 2.

[0029] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. Modifications of the above embodiments are listed below.

[0030] (Variation 1) The differential gear 30 may be located, for example, below each of the water turbines 10f, 10s. In a further variation, the differential gear 30 may be located to the left of each of the water turbines 10f, 10s arranged in the vertical direction. In this case, the vertical direction is an example of the "first direction", and the left-right direction is an example of the "second direction".

[0031] (Modification 2) The power generating device 100 may include a first wind turbine and a second wind turbine instead of the water turbines 10f and 10s. In this case, wind is an example of the "fluid", and the power generating device 100 may be a wind power generating system that uses wind power to drive a generator.

[0032] (Modification 3) The number of teeth of the first vertical bevel gear 26f and the number of teeth of the first horizontal bevel gear 28f may be the same. Similarly, the number of teeth of the second vertical bevel gear 26s and the number of teeth of the second horizontal bevel gear 28s may be the same. That is, the power generation device 100 does not need to include the first transmission 24f and the second transmission 24s. In addition, in a further modification, for example, the first transmission 24f may be provided on the first vertical rotation shaft 22f. In that case, the first transmission 24f does not need to connect the first vertical rotation shaft 22f and the first horizontal rotation shaft 29f to each other.

[0033] (Variation 4) The waterway 2 may not include the weir 50. In a further variation, the differential gear 30 may be located on the opposite side of the generator 4 from the weir 50.

[0034] (Modification 5) The power generating device 100 does not have to include the circuit breaker 8. In a further modification, a circuit breaker may be provided in each of the first transmission path 20f and the second transmission path 20s.

[0035] The technical elements described in this specification or drawings have technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives is itself technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 2: waterway, 4: generator, 6: third transmission, 8: barrier, 10f: first water wheel, 10s: second water wheel, 20f: first transmission path, 20s: second transmission path, 22f: first vertical rotating shaft, 22s: second vertical rotating shaft, 24f: first transmission, 24s: second transmission, 29f: first horizontal rotating shaft, 29s: second horizontal rotating shaft, 30: differential gear, 42: input shaft, 50: weir, 52: upper wall, 100: generator

Claims

1. A first rotating body and a second rotating body that convert the energy of the fluid into rotational motion; a differential device connected to the first rotor via a first transmission path and to the second rotor via a second transmission path, the differential device combining the rotational motion of the first rotor and the rotational motion of the second rotor and outputting the combined motion; a generator for converting the rotational motion output by the differential gear into electrical energy; Equipped with The first rotating body and the second rotating body are arranged along a first direction, The differential device is disposed offset in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the first rotating body and the second rotating body, the first direction is a horizontal direction, The second direction is a vertical direction, the differential device is located vertically above the first rotating body and the second rotating body, the first transmission path includes a first vertical rotation shaft extending upward from the first rotor, a first horizontal rotation shaft extending horizontally from the first vertical rotation shaft to the differential device, and a first transmission connecting the first vertical rotation shaft and the first horizontal rotation shaft to each other; The second transmission path includes a second vertical rotation shaft extending upward from the second rotor, a second horizontal rotation shaft extending horizontally from the second vertical rotation shaft to the differential device, and a second transmission connecting the second vertical rotation shaft and the second horizontal rotation shaft to each other. Power generation equipment.

2. the fluid is water; the differential gear faces the fluid via a weir that guides the fluid downward, The generator is located on the opposite side of the differential device from the weir. The power generating device according to claim 1 .

3. A first rotating body and a second rotating body that convert the energy of the fluid into rotational motion; a differential device connected to the first rotor via a first transmission path and to the second rotor via a second transmission path, the differential device combining the rotational motion of the first rotor and the rotational motion of the second rotor and outputting the combined motion; a generator for converting the rotational motion output by the differential gear into electrical energy; Equipped with The first rotating body and the second rotating body are arranged along a first direction, The differential device is disposed offset in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the first rotating body and the second rotating body, the first direction is a horizontal direction, The second direction is a vertical direction, the differential device is located vertically above the first rotating body and the second rotating body, the fluid is water; the differential gear faces the fluid via a weir that guides the fluid downward, The generator is located on the opposite side of the differential device from the weir. Power generation equipment.

4. the first transmission path includes a first vertical rotation shaft extending upward from the first rotor, a first horizontal rotation shaft extending horizontally from the first vertical rotation shaft to the differential device, and a first transmission connecting the first vertical rotation shaft and the first horizontal rotation shaft to each other; The second transmission path includes a second vertical rotation shaft extending upward from the second rotor, a second horizontal rotation shaft extending horizontally from the second vertical rotation shaft to the differential device, and a second transmission connecting the second vertical rotation shaft and the second horizontal rotation shaft to each other. The power generating device according to claim 3 .

5. The power generating apparatus according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising a third transmission provided between the differential device and the generator.

6. The power generating device according to claim 5 , further comprising a breaker provided between the third transmission and the generator, the breaker disconnecting the third transmission from the generator.

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