A generator driven by water pressure
By employing swing-door style opening/closing doors in the bellows pump chambers, the generator's initial water inflow is accelerated, boosting the operating speed of the bellows pumps and improving power generation efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2025007236
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-17
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-30
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-01-17
AI Technical Summary
The initial stage of water inflow into the bellows pump chambers of a water-pressure-driven generator is slow, leading to a slow operating speed of the bellows pumps and subsequently the generator's rotating shaft.
The generator incorporates a pair of bellows pump chambers with swing-door style opening/closing doors that increase the water inlet area from the initial stage and enhance water pressure by having the door push water against the bellows pump, thereby accelerating the operating speed of the bellows pumps.
This configuration significantly increases the operating speed of the bellows pumps from the initial stage, enhancing the power generation efficiency of the generator driven by water pressure.
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a generator equipped with a drive mechanism that uses water pressure to drive a rotating shaft of the generator. [Background technology]
[0002] The inventor of the present application has previously proposed using water pressure to drive the rotating shaft of a generator (Patent Document 1 below). As shown in FIG. 10, the drive mechanism of this generator includes 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 the rotational force of a rotating shaft 241 of a generator 240. The generator 240 and the piston chambers 226, 236 are disposed underwater, and the bellows pump chambers 221, 231, too, are submerged except for the tips of the drainage towers 224, 234 which protrude above the water surface 300.
[0003] An electrically operated sliding door 223, 233 is provided at the upper end of the main body of the bellows pump chamber 221, 231, and these sliding doors 223, 233 are controlled so that when one of them is opened, the other is closed. The pair of piston chambers 226, 236 are connected to each other at their lower ends via a flow passage 150. In addition, 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, and 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] 10, in this drive mechanism, when the slide door 233 of one bellows pump chamber 231 is closed, the slide door 223 of the other bellows pump chamber 221 is open, so that water enters the bellows pump chamber 221, and the water pressure pushes down the bellows pump 222 of the bellows pump chamber 221. As a result, part of the air that had been accumulated in the bellows pump 222 is sent through the pipe 225 to the piston chamber 226, and the piston 227 of the piston chamber 226 descends.
[0005] When the piston 227 in the piston chamber 226 descends, the air below the piston 227 flows into the adjacent piston chamber 236 through the flow passage 150, and pushes up the piston 237 in the piston chamber 236. As a result, the air above the piston 237 is sent to the bellows pump chamber 231 through the pipe 235, and the upper end of the bellows pump 232 in the bellows pump chamber 231 is pushed up. Therefore, the water present at the upper end of the bellows pump chamber 231 is discharged from the drain tower 234 into the atmosphere. In this process, the movement of the descending piston 227 in the piston chamber 226 and the ascending piston 237 in the piston chamber 236 causes the crankshafts 228, 238 to rotate, which in turn causes the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240 to rotate, generating electricity.
[0006] As is widely known, this type of generator has a cylindrically arranged magnet and a coil that rotates with the rotation shaft at the center of the cylinder, or conversely, has a cylindrically arranged coil and a magnet that rotates with the rotation shaft at its center, 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, the piston 237 in the piston chamber 236 descends, and the piston 227 in the piston chamber 226 rises, the upper end of the bellows pump 222 in the bellows pump chamber 221 is pushed up, and the water present at the upper end of the bellows pump chamber 221 is discharged into the atmosphere from the drain tower 224.
[0008] During this process, the crankshafts 238, 228 rotate in accordance 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, thereby continuously generating electricity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0009] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7627408 (issued February 6, 2025) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0010] However, in the configuration of Figure 10, there is a problem 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, so the bellows pumps 222, 232 cannot be operated quickly. The operating speed of the bellows pumps 222 and 232 also affects the driving speed of the pistons 227 and 237 and the speed of the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240 .
[0011] The present invention is devised to solve these problems, and has an object to provide a generator drive mechanism that is capable of increasing the operating speed of a bellows pump from an initial stage. [Means for solving the problem]
[0012] The present invention provides a generator equipped with a drive mechanism that utilizes water pressure to drive the rotating shaft of the generator, comprising a pair of bellows pump chambers in which a bellows pump containing air is disposed, and a rotating mechanism that cooperates with the bellows pump chambers to rotate the rotating shaft of the generator, the pair of bellows pump chambers being disposed below the water surface, and each of the pair of bellows pump chambers being equipped with an opening / closing door that opens and closes the water inlet hole into the bellows pump chamber, and a discharge tower that serves as a discharge path for water when the opening / closing door is closed. The open / close doors are controlled to have their open / closed states such that water alternately flows into the pair of bellows pump chambers. The bellows pump in one of the bellows pump chambers into which water has flowed in when the door is opened reduces its volume and sends the air contained therein to the rotating mechanism. The rotating mechanism into which the air has flowed in uses the air to rotate the rotating shaft of a generator and sends the used air to the other bellows pump chamber. The bellows pump in the other bellows pump chamber into which the air has flowed in expands its 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 rotated by a motor fixed to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber, alternately repeating a closed state in which they remain parallel to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber to block the water inlet hole, and an open state in which they rotate downward relative to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber to open the water inlet hole.
[0013] With this drive mechanism, the door opens and closes like a swinging door to open and close the water inlet, making it possible to expand the opening area from the initial stage of opening and closing compared to conventional sliding door methods.
[0014] In addition, when the door is opened, the door itself pushes water against the bellows pump, increasing the water pressure received by the bellows pump, and therefore the operating speed of the bellows pump can be increased from the initial stage when the water inlet is opened.
[0015] The rotation mechanism of the present invention includes a pair of piston chambers in which pistons are arranged, and a crankshaft that converts the reciprocating motion of the pistons into torque for the generator's rotating shaft. In this rotation mechanism, the air pumped 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, and the crankshafts linked to the pistons rotate the generator's rotating shaft.
[0016] In this rotating mechanism, the piston chamber, the crankshaft and the generator may be disposed underwater. Alternatively, the piston chamber, crankshaft and generator may be located above water. When the generator is placed on the water, maintenance of the generator is easy.
[0017] The rotating mechanism of the present invention may also be configured to include a windmill chamber in which a windmill is disposed. The windmill rotates by being forced by air flowing alternately from each of a pair of bellows pump chambers, and a rotating shaft of a generator rotates in conjunction with the windmill, thereby generating electricity.
[0018] In this rotating mechanism, the wind turbine house and the generator may be disposed underwater. Alternatively, the wind turbine house and generator may be located above water. Effect of the Invention
[0019] The generator of the present invention is capable of increasing the operating speed of the bellows pump from the initial stage, and can improve the power generation efficiency of the generator that is driven by water pressure. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a generator equipped with a drive mechanism of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing state transitions of the opening / closing door and the opening / closing mechanism. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the opening and closing door. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of a generator equipped with a drive mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of a generator equipped with a drive mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow path switching structure for air acting on a wind turbine. [Figure 9] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing state transitions of the flow path switching structure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a generator equipped with a drive mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1, the driving mechanism of the generator of the present invention includes 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 the rotational force of a rotating shaft 241 of a generator 240. The generator 240, the piston chambers 226, 236, and the bellows pump chambers 221, 231 are arranged below the water surface 300.
[0022] This drive mechanism differs from the drive mechanism in FIG. 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] FIG. 2(b) is an enlarged view of the opening / closing door 321 of the bellows pump chamber 221 shown in FIG. 2(a). The bellows pump chamber 221 is provided with an inflow hole 326 (FIG. 1) for allowing water to flow in from outside the bellows pump chamber 221, and in FIG. 2(b), this inflow hole 326 is blocked by the opening / closing door 321 in the closed state. The opening / closing door 321 is connected to the upper wall surface 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 "swing door." In order to drive this opening / closing door 321 , a motor 322 capable of rotating in both forward and reverse directions is fixed to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber 221 , and a rotating shaft 325 of this motor 322 and the opening / closing door 321 are connected by a link mechanism 323 .
[0024] FIG. 3 shows a state in which the opening / closing door 321 blocks the water inlet hole 326 (FIG. 3(a)), a state in which the opening / closing door 321 is partially open as the motor 322 rotates in the forward direction (FIG. 3(b)), and a state in which the opening / closing door 321 is completely open (FIG. 3(c)). 3(a), the opening / closing door 321 closes the water inlet hole 326 while remaining parallel to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber 221. In FIG. 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 connected to the rotating shaft 325 of the motor 322 via a link 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 hole 326. As shown in FIG. 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 begins to reverse, and the opening / closing door 321 passes through the state of FIG. 3(b) and returns to the state of FIG. 3(a). The opening and closing door 321 repeats these operations in response to the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 322 .
[0025] FIG. 4 shows a control system that controls the opening and closing of the opening / closing door 321 of the bellows pump chamber 221 and the opening / closing door 331 of the bellows pump chamber 231. The motor 322 arranged in the bellows pump chamber 221 and the motor 332 arranged in the bellows pump chamber 231 are each equipped with a control unit 327, 337 that controls the operation of the motor, and these control units 327, 337 control the respective motors 322, 332 based on instructions from the controller 400. The controller 400 issues instructions to the control units 327, 337 of the motors 322, 332 so that the motors 322, 332 repeatedly rotate in the forward and reverse directions in the same cycle, and so that when one of the motors 322, 332 rotates in the forward direction, the other rotates in the reverse direction.
[0026] The doors of the bellows pump chambers 221 and 231 may be double-hinged doors as shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5(a) shows the double-hinged doors in a closed state, and Fig. 5(b) shows the double-hinged doors in an open state.
[0027] In this way, when the door opens and closes like a "swing door," the opening area in the initial stage of opening and closing can be made larger than that of a sliding door. In addition, when the door is opened, the door itself pushes water against the bellows pump, increasing the water pressure received by the bellows pump, and therefore the operating speed of the bellows pump can be increased from the initial stage when the water inlet is opened.
[0028] 1 may be disposed above the water surface 300 as shown in FIG 6. In this case, maintenance of the generator 240 becomes easier.
[0029] Also, for the rotation mechanism that rotates the rotating shaft of the generator, a windmill 121 can be used instead of the piston chamber as shown in Fig. 7. In this case, the rotating shaft 241 of the generator 240 is directly connected to the rotating shaft of the windmill 121 as shown in Figs. 8 and 9.
[0030] When using the wind turbine 121 to rotate the generator 240, the direction in which the wind turbine 121 rotates by the air sent from one bellows pump chamber 221 to the wind turbine chamber 120 and the direction in which the wind turbine 121 rotates by the air sent from the other bellows pump chamber 231 to the wind turbine chamber 120 must be the same. Therefore, as shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, flow path plates 125, 126 that regulate the air flow path are provided within the wind turbine chamber 120, and a pair of flow path switching plates 123, 124 that switch the air flow within the wind turbine chamber 120 so that air flowing from one bellows pump chamber 221 into the wind turbine chamber 120 flows along the flow path plate 125, and air flowing from the other bellows pump chamber 231 into the wind turbine chamber 120 flows along the flow path plate 126.
[0031] The flow path switching plates 123 and 124 rotate about supporting points 128 and 129 in conjunction with the movements of the opening and closing doors 321 and 331 of the bellows pump chambers 221 and 231, respectively. As shown in FIG. 7, when the opening / closing door 321 of the bellows pump chamber 221 is opened and the opening / closing door 331 of the bellows pump chamber 231 is closed, the flow path switching plates 123, 124 block the flow path along the flow path plate 126, and cause the air flowing in from the bellows pump chamber 221 to flow along the flow path plate 125. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the state of the flow path switching plates 123 and 124 at this time.
[0032] On the other hand, when the opening / closing door 331 of the bellows pump chamber 231 is opened and the opening / closing door 321 of the bellows pump chamber 221 is closed, the flow path switching plates 123, 124 block the flow path along the flow path plate 125, and cause the air flowing in from the bellows pump chamber 231 to flow along the flow path plate 126. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the state of the flow path switching plates 123 and 124 at this time.
[0033] In this way, the wind turbine 121 rotates in one direction, and the generator 240 connected to the wind turbine 121 generates electricity continuously.
[0034] The wind turbine chamber 120 and the generator 240 may be disposed above the water surface 300 as shown in FIG. It is also possible to place the wind turbine house 120 and the generator 240 underwater. [Industrial Applicability]
[0035] The generator of the present invention can be widely used as a power generating means with high power generating efficiency. [Explanation of symbols]
[0036] 120 Windmill room 121 Windmill 123 Flow path switching plate 124 Flow path switching plate 125 Flow Plate 126 Flow 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 Piston 238 Crankshaft 240 Generator 241 Rotational Axis 300 water surface 321 Opening and closing door 322 Motor 323 Link Mechanism 324 Hinge 325 Motor shaft 326 Inflow hole 327 Motor control unit 331 Opening and closing door 332 Motor 337 Motor Control Unit 400 Controller
Claims
1. A generator having a drive mechanism that uses water pressure to drive a rotating shaft of the generator, A pair of bellows pump chambers in which a bellows pump containing air is disposed; a rotation mechanism that rotates a rotation shaft of the generator in cooperation with the bellows pump chamber; Equipped with The pair of bellows pump chambers are disposed below the water surface, Each of the pair of bellows pump chambers includes an opening / closing door for opening and closing a water inlet hole into the bellows pump chamber, and a discharge tower that serves as a discharge path for water when the opening / closing door is closed, The opening and closing states of the opening and closing doors are controlled so that the water flows alternately into the pair of bellows pump chambers, the bellows pump in one of the bellows pump chambers into which the water has flowed in due to the opening of the opening / closing door reduces its volume and sends the air contained therein to the rotation mechanism; the rotating mechanism into which the air has flowed in rotates a rotating shaft of the generator by utilizing the flowing in air, and sends out the utilized air to the other of the bellows pump chambers; The bellows pump of the other bellows pump chamber into which the air has flowed 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 an upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber, and alternately repeat a closed state in which the doors are kept parallel to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber to close the water inlet hole, and an open state in which the doors are rotated downward relative to the upper wall surface of the bellows pump chamber to open the water inlet hole. A generator characterized by:
2. 2. The generator of claim 1, the rotating mechanism includes a pair of piston chambers in which pistons are disposed, and a crankshaft that converts reciprocating motion of the pistons into a rotational force of a rotating shaft of the generator, The air pumped 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, so that the crankshafts linked to the pistons rotate the rotary shaft of the generator. Generator.
3. 3. The generator of claim 2, the piston chamber, the crankshaft and the generator are disposed underwater; Generator.
4. 3. The generator of claim 2, the piston chamber, the crankshaft and the generator are disposed on water; Generator.
5. 2. The generator of claim 1, The rotation mechanism includes a wind turbine chamber in which a wind turbine is disposed, The windmill rotates by being forced by the air alternately flowing 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. 6. The generator of claim 5, The wind turbine house and the generator are disposed underwater. Generator.
7. 6. The generator of claim 5, The wind turbine house and the generator are disposed on water. Generator.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
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