Soft Canvas Rotor for Marine Energy Harvesting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional oceanic turbines made of hard materials harm marine life, generate noise, and disrupt ocean currents, leading to environmental concerns and potential climate issues.

Innovation Solution

A rotor design featuring canvas-like, wide loops connected to a rotor shaft that form asymmetric, bag-like cones, utilizing wind or water currents for rotation, eliminating the need for hard materials and noise, and incorporating a soft, lightweight structure that does not harm marine animals or generate noise.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If hard material rotors are used, then structural strength and durability are improved, but harm to marine life and noise generation increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural strengthVSAvoidharm to marine life

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies this principle by replacing hard rotor blades with flexible canvas-like loops that form cone-shaped structures. These flexible membranes maintain sufficient structural integrity to generate power while being soft enough to avoid harming marine life, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and harmlessness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses composite construction combining canvas-like material with supporting frameworks (spars, ribs, or rotor shaft). This composite structure provides the necessary mechanical strength for power generation while the flexible canvas material ensures biocompatibility, eliminating the need for purely hard materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Strength

If hard material rotors are used, then structural strength and durability are improved, but noise generation increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural strengthVSAvoidnoise generation

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible canvas material naturally dampens vibrations and reduces noise generation compared to hard materials. The flexible nature of the membrane structure absorbs vibrational energy, converting it to minimal noise while maintaining structural functionality for power generation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Object-affected harmful factors

If protective nets are added to hard rotors, then harm to marine life is reduced, but animals can still get caught and injured

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveharm to marine lifeVSAvoidsafety reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the protective function from separate nets or barriers and integrates it into the fundamental structure of the rotor itself. The flexible canvas loops form the rotor blades, eliminating the need for separate protective structures while ensuring animals cannot be caught or injured.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Object-affected harmful factors

If canvas-like soft material is used, then harm to marine life and noise are eliminated, but structural stiffness and power generation capability must be maintained

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveharm to marine lifeVSAvoidstructural stiffness

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines flexible canvas material with rigid supporting structures (spars, ribs, rotor shaft) to create a composite system. The flexible material provides biocompatibility while the rigid framework maintains structural stiffness and enables effective power generation from water or wind currents.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs conical or curved shapes in the canvas loop structures. These geometric forms provide inherent structural strength and stiffness through their curvature, allowing the soft material to maintain rigidity when needed while preserving its flexible, animal-friendly characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

5Power

If large rotor size is used, then power generation capability is improved, but disruption of ocean currents increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower generation capabilityVSAvoiddisruption of ocean currents

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible canvas loop structure creates a cone-shaped profile that allows water currents to flow around and through the rotor more smoothly compared to hard blades. This flexible design reduces turbulence and current disruption while maintaining sufficient surface area for power generation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The rotor design is environmentally friendly, reduces noise and harm to marine life, is cost-effective, lightweight, and can be used in both water and air, effectively harnessing energy from currents while being safe for animals and easy to transport and install.

Implementation Method 1

consisting of canvas-like, wide loops which are connected to a rotor shaft and which form asymmetric, bag-like cones under the effect of wind or water currents

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid flow:

Data Source

PatentUS11840999B2Rotor

Publication Date: 2023.12.12 BONDESTAM MARTEN

AI summary

A rotor including soft rotor structures fixed to the rotor shaft, which rotor structures are of a soft material such as canvas or the like. The rotor structure is a loop arranged to form an asymmetrical cone when an air or water current flows through the loop.