System for converting ocean wave energy to electric power

US8193655B2 · kind B2 · utility

Inventors

• Allan Roberts · Buena Park, US
• Weixing Lu · Los Angeles, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 10, 2011
• Grant date: Jun 5, 2012
• Expiry date: Mar 10, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T29/42
• WIPO field: Engines, pumps, turbines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention consists of a system of small, interconnected cubes, each containing interior walls made from a highly sensitive multi-layer piezoelectric material and each having heavy mass, such as stainless steel, inside the cube interior. An elastic material layer covers the heavy internal mass that is in contact with the piezoelectric cube walls. As the system moves with the water, the heavy mass inside each cube exerts varying inertial forces on the cube walls causing a piezoelectric current to be generated. However, the cell walls may also be constructed using commercially available piezoelectric materials. This approach is a second embodiment of the current invention and includes the same system design as the first embodiment except that the internal cubic cell walls are fabricated in a unique manner using commercially available piezoelectric materials, rather than the non-central symmetric LB poly-vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) multilayer piezoelectric material.