The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 27, 2004
Filed:
Feb. 20, 2002
Peter Donald Chalmers, South Perth, AU;
Jason Robert Liddell, Princeton, NJ (US);
William Blaine Powers, Exton, PA (US);
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., Pennington, NJ (US);
Abstract
A known type of surface wave energy converter comprises a submerged elongated tube supported by, but being vertically movable relative to, an anchored float. The tube vertically reciprocates in response to overpassing surface waves and drives a transducer for generating useful energy. Improvements include: a motion translator between the tube and the transducer for reducing the stroke length of the transducer and magnifying the force transmitted to the transducer; an energy buffer system for limiting the travel of the tube in response to excessively large surface waves; a gravity anchor for the system for absorbing energy from even greater amplitude waves; means for adjusting buoyancy in response to changing conditions, and pressure relief valves for automatically reducing excessive tube driving pressures caused by excessively large overpassing waves. Energy present in tilting movements of the apparatus are optionally captured in horizontally disposed transducers.