초록 ▼

A hull floating on a body of water is tethered by an anchored mooring cable so that it is disposed to trail from the anchor in a current. The hull supports a rotary load such as an electric generator, air compressor or water pump having a transversely extending rotary input shaft extending beyond th

A hull floating on a body of water is tethered by an anchored mooring cable so that it is disposed to trail from the anchor in a current. The hull supports a rotary load such as an electric generator, air compressor or water pump having a transversely extending rotary input shaft extending beyond the hull in both lateral directions. Balanced sets of vanes arranged in wheels mounted to respective ends of the shaft are disposed in a partially submerged condition to be turned by the water current, thus turning the shaft and the rotary load. A load output conduit is provided for transmitting the load output from the load. Where the current changes direction periodically, the load output conduit may follow the mooring cable and both be pivotally mounted to the anchor so that the hull may swing around as the current changes direction. A debris-deflecting fender is shown.

대표청구항 ▼

A water current motor, comprising: a hull constructed and arranged to float on the surface of a body of water which has a current; an anchor constructed and arranged to be fixed at a desired location; a mooring line constructed and arranged to tether the floating hull to the fixed anchor, so that th

A water current motor, comprising: a hull constructed and arranged to float on the surface of a body of water which has a current; an anchor constructed and arranged to be fixed at a desired location; a mooring line constructed and arranged to tether the floating hull to the fixed anchor, so that the hull trails in the current from the anchor; a load constructed and arranged to convert a rotary input into a useful output, said load including a rotary input shaft means which projects generally horizontally in opposite directions therefrom, said load further including a load output conduit constructed and arranged for conducting said useful output from said load; said load being disposed on said hull so that said shaft means, on both sides of said hull projects transversely outboard of said hull near said water surface; two similar and balanced sets of vanes arranged in respective wheels and secured on said shaft means, outboard of said hull, respectively on opposite sides of said load; each set of vanes comprising at least three equi-angularly spaced vanes constructed and arranged to sequentially dip below the surface of the water, be pushed downstream by force of the water current thereagainst, to clear the surface of the water and return upstream in the air above the surface of the water, thereby rotating said shaft and operating said load to produce said load output; a floating fender constructed and arranged to float on the surface of said body of water upstream of said hull; and means mounting the floating fender with respect to the hull and with respect to the mooring line and being constructed and arranged to deploy the floating fender so widely but so shallowly that the floating fender effectively prevents floating debris from impacting said hull and said vanes, while not appreciably deflecting water current from forcibly acting on said vanes to turn said shaft.