An electric generator includes multiple coil sections and switches connected to the multiple coil sections for selectively interconnecting the coil sections in series, or in parallel, or in a series-parallel configuration across first and second power terminals for producing a controlled AC voltage
An electric generator includes multiple coil sections and switches connected to the multiple coil sections for selectively interconnecting the coil sections in series, or in parallel, or in a series-parallel configuration across first and second power terminals for producing a controlled AC voltage across these power terminals. The electric generator, with its multiple coils and interconnecting switches permitting reconfiguration of the coils, enables systems subjected to widely varying conditions and forces, such as a wave energy converter (WEC), to be operated with increased efficiency. The generator may also include multiple windings which can be selectively interconnected into a wye or a delta configuration to also control the output voltage produced by the generator and increase the efficiency of the power conversion system, particularly at low values of voltage.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. A system comprising: an electric generator having a winding for producing an alternating current (AC) voltage whose amplitude varies over a wide range as a function of external factors; said winding having a number N of independent coil sections, each coil section of said win
What is claimed is: 1. A system comprising: an electric generator having a winding for producing an alternating current (AC) voltage whose amplitude varies over a wide range as a function of external factors; said winding having a number N of independent coil sections, each coil section of said winding having first and second terminals; where N is an integer greater than 1; and switching means coupled to the terminals of the coil sections of the winding for selectively interconnecting the coil sections in one of: (a) a series combination; (b) a parallel combination; and (c) a series-parallel combination for increasing the efficiency of the system. 2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the voltage produced by the electric generator is in response to a widely varying force applied to the generator whereby the amplitude of the voltage across the winding varies widely; and wherein said switching means selectively interconnects the coil sections in different configurations for producing a generator output voltage across first and second power terminals which tends to be within a desired range. 3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the switching means functions to interconnect the coils in a configuration tending to produce a higher output voltage in response to a condition tending to produce an output voltage having a value below a predetermined level. 4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein a rectifying circuit is coupled across said first and second power terminals; and wherein said rectifying circuit has fixed voltage drops. 5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the switching means configures the coil sections to produce a voltage at said first and second power terminals which is greater than the fixed voltage drops of the rectifying circuit. 6. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the switching means selectively reconfigures the windings of the electric generator to control the amplitude of the generator output voltage produced across said first and second power terminals. 7. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said switching means includes means for: (a) selectively interconnecting selected coil sections of the winding in series via low impedance connections for increasing the output voltage produced across the first and second power terminals; and (b) selectively interconnecting selected coil sections in parallel for limiting the amplitude of the voltage which would otherwise be produced across the first and second power terminals. 8. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the electric generator produces an alternating current (AC) voltage across the first and second power terminals; wherein said switching means determines what portion of the voltage developed by the electric generator appears across said first and second power terminals; and wherein a rectifying network is connected across said first and second power terminals for rectifying and converting the AC voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage. 9. A system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the rectifying network has a fixed voltage drop; and wherein the switching means interconnects the sections of the windings to cause the voltage across the first and second power terminals to exceed the fixed voltage drops. 10. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the electric generator is driven by a wave energy converter (WEC) which drives the electric generator and cause it to produce an output voltage which is a function of the amplitude of the waves. 11. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said electric generator is of the rotary type whose speed of rotation increases as a function of the amplitude of the waves and whose output voltage increases correspondingly; and wherein each section of the winding produces a voltage which is in phase with the voltages produced in the other sections of the winding. 12. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the AC voltage produced across the winding is applied to a rectifying circuit for producing a direct voltage; said rectifying circuit including semiconductor devices which exhibit fixed voltage drops when conducting. 13. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the electric generator includes multiple windings for producing multi phased voltages, each winding have multiple sections of coils, each coil section having first and second terminals; and wherein said switching means includes means for selectively interconnecting the coil sections of each winding via low impedance connections in: (a) series, (b) parallel or (c) a combination of series and parallel for controlling the amplitude of the output voltage produced by each winding. 14. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the switching means enables the multiple windings of the generator to be selectively interconnected in a "wye" or in a "delta" configuration. 15. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the switching means includes a relay with relay contacts, and wherein the relay contacts provide low impedance means for interconnecting the sections of each winding via a low ohmic impedance. 16. A system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the WEC includes a float and a column which move relative to each other in response to waves and wherein the switching means is responsive to at least one of the following: (a) the amplitude of the waves, (b) the relative motion of the float and column, (c) the speed of the generator and (d) the output voltage of the winding. 17. A system comprising: an electric generator having multiple coil sections; switches connected to said multiple coil sections; said switches for selectively interconnecting the multiple coil sections in one of a series configuration, a parallel configuration, or a series-parallel configuration; said switches interconnecting the coils across first and second power terminals for controlling the voltage produced across these power terminals and increasing the efficiency of the system. 18. A system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said electric generator is responsive to a widely varying force and wherein said switches are responsive to the widely varying conditions to reconfigure the coils so as to produce output voltages tending to counteract the conditions of the force. 19. A system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the electric generator includes several windings, with each winding having multiple coil sections; and wherein switches are connected to the multiple coil sections and to the windings for selectively enabling the reconfiguration of the coils of each winding and of the windings. 20. A system as claimed in claim 17 including a controller coupled to said switches for controlling the condition of the switches and the ensuing configuration of the coils of a winding. 21. A system as claimed in claim 19 including a controller coupled to said switches for controlling the condition of the switches and the ensuing configuration of the coils of a winding and of the windings. 22. A system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the electric generator is driven by a wave energy converter (WEC) which causes the generator to produce an output voltage which is a function of the amplitude of the waves; and further including a controller responsive to various selected ones of the conditions of the WEC and the waves for operating the switches and controlling their configuration for controlling the voltage produced across said first and second power terminals. 23. A system as claimed in claim 22 wherein said switches provide low impedance connections. 24. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the electric generator includes at least three windings to produce a three phase voltage and wherein each one of the three windings includes a multiplicity of coil sections, and wherein said switches selectively enable at least one of: (a) the coil sections to be connected in different combinations of series and parallel configurations; and (b) the windings to be connected in a wye configuration or in a delta configuration. 25. A system comprising: an electric generator having multiple coil sections; switches connected to said multiple coil sections; said switches for selectively interconnecting the multiple coil sections in one of a series configuration, a parallel configuration, or a series-parallel configuration; said switches interconnecting the coils across first and second power terminals for controlling the voltage produced across these power terminals and increasing the efficiency of the system; power conversion and utilization means coupled across said first and second power terminals; and control means coupled to said switches for selectively determining an optimum configuration of the coils based on generator input conditions and load characteristics.
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