대표
청구항
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We claim: 1. A system for generating electricity from fluid currents, the system comprising: a closed-loop track; at least one trolley; at least one blade attached to the at least one trolley; a means for supporting and guiding movement of the at least one trolley along said closed-loop track, the at least one trolley generally rotating about an axis of the closed-loop track and substantially within a plane during movement along the closed-loop track; and a means for converting motion of the at least one trolley into electrical energy, wherein the at le...
We claim: 1. A system for generating electricity from fluid currents, the system comprising: a closed-loop track; at least one trolley; at least one blade attached to the at least one trolley; a means for supporting and guiding movement of the at least one trolley along said closed-loop track, the at least one trolley generally rotating about an axis of the closed-loop track and substantially within a plane during movement along the closed-loop track; and a means for converting motion of the at least one trolley into electrical energy, wherein the at least one blade extends in a direction radially outward relative to the closed-loop track and is configured to interact with fluid currents moving in a direction approximately parallel to the axis of the closed-loop track about which the at least one trolley rotates to cause movement of the at least one trolley, and wherein at least a portion of the at least one blade intersects the plane in which the at least one trolley rotates during movement of the at least one trolley along the closed-loop track. 2. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one trolley comprises a plurality of trolleys and the system further comprises a spacing ring for maintaining spacing of each of said trolleys. 3. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, further comprising; one or more additional blades attached to said spacing ring. 4. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for supporting and guiding is chosen from one of wheels, magnetic levitation technology, or a combination thereof. 5. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 4, wherein: the means for converting comprises an electrical ring, attached to each trolley and said electrical ring containing magnets; and a conductor connected to said track in such a location that said conductor is at least sometimes within the magnetic field of the magnets. 6. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 4, wherein: the means for converting comprises an annular non-conducting unit, said annular non-conducting unit being attached to said track and said annular non-conducting unit containing magnets; and an electrical ring wherein said electrical ring is a conductor in such a location that said electrical ring is at least sometimes within the magnetic field of the magnets. 7. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 4, wherein: the means for converting comprises a central shaft; at least one spoke attaching said central shaft to at least one of said trolleys; and a generator driven by said central shaft. 8. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 4, wherein: the means for supporting and guiding comprises one of wheels or a combination of magnetic levitation technology and wheels, and the means for converting comprises at least one small generator powered by at least one of said wheels. 9. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 4, wherein: the means for converting comprises a toothed wheel attached to each said trolley; a drive shaft having a perimeter and one or more toothed projections around such perimeter such that said drive shaft is driven by said toothed wheel; and for each said drive shaft, a generator operated by said drive shaft. 10. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 4, wherein: the means for converting comprises a central shaft; at least one spoke attaching said central shaft to at least one of said trolleys; at least one line; a hydraulic pump driven by said central shaft for pumping pressurized fluid through said at least one line; and a generator driven by the pumping. 11. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 4, wherein: the means for converting comprises a toothed wheel attached to each said trolley; a drive shaft having a perimeter and one or more toothed projections around such perimeter such that said drive shaft is driven by said toothed wheel; a hydraulic pump operated by said drive shaft for pumping pressurized fluid through at least one line; and a generator driven by the pumping. 12. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 4, further comprising: one or more additional blades attached to said spacing ring. 13. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for converting comprises an electrical ring, attached to each trolley and said electrical ring containing magnets; and a conductor connected to said track in such a location that said conductor is at least sometimes within the magnetic field o the magnets. 14. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for converting comprises an annular non-conducting unit, said annular non-conducting unit being attached to said track and said annular non-conducting unit containing magnets; and an electrical ring wherein said electrical ring is a conductor in such a location that said electrical ring is at least sometimes within the magnetic field of the magnets. 15. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for converting comprises a central shaft; at least one spoke attaching said central shaft to at least one of said trolleys; and a generator driven by said central shaft. 16. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for supporting and guiding comprises one of wheels or a combination of magnetic levitation technology and wheels, and the means for converting comprises at least one small generator powered by at least one of said wheels. 17. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for converting comprises a toothed wheel attached to each said trolley; a drive shaft having a perimeter and one or more toothed projections around such perimeter such that said drive shaft is driven by said toothed wheel; and for each said drive shaft, a generator operated by said drive shaft. 18. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for converting comprises a central shaft; at least one spoke attaching said central shaft to at least one of said trolleys; at least one line; a hydraulic pump driven by said central shaft for pumping pressurized fluid through said at least one line; and a generator driven by the pumping. 19. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 2, wherein: the means for converting comprises a toothed wheel attached to each said trolley; a drive shaft having a perimeter and one or more toothed projections around such perimeter such that said drive shaft is driven by said toothed wheel; a hydraulic pump operated by each drive shaft for pumping pressurized fluid through at least one line; and a generator driven by the pumping. 20. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein: the means for supporting and guiding is chosen from one of wheels, magnetic levitation technology, or a combination thereof. 21. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 20, wherein: the means for converting comprises an electrical ring attached to the at least one trolley and said electrical ring containing magnets; and a conductor connected to said track in such a location that said conductor is at least sometimes within the magnetic field o the magnets. 22. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 20, wherein: the means for converting comprises an annular non-conducting unit, said annular non-conducting unit being attached to said track and said annular non-conducting unit containing magnets; and an electrical ring wherein said electrical ring is a conductor in such a location that said electrical ring is at least sometimes within the magnetic field of the magnets. 23. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 20, wherein: the means for converting comprises a central shaft; at least one spoke attaching said central shaft to the at least one trolley; and a generator driven by said central shaft. 24. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 20, wherein: the means for supporting and guiding comprises one of wheels or a combination of magnetic levitation technology and wheels, and the means for converting comprises at least one small generator powered by at least one of said wheels. 25. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 20, wherein: the means for converting comprises a toothed wheel attached to the at least one trolley; a drive shaft having a perimeter and one or more toothed projections around such perimeter such that said drive shaft is driven by said toothed wheel; and a generator operated by said drive shaft. 26. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 20, wherein: the means for converting comprises a central shaft; at least one spoke attaching said central shaft to the at least one trolley; at least one line; a hydraulic pump driven by said central shaft for pumping pressurized fluid through said at least one line; and a generator driven by the pumping. 27. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 20, wherein: the means for converting comprises a toothed wheel attached to the at least one trolley; a drive shaft having a perimeter and one or more toothed projections around such perimeter such that said drive shaft is driven by said toothed wheel; a hydraulic pump for pumping pressurized fluid through at least one line; and a generator driven by the pumping. 28. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein: the means for converting comprises an electrical ring attached to the at least one trolley and said electrical ring containing magnets; and a conductor connected to said track in such a location that said conductor is at least sometimes within the magnetic field of the magnets. 29. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein: the means for converting comprises an annular non-conducting unit said annular non-conducting unit being attached to said track and said annular non-conducting unit containing magnets; and an electrical ring wherein said electrical ring is a conductor in such a location that said electrical ring is at least sometimes within the magnetic field of the magnets. 30. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein: the means for converting comprises a central shaft; at least one spoke attaching said central shaft to the at least one trolley; and a generator driven by said central shaft. 31. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein: the means for supporting and guiding comprises one of wheels or a combination of magnetic levitation technology and wheels, and the means for converting comprises at least one small generator powered by at least one of said wheels. 32. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein: the means for converting comprises a toothed wheel attached to the at least one trolley; a drive shaft having a perimeter and one or more toothed projections around such perimeter such that said drive shaft is driven by said toothed wheel; and for each said drive shaft, a generator operated by said drive shaft. 33. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein: the means for converting comprises a central shaft; at least one spoke attaching said central shaft to the at least one trolley; at least one line; a hydraulic pump driven by said central shaft for pumping pressurized fluid through said at least one line; and a generator driven by the pumping. 34. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein: the means for converting comprises a toothed wheel attached to the at least one trolley; a drive shaft having a perimeter and one or more toothed projections around such perimeter such that said drive shaft is driven by said toothed wheel; a hydraulic for pumping pressurized fluid through at least one line; and a generator driven by the pumping. 35. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one trolley comprises a plurality of trolleys and the system further comprises a means for maintaining space between consecutive trolleys. 36. The system for generating electricity from fluid currents as recited in claim 1, wherein the system is configured to be placed in liquid and interact with liquid currents to generate electricity. 37. A system for generating electricity from fluid currents, the system comprising: a closed-loop track; at least one trolley; at least one blade attached to the at least one trolley, wherein the at least one trolley is configured to move along the closed-loop track so as to generally rotate about an axis of the closed-loop track, wherein movement of the at least one trolley along the closed-loop track is converted to electrical energy, wherein the at least one blade extends in a direction radially outward relative to the closed-loop track and is configured to interact with fluid currents moving in a direction approximately parallel to the axis of the closed-loop track about which the at least one trolley rotates to cause movement of the at least one trolley, and wherein at least a portion of the blade intersects a plane in which the at least one trolley rotates during movement along the closed-loop track. 38. The system of claim 37, further comprising one of wheels, magnetic levitation technology, or a combination thereof configured to guide the movement of the at least one trolley along the closed-loop track. 39. The system of claim 37, further comprising: a magnet and a conductor configured to move relative to each other to generate electricity during movement of the at least one trolley along the closed-loop track. 40. The system of claim 37, wherein one of the magnet and the conductor is configured to move with the at least one trolley and the other of the magnet and the conductor remains in a fixed position during movement of the at least one trolley. 41. The system of claim 37, further comprising: one of a non-conductive unit and a conductor configured to move with the at least one trolley along at least a portion of the closed-loop track; and the other of the non-conductive unit and the conductor mounted to the closed-loop track, wherein the non-conductive unit comprises magnets and the non-conductive unit and conductor are mounted such that the conductor is at least sometimes within the magnetic field of the magnets. 42. The system of claim 41, further comprising a connection mechanism for at least temporarily connecting the one of the non-conductive unit and the conductor to the at least one trolley so that the one of the non-conductive unit and the conductor moves with the at least one trolley along at least a portion of the track. 43. The system of claim 42, wherein the connection mechanism is chosen from brackets, flexible members, magnets, and stops. 44. The system of claim 41, wherein the non-conductive unit comprises an electrical ring containing magnets and is at least temporarily connected to the at least one trolley. 45. The system of claim 37, further comprising: an annular non-conducting unit attached to said closed-loop track, said annular non-conducting unit containing magnets; and an electrical ring, wherein said electrical ring is a conductor in such a location that said electrical ring is at least sometimes within the magnetic field of the magnets. 46. The system of claim 37, further comprising a spacing ring, the at least one trolley being connected to the spacing ring. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the at least one trolley comprises a plurality of trolleys and the spacing ring is configured to maintain space between consecutive trolleys. 48. The system of claim 46, further comprising one or more additional blades attached to said spacing ring. 49. The system of claim 37, wherein the at least one trolley comprises a plurality of trolleys and the system further comprises a mechanism for maintaining space between the trolleys. 50. The system of claim 37, wherein the closed-loop track is one of circular and elliptical. 51. The system of claim 37, wherein an orientation of the at least one blade relative to the at least one trolley is fixed. 52. The system of claim 37, wherein an orientation of the at least one blade relative to the at least one trolley is adjustable. 53. The system of claim 37, further comprising at least one additional blade extending in a direction radially inward relative to the closed-loop track and configured to interact with fluid currents moving in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the closed-loop track about which the at least one trolley rotates to cause movement of the at least one trolley. 54. The system of claim 53, wherein the at least one additional blade is attached to the at least one trolley. 55. The system of claim 54, wherein the at least one blade and the at least one additional blade are asymmetric about the closed-loop track. 56. The system of claim 53, wherein the at least one blade and the at least one additional blade have differing dimensions. 57. The system of claim 56, wherein the length of the at least one blade is greater than the length of the at least one additional blade. 58. The system of claim 37, wherein the system is configured to be placed in a liquid and interact with currents in the liquid to generate electricity. 59. The system of claim 58, wherein the system is configured to be mounted to a floating structure. 60. A method for generating electricity from fluid currents, the method comprising: positioning in fluid, a system comprising a closed-loop track, at least one trolley configured to move along the closed-loop track so as to generally rotate about an axis of the closed-loop track, and at least one blade attached to the at least one trolley, the at least one blade extending radially outward relative to the track and having at least a portion that intersects a plane in which the at least one trolley rotates; orienting the system such that fluid currents moving in a direction approximately parallel to the axis about which the at least one trolley rotates interact with the at least one blade to cause the at least one trolley to move along the closed-loop track; and converting movement of the at least one trolley along the closed-loop track to electrical energy. 61. The method of claim 60, wherein the positioning in fluid comprises positioning in a liquid. 62. The method of claim 60, wherein the system comprises a plurality of trolleys and the method further comprises maintaining space between consecutive trolleys along the closed-loop track. 63. The method of claim 60, further comprising guiding movement of the at least one trolley along the track via one of wheels, magnetic levitation technology or a combination thereof. 64. The method of claim 60, further comprising adjusting an orientation of the at least one blade relative to the at least one trolley. 65. The method of claim 60, wherein the positioning in the fluid comprises positioning in the fluid a system further comprising at least one additional blade extending radially inward relative to the closed-loop track. 66. The method of claim 60, wherein converting movement of the at least one trolley along the track to electrical energy comprises moving a magnet and at least one conductor relative to each other. 67. The method of claim 60, further comprising supporting the system via a floating structure.
