초록 ▼

The invention disclosed herein comprises a system focusing water current into a relatively smaller diameter lumen, imparting vortical movement to the current, and directing the water vortex through an even smaller diameter lumen en route to turbine blades having long curved blades rotatable along an

The invention disclosed herein comprises a system focusing water current into a relatively smaller diameter lumen, imparting vortical movement to the current, and directing the water vortex through an even smaller diameter lumen en route to turbine blades having long curved blades rotatable along an axis parallel with the lumen. Rotation of the turbine blades turns gearing interfacing with the circumference of the turbine assembly, to rotate a drive shaft connected to a generator.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An apparatus comprising a water collection component and a turbine for a hydro-electric generator system to generate electricity from water current, the apparatus comprising: (a) a housing including an upstream funnel end and a downstream turbine end and defining a lumen therebetween, said funnel

1. An apparatus comprising a water collection component and a turbine for a hydro-electric generator system to generate electricity from water current, the apparatus comprising: (a) a housing including an upstream funnel end and a downstream turbine end and defining a lumen therebetween, said funnel end defining a constricting lumen orientable in a same direction as the water current and focusing water flow of the water current into the lumen, the housing and the lumen sharing a longitudinal lumen axis generally aligned in the same direction as the water current;(b) said constricting lumen terminating at a throat portion of said housing;(c) said downstream turbine end comprising at least one turbine having a plurality of blades, each blade extending longitudinally in a same direction as the lumen axis and including a primary face diagonally opposed to the water flow, the at least one turbine rotatable around the lumen axis; and(d) said throat portion including a throat-valve including three adjacent pivot-plates and a coordination means for coordinating an opening and closing of the pivot-plates, each plate having a pivot edge having a midpoint with a mid-point interface for pivoting coordination with corresponding nearby mid-point interfaces of the other pivot-plates, the mid-point interface of each pivot-plate being maintained in coordinating proximity to the mid-point interfaces of the other pivot-plates, the pivoting coordination of the pivot-plates allowing for each pivot-plate to diagonally overlap the adjacent pivot-plates, such that the throat-valve, when in an open configuration defined by the opening of the pivot-plates, enhances a vortical movement of the water flow to the blades. 2. An apparatus as described in claim 1, each pivot-plate comprising a half-disc configuration including the pivot edge and a circumferential edge, such that the pivot edge is a straight edge and the circumferential edge has a curvature which closely follows a curvature of an interior wall of the lumen, each pivot-plate pivoting on a pivot pin extending from the circumferential edge of the pivot-plate through a wall of the housing, each pivot pin connecting a respective pivot-plate to the coordination means. 3. An apparatus as described in claim 2, the coordination means comprising an outer collar encircling the throat portion, each of the pivot-plate pivot pins comprising an exterior end yoked to the collar such that rotation of the collar around the throat portion causes coordinated pivoting of all the pivot-plates for opening or closing the throat-valve. 4. An apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising a cone affixed within said lumen immediately upstream of said turbine, the cone having a base and an apex, the apex pointing upstream within the water flow and the base located a sufficient distance from said housing to allow said water flow to more quickly flow between said base and said housing. 5. An apparatus as described in claim 1, each of the blades comprising an upstream axial corner region anchored to an axle-tip carried by an upstream axial support bearing shared by all of the blades, each of the blades having a downstream axial corner region anchored to an axle-tip carried by a downstream axial support bearing shared by all of the blades, each of the axial support bearings mounted at a respective convergence of a plurality of upstream radial struts and a plurality of downstream radial struts anchored within the housing. 6. An apparatus as described in claim 5, each of the blades comprising a peripheral edge, an axial edge, and the primary face, the primary face being an essentially vortically curved primary face between the edges, the entire upstream-to-downstream length of which receives force from the water flow through the lumen, causing the blades to rotate around said axial bearings. 7. An apparatus as described in claim 1, said downstream turbine end comprising a plurality of said turbines aligned sequentially within the housing, each of said turbines independently driving at least one respective drive shaft rotating an electric generator. 8. An apparatus as described in claim 1, the downstream turbine end further comprising an axle-less means for governing blade rotation around the lumen axis. 9. An apparatus as described in claim 8, the means for governing blade rotation comprising: (a) a sleeve of the at least one turbine, the sleeve being telescopically received within the housing and having an inner surface connected to and supporting the plurality of blades, each blade having an outer peripheral edge anchored to the sleeve and having an inner axial edge separated by a short distance from the lumen axis such that an interior passageway is formed about the lumen axis by the inner axial edges of the plurality of blades, with the primary face of each blade being a vortically curved primary face extending between the peripheral edge and the axial edge;(b) said sleeve further including at least one rail-ring encircling an outer circumference of said sleeve, said rail-ring comprising a base portion including cogs, and an apex upstanding from the base;(c) said means for governing blade rotation further comprising, for the at least one rail-ring, a plurality of rail-riding wheels anchored to the housing and extending into the lumen in cooperating alignment with said rail-ring apex; and(d) the apparatus further comprising at least one gearwheel having teeth meshing with said cogs, the gearwheel rotating a drive shaft, the drive shaft extending through the housing and operably engaging with an electric generator;(e) wherein rotation of the blades by the water flow causes sleeve rotation constrained by said rail-riding wheels, thereby causing rotation of the at least one rail-ring, thereby causing rotation of the gearwheel and the drive shaft connected thereto, thereby causing generation of electricity by the electric generator operatively engaged thereto. 10. An apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein, for the at least one rail-ring, said wheels comprising at least eight wheels periodically extending into the lumen in cooperating alignment with said rail-ring apex. 11. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein: (a) the at least one rail-ring comprises a base anchored to said sleeve and has an upstream side and a downstream side, at least one of said sides having a plurality of said cogs comprising periodically-spaced gear-teeth cutouts, said rail-ring further comprising an essentially pointed apex upstanding from said sides;(b) each of said wheels having a circumferential cutout straddling said apex and extending partly towards said sleeve on each side of the apex without contacting said gear-teeth cutouts; and(c) said apparatus further comprising a rotary drive shaft having a gearwheel having gear teeth that mesh with said gear-teeth cutouts of said rail-ring. 12. An apparatus as described in claim 11, said gear-teeth cutouts located on said upstream side of said rail-ring. 13. An apparatus as described in claim 12, said sleeve including a plurality of said rail-rings, each having a plurality of said wheels aligned therewith, each rail-ring having at least one gearwheel meshing therewith, each of said gearwheels rotating at least one of said drive shafts extending through the housing and operably engaging with a respective electricity generator. 14. An apparatus comprising a water collection component and a turbine for a hydro-electric generator system to generate electricity from water current, the apparatus comprising: (a) a housing including an upstream funnel end and a downstream turbine end and defining a lumen therebetween, said funnel end defining a constricting lumen orientable in a same direction as the water current and focusing water flow of the water current into the lumen, the housing and the lumen sharing a longitudinal lumen axis generally aligned in the same direction as the water current; said constricting lumen terminating at a throat portion of said housing, said throat portion including a throat-valve;(b) said downstream turbine end comprising at least one turbine comprising a sleeve telescopically received within the housing, the sleeve having an inner surface connected to and supporting a plurality of blades, each blade having an outer peripheral edge anchored to the sleeve and having an inner axial edge separated by a short distance from the lumen axis such that an interior passageway is formed about the lumen axis by the inner axial edges of the plurality of blades, each blade having a vortically curved primary face between the peripheral edge and the axial edge; and(c) said turbine end further comprising a means for governing blade rotation including at least one rail-ring encircling an outer circumference of said sleeve, said rail-ring comprising a base portion including a plurality of gear-teeth cutouts, and an apex upstanding from said base portion, said means for governing blade rotation further comprising a plurality of rail-riding wheels anchored to said housing and extending into the lumen in cooperating alignment with said rail-ring apex, said means for governing blade rotation further comprising at least one gearwheel having teeth meshing with said gear-teeth cutouts, said gearwheel rotating a drive shaft extending through the housing and operably engaging with an electric generator;(d) wherein rotation of the blades by the water flow causes sleeve rotation and consequent rail-ring rotation, thereby causing rotation of each gearwheel and drive shaft connected thereto, thereby causing generation of electricity by the electric generator operatively engaged thereto. 15. An apparatus as described in claim 14, further comprising an annular convergence collar anchored within the housing immediately upstream of said sleeve.