JP7563218B2 - Power generation equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power generation device.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a generator using electromagnetic induction, which is composed of a cylindrical coil sealed at both ends with a lid and a magnet placed inside the cylindrical coil. It is disclosed that the generator can generate electricity by tilting the cylindrical coil and causing the magnet to roll or slide inside the cylindrical coil.

Patent Document 2 also discloses a generator for an electronic wristwatch in which a permanent magnet is placed inside a ring-shaped tube (hollow ring) around which a coil is wound. It is disclosed that this generator can generate electricity when the permanent magnet inside the hollow ring passes through the coil wound around the hollow ring by swinging the arm, etc.

Patent No. 2988381 Utility Model Publication No. 51-131975

Let us consider a case where the power generation devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are used to generate power in an environment where gentle swaying occurs, such as ripples on a lake or coast, by receiving the swaying motion.

When using the power generating device disclosed in Patent Document 1, because the power generating device is a cylindrical coil and a magnet that moves inside it, it can only generate electricity when there is a tilt (height difference) toward the core, for example. In addition, because the relative speed of the magnet to the coil caused by gentle shaking is small, the generated electromotive force is small and efficient power generation is not possible.

In addition, when using the power generating device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the vibrations that the power generating device experiences are gentle, so the permanent magnet inside the hollow ring cannot pass through the coil. Also, the gentle vibrations cause the magnet to move slowly relative to the coil, so the electromotive force generated is small and efficient power generation is not possible.

The present invention was made in consideration of the problems with the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide a power generation device that can generate electricity efficiently in environments where shaking, whether large or small, occurs.

The present invention is characterized in that it has a cylindrical body extending along a ring in one plane and undulating along the ring in a direction perpendicular to the first plane, so that a plurality of first convex portions convex in a direction in which one face of the first plane faces and a plurality of second convex portions convex in a direction in which the other face of the first plane faces are alternately provided, a magnet movable inside the cylindrical body in a direction along the ring, and a plurality of coils wound around the outer peripheral surface of each of the plurality of first convex portions , wherein a partition made of a non-magnetic nonlinear elastic material is provided on the second convex portion between adjacent first convex portions inside the cylindrical body, the partition being formed perpendicular to the extension direction of the ring and preventing the magnet from moving inside the cylindrical body across the formed location, and each of the plurality of magnets is disposed in each of the internal spaces of the cylindrical body partitioned by the plurality of partitions .

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a power generating device according to a first embodiment; 1 is a diagram showing a part of a side surface of a power generating device according to a first embodiment; 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of a side surface of the power generating device according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a rectifier in the power generating device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a part of a side surface of a power generating device according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a power generating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of a side surface of a power generating device according to a second embodiment.

The following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention. Note that in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, substantially the same or equivalent parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a power generation device 10 according to a first embodiment. In Figure 1, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis represent the three axes of a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. In addition, a ring CR (dashed line in the figure) is a virtual ring in the plane formed by the X-axis and Y-axis.

The cylinder 11 is a cylinder (hollow ring) that extends in an annular shape along the ring CR. The cylinder 11 has repeated undulations in the Z-axis direction (the up-down direction in the figure). In other words, the undulating portions are connected together to form a single annular cylinder 11. The cylinder 11 is made of a non-magnetic material. In this embodiment, the cross section perpendicular to the extension direction of the cylinder 11 has an annular shape.

The coil 13 is a solenoid coil wound in a spiral shape around the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 11. Specifically, the coil 13 is wound around the downwardly protruding portion of the undulating shape of the cylindrical body 11. In this embodiment, ten coils 13 are provided spaced apart from one another on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 11.

The magnet 15 is a single magnet that can move inside the cylinder 11 along the extension direction of the cylinder 11 while rotating or sliding against the internal surface of the cylinder 11. In this embodiment, the magnet 15 is spherical, with one hemispherical surface having a north pole and the other hemispherical surface having a south pole. The magnet 15 is, for example, a permanent magnet such as a neodymium magnet. In the power generation device 10, the magnet 15 moves inside the cylinder 11 and passes through the internal region of the coil 13, generating a current in the coil 13.

The rectifier RCT is a rectifier that is connected to the coil 13 and can convert the AC voltage that may be generated in the coil 13 by the action of the coil 13 and the magnet 15 into a DC voltage. Specifically, as described above, the magnet 15 can move while rotating, so that when the magnet 15 passes inside the coil 13, currents in opposite directions can be generated. The rectifier RCT rectifies this generated current into a DC current in a predetermined direction and outputs it as a DC voltage. In this embodiment, each of the ten rectifiers RCT is connected to each of the ten coils 13 (only one rectifier RCT is shown in FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes).

The rectifier RCT is connected to, for example, a capacitor that smoothes the pulsating component contained in the rectified DC voltage and enables charging and discharging of the voltage, and a storage battery (secondary battery) that stores the DC power supplied from the rectifier RCT (not shown).

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a portion of the side of the power generation device 10 according to the first embodiment. In Figure 2, the up-down direction in the figure is the up-down direction of the power generation device 10. The cylindrical body 11 is provided with alternating valley portions 11V, which are multiple first convex portions that convex downward, and peak portions 11M, which are multiple second convex portions that convex upward.

The coil 13 is wound around the outer circumference of the valley portion 11V of the cylindrical body 11 so as to be perpendicular to the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11. In this embodiment, each of the multiple coils 13 is wound as a single layer around each of the multiple valley portions 11V.

Here, the mechanism of power generation by the power generation device 10 will be described in detail using Figure 2.

The power generation device 10 of this embodiment can be incorporated into an environmental measurement device that monitors water temperature and water quality, for example, as a power generation device for supplying power to a sensor that measures water temperature and a transmitter that transmits the measured data to other devices. This environmental measurement device is attached to a float that floats on water, or the housing of the environmental measurement device itself is configured to be a float, and is used by floating on the surface of water where gentle swaying such as ripples may occur, such as on a lake or coast.

The power generation device 10 is placed on the float to which the environmental measurement device is attached or on the environmental measurement device itself so that the ring CR is horizontal when the device is stationary (when there are no waves). The power generation device 10 is also arranged so that the magnet 15 is stationary in the valley portion 11V of the cylindrical body 11 when the device is stationary. In other words, the power generation device 10 is arranged in a position such that the valley portion 11V is convex vertically downward.

When the cylindrical body 11 is subjected to the gentle shaking described above, the magnet 15 inside the cylindrical body 11 can roll from a stationary state in the valley portion 11V in either direction along the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11. That is, the magnet 15 rolls from the valley portion 11V toward the apex of the peak portion 11M, climbing the peak portion 11M. The magnet 15 stops between the valley portion 11V and the apex of the peak portion 11M, and then rolls toward the apex of the valley portion 11V due to gravity.

When magnet 15 passes through valley 11V, the magnetic flux passing through coil 13 wound around valley 11V changes. In other words, an induced electromotive force is generated in coil 13 due to the electromagnetic induction phenomenon.

The above-mentioned movement of the magnet 15 is repeated in the valley portion 11V like a pendulum motion as the cylindrical body 11 gently swings. That is, the magnet 15 repeatedly passes through the valley portion 11V in the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). Therefore, each time the magnet 15 passes through the valley portion 11V, the magnetic flux of the coil 13 wound around the valley portion 11V changes, generating an induced electromotive force in the coil 13.

According to the principle of electromagnetic induction, the faster the speed of magnet 15 passing through coil 13, the greater the induced electromotive force generated in said coil 13. As described above, magnet 15 moves repeatedly through valley 11V. Magnet 15 accelerates as it moves toward the apex (lowest point) of valley 11V, and reaches its maximum speed when it passes said apex. Therefore, the induced electromotive force that can be generated in coil 13 of power generation device 10 is greatest when magnet 15 passes the apex of valley 11V.

For example, when comparing power generating device 10 with a power generating device similar to power generating device 10 but in which the cylinder housing magnets 15 is simply a ring shape with no undulations, when subjected to the same gentle shaking, power generating device 10 will have a larger peak value of the velocity of magnets 15 due to the undulating structure described above, and therefore a larger peak of the induced electromotive force.

For example, in order to store the power generated in the coil 13, it is necessary to maintain an output from the coil 13 that exceeds a predetermined voltage. In the power generation device 10 of this embodiment, the peak of the induced electromotive force obtained becomes large as described above, making it possible to exceed the predetermined voltage at which electricity can be stored, and therefore efficient power generation is possible even with oscillations caused by small waves.

Therefore, when gentle swaying, such as ripples, occurs, the power generation device 10 is able to generate power efficiently by utilizing the electromagnetic induction phenomenon that utilizes the gentle swaying.

For example, when the power generation device 10 is subjected to waves that generate a greater degree of swaying than ripples, the magnet 15 rolls from the valley 11V over the peak 11M toward the adjacent valley 11V. At this time, the magnet 15 accelerates from the apex of the peak 11M toward the valley 11V. In other words, the magnet 15 passes through the valley 11V at a high relative speed with respect to the coil 13. Therefore, the power generation device 10 can generate a larger induced electromotive force than when subjected to gentle swaying.

Even if the magnet 15 is subjected to a larger than gentle swing and moves from one valley 11V to the adjacent valley 11V, and then is subjected to a gentle ripple-like swing again, it can roll in the valley 11V again like a pendulum. Therefore, the magnetic flux of the coil 13 changes each time the magnet 15 passes through the valley 11V, generating an induced electromotive force in the coil 13.

As described above, the power generation device 10 can generate electricity efficiently by generating an induced electromotive force in the coil 13 not only when gentle swaying occurs, but also when stronger swaying occurs.

In addition, because the cylindrical body 11 is formed in a ring shape with undulations, even if gentle or large vibrations occur to the cylindrical body 11 from any direction, the magnet 15 can roll in the valley portion 11V in response to the vibrations. Therefore, the power generation device 10 can generate power efficiently even if any vibrations, large or small, occur from any direction.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the valley portion 11V in Figure 2 when the magnet 15 passes through the valley portion 11V along the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11. In Figure 3, the coil 13 is omitted to avoid cluttering the drawing. Also, the center line passing through the valley portion 11V perpendicular to the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11 is shown as center line CL.

On the inner circumferential surface of the valley portion 11V, the curvature of the apex 11VP of the valley portion 11V is configured to be smaller than the curvature of the magnet 15 that passes through the apex 11VP. In other words, the radius of curvature at the apex 11VP of the valley portion 11V is configured to be larger than the radius of curvature of the magnet 15.

As described above, the magnet 15 repeatedly passes through the valley portion 11V by undergoing gentle ripple-like oscillations. Therefore, by configuring the curvature of the apex 11VP on the inner peripheral surface of the valley portion 11V to be smaller than the curvature of the magnet 15, the magnet 15 can move smoothly without remaining in the valley portion 11V.

Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of a rectifier RCT connected to coils 13. The two terminals of each of the coils 13 are connected to each of the single-phase bridge diodes BD of the rectifier RCT as shown in Figure 4. Each of the bridge diodes BD is connected in series, and its output end is connected to a terminal of a resistive load LD.

As described above, the magnet 15 can pass through the valley portion 11V while rolling. Therefore, currents in opposite directions can be generated in the coil 13 when the magnet 15 passes inside the coil 13. The rectifier RCT can rectify this generated current into a direct current in a specific direction and output it as a direct current voltage.

The above describes the power generating device 10 according to the first embodiment, but the cylindrical body 11 of the power generating device 10 only needs to be formed in a ring shape with undulations that allow the magnet 15 to repeatedly pass through the valley portions 11V, and there is no limit to the number of valley portions 11V and peak portions 11M formed.

The cylindrical body 11 may be formed in a ring shape so that it can respond to large and small vibrations from any direction, and may be, for example, an elliptical ring shape. The shape of the cross section perpendicular to the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11 may be a shape that allows the magnet 15 to pass through, and may be a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, etc.

In addition, the cylindrical body 11 may be made of a non-magnetic material so that the magnet 15 is not attracted to the inner surface of the cylindrical body 11, and may be made of an insulating material such as plastic, or a non-magnetic metal such as aluminum or copper that has been insulated between it and the coil 13.

The thickness of the cylindrical body 11 is preferably, for example, a few millimeters or less so as not to affect the electromagnetic induction phenomenon between the magnet 15 and the coil 13. In addition, for the reasons mentioned above, it is preferable that the gap between the magnet 15 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body 11 is as small as possible, and is preferably, for example, a few millimeters or less.

The coil 13 is not limited in number of turns or length as long as it is wound around the valley portion 11V so that electricity can be generated by the magnet 15 passing through the cylindrical body 11. For example, the coil 13 may be wound in a single layer, or may be wound in two or three layers, and the more layers there are, the greater the induced electromotive force generated in the coil 13. Also, for example, the coil 13 may be wound around the entire cylindrical body 11 as a single coil 13. In other words, one coil 13 may be provided across both the peak portion 11M and the valley portion 11V.

The magnet 15 does not have to roll itself as long as it can move along the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11. For example, a moving means capable of transporting the magnet 15 may be provided inside the cylindrical body 11. As the moving means, for example, a rotating body such as a ball bearing may be provided, which is arranged in multiple numbers inside the cylindrical body 11 under the magnet 15 and suppresses loss of kinetic energy due to friction between the magnet 15 and the inner surface of the cylindrical body 11.

The magnet 15 may also be configured so that the magnet 15 itself is provided with a rotating body such as a wheel. When the magnet 15 is moved inside the cylindrical body 11 using the above-mentioned moving means, the shape of the magnet 15 is not limited. For example, the magnet 15 may be cylindrical or rectangular in shape in addition to a spherical shape.

The rectifier RCT is connected to each of the coils 13, and as long as it is capable of rectifying the AC voltage that may be generated in the coils 13, the circuit configuration is not limited. For example, the output of the bridge diode BD does not have to be connected to the adjacent bridge diode BD, and each bridge diode BD may be connected in parallel to a resistive load LD. This configuration makes it possible to suppress the resistance loss caused by passing through the adjacent bridge diodes BD.

[Modification]
Here, a modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a side view of a power generating device according to a modified example of the first embodiment, and is an enlarged view of the valley portion 11V in Fig. 2 in the description of the above embodiment. The modified power generating device is different from the power generating device 10 according to the first embodiment in the shapes of the cylindrical body 11 and the magnet 15, but has the same configuration as the power generating device 10 in other respects.

In this modified example, a gear portion 11A is formed on the underside of the inside of the cylindrical body 11 along the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11. In addition, a gear portion 15A is formed on the magnet 15 along its circumferential direction, which can mesh with multiple gear portions 11A inside the cylindrical body 11. In other words, in this modified example, the inside of the cylindrical body 11 and the magnet 15 form a rack-and-pinion mechanism in which the magnet 15 serves as a pinion gear and the inner surface of the cylindrical body 11 serves as a rack gear.

When the cylindrical body 11 is subjected to gentle shaking, the gear portion 15A of the magnet 15 continuously meshes with the gear portion 11A inside the cylindrical body 11, so that the magnet 15 can move inside the cylindrical body 11. In other words, the magnet 15 moves while rotating without slipping when moving inside the cylindrical body 11.

In this modified example, the gear portion 11A and the gear portion 15A are configured to move while assuming a predetermined continuous posture when the magnet 15 passes through the valley portion 11V. Specifically, for example, in this modified example, the gear portion 11A and the gear portion 15A are configured so that when the magnet 15 passes through the valley portion 11V, the magnet 15 moves in a posture such that only a current flows in a fixed direction through the coil 13. In this way, the current obtained from the coil 13 always has the same sign, and a half-wave rectified voltage can always be obtained.

The power generating device of this modified example can always obtain a current of the same sign as described above, so there is no need to provide a rectifier in the coil 13 as in the first embodiment. This makes it possible to simplify the circuit that can be connected to the coil 13.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the power generation device 20 according to the second embodiment. The power generation device 20 differs from the power generation device 10 according to the first embodiment in the internal configuration of the cylindrical body 11, but has a similar configuration to the power generation device 10 in other respects.

The partitions 17 are a number of partitions arranged inside the cylindrical body 11 perpendicular to the extension direction. The partitions 17 have a shape similar to the shape of a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11. The partitions 17 are made of a non-magnetic non-linear elastic body such as a rubber plate. In this embodiment, ten partitions 17 are arranged inside the cylindrical body 11.

The magnets 15 are multiple spherical magnets that can move inside the cylindrical body 11 along the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11. In this embodiment, ten magnets 15 are arranged inside the cylindrical body 11.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing a portion of a side view of the power generation device 20 according to the second embodiment. Each of the multiple partitions 17 is provided at the apex of each of the peaks 11M of the cylindrical body 11. In other words, the partitions 17 are provided between adjacent valleys 11V. The cylindrical body 11 forms multiple internal spaces including the valleys 11V by the multiple partitions 17.

The partition 17 is a partition that can prevent magnets having different magnetic poles from being attracted to each other by magnetic force. The partition 17 is joined to the inside of the cylindrical body 11 by, for example, brazing, crimping, solid-state welding, fusion, or the like.

Each of the multiple magnets 15 is disposed in each of the multiple internal spaces of the cylindrical body 11 that are separated by the partitions 17. In other words, each of the multiple magnets 15 can only move within the internal space of the cylindrical body 11 that is formed by the partitions 17, and movement in any other direction in the extension direction of the cylindrical body 11 is prevented by the partitions 17.

As in Example 1, when the cylinder 11 is subjected to gentle swaying like ripples, the magnet 15 in the valley 11V of the cylinder 11 can repeatedly roll in the valley 11V in the extension direction of the cylinder 11 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). The magnet 15 accelerates as it moves toward the apex (lowest point) of the valley 11V, and reaches its maximum speed when it passes the apex. Therefore, the induced electromotive force that can be generated in the coil 13 of the power generation device 10 is greatest when the magnet 15 passes the apex of the valley 11V.

In addition to the above, the power generating device 20 according to this embodiment is capable of generating electricity using multiple magnets 15. That is, as described above, when gentle swaying like ripples occurs, each of the multiple magnets 15 arranged in each of the multiple internal spaces of the cylindrical body 11 passes through each of the multiple coils 13, thereby generating a larger amount of electricity than the power generating device 10.

In addition, when shaking occurs that is greater than the gentle shaking described above, each of the multiple magnets 15 arranged in each of the multiple internal spaces of the cylindrical body 11 rolls from the valley portion 11V to the apex of the peak portion 11M, is repelled by each of the partitions 17, which are nonlinear elastic bodies, and passes through the valley portion 11V. Therefore, in this embodiment, when large shaking occurs, each of the magnets 15 that is repelled by the partitions 17 passes through each of the valley portions 11V at a high relative speed with respect to the coil 13, thereby generating a larger amount of electricity than the power generation device 10.

As described above, each rectifier RCT is connected to each coil 13. When each magnet 15 repeatedly passes through each valley portion 11V of the cylinder 11, the induced electromotive force generated in the coil 13 becomes an AC voltage whose positive and negative polarities alternate, so that the composite voltage, which is the voltage aggregated from each of the coils 13, may be weaker and output. According to this embodiment, the rectifier RCT is connected to each coil 13 to rectify the generated AC voltage into a DC voltage, thereby enabling the power generation device 20 to obtain a composite voltage greater than when the rectifier RCT is not used.

In addition, since each magnet 15 can pass through each valley 11V with its north and south poles alternating, the voltage generated in each coil 13 can become an AC voltage even when the magnet 15 passes through it once. Even in this case, the rectifier RCT is connected to the coil 13 to rectify the AC voltage into a DC voltage, allowing the power generation device 20 to obtain a larger composite voltage than when the rectifier RCT is not used.

The above describes the power generating device 20 according to the second embodiment, but the partition 17 only needs to be able to prevent magnets with different magnetic poles from being attracted to each other by magnetic force, and there are no limitations on its thickness or installation position. It is preferable that the partition 17 has high resilience and has an elastic force that bounces the magnet 15 that has rolled out of the valley portion 11V back into the valley portion 11V.

The internal space of the cylindrical body 11 separated by the partition 17 may include two or more valleys 11V. For example, five valleys 11V may be included in each of the two internal spaces of the cylindrical body 11 separated by the two partitions 17, and each of the internal spaces may be configured to have one magnet 15 disposed therein.

In the first and second embodiments, the power generation devices 10 and 20 are described as being used in an environment where gentle swaying may occur, such as on a lake or a coastline, but the equipment in which the power generation devices 10 and 20 are incorporated is not limited to this as long as the environment is one in which gentle swaying may occur. For example, the power generation devices 10 and 20 may be used in a suspended state so that they sway due to gentle wind force, or may be installed in an environment in which continuous or intermittent swaying may occur.

The configuration of the above-mentioned modified example in which the inside of the cylindrical body 11 and the surface of the magnet 15 form a rack and pinion can also be applied to the power generating device of Example 2. By applying the configuration of this modified example, it is possible to omit the rectifier in the power generating device of Example 2 as well, simplifying the circuit.

The shape, dimensions, and configuration of each part of the power generation devices 10 and 20 according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described examples, and can be modified as appropriate depending on the application, etc.

10, 20 Power generating device 11 Cylinder 13 Coil 15 Magnet 17 Partition

Claims (5)

a cylindrical body extending along a ring on one plane and undulating along the ring in a direction perpendicular to the first plane, so that a plurality of first convex portions convex in a direction in which one surface of the first plane faces and a plurality of second convex portions convex in a direction in which the other surface of the first plane faces are alternately provided;
a magnet movable inside the cylindrical body in a direction along the ring;
a plurality of coils wound around an outer circumferential surface of each of the plurality of first protrusions;
having
A partition is provided on the second protrusion between adjacent first protrusions in the cylindrical body, perpendicular to the extension direction of the ring, and made of a non-magnetic non-linear elastic material that prevents the magnet from moving inside the cylindrical body across the location where the partition is formed;
A power generating device, characterized in that each of the plurality of magnets is disposed in each of the internal spaces of the cylindrical body partitioned by the plurality of partitions . 2. The power generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the magnet is a spherical permanent magnet. 3. The power generating device according to claim 2 , wherein the magnet has a curvature smaller than a curvature in an extension direction of the ring on an inner circumferential surface at a tip end side of the convex shape of the first convex portion of the cylindrical body. The power generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the ring is a circular ring . 5. The power generating device according to claim 1 , further comprising a rectifier circuit connected to both ends of said coil for rectifying and outputting a current generated in said coil.

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