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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8123579 | Protection of apparatus for capturing wave energy For protecting surface floating wave energy converters (WEC's) against surface turbulence, the WEC's are removed from the water surface. For reducing the force required, the WEC's include a hollow member having an apertured outer wall. In the case where the WEC is t... | 02/28/2012 |
| 8096116 | Mooring of multiple arrays of buoy-like WECs For reducing the number of anchors required for mooring a plurality of WECs in a body of water, the WECs are arrayed in two patterns enabling the sharing of anchors among the WECs. One pattern comprises pluralities of WECs disposed in polygonal shaped cells with an ... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8067849 | Wave energy converter with internal mass on spring oscillator A wave energy converter (WEC) system includes a shell containing an internal oscillator comprised of a reaction mass suspended from the shell by an elastic spring in parallel with a constant force spring. The constant force spring provides a relatively constant forc... | 11/29/2011 |
| 7965980 | Cell buoy system A cellular communication system includes an array of buoys disposed in a body of water. Each buoy includes a completer cellular system including a cellular transmission/reception site and associated electrical equipment for processing cellular signals. Each buoy als... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7878734 | Heave plate with improved characteristics Apparatus embodying the invention include a damping plate attached to the submerged end of a spar-like element floating in a body of water. The spar like element tends to move up and down in a vertical direction in response to passing waves. The damping plate has a ... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7877994 | Wave energy converter (WEC) with heave plates The stability and power conversion efficiency of a wave energy converter (WEC) which includes a float, a spar and a power taken device (PTO) connected between the spar and the float is increased by connecting a heave plate to the spar in a very secure manner and by ... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7781903 | Wave energy converter with air compression (WECWAC) A wave energy converter with air compression (WECWAC) includes a cylinder and a piston located within the cylinder dividing the cylinder into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The cylinder is fixedly attached to a spar whose up/down (heave) motion is restrained.... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7658067 | Tunable wave energy converter In a wave energy converter (WEC) for capturing energy contained in surface waves on large bodies of water, one or both of the floats used in the WEC has an internal spring system including a weight suspended from a spring mechanism having a selectively variable spri... | 02/09/2010 |
| 7594780 | Damping plates A damping (or heave) plate comprises a generally flat plate attached, beneath the surface of a sea, and in horizontal orientation, to a structural member subject to being vertically moved in response to passing surface waves. The plate tends to resist vertical movem... | 09/29/2009 |
| 7476137 | Expandable wave energy conversion system A wave energy converter (WEC) for converting energy contained in surface waves on a body of water to useful energy comprises two floats movable relative to one another in response to passing surface waves. Both floats comprise expandable outer envelopes which have b... | 01/13/2009 |
| 7443046 | Wave energy converter utilizing internal reaction mass and spring A wave energy converter (WEC) includes a shell suitable for being placed within a body of water. The shell contains an internal oscillator comprising a “reaction mass” and a spring mechanism coupled between the reaction mass and the shell. The shell and internal... | 10/28/2008 |
| 7397152 | Circuitry for increasing efficiency of a linear electric generator A linear electric generator (LEG) includes sections of coils of an induction coil assembly (ICA) disposed along a distance d1 and apparatus for passing a permanent magnetic assembly (PMA) of length d2, where d2 is less than d1, along the ... | 07/08/2008 |
| 7362003 | Coil switching circuit for linear electric generator In a linear electric generator (LEG) which includes apparatus for passing a permanent magnetic assembly (PMA) along linearly disposed sections of coils of an induction coil assembly (ICA) for generating voltages and power, a switching arrangement for coupling only s... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7348764 | Coil switching of an electric generator 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 ... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7323790 | Wave energy converters (WECs) with linear electric generators (LEGs) An ocean wave energy converter (WEC) utilizes the relative motion between permanent magnet and induction coil assemblies to generate electricity. The permanent magnet assemblies and induction coil assemblies are separately housed in watertight enclosures, enabling a... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7310944 | Wave energy converters (WECs) with velocity multiplication A WEC system embodying the invention includes a column and shell, arranged to move relative to each other, and a lever-like apparatus having an input end and an output end and an intermediate point, between the two ends, the intermediate point being rotatably connec... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7305823 | Active impedance matching systems and methods for wave energy converter The invention relates to active impedance matching systems (AIMS) and methods for increasing the efficiency of a wave energy converter (WEC) having a shaft and a shell intended to be placed in a body of water and to move relative to each other in response to forces ... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7224077 | Bluff body energy converter A power generating system comprises a bluff (non-streamlined) body placed in a fluid stream at ninety degrees to the flow direction for creating a von Karman vortex street behind the body. In the process, feedback forces are generated that excite the bluff body into... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7168532 | Wave energy converter (WEC) with magnetic braking A magnetic braking system for inhibiting excessive motion between a float and a column intended to be placed in a body of water; with the float and column moving relative to each other as a function of the waves present in the body of water. The braking system inclu... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7140180 | Wave energy converter (WEC) device and system A wave energy converter system comprises two floats; a first being generally flat and heaving up and down in phase with passing surface waves on a body of water, and the second being elongated and heaving up and down out of phase with the passing waves. Preferably, ... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7141888 | Antirotational structures for wave energy converters A WEC includes a non-circular main central column positioned within a like non-circular central opening of a shell to contain the central column and prevent rotation or twisting of the shell relative to the column. In a particular embodiment, the central column is m... | 11/28/2006 |
| 6933623 | Wave energy converters utilizing pressure differences An elongated cylinder is fully submerged, in vertical orientation, just below the mean water level of, e.g., and ocean, and of a length, dependent upon surface waves of preselected wavelength, such that the top of the cylinder experiences relatively large pressure v... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6772592 | Float dependent wave energy device Apparatus for converting energy contained in surface waves on a body of water to useful energy comprises a float from which is suspended a fully or effectively fully submerged inverted cup-shaped member having a closed top end and an open bottom end. Disposed within... | 08/10/2004 |
| 6768217 | Wave energy converter system of improved efficiency and survivability A known type of surface wave energy converter comprises a submerged elongated tube supported by, but being vertically movable relative to, an anchored float. The tube vertically reciprocates in response to overpassing surface waves and drives a transducer for genera... | 07/27/2004 |
| 6768216 | Wave energy converters utilizing pressure differences An elongated cylinder is fully submerged, in vertical orientation, just below the mean water level of, e.g., and ocean, and of a length, dependent upon surface waves of preselected wavelength, such that the top of the cylinder experiences relatively large pressure v... | 07/27/2004 |
| 6731019 | Apparatus and method for optimizing the power transfer produced by a wave energy converter (WEC) A wave energy converter (WEC) including an electric generator for capturing energy contained in ocean waves and converting it to electrical energy at the output of the electric generator may be characterized as an effective capacitive (or inductive) element. Systems... | 05/04/2004 |
| 6617705 | Protection arrangement for natural energy power generation systems Protection against damage caused by excessively high input energies, e.g., from ocean storms, is provided in energy converting systems by, in response to the detection of excessively high input energies, changing the electrical impedance of the electrical... | 09/09/2003 |
| 6528928 | Switched resonant power conversion electronics A transducer operated as power generating device is driven at a low frequency and collects energy at the low frequency rate. The collected energy is extracted at a much higher frequency. Extracting the energy at a higher frequency enables the use of compo... | 03/04/2003 |
| 6522048 | Sensors for power conversion systems Systems and circuits embodying the invention include means for sensing at least one of the peaks, amplitude and frequency of an oscillatory input force impinging on a power generating device for controlling the turn-on of a switch used to transfer energy ... | 02/18/2003 |
| 6424079 | Energy harvesting eel A piezoelectric power generator, particularly for use in a flowing fluid stream, comprises an elongated, flexible central layer of a dielectric material having, spaced axially along opposite sides thereof, a plurality of separate piezoelectric elements ea... | 07/23/2002 |
| 6376968 | Field-induced piezoelectricity for electrical power generation An electrical energy generator relying upon piezoelectricity includes electrical generating elements comprising electroded bodies of an electrostrictive material, e.g., polyurethane, having inherent but weak piezoelectric characteristics. A d.c. bias is a... | 04/23/2002 |
| 6300689 | Electric power generating system Energy from a naturally recurring source of variable mechanical energy is captured and transmitted to an electrical generator causing it to rotate at speeds proportional to the amount of energy captured. The output voltage produced by the generator is a f... | 10/09/2001 |
| 6291904 | Wave energy converter utilizing pressure differences An open ended tube is mounted in fixed, vertical orientation within a body of water with the top and bottom ends of the tube at preselected depths relative to a mean water level when preselected waves with which the invention is designed for use are prese... | 09/18/2001 |
| 6229225 | Surface wave energy capture system For capturing energy contained in surface waves on a body of water while protecting the system from damage against conditions on the water surface, a transducer for converting wave energy to useful, e.g., electrical, energy is anchored to the water bed. A... | 05/08/2001 |
| 6201336 | DC bias scheme for field induced piezoelectric power generators A d.c. bias arrangement for increasing the efficiency of electrical power extraction from a piezoelectric transducer comprising a piezoelectric material, particularly of the electrostrictive type, contacted by first and second electrodes. The first electr... | 03/13/2001 |
