Floating platform to obtain electric power from sea waves

[0002] The Spanish patent application P200100640 dated Mar. 16, 2001, is priority.

[0003] The Patent W9914489, priority date Sep. 18, 1997: a buoy, located near coast, it picks up wave movements being transmited said movements through levers.

[0004] The present invention, by using floating platforms, takes advantage of the kinetic energy of the sea. To pick up said kinetic energy they are provided lathes and cables, by generating circular movements that are transmitted to electric generators (essentially of direct current).

[0005] A floating platform located on the sea surface it has many movements as tides, currents, waves, winds, etc. The oscillatory movements (waves) can be transformed in circular movements by providing a fixed benchmark, by example, by means of an anchorage from the platform to the sea bottom.

[0006] An appropriate system to pick up ah s oscillatory movements is by connecting anchorage on sea bottom to a cable. This cable rolls/unrolls up a lathe with a helical recoverable spring. The axis that picks up the movement can be in the platform or on the sea bottom.

[0007] The obtained circular movements, applied on an axis, they can become electric power easily.

[0008] It is not necessary that these circular movements are always in the same sense if the appropriate electric circuits are provided. So, a circular movement applied on a direct current generator produces an alternating current, and this AC, through a rectifier, it can load an accumulator.

[0009] It is possible to change the anchorage to bottom of the water by anchorage to a weight that rests on bottom of the water, being the weight sufficiently big.

[0010] Ending, the system can be adapted to use on deep bottoms, by example on high seas, by changing anchorage to bottom of water by a hanging weight, having the cable a certain length and elasticity.

[0011] FIG. 1. Platform—buoy to obtain electric power.

[0012] FIG. 2. Platform—buoy shaped as a inverted U.

[0013] FIG. 3. Platform—buoy in deep water.

[0014] FIG. 4 Buoy anchored to a weight, being the weight the mechanisms of the invention.

[0015] The FIG. 1 schematizes a platform—buoy to obtain electric power.

[0016] The floating platform is formed by a buoy (1). Into the buoy there is a lathe (3), on this lathe rolls up a cable (5) through a hole (6). The cable is fixed to sea bottom by a ring (11), or by a big weight which cannot be moved by the movements of the platform. The cable length is the biggest height that can reach the platform, including action of waves, staying stretched in the valley of a wave by effect of a helical spring (4) which has one of its end fixed on the axis of the lathe (4b), being the other end of the helical spring fixed to the body of the buoy (4a). The axis of the lathe is connected to an electric generator (2) of direct current, this generator is connected to a rectifier (8) through an electric connection (7), and this rectifier is connected through other electric connection (9) to an accumulator battery (10).

[0017] The buoy also is provided with a security anchorage (12).

[0018] With the surfs, the platform raises and goes down, when the platform raises then the cable (5) is unrolled up on the lathe (3) and the helical spring (4) is expanded by the lathe movement, when said platform goes down then the helical spring (4) is released acting on the lathe (3) which rolles up the cable being induced a sway movement on said lathe and on its axis. By this sway movement of the axis of the lathe, the direct current generator (2) with is connected to said axis of the lathe generates an alternating current, this current is rectified and stored in the battery of the electric accumulator (10).

[0019] The FIG. 2 schematizes a platform—buoy shaped as a inverted U.

[0020] The buoy must be shaped as a inverted U, placing between the sticks of the U the axis of the lathe, avoiding the hole.

[0021] The FIG. 3 schematizes a platform—buoy in deep water.

[0022] It is possible the invention use in deep waters, by hanging a weight (13) from the cable, having the cable a suitable length. The inertia of the weight works as an anchorage.

[0023] The FIG. 4 schematizes a buoy anchored to a weight, being the weight the mechanisms of the invention.

[0024] Also the platform can be anchored to a weight. The weight can have some mechanisms of the invention, unloading the platform.

[0025] According with previous paragraphs it is possible to take advantage from sea surfaces.

[0026] In addition, if batteries of platforms with developed capacity to capture energy from waves are fixed near a coast, they can be used like a breakwater, because the platforms absorb a part of kinetic energy of waves.

[0027] A frequent special use can be when the captured energy is used in the own platform, like in a signaling buoy.