Meredith C Bell

US Patent:

6933623, Aug 23, 2005

Filed:

Jun 7, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/862274

Inventors:

Charles B. Carroll - Mercer County NJ, US
Meredith Bell - Milford CT, US

Assignee:

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. - Pennington NJ

International Classification:

F03B013/10
F03B013/12
F03B013/00
H02P009/04

US Classification:

290 42, 290 43, 290 53, 290 54

Abstract:

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 variations in response to over passing waves while the bottom of the cylinder experiences an almost steady pressure substantially independent of the over passing waves. The pressure differential over the length of the cylinder is used for causing relative movements between the cylinder and adjoining water, and such relative movements are used for driving a piston of an energy converter. The cylinder can be hollow and in fixed location for causing water movements through the cylinder, or the cylinder can move through the water relative to a fixed transducer. In one version of the movable cylinder, the transducer is fixedly mounted on a fixed in place float disposed within the movable cylinder. In a second version, the transducer is fixedly mounted beneath the movable cylinder on the ocean floor, and the cylinder is coupled to the transducer.

US Patent:

6768216, Jul 27, 2004

Filed:

Oct 15, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/763247

Inventors:

Charles B. Carroll - Mercer County NJ
Meredith Bell - Milford CT

Assignee:

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. - Pennington NJ

International Classification:

F03B 1310

US Classification:

290 42, 290 43, 290 53, 290 54

Abstract:

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 variations in response to over passing waves while the bottom of the cylinder experiences an almost steady pressure substantially independent of the over passing waves. The pressure differential over the length of the cylinder is used for causing relative movements between the cylinder and adjoining water, and such relative movements are used for driving a piston of an energy converter. The cylinder can be hollow and in fixed location for causing water movements through the cylinder, or the cylinder can move through the water relative to a fixed transducer. In one version of the movable cylinder, the transducer is fixedly mounted on a fixed in place float disposed within the movable cylinder. In a second version, the transducer is fixedly mounted beneath the movable cylinder on the ocean floor, and the cylinder is coupled to the transducer.