1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a mutual-rotating power system, more particularly to a mutual-rotating power system capable of converting solar energy and wind energy into kinetic energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mutual-rotating power system is for converting different kinds of energy (such as solar energy, wind energy, chemical energy, thermal energy, and so on) into kinetic energy through a rotary mechanism thereof. For example, the mutual-rotating power system may be a wind turbine that can be driven rotatably by wind to thereby convert wind energy into kinetic energy, which can be further converted into electricity.
However, the efficiency of energy conversion and power output may be affected adversely by mechanical friction and air resistance during rotation of rotary power mechanisms.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a mutual-rotating power system that can reduce friction and air resistance during operation of the mutual-rotating power system and that can improve energy converting efficiency and result in a greater power output.
According to the present invention, there is provided a mutual-rotating power system for converting solar energy and wind energy into kinetic energy. The mutual-rotating power system includes a plurality of rotary power mechanisms. Each of the rotary power mechanisms includes a fixed shaft unit including an upright fixed shaft, and a rotary device. The rotary device includes a plurality of angularly spaced-apart outer blades surrounding rotatably the fixed shaft. Each of the outer blades of each of the rotary power mechanisms and each of an adjacent one of the rotary power mechanisms are configured to have magnetic repulsion therebetween when they are rotated close to each other, thereby driving the rotary device of said one of the rotary power mechanisms and the rotary device of the adjacent one of the rotary power mechanisms to rotate in first and second rotational directions.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
A first preferred embodiment of a mutual-rotating power system 10 according to the present invention is shown in
The structures of the small rotary power mechanisms 100 and the large rotary power mechanism 100′ are substantially the same. Therefore, in the following description, only the large rotary power mechanism 100′ and one of the small rotary power mechanisms 100 will be described for the sake of brevity. Further referring to
The base seat 1 includes a main seat body 11, and a magnetized annular flange 12 extending upwardly from a periphery of the main seat body 11. The fixed shaft unit 2 includes an upright fixed shaft 21.
The rotary device 3 includes a first windmill unit 31, a second windmill unit 32, and a third windmill unit 33. The first windmill unit 31 is disposed rotatably around the fixed shaft 21 and includes two first blades 315 that are driven rotatably by wind, a surrounding wall 311 that surrounds the fixed shaft 21 and that is configured as a tapered tube (i.e., the surrounding wall 311 has a diameter that reduces gradually toward a top end thereof), and a plurality of rotating blades 313 extending from the surrounding wall 311 toward the fixed shaft 21. The rotating blades 313 are vertically spaced apart from each other (see
The air-collecting device 4 is co-rotatable with the first windmill unit 31 and includes abase wall 41, and a light-focusing wall 42 that is disposed over and connected to the base wall 41, that cooperates with the base wall 41 to define a sealed air compartment 43 therebetween, and that is formed with two diametrically opposed jetting holes 44 in fluid communication with the air compartment 43.
The first windmill unit 31 further includes a connecting wall 312 that extends upwardly from a top end of the surrounding wall 311 for connection to the air-collecting device 4, and that surrounds spacedly the fixed shaft 21. The fixed shaft unit 2 further includes a plurality of fixed blades 22 extending radially and outwardly from the fixed shaft 21 toward the surrounding wall 311, and vertically spaced apart from each other. The fixed blades 22 and the rotating blades 313 are alternately arranged in the vertical direction. The connecting wall 312 cooperates with the surrounding wall 311 and the fixed shaft 21 to define an air passage 314 thereamong.
The fixed shaft 21 has an annular shaft wall 211 that defines an axial passage 212 in fluid communication with the air compartment 43. The fixed shaft unit 2 further includes a delivery pipe 24 and a sprayer 23. The delivery pipe 24 is in fluid communication with the axial passage 212 for supplying gas into the axial passage 212 and, thus, the air compartment 43. The sprayer 23 is disposed in the air compartment 43 and connected to a top end of the fixed shaft 21. The sprayer 23 includes a plurality of openings 231 that permit the gas to flow from the axial passage 212 into the air compartment 43 therethrough.
Rotation of the first blades 315 of the first rotary unit 31 results in upward flow of air into the air compartment 43 to further pressurize the air in the air compartment 43 to thereby allow the air to be jetted out of the air compartment 43 through the jetting holes 44 in opposite directions so as to rotate the air-collecting device 4 and, thus, the rotary device 3 about the fixed shaft 21.
The first windmill unit 31 further includes two auxiliary blades 316 disposed around the first blades 315 and each having a shape different from that of each of the first blades 315. Further referring to
The second windmill unit 32 is disposed under and connected fixedly to the first windmill unit 31 for co-rotation therewith. Further referring to
The third windmill unit 33 is disposed under the second windmill unit 32. The third windmill unit 33 includes a wind-guiding seat 34 rotatable relative to the fixed shaft 21, four angularly spaced-apart Darrieus type blades 36 disposed under and connected fixedly to the wind-guiding seat 34, and four enhancing blades 35. The wind-guiding seat 34 has a diameter that reduces gradually toward the second windmill unit 32 and includes a downwardly diverging frustoconical surrounding wall 341 that defines an air-guiding space 342 (see
The third windmill unit 33 further includes two blade units 37 spaced-apart from each other along the vertical direction. Each of the blade units 37 includes four inner blades 371 each extending from a respective one of the Darrieus type blades 36 toward the fixed shaft 21 and adjacent to and spaced apart from the fixed shaft 21, and four outer blades 372 each extending from the respective one of the Darrieus type blades 36 away from the fixed shaft 21.
Each of the inner blades 371 has an inner magnetized portion 373 projecting upwardly from an end thereof adjacent to the fixed shaft 21. Each of the outer blades 372 has an outer magnetized portion 374 projecting upwardly from an end thereof distal from the fixed shaft 21. Each of the inner blades 371 and the outer blades 372 is configured as a propeller blade.
Referring back to
Referring back to
A bottom end of each of the Darrieus type blades 36 has the first magnetic polarity (N). As such, a magnetic repulsive force is generated between the top end of the magnetized annular flange 12 of the base seat 1 and the bottom end of each of the Darrieus type blades 36 (i.e., the top end of the magnetized annular flange 12 and the Darrieus type blades 36 have magnetic repulsion therebetween) so as to allow the third windmill unit 33 to levitate above the base seat 1. Therefore, when the third windmill unit 33 rotates relative to the base seat 1, a friction force between the third windmill unit 33 and the base seat 1 is avoided.
Moreover, magnetic repulsive forces are generated between the inner magnetized portions 373 of the inner blades 371 and the fixed shaft 21 (i.e., the inner magnetized portions 373 of the inner blades 371 and the fixed shaft 21 have magnetic repulsion therebetween), thus avoiding a friction force and reducing vibration and noise during rotation of the third windmill unit 33. Moreover, as shown in
Referring to
When the third windmill unit 33 rotates, the blade units 37 are rotated about the fixed shaft 21. The outer blades 372 of the blade units 37 force air to flow into the second windmill unit 32. At the same time, rotation of the inner blades 371 results in upward flow of air into the wind-guiding seat 34. With the aid of the convex surface portions 344 and the enhancing blades 35 of the wind-guiding seat 34, the speed of air flowing into the second windmill unit 32 can be increased.
The outer blades 372 of the blade units 37 extend horizontally and outwardly, thus improving stability during rotation of the rotary device 3. The coil 51 generates induced current as a result of rotation of the blade units 37 of the third windmill unit 33. The conductive wire 52 is electrically connected to the coil 51, and permits the induced current to flow from the coil 51 into the rechargeable battery 53 therethrough.
It should be noted that the generator 5 can be replaced with a pumping station or a water-piping device in other embodiments.
The purifying device 6 is disposed in the air compartment 43 and includes a filtering material such as NaOH and Ca(OH)2 for filtering out impurities such as CO2 in air before the air flows out of the air compartment 43. In this embodiment, the purifying device 6 is disposed directly above and adjacent to a top end of the air passage 314.
The delivery pipe 24 is in fluid communication with the axial passage 212 of the fixed shaft 21. Industrial exhaust gas as well as steam and other gas generated by other alternative sources of energy such as terrestrial heat, may be supplied into the axial passage 212 through the delivery pipe 24 to drive the air-collecting device 4 to rotate, such that the rotary device 3 can be rotated when the weather is neither sunny nor windy.
It should be further noted that the second windmill device 32 and the third windmill device 33 may be omitted in other embodiments of this invention.
Referring back to
As shown in
For each of the blade units 37 of the rotary power mechanisms 100, 100′ that are rotatable in the first rotational direction (R1) (illustrated in the right of
Therefore, the outer magnetized portion 374 of the left rotary power mechanism 100, 100′ that has the higher magnetic strength pushes the corresponding outer magnetized portion 374 of the right rotary power mechanism 100, 100′ that has the lower magnetic strength to rotate together with the corresponding rotary power mechanism 100, 100′ in the second rotational direction (R2), and the outer magnetized portion 379 of the right rotary power mechanism 100, 100′ that has the higher magnetic strength pushes the corresponding outer magnetized portion 374 of the left rotary power mechanism 100, 100′ that has the lower magnetic strength to rotate together with the corresponding rotary power mechanism 100, 100′ in the first rotational direction (R1).
Referring to
Each of the rotary power mechanisms 100 includes a rotary device 38 that is driven rotatably about the fixed shaft 21 by radiation pressure of light, which is similar to the way to drive movement of solar sails. The generator 5 of each of the rotary power mechanisms 100 is connected to the rotary device 38 of a corresponding one of the rotary power mechanisms 100 for converting rotational kinetic energy of the rotary device 38 into electric power. Each of the generators 5 includes a coil 54 that is wound on the fixed shaft 21 of the respective one of the rotary power mechanisms 100 and that generates induced current as a result of rotation of the rotary device 38.
Each of the rotary devices 38 includes a pair of light-receiving blades 381, a bushing 382 rotatably sleeved on the fixed shaft 21 and connected to the light-receiving blades 381, and two pairs of rotatable outer blades 383. Each pair of the rotatable outer blades 383 is provided on a respective one of the light-receiving blades 381. Each of the light-receiving blades 381 includes a magnetized supporting frame 384 that is shaped as a triangular prism and that has three rectangular frame portions, two planar plates 385, 386 that are disposed respectively on two of the rectangular frame portions of the supporting frame 384, and a convex plate 387 that is disposed on the other one of the rectangular frame portions of the supporting frame 384 between the planar plates 385, 386. The convex plates 387 of the light-receiving blades 381 of each of the rotary devices 39 are disposed opposite to each other in a direction transverse to the fixed shaft 21.
For each light-receiving blade 381, the planar plate 385 and the convex plate 387 are connected to the bushing 382. In this embodiment, the planar plates 385, 386 are solar panels that convert solar energy into electricity, and the convex plates 387 are made of a transparent material and are configured to focus sunlight. The planar plates 385, 386 can be configured to have reflected surfaces to be pushed by radiation pressure of light.
For each light-receiving blade 381, the pair of the outer blades 383 are mounted respectively to a junction of the planar plates 385, 386 and a junction of the convex plate 387 and the planar plate 386. In this embodiment, the outer blades 383 are electromagnets, and the magnetic force thereof may be that resulting from the induced current generated by the coil 54 during rotation of the corresponding rotary device 38 or the light-receiving blades 381. The magnetic strength of the outer blades 383 is controlled by the amount of the current, such that the rotation speed of the outer blades 383 can be controlled accordingly.
In this embodiment, the mutual-rotating power system 10 further includes a grid-shaped frame 9 disposed above the rotary power mechanisms 100, and the fixed shaft 21 of each of the rotary power mechanisms 100 has a top end 210. The rotary power mechanisms 100 are interconnected to each other at the top ends 210 thereof by the grid-shaped frame 9. The space capsule 8 includes a crisscross frame 81 that is disposed under the rotary power mechanisms 100, a sealed cabin 821 that defines an inner space 82 therein, and a plurality of inner blades 83 that extend inwardly from the cabin 821. The inner blades 83 are electromagnets and have identical structure as the outer blades 383 of the rotary devices 38.
The crisscross frame 81 is disposed in the inner space 82, is connected fixedly to the cabin 821, and is connected fixedly and co-rotatably to one of the rotary power mechanisms 100 that is disposed at the center of the three-row arrangement. In this embodiment, the rotary power mechanism 100 that is connected to the crisscross frame 81 is rotatable in the first direction (R1).
Further, four of the rotary power mechanisms 100 that are disposed at corner positions of the three-row arrangement are rotatable in the first direction (R1) as well. Magnetic repulsive force is generated between the outer blades 383 of the four corner rotary power mechanisms 100 and the inner blades 83 when the outer blades 383 of these corner rotary power mechanisms 100 are rotated close to the inner blades 83 so as to drive the inner blades 83 and the inner space 82 to rotate in the first rotational direction (R1). As a result, the rotation of the space capsule 9 in the zero-gravity outer space and a centrifugal force is generated, such that an artificial gravitational effect is formed inside the inner space 82. Consequently, astronauts in the space capsule 8 when traveling in the outer space would feel like living on Earth.
Referring to
To sum up, the mutual-rotating power system 10 of the present invention is capable of converting solar energy, wind energy or even other alternative energy sources such as terrestrial heat into kinetic energy, and employs magnetic repulsive force to drive rotations of the rotary power mechanisms 100 to reduce friction force generated during use to thereby improve energy conversion efficiency. Moreover, the generated kinetic energy can be further utilized in generation of electricity, ventilation, dissipation of heat, and filtration of air and gas.
While the invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.