A gentle start-up device includes: a rotational type hollow pipe body, including an inlet and an outlet, and having an inner wall provided with a plurality of bar-shaped fins; a transmission unit, physically connected to the rotational type hollow pipe body; and a driving unit, physically connected to the transmission unit for driving the transmission unit to rotate the rotational type hollow pipe body in a rotational direction and to achieve a predetermined rotational speed according to a water supply flow value of a water turbine of a hydraulic generator set, whereby water flow which passes through the rotational type hollow pipe body generates rotational flow.

Methods and apparatus for a modular hydrokinetic turbine. An apparatus includes modular vertically floating units tethered to shore with a generator residing above a waterway and a plurality of vertically oriented blades submerged in the waterway to convert a latent kinetic energy of a moving waterway into electricity.

A gentle start-up device includes: a rotational type hollow pipe body, including an inlet and an outlet, and having an inner wall provided with a plurality of bar-shaped fins; a transmission unit, physically connected to the rotational type hollow pipe body; and a driving unit, physically connected to the transmission unit for driving the transmission unit to rotate the rotational type hollow pipe body in a rotational direction and to achieve a predetermined rotational speed according to a water supply flow value of a water turbine of a hydraulic generator set, whereby water flow which passes through the rotational type hollow pipe body generates rotational flow.

To an installation base fixed to the seabed surface, a vertical cylindrically shaped rotating body is attached to be able to rotate. Mounting frames are attached in a radially manner from the outer circumference of the rotary body. At the top side positions of the mounting frames, pressure receiving plates of flat plate shapes, of a specific gravity slightly smaller and lighter than seawater, and giving rise to buoyancy are attached by butterfly joints to be able to pivot. Further, stoppers and stoppers stopping the pressure receiving plates to within an angular range from slightly below the horizontal or 4 to the substantially vertical or 90 are provided. The rotation of the rotary body is increased to turn the power generator.

An imaging system includes an imaging scope, a camera, an image processor, and a system controller. The imaging scope is configured to illuminate an object and capture light reflected from the object. The camera has a light sensor with a light-sensitive surface configured to receive the captured light from the imaging scope and generate a digital image representative of the captured light. The image processor is configured to receive the digital image from the camera and use at least one of a random sample consensus (RANSAC) technique and a Hough Transform technique to (i) identify a boundary between an active portion and an inactive portion of the digital image and (ii) generate boundary data indicative of a characteristic of the boundary. The system controller is configured to receive the boundary data from the image processor and use the boundary data to determine a parameter of the imaging system.