FLOATING OCEANIC DEBRIS COLLECTION DEVICE AND COMPLEX FLOATING OCEANIC DEBRIS COLLECTION DEVICE

Abstract

A floating oceanic debris collection device may include a circular base, a debris collection unit, and a debris storage unit. The debris collection unit may include a blade erected on an upper surface of the base and an arm extending in an outward direction to a rotation direction side. The debris storage unit may include an annular inner peripheral float installed on a lower surface of the base, an inlet penetrating a peripheral surface of the inner peripheral float, and an outlet penetrating the upper surface of the base. An entirety of the base may be configured to rotate via receiving wind on the sea with the blade. The arm may be configured to scrap debris floating on a sea surface inward. The inlet may be configured to introduce the debris to an inside. The outlet may be configured to facilitate removal of the debris from the debris storage unit.

Claims

1. A floating oceanic debris collection device, comprising: a base having a circular shape, the base divided into an inner peripheral side and an outer peripheral side; a debris collection unit disposed on the outer peripheral side of the base; and a debris storage unit disposed on the inner peripheral side of the base; the debris collection unit including: a blade that is erected on an upper surface of the base and that is configured to rotate the base via receiving wind on a sea; and an arm having a proximal end that is fixed to the base and a distal end that extends in an outward direction to a rotation direction side; the debris storage unit including: an inner peripheral float installed in an annular shape on a lower surface of the base; an inlet formed to penetrate a peripheral surface of the inner peripheral float; and an outlet formed to penetrate the upper surface of the base; wherein, via receiving the wind on the sea with the blade of the debris collection unit, an entirety of the base is configured to rotate, scrap debris floating on a sea surface of the sea inward via the arm, and introduce the debris to an inside via the inlet formed in the debris storage unit; and wherein the debris is removable via the outlet formed in a top surface of the debris storage unit.

2. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide plate protruding from a peripheral surface of the debris storage unit and extending in a rotation direction of the debris collection unit, wherein the guide plate is disposed at a rear end edge of the inlet.

3. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 1, wherein: two attachment holes are disposed in the arm; a round hole and a long hole are disposed in the base; the arm is pivotally supported by the base via two shafts that are inserted into the two attachment holes of the arm and the round hole and the long hole of the base; the arm is swingably supported in a predetermined range with the shaft inserted in the round hole as a support point that enables movement of the shaft in the long hole; and at least one end of the shaft includes a fastener via which a position of the arm is adjustable in an up-down direction.

4. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 1, wherein: the blade is structured as a flexible sheet having a convex quadrangular shape in a plan view; the blade has two sides continuous to a predetermined side, the two sides including a long side and a short side that are different lengths; and the blade has a semi-dome shape and is fixed to the base in a state of being bent such that both ends of the long side approach each other and the long side is higher than the short side.

5. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 1, wherein: the base is a donut type shape having a cavity in a center; a central float is disposed in the cavity; and a position of the floating oceanic debris collection device is fixable via attaching an anchor to the central float.

6. A complex floating oceanic debris collection device, comprising: a float body including a plurality of housing units hollowed out in a circular shape in a plan view; and a plurality of floating oceanic debris collection devices that are each housed in a respective housing unit of the plurality of housing units, each of the plurality of floating oceanic debris collection devices including: a base having a circular shape, the base divided into an inner peripheral side and an outer peripheral side; a debris collection unit disposed on the outer peripheral side of the base, the debris collection unit including: a blade that is erected on an upper surface of the base and that is configured to rotate the base via receiving wind on a sea; and an arm having a proximal end that is fixed to the base and a distal end that extends in an outward direction to a rotation direction side; a debris storage unit disposed on the inner peripheral side of the base, the debris storage unit including: an inner peripheral float installed in an annular shape on a lower surface of the base; an inlet formed to penetrate a peripheral surface of the inner peripheral float; and an outlet formed to penetrate the upper surface of the base; wherein, via receiving the wind on the sea with the blade of the debris collection unit, an entirety of the base is configured to rotate, scrap debris floating on a sea surface of the sea inward via the arm, and introduce the debris to an inside via the inlet formed in the debris storage unit; and wherein the debris is removable via the outlet formed in a top surface of the debris storage unit.

7. The complex floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of floating oceanic debris collection devices further include a guide plate protruding from a peripheral surface of the debris storage unit and extending in a rotation direction of the debris collection unit, and wherein the guide plate is disposed at a rear end edge of the inlet.

8. The complex floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 6, wherein: two attachment holes are disposed in the arm; a round hole and a long hole are disposed in the base; the arm is pivotally supported by the base via two shafts that are inserted into the two attachment holes of the arm and the round hole and the long hole of the base; the arm is swingably supported in a predetermined range with the shaft inserted in the round hole as a support point that enables movement of the shaft in the long hole; and at least one end of the shaft includes a fastener via which a position of the arm is adjustable in an up-down direction.

9. The complex floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 6, wherein: the blade is structured as a flexible sheet having a convex quadrangular shape in a plan view; the blade has two sides continuous to a predetermined side, the two sides including a long side and a short side that are different lengths; and the blade has a semi-dome shape and is fixed to the base in a state of being bent such that both ends of the long side approach each other and the long side is higher than the short side.

10. The complex floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 6, wherein: the base is a donut type shape having a cavity in a center; a central float is disposed in the cavity; and a position of the respective floating oceanic debris collection device is fixable via attaching an anchor to the central float.

11. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 2, wherein: two attachment holes are disposed in the arm; a round hole and a long hole are disposed in the base; the arm is pivotally supported by the base via two shafts that are inserted into the two attachment holes of the arm and the round hole and the long hole of the base; the arm is swingably supported in a predetermined range with the shaft inserted in the round hole as a support point that enables movement of the shaft in the long hole; and at least one end of the shaft includes a fastener via which a position of the arm is adjustable in an up-down direction.

12. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 2, wherein: the blade is structured as a flexible sheet having a convex quadrangular shape in a plan view; the blade has two sides continuous to a predetermined side, the two sides including a long side and a short side that are different lengths; and the blade has a semi-dome shape and is fixed to the base in a state of being bent such that both ends of the long side approach each other and the long side is higher than the short side.

13. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 2, wherein: the base is a donut type shape having a cavity in a center; a central float is disposed in the cavity; and a position of the floating oceanic debris collection device is fixable via attaching an anchor to the central float.

14. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 3, wherein: the blade is structured as a flexible sheet having a convex quadrangular shape in a plan view; the blade has two sides continuous to a predetermined side, the two sides including a long side and a short side that are different lengths; and the blade has a semi-dome shape and is fixed to the base in a state of being bent such that both ends of the long side approach each other and the long side is higher than the short side.

15. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 3, wherein: the base is a donut type shape having a cavity in a center; a central float is disposed in the cavity; and a position of the floating oceanic debris collection device is fixable via attaching an anchor to the central float.

16. The floating oceanic debris collection device according to claim 4, wherein: the base is a donut type shape having a cavity in a center; a central float is disposed in the cavity; and a position of the floating oceanic debris collection device is fixable via attaching an anchor to the central float.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view illustrating an arm in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a partial plan view illustrating the arm in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a sheet forming a blade in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the blade in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a complex floating oceanic debris collection device according to the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0030] FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a floating oceanic debris collection device suitable for the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0032] FIGS. 1 to 6 are diagrams illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and in a floating oceanic debris collection device 100, a circular plate-shaped donut type base 1 having a cavity at a center in plan view is divided into an inner peripheral side and an outer peripheral side, a debris collection unit 2 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the base 1, and a debris storage unit 3 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the base 1. A reference sign S represents a sea surface.

[0033] The debris collection unit 2 includes 16 arms 20 attached to a lower surface 11 of the base 1 at equal intervals and having distal ends extending to a rotation direction side which is an outward direction, and 16 blades 30 erected at equal intervals on an upper surface 12 of the base 1.

[0034] The arm 20 includes an arm member 21 including two attachment holes 22a and 22b, an arm attachment member 23 in which one round hole 24a and one long hole 24b are formed, two shafts 25 inserted into the attachment holes 22a and 22b of the arm member 21 and the round hole 24a and the long hole 24b of the arm attachment member 23 and attached so as not to fall off by position-adjustable fasteners 26a and 26b provided at both ends, and an outer peripheral float 27 provided integrally with the arm attachment member 23 and giving buoyancy to the base 1.

[0035] In the arm 20, the shaft 25 inserted into the long hole 24b moves in the long hole 24b, and thus, the arm member 21 can swing with the shaft 25 inserted into the round hole 24b as a support point. An effective length of the shaft 25 is changed by vertically adjusting a position of the fastener 26 of the shaft 25, and thus, a position of the arm member 21 in an up-down direction can be adjusted.

[0036] In the present embodiment, the attachment hole 22a is formed at a proximal end position 211 of the arm member 21, and the attachment hole 22b is formed at an intermediate position 212 slightly closer to a distal end 213 than the proximal end position 211. The arm member 21 and the arm attachment member 23 are integrated by inserting and fixing the shafts 25 by the fasteners 26 in a state in which the attachment hole 22a of the arm member 21 and the round hole 24a of the arm attachment member 23 are communicatively connected with each other and the attachment hole 22b of the arm member 21 and the long hole 24b of the arm attachment member 23 are communicatively connected with each other (see FIG. 3).

[0037] At this time, in the arm member 21, the shaft 25 inserted at the intermediate position 212 moves in the long hole 24b with the shaft 25 inserted at the proximal end position 211 as the support point, and thus, the distal end 213 can swing in an opening direction 0 and a closing direction C. Accordingly, debris G floating in a wider range can be guided to and collected in the inside of the debris collection unit 1 (see FIG. 4).

[0038] It is more preferable that the distal end 213 of the arm member 21 has flexibility.

[0039] The outer peripheral float 27 serves to adjust such that a rotation speed of the entire base 1 becomes an appropriate rotation speed by giving buoyancy to the base 1 and receiving resistance of water when the base 1 rotates.

[0040] The blade 30 is made of a flexible sheet 31 having a convex quadrangular shape in plan view and having a shape in which lengths of a long side 33 and a short side 34 continuous to a predetermined side 32 are different.

[0041] Folded portions 36 and 37 having predetermined widths are formed on one side 32 of the sheet 31 and a facing side 35, respectively.

[0042] The blade 30 is formed in a half-dome shape of which the long side 33 has a height higher than that of the short side 34 by folding the folded portions 36 and 37 outward in a state in which both ends 33a and 33b of the long side 33 are bent so as to approach each other and fixing the folded portions 36 and 37 to the base 1 in a state of being substantially parallel to each other (see FIG. 5).

[0043] As described above, the rotation direction of the entire base 1 can be limited to a desired direction by forming the blades 30 in the semi-dome shapes and installing all the blades 30 in a constant orientation.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the folded portions 36 and 37 are folded outward, but it is a matter of course that the folded portions may be folded inward.

[0045] A reference sign 40 is a vertical blade, is attached to a framework including 16 pillars 41 vertically erected from the base 1 and a circular reinforcing frame 42 connecting the pillars 41, and is integrally fixed to the pillars 41.

[0046] The debris storage unit 3 includes an annular inner peripheral float 50 fixed to the lower surface 11 of the base 1, inlets 52 formed to penetrate through a plurality of positions on a peripheral surface 51 of the inner peripheral float 50, outlets 60 formed to penetrate through the upper surface 12 of the base 1, and a substantially columnar central float 70 disposed in a central cavity of the base 1.

[0047] The inner peripheral float 50 has an annular shape as a whole, and four inlets 52 formed to penetrate toward the center are provided on the peripheral surface 51 thereof.

[0048] A space between each of the inlets 52 formed to penetrate and the inside of the inner peripheral float 50 is a passage 53 that is communicatively with a space 54 inside the inner peripheral float 50 and between the base 1 and the sea surface S.

[0049] A guide plate 55 protruding from the peripheral surface 51 of the inner peripheral float 50 and extending in the same direction as a rotation direction R of the debris collection unit 1 is attached to a rear end edge 521 of each inlet 52 with respect to the rotation direction R.

[0050] At this time, since a net 57 covering the entire lower surface 56 is attached to the inner peripheral float 50, even though the debris G collected in the space 54 sinks, there is no concern that the debris G flows out to the sea again.

[0051] An openable and closable lid is attached to each of the plurality of outlets 60 formed on the upper surface 12 of the base 1. The lid is closed in normal times, and the lid is opened when the collected debris G is collected in the space 54.

[0052] The central float 70 is disposed in a cavity formed at the center of the base 1, and can fix a position of the entire floating oceanic debris collection device 100 on the sea by attaching an anchor 71 to the central float 70.

[0053] In the floating oceanic debris collection device 100 of the present invention having the above configuration, the entire base 1 can rotate in the R direction indicated in FIG. 1 by receiving the wind from the sea by the blades 30 of the debris collection unit 2, can scrap the debris G floating on the sea surface S inward by the arms 20, cam introduce and store the debris G in the space 54 in the inner peripheral float 50 from the inlets 52 formed on the peripheral surface 51 of the inner peripheral float 50 of the debris storage unit 3, and can take out the debris G from the plurality of outlets 60 formed on the upper surface 12 of the base 1 to be communicatively connected with the space 54.

[0054] At this time, since the guide plate 55 is attached to each inlet 52, the debris G scraped into the debris collection unit 2 can be smoothly introduced into the inlets 52 along the guide plate 55.

[0055] In the present embodiment, since the debris collection unit 2 and the debris storage unit 3 use the common base 1, the debris collection unit 2 and the debris storage unit 3 rotate in synchronization with each other. However, for example, the debris collection unit and the debris storage unit may be independent separate bodies, and may rotate independently (not illustrated).

[0056] FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a complex floating oceanic debris collection device 200 including a plurality of the floating oceanic debris collection devices 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, the floating oceanic debris collection devices 100 are housed in a plurality of housing units 220 of a float body 210 having the housing units 220 hollowed out in a circular shape in plan view on an outer periphery 230.

[0057] According to the complex floating oceanic debris collection device 200 of the present embodiment, it is possible to collect the debris on the sea over a wider range than the single floating oceanic debris collection device 100, and it is possible to effectively use the space provided in an inside 240 for various purposes such as residential facilities, environmental improvement facilities, observation facilities, power generation facilities, and the like of a population floating island.

[0058] Although the float body 210 floats on the sea by the buoyancy of a plurality of integrally fixed pillar floats 250, for example, the float body 210 itself may be made of a material exhibiting buoyancy, and the float body can be floated on the sea by any other method (See FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0059] A plurality of rollers 4 is attached to the outer periphery of the base 1 of the floating oceanic debris collection device 100, and the rollers 4 come into contact with an inner periphery of the housing unit 220 of the float body 210. Accordingly, since the base 1 of the floating oceanic debris collection device 100 does not directly hit the housing unit, the base 1 of the floating oceanic debris collection device 100 can be smoothly rotated, and the occurrence of a failure due to collision can be prevented (see FIG. 10).

[0060] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a floating oceanic debris collection device that can automatically collect the debris over the wide range regardless of a type of the debris floating on the sea and does not require maintenance since the floating oceanic debris collection device is driven only by wind on the sea without using an electric power or other artificial power.

[0061] It is possible to collect the debris on the sea on a larger scale by providing the complex floating oceanic debris collection device in which the plurality of the floating oceanic debris collection devices is housed, and it is also possible to effectively use the space provided in the inside for various purposes such as residential facilities, environmental improvement facilities, observation facilities, power generation facilities, and the like of the population floating island.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0062] 1 base [0063] 2 debris collection unit [0064] 3 debris storage unit [0065] 4 roller [0066] 11 lower surface [0067] 12 upper surface [0068] 20 arm [0069] 21 arm member [0070] 22a, 22b attachment hole [0071] 23 arm attachment member [0072] 24a round hole [0073] 24b long hole [0074] 25 shaft [0075] 26 fasteners [0076] 27 outer peripheral float [0077] 211 proximal end position [0078] 212 intermediate position [0079] 213 distal end [0080] 30 blade [0081] 31 sheet [0082] 32 one side [0083] 33 long side [0084] 34 short side [0085] 35 facing side [0086] 36, 37 folded portion [0087] 40 vertical blade [0088] 41 pillar [0089] 42 reinforcing frame [0090] 50 inner peripheral float [0091] 51 peripheral surface [0092] 52 inlet [0093] 53 passage [0094] 54 space [0095] 55 guide plate [0096] 56 lower surface [0097] 57 net [0098] 60 outlet [0099] 70 central float [0100] 71 anchor [0101] 100 floating oceanic debris collection device [0102] 200 complex floating oceanic debris collection device [0103] 210 float body [0104] 220 housing unit [0105] 230 outer periphery [0106] 240 inside [0107] 250 pillar float [0108] G debris [0109] S sea surface [0110] R rotation direction [0111] C closing direction [0112] O opening direction