US 12,264,645 B1
Energy capture device and system
Kenneth Dale Speetjens, Mobile, AL (US); and Angela Dobson Speetjens, Mobile, AL (US)
Filed by Kenneth Dale Speetjens, Mobile, AL (US); and Angela Dobson Speetjens, Mobile, AL (US)
Filed on Sep. 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/948,859.
Application 17/948,859 is a division of application No. 16/401,617, filed on May 2, 2019, granted, now 11,477,951.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/666,077, filed on May 2, 2018.
Int. Cl. F03B 7/00 (2006.01); A01G 31/00 (2018.01)
CPC F03B 7/00 (2013.01) [A01G 2031/006 (2013.01); F05B 2210/11 (2013.01); F05B 2220/706 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An irrigation system comprising:
a plurality of plant containment areas each configured for holding plants, wherein the plurality of plant containment areas are arranged in a stacked configuration;
a common output conduit configured to receive liquid from each of the plurality of plant containment areas through a plurality of discharge lines each connecting a respective one of the plurality of plant containment areas to the output conduit, wherein the output conduit is arranged in a generally vertical orientation that defines a generally vertical flow path through the output conduit; and
a plurality of vertically aligned energy capture devices each fluidly connected to the output conduit of the irrigation system in an arrangement in which the generally vertical flow path extends through each of the plurality of energy capture devices, wherein the output conduit is configured to allow the liquid received into the output conduit from each of the plurality of containment areas to flow through at least one of the plurality of energy capture devices,
wherein each energy capture device of the plurality of energy capture devices comprises:
a housing including an elongated flow conduit defining a flow direction, wherein the flow conduit defines a portion of the output conduit, the flow conduit having an inlet, an outlet, and a sidewall opening disposed between the inlet and the outlet;
an alternator having a rotatable crankshaft extending substantially perpendicular to the flow direction; and
a water wheel operably secured to the crankshaft and extending through the sidewall opening into an interior of the flow conduit of the housing, the water wheel being adapted to rotate and drive rotation of the crankshaft in response to liquid flowing through the interior in the flow direction.