1. A floating power generating device for generating electrical power from a flow of water, said device comprising:
a support frame comprising a pair of buoyant pontoons;
a power generator mounted to said support frame between said pontoons, said power generator comprising a stator in fixed relation to said support frame and a rotor rotatably disposed about said stator, wherein one of said rotor and said stator comprises at least one magnet, wherein another of said rotor and said stator comprises a plurality of windings of wire, wherein said rotor comprises an outer surface and at least one fin disposed upon said outer surface of said rotor, and wherein said at least one fin is dimensioned to turn said rotor about said stator when engaged by the flow of water,
an electrical cable in electrical communication with said power generator; and
means for maintaining said floating power generating device in a substantially fixed position within the flow of water.
2. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support frame further comprises at least one stabilizer element.
3. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said at least one stabilizer element comprises four stabilizer elements, wherein each of said four stabilizer elements is attached to and extends downward from said pontoons, wherein said four stabilizer elements are disposed upon said pontoons and dimensioned such that said stabilizer elements prevent said power generator from contacting a bottom of a water body.
4. The floating power generating devices as claimed in claim 1 wherein said stator of said power generator is mounted in perpendicular relation to said pontoons and wherein said at least one fin of said rotor comprises a plurality of fins extending axially from said outer surface of said rotor.
5. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 4 further comprising means for raising and lowering said power generator relative to said frame.
6. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means for preventing a flow of water from contacting said at least one fin of said rotor.
7. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein frame further comprises a front brace and a rear brace, wherein said stator of said power generator is mounted between said front brace and said rear brace in substantially parallel relation to said pontoons, and wherein said at least one fin of said rotor comprises at least one spiral fin disposed upon said outer surface of said rotor.
8. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said front brace and said rear brace are dimensioned to extend downward such that said rotor of said power generating device is completely submerged below a surface of said flow of water.
9. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one magnet is disposed within said rotor.
10. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said frame further comprises a cover.
11. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said cover is adapted to look like a rock.
12. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for maintaining said floating power generating device in a substantially fixed position within the flow of water comprises a support cable extending to at least one shore, and wherein said electrical cable is disposed within said support cable.
13. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said support cable and said electrical cable are a single cable.
14. The floating power generating device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a transformer in electrical communication with said power generator, wherein said transformer is adapted to transform a flow of direct current power to a flow of alternating current power
15. A power generation system comprising:
a floating power generating device for generating electrical power from a flow of water, said device comprising:
a support frame comprising a pair of buoyant pontoons;
a power generator mounted to said support frame between said pontoons, said power generator comprising a stator in fixed relation to said support frame and a rotor rotatably disposed about said stator wherein one of said rotor and said stator comprises at least one magnet, wherein another of said rotor and said stator comprises a plurality of windings of wire, wherein said rotor comprises an outer surface and at least one fin disposed upon said outer surface of said rotor, and wherein said at least one fin is dimensioned to turn said rotor about said stator when engaged by the flow of water,
an electrical cable in electrical communication with said power generator; and
means for maintaining said floating power generating device in a substantially fixed position within the flow of water; and
an electrical junction box in electrical communication with said electrical cable of said floating power generating device.
16. The power generation system as claimed in claim 14 further comprising a transformer in electrical communication with said electrical junction box and said electrical cable of said floating power generating device, wherein said transformer is adapted to transform a, flow of direct current power to a flow of alternating current power.
17. The power generation system as claimed in claim 15 further comprising an electrical power meter disposed between said floating power generating device and an electrical power grid, wherein said electrical power meter is adapted to measure a flow of power from the floating power generating device to the electrical power grid.
18. The power generation system as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a battery in communication with said electrical junction box and said floating power generating device for storing power generated by said floating power generating device.
19. The power generating system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising an electrical power meter disposed between said floating power generating device and an electrical power grid, wherein said electrical power meter is adapted to measure a flow of power from the floating power generating device to the electrical power grid.
20. The power generating system as claimed in claim 19 further comprising an automated switch for switching a flow of power to a home when there is sufficient demand for said flow of power by said home and for switching a flow of power to the electrical power grid when there is insufficient demand for said flow of power by said home.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An illumination system for minimizing the cross sectional area required for delivery of high intensity light to a lighted instrument and for maximizing the uniformity of the illuminated field, said system comprising:
a first fiber optic light guide having a cross sectional area d0 and a numerical aperture NA0, and an input end and an output end, wherein said input end is connected to a light source;
a tapered bundle of fused optical fibers having a light input end juxtapositioned to said output end of said first fiber optic light guide for receiving light from said output end of said first fiber optic light guide, the light input end having a first cross sectional area d1 and a first numerical aperture NA1, said tapered fused bundle having an output end configured for outputting light, the output end having a second cross sectional area d2 and a second numerical aperture NA2, wherein said bundle of fused optical fibers is tapered between said input end and said output end such that said first cross sectional area is greater than said second cross sectional area;
a second fiber optic light guide having a cross sectional area d3 and a numerical aperture NA3, and attached to a lighted instrument with an input end and an output end, wherein said input end of said second fiber optic light guide is juxtapositioned to said output end of said fused bundle for receiving light from said fused bundle juxtapositioned to said first fiber optic light guide, wherein said second fiber optic light guide transmits light to said output end of said second fiber optic light guide of said lighted instrument.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the light source is selected from the group consisting of xenon, metal halide, halogen, mercury, and mercury-xenon light sources.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein said lighted instrument to which is attached said second fiber optic light guide is selected from the group consisting of endoscopes, borescopes, retractors, laryngoscopes, speculums, cannulas, suction cannulas, and irrigation cannulas.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said first fiber optic light guide is selected from the group consisting of a single quartz fiber, a single plastic fiber, a plurality of quartz fibers, a plurality of glass fibers, and a plurality of plastic fibers.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein said cross sectional area d3 is not greater than said cross sectional area d2.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein said cross sectional areas of said first fiber optic light guide, said fused bundle, and said second fiber optic light guide are related by d0 at least equal to d1, d1 greater than d2, and d2 at least equal to d3.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the numerical aperture of the material of the fused bundle is at least equal to said second numerical aperture NA2.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein said numerical apertures are related by a relationship NA0 is at least equal to NA1, NA1 is less than NA2, and NA2 is at least equal to NA3.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein said first fiber optic light guide has a diameter of 2 mm or less.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first numerical aperture is smaller than the second numerical aperture.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the diameter of output end of the first fiber optic light guide is equal to or smaller than the input end of the tapered bundle of fused optical fiber.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the first cross sectional area of the tapered bundle of fused optical fiber is larger than the second cross sectional area.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein said second fiber optic light guide is selected from the group consisting of a single fiber and a plurality of fibers.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the diameter of the output end of the tapered bundle of fused optical fiber is equal to or smaller than the input end of the second fiber optic light glide.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein the numerical aperture of the second fiber optic light guide substantially equal to the numerical aperture of the output end of the tapered bundle of fused optical fibers.
16. The system of claim 1 wherein said numerical aperture of said output end of said tapered fused bundle is at least equal to said numerical aperture of said second fiber optic light guide to maximize the output uniformity of said lighted instrument.
17. The system of claim 1 wherein said second light guide comprises a plurality of fibers wherein said input end is free of adhesives.
18. The system of claim 1 wherein said tapered fused bundle comprises fibers having diameters of smaller than 100 m.
19. The system of claim 1 wherein said input end and output end of said tapered fused bundle are circular in cross section.
20. The system of claim 1 wherein said tapered fused bundle is truncated at the output end such that the output end is conical in shape.
21. The system of claim 20 wherein the conical output end has a conical angle of greater than 0.
22. The system of claim 1 further comprising a light collecting and condensing system between the light source and the first light guide.
23. An endoscope illumination system for maximizing output and uniformity at an illuminated field comprising:
a first fiber optic light guide having a cross sectional area d0 and a numerical aperture NA0 having an input end and an output end, wherein said input end is connected to a light source;
a tapered fused bundle having an input end with area d1 and numerical aperture NA1 and an output end with area d2 and numerical aperture NA2 such that NA2 is larger than NA1 and d2 is smaller then d1, wherein said input end is coupled to the output end of said first fiber optic;
a second fiber optic light guide for positioning inside an endoscope having an input end and an output end with numerical aperture NA3 and area d3, wherein said input end of the second fiber optic is coupled to the output end of the tapered fused fiber bundle.
24. The endoscope illumination system of claim 23, wherein the area d0 is smaller than or equal to d1.
25. The endoscope illumination system of claim 23, wherein the area d2 is smaller than or equal to d3.
26. The endoscope illumination system of claim 23, wherein numerical apertures NA0 and NA1 are substantially equal.
27. The endoscope illumination system of claim 23, wherein numerically apertures NA2 and NA3 are substantially equal.
28. The endoscope illumination system of claim 23, wherein the first fiber optic light guide is a plastic fiber.
29. The endoscope illumination system of claim 23, wherein the second fiber optic light guide is a bundle of fibers.
30. The endoscope illumination system of claim 23, wherein said first fiber optic light guide has a circular cross section of a diameter not greater than about 2 mm.
31. The endoscope illumination system of claim 23, wherein said output end of said tapered fused bundle transmits at least about 60% of light received by said input end of said tapered fused bundle to said second fiber optic light guide.