1. An internal combustion engine including:
at least one combustion chamber having a power element configured for being driven by combustion that occurs in the chamber;
a crankshaft configured for being rotated by said driving of the power element;
a water pump connected to the crankshaft and configured for pumping water via a pump outlet on rotation of the crankshaft; and
at least one drive water wheel having a series of circumferentially spaced drive faces, the drive waterwheel being disposed in relation to said pump outlet such that water pumped from said outlet will engage said drive faces for driving said drive water wheel in rotation.
2. An engine according to claim 1 wherein the combustion chamber is a cylinder, and the power element is a piston configured for reciprocating motion in the cylinder, the piston being connected to the crankshaft whereby the crankshaft is caused to rotate by said reciprocating motion.
3. An engine according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the drive water wheel is mounted for rotation on a propulsion shaft the rotation of which constitutes a propulsion output of the engine.
4. An engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, configured for said combustion to be fuelled by hydrogen.
5. An engine according to claim 4, including at least one ancillary water wheel connected to a generator for generating electric current on rotation of the ancillary water wheel.
6. An engine according to claim 5 wherein the current is direct current (DC).
7. An engine according to claim 5 or claim 6, including an electrolysis device in electrical connection with said generator and configured to be actuated by said current to effect electrolysis of water to form hydrogen and oxygen.
8. An engine according to claim 7, including at least one passageway configured to direct said formed hydrogen to said combustion chamber to serve as combustion fuel therein.
9. An engine according to claim 8, including at least one passageway configured to direct said formed oxygen to said combustion chamber to facilitate combustion of said hydrogen.
10. An engine according to any one of claims 5 to 9, including a main water passageway for directing water pumped from said pump outlet into engagement with the drive faces of said at least one drive water wheel.
11. An engine according to claim 10, wherein the at least one drive water wheel is positioned in relation to said main water passageway such that part of the drive water wheel protrudes into the main water passageway so that the drive faces of said wheel that are disposed on said part of the drive water wheel are positioned so as to be engaged by water travelling along the main water passageway.
12. An engine according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the at least one ancillary water wheel is positioned in relation to said main water passageway such that part of the drive water wheel protrudes into the main water passageway so that the drive faces of said wheel that are disposed on said part of the drive water wheel are positioned so as to be engaged by water travelling along the main water passageway.
13. An engine according to any one of claims 10 to 12 wherein said at least one drive water wheel has an axis of rotation and includes a first set of drive faces and at least one further set of drive faces, the drive faces of each set being disposed at a different radial distance from said axis of rotation to the drive faces of each other set, the engine being configured to selectively direct said pumped water to engage with the drive faces of any one of said sets, so as to achieve variable torque exerted on said drive wheel about said axis of rotation by said pumped water depending on the which of the sets of drive faces is engaged.
14. An engine according to claim 13, including a plurality of sub-passageways each in fluid-flow communication with said main water passageway, for selectively directing the water into engagement with the drive faces of the different respective sets of drive faces of the at least one drive water wheel.
15. An engine according to claim 14, wherein each sub-passageway is provided with a shut-off valve for preventing water from entering the sub-passageway from the main water passageway.
16. An engine according to any one of the preceding claims including a plurality of said drive water wheels.
17. An engine according to any one of the preceding claims including a plurality of said ancillary water wheels.
18. An engine according to claim 16 or claim 17 wherein said water wheels are arranged in a staggered formation in relation to one another.
19. An engine according to claim 16 or claim 17 including a plurality of water wheels arranged in a substantially circular formation around a central drive water wheel.
20. An engine according to any one of the preceding claims, including a plurality of said combustion chambers.
21. A vehicle including an engine according to any of the preceding claims, the vehicle being at least one of: a motor-vehicle; a water-going vehicle; and an aircraft.
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. A method of controlling a temperature of an area, the method comprising:
determining a schedule for a climate control device needed for an inside temperature to reach a desired temperature;
determining a perceptual temperature factor based on at least the schedule and the inside temperature;
adjusting the desired temperature based on the perceptual temperature factor; and
after the adjusting the desired temperature, determining the final schedule.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the perceptual temperature factor comprises looking up the perceptual temperature factor in a table based on the schedule and the inside temperature.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the perceptual temperature factor is further based on at least one of humidity of the area, outside temperature, radiant heating of the area, geometry of the area, and the desired temperature.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the schedule is further based on at least one of a constraint related to the climate control device, thermal and heat transfer models of the area, and empirical data related to the area.
5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising iteratively repeating the determining the schedule, the determining the perceptual temperature factor, and the adjusting the desired temperature.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the perceptual temperature factor further includes calculations evaluating equations based on the schedule and the inside temperature.
7. A thermostat comprising:
a temperature sensor input unit configured so at to receive a temperature of an area;
a desired temperature input unit;
a control unit configured so as to output a control signal to a climate control device; and
a processor configured so as to determine a schedule for the climate control device and which adjusts the desired temperature based on a perceptual temperature factor,
wherein the perceptual temperature factor is determined based on the temperature of the area and the schedule.
8. The thermostat according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured so as to receive humidity information of the area, and
wherein the perceptual temperature factor is further based on the humidity information of the area.
9. The thermostat according to claim 7, wherein the perceptual temperature factor is further based on radiant heating information of the area.
10. The thermostat according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured so as to determine the schedule and adjust the desired temperature iteratively.
11. The thermostat according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured so as to receive temperature information of an outside area, and wherein the schedule is further based on the temperature information of the outside area.
12. The thermostat according to claim 7, wherein the schedule is further based on constraints related to the climate control device.
13. The thermostat according to claim 7, wherein the schedule is further based on historical schedule data.
14. A non-transitory programmable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving a desired temperature and a temperature of an area;
determining a schedule for a climate control device based at least on the desired temperature and the temperature of the area;
determining a perceptual temperature factor based on at least the schedule and the temperature of the area;
adjusting the desired temperature based on the perceptual temperature factor;
after the adjusting the desired temperature, repeating the determining the schedule; and
sending instructions to the climate control device based on the schedule.
15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising receiving humidity information of the area,
wherein the perceptual temperature factor is further based on the humidity information of the area.
16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising receiving radiant heating information of the area,
wherein the perceptual temperature factor is further based on the radiant heating information of the area.
17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the adjusting the desired temperature and repeating the determining the schedule is repeated iteratively.
18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising receiving temperature information of an outside area,
wherein the schedule is further based on the temperature information of the outside area.
19. The method according to claim 14, further comprising receiving or looking up in a memory constraints related to the climate control device,
wherein the schedule is further based on the constraints related to the climate control device.
20. The method according to claim 14, further comprising receiving historical schedule data,
wherein the schedule is further based on the historical schedule data.