Patent ID: 9228564
Filing Date: 2016-01-05
CPC Classification: F03D,F05B,Y02E

Claim Text:
1. A horizontal axis wind turbine in relation to a wind direction, the wind turbine comprising: (a) a support post further defining a pivot axis; (b) a shaft having an upwind portion and a downwind portion, the upwind portion being upwind from the downwind portion relative to the wind direction, the shaft being pivotally connected to the support post at the upwind portion of the shaft, the shaft further defining an axis of rotation; and (c) a plurality of turbine blades extending radially from the downwind portion of the shaft, the plurality of turbine blades being equally spaced radially about the shaft, the plurality of turbine blades rotating about the axis of rotation, where each turbine blade has an inflated condition and a deflated condition, the plurality of turbine blades defining a rotor plane in the inflated condition, and where each turbine blade comprises (i) a flexible skin, the flexible skin including a leading edge, an upper surface, and a lower surface, the leading edge having one or more openings, and (ii) an internal skeleton within the flexible skin, the internal skeleton supporting the flexible skin, where the upper surface, the lower surface, and the internal skeleton form a plurality of inflation chambers, the inflation chambers being connected by cross ports in the internal skeleton, each opening in the leading edge leading to one or more of the inflation chambers for ram air inflation during operation, where, in the inflated condition the plurality of inflation chambers are filled with air and the flexible skin, supported by the internal skeleton, has a blade structure, where, in the deflated condition the turbine blade is collapsed and does not have the blade structure, and where the pivotal connection between the shaft and the support post allows the plurality of turbine blades to yaw about the pivot axis such that rotor plane remains substantially perpendicular to the wind direction.