Abstract:
The present invention provides a vertical-axis windpower fan unit using a central axle having modulized design for assembling or disassembling quickly and includes supporting arms with capability of weight adjustment so as to balance the rotation of the fan unit. In one embodiment, the present invention further provides a coaxial fan module comprising a plurality of fan units coupled sequentially wherein a blade of each fan unit is disposed in the middle position with respect to the two blades of the adjacent fan unit for reducing unbalance and eliminating vibrational noise while the fan module is rotating. In addition, in another embodiment, the present invention further provides a power generating system comprising the coaxial fan module and a power generator unit coupled to the coaxial fan module so as to generate electricity.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to a windpower generator and, more particularly, to a vertical-axis windpower fan unit, a vertical-axis windpower fan module and a vertical-axis windpower generating system using modulized fan units to generate electricity. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Since the global climate change and environmental consciousness have attracted tremendous amount of attention, most industries related to human lives have developed green technologies, among which the energy technologies take the lead. The windpower generator is one of the most important energy technologies because windpower is clean, low greenhouse gas emission, and renewable. Therefore, most of the western countries have launched the development and application of the windpower generator. 
         [0003]    The windpower generating system can be divided into the horizontal-axis and the vertical-axis power generating systems. The horizontal-axis power generating system has a fan with a horizontal rotation axis, while the vertical-axis power generating system has a fan with a vertical rotation axis. According to some reports, the vertical-axis windpower generating system has advantages over the conventional horizontal-axis windpower generating system such as advanced machining design, low manufacturing cost, low threshold wind speed, low noise and less light pollution. Therefore, it has great potential in commercial applications. 
         [0004]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , which is a 3-D diagram of a dual-layer vertical-axis fan module disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 20080095631. The vertical-axisfan module comprises two fan units. Each of the fan units comprising three twisted blades disposed therein. On each of the top and bottom ends, there is provided a connecting plate coupled to both ends of the blade. The blade module further comprises a rotation axle penetrating through the center of the connecting plate. 
         [0005]    Moreover, as disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2008253889, a fan module with a dual-layer fan, as shown in  FIG. 2 , comprises a plurality of fan units. Each of the fan units comprises respectively three blades. On both ends of the three blades, there are provided respectively a connecting unit. Between two connecting units, there are a plurality of supporting arms connected to a rotation axle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In view of the above, the present invention provides a vertical-axis windpower fan unit and a fan module. Each of the fan units uses a modulized design for assembling or disassembling quickly as a central axle so that the user is capable of connecting a plurality of fan units to form a fan module with a coaxial axle according to actual demands. Moreover, the central axle of each of the fan units includes blade supports with capability of weight adjustment so as to balance the rotation of the fan unit. 
         [0007]    The present invention provides a vertical-axis windpower fan unit and a fan module. The interface between the blades and the blade supports use a connecting unit disposed inside the blades so that the end portion of the connecting unit protrudes out of the blades. Alternatively, a connecting unit is fixedly disposed on the blade to strengthen the connection between the blade and the blade supports. Moreover, the interface between the blade and the blade supports is connected to the blade so as to lower the manufacture cost of the blade by connecting the connecting unit and the blade supports. 
         [0008]    The present invention provides a vertical-axis windpower generating system using a fan module with a plurality of fan units being connected to the power generator unit. The blades of each of the fan units are disposed between two blades of a connected fan unit so that the fan module remains balanced while rotating to keep stability of power generation and reduce noise. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment, the present invention provides a vertical-axis windpower fan unit, comprising: 
         [0010]    a central axle being provided with a connecting base on an external wall at each of both ends of the central axle, the central axle comprising a protruding portion at one end and a concave portion at the other end; 
         [0011]    a pair of blade supports, each respectively comprising a plurality of independent supporting arms, the pair of blade supports being respectively connected to the connecting base at each of the both ends of the central axle so that the independent supporting arms of the pair of blade supports correspond to each other; and 
         [0012]    a plurality of blades, each respectively connected to the corresponding independent supporting arms of the pair of blade supports. 
         [0013]    In another embodiment, the present invention provides a vertical-axis windpower fan module, comprising: 
         [0014]    a first fan unit, comprising: 
         [0015]    a first central axle being provided with a first connecting base on an external wall at each of both ends of the first central axle, the first central axle comprising a first protruding portion at one end and a first concave portion at the other end; 
         [0016]    a pair of first blade supports, each respectively comprising a plurality of first independent supporting arms, the pair of first blade supports being respectively connected to the first connecting base at each of the both ends of the first central axle so that the first independent supporting arms of the pair of first blade supports correspond to each other; and 
         [0017]    a plurality of first blades, each respectively connected to the corresponding first independent supporting arms of the pair of first blade supports; 
         [0018]    a second fan unit, comprising: 
         [0019]    a second central axle being provided with a second connecting base on an external wall at each of both ends of the second central axle, the second central axle comprising a second protruding portion at one end and a second concave portion at the other end, wherein the second protruding portion is coupled to the first concave portion; 
         [0020]    a pair of second blade supports, each respectively comprising a plurality of second independent supporting arms, the pair of second blade supports being respectively connected to the second connecting base at each of the both ends of the second central axle so that the second independent supporting arms of the pair of second blade supports correspond to each other; and 
         [0021]    a plurality of second blades, each respectively connected to the corresponding second independent supporting arms of the pair of second blade supports. 
         [0022]    In another embodiment, the present invention further provides a vertical-axis windpower generating system, comprising: 
         [0023]    a first fan unit, comprising: 
         [0024]    a first central axle being provided with a first connecting base on an external wall at each of both ends of the first central axle, the first central axle comprising a first protruding portion at one end and a first concave portion at the other end; 
         [0025]    a pair of first blade supports, each respectively comprising a plurality of first independent supporting arms, the pair of first blade supports being respectively connected to the first connecting base at each of the both ends of the first central axle so that the first independent supporting arms of the pair of first blade supports correspond to each other; and 
         [0026]    a plurality of first blades, each respectively connected to the corresponding first independent supporting arms of the pair of first blade supports; 
         [0027]    a second fan unit, comprising: 
         [0028]    a second central axle being provided with a second connecting base on an external wall at each of both ends of the second central axle, the second central axle comprising a second protruding portion at one end and a second concave portion at the other end, wherein the second protruding portion is coupled to the first concave portion; 
         [0029]    a pair of second blade supports, each respectively comprising a plurality of second independent supporting arms, the pair of second blade supports being respectively connected to the second connecting base at each of the both ends of the second central axle so that the second independent supporting arms of the pair of second blade supports correspond to each other; 
         [0030]    a plurality of second blades, each respectively connected to the corresponding second independent supporting arms of the pair of second blade supports; and 
         [0031]    a power generator unit comprising a connecting concave portion at one end so as to be coupled to the first protruding portion, the power generator unit receiving a power generated by the first and second fan units being rotating to generate electricity. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0032]    The objects and spirits of various embodiments of the present invention will be readily understood by the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptions, wherein: 
           [0033]      FIG. 1  is a 3-D diagram of a dual-layer vertical-axis fan module disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 20080095631; 
           [0034]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a fan module with a dual-layer fan disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2008253889; 
           [0035]      FIG. 3  is a 3-D diagram of a vertical-axis windpower fan unit according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 4A  is a 3-D diagram of a central axle; 
           [0037]      FIG. 4B  is a cross-sectional diagram of a central axle; 
           [0038]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of a combination of an independent supporting arm and a connecting base; 
           [0039]      FIG. 6A  and  FIG. 6B  show respectively a 3-D diagram and a cross-sectional diagram of a combination of a blade and blade supports according to the present invention; 
           [0040]      FIG. 7A  to  FIG. 7C  are schematic diagrams of a combination of a blade and blade supports according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0041]      FIG. 8A  to  FIG. 8C  show a 3-D diagram of a fan module, a 3-D diagram of connected central axles and a top view diagram of a fan module according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0042]      FIG. 8D  is a 3-D diagram of a combination of a plurality of fan units according to the present invention; and 
           [0043]      FIG. 9  is a 3-D diagram of a power generating system according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0044]    The present invention can be exemplified by but not limited to the preferred embodiment as described hereinafter. 
         [0045]    Please refer to  FIG. 3 , which is a 3-D diagram of a vertical-axis windpower fan unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. The fan unit  2  comprise a central axle  20 , a pair of blade supports  21  and  22  and a plurality of blades  23 . As shown in  FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B , wherein  FIG. 4A  is a 3-D diagram of a central axle  20  and  FIG. 4B  is a cross-sectional diagram of a central axle  20 . The central axle  20  is provided with a connecting base  201 / 202  on an external wall at each of both ends of the central axle  20 . The central axle  20  comprises a protruding portion  203  at one end and a concave portion  204  at the other end. Returning to  FIG. 3 , each of the pair of blade supports  21  and  22  respectively comprises a plurality of independent supporting arms  210  and  220 . In the present embodiment, each of the pair of blade supports  21  and  22  respectively comprises three independent supporting arms  210  and  220 . Each of the independent supporting arms  210  and  220  is respectively provided with a plurality of through holes  211  and  221  disposed thereon. The plurality of through holes  211  and  221  on each of the independent supporting arms  210  and  220  are disposed as a line from the blades  23  to the central axle  20  with apertures getting larger. The through holes are distributed according to the required weight. It is also possible that there is no through hole provided. The present invention is not limited by the distribution of the through holes as shown in the figures. The pair of blade supports  21  and  22  are respectively connected to the connecting base  201  and  202  at each of the both ends of the central axle  20  so that the independent supporting arms  210  and  220  of the pair of blade supports  21  and  22  correspond to each other. Each of the plurality of blades is respectively connected to the corresponding independent supporting arms  210  and  220  of the pair of blade supports  21  and  22  so that the plurality of blades are in parallel with the central axle  20 . 
         [0046]    Moreover, taking the blade supports  21  for example, each of the independent supporting arms  210  may be formed in one process or by combining the plurality of independent supporting arms. In the present embodiment, the blade supports  21  comprise a plurality of independent supporting arms. With the design of the plurality of independent supporting arms, assembling and disassembling can be easier and the number of the independent supporting arms may be changed according to actual demands. As shown in  FIG. 5 , which is a schematic diagram of a combination of an independent supporting arm and a connecting base. Each of the independent supporting arms  210  is provided with a plurality of through holes  2100  disposed thereon corresponding to the through holes  2010  disposed on the connecting base  201  so that a screw bolt  24  is able to pass through. A screw nut  25  can be used to fasten the screw bolt  24  so that each of the independent supporting arms  210  can be fixed on the connecting base  201 . Returning to  FIG. 3 , the plurality of through holes  211  and  221  on the independent supporting arms  10  and  220  are disposed to reduce the weight of the blade supports  21  and  22  and to provide a counter weight unit disposed therein. This is because the error due to the manufacture of the blade supports and the blade, which may cause unbalanced problems when the fan unit is rotating. Therefore, the counter weight unit and the through holes are provided to reduce the weight of the supporting arms and adjust the rotation of the fan unit. 
         [0047]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , for the independent supporting arms  210 , the through holes  211  on each of the independent supporting arms are disposed as a line from the blades to the central axle with apertures getting larger. Therefore, the user may choose counter weight units with different weights according to actual demands. In  FIG. 5 , the counter weight unit is a combination of a screw bolt  26  and a screw nut  27 . If a lighter counter weight unit is required, a screw bolt and a screw nut are selected according to the aperture of the through hole  211   a  to be fixedly disposed on the independent supporting arm  210 . Moreover, each of the independent supporting arms (taking the arm  210  for example) in the present invention is further provided with a protruding rib  212  to enhance the strength of the independent supporting arm  210  and prevent the independent supporting arms  210  form deformation. 
         [0048]    Returning to  FIG. 3 , each of the plurality of blades  23  is respectively connected to the corresponding independent supporting arms of the pair of blade supports. In the present invention, the blade  23  and the independent supporting arms  210  and  220  are connected as shown in  FIG. 6A  and  FIG. 6B , which show respectively a 3-D diagram and a cross-sectional diagram of a combination of a blade and blade supports according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, the blade  23  is provided with a connecting unit  230  disposed thereon. The connecting unit  230  is provided with a plurality of openings  231 . A connecting plate  213  extends from the independent supporting arms  210  corresponding to the blade and is provided with an opening corresponding to the opening  231 . The connecting unit  230  and the connecting plate  213  are combined using a fastening device  214  (such as the screw nut and the screw bolt). As shown in  FIG. 7A  to  FIG. 7C , which are schematic diagrams of a combination of a blade and blade supports according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a connecting unit  232  is embedded inside the blade  23 . The connecting unit  232  comprises two supporting bases  2322  and two connecting plates  2320  and  2321  connected to the two supporting bases  2322 . A protruding pillar  2323  with a screw thread extends from each of the supporting bases  2322  to protrude out of the blades and to be connected to the independent supporting arms  210 . The connecting plate  2321  is fixedly disposed on the supporting bases  2322 . 
         [0049]    The connecting unit is embedded in the blade  23  so that the protruding pillar protrudes out of the blade. Since the supporting bases  2322  are disposed inside the blade  23 , the supporting bases  2322  can be combined with the material inside the blade  23  so that the connecting unit  232  is fixedly disposed in the blade  23 . In the present invention, since both ends of the blade are respectively connected to the independent supporting arms of the blade supports, the connecting unit is disposed in the blade  23 . As shown in  FIG. 7C , one end of each of the independent supporting arms (taking the independent supporting arm  210  for example) is provided with a fastening plate  214  whereon through holes  215  are disposed corresponding to the protruding pillar  2323 . To strengthen the fastening plate  214 , a strengthening structure  216  is disposed between the fastening plate  214  and the independent supporting arm  210  to strengthen the structure between the fastening plate  214  and the independent supporting arm  210 . When the protruding pillar  2323  passes through the through holes  215  on the fastening plate  214 , a screw nut can be used to fasten the blade  23  on the protruding pillar so that the blade is fixedly disposed on the independent supporting arms  210 . 
         [0050]    Please refer to  FIG. 8A  to  FIG. 8C , which are a 3-D diagram of a fan module, a 3-D diagram of connected central axles and a top view diagram of a fan module according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the aforesaid fan unit uses the central axle to connect a plurality of fan units. In the present embodiment, the fan module  3  comprises two serially connected fan units, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The fan module  3  comprises a first fan unit  2   a  and a second fan unit  2   b . The first fan unit  2   a  comprises a first central axle  20   a , a pair of first blade supports  21   a  and  22   a  and a plurality of first blades  23   a . The second fan unit  2   b  comprises a second central axle  20   b , a pair of second blade supports  21   b  and  22   b  and a plurality of second blades  23   b . The first axle  20   a  and the second axle  20   b  have the same structure as the structure shown in  FIG. 4A , and description thereof is not presented. In the present embodiment, the second protruding portion  203   b  of the second axle  20   b  is coupled inside the first concave portion  204   a  in the first axle  20   a . Then, a plurality of fastening devices (comprising a screw nut and a screw bolt) are used to fasten the fixing base  205   a  on the first axle  20   a  and the fixing base  206   b  on the second axle  20   b  together. The second protruding portion  203   b  may be an external wall of a cylinder, while the concave portion  204   a  may be an inner wall inside a cylinder. 
         [0051]    The second axle  20   b  is provided with a fixing base  205   b  disposed thereon to be connected to another axle so that the fan units can be modulized as shown in  FIG. 8D , which comprises three fan units  2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c . The first axle  20   a  comprises a fixing base  206   a  at the bottom to be used as a fixing interface connecting the first axle  20   a  and the power generator unit  40 . In the present embodiment, the blades of the two fan units are disposed as shown in  FIG. 8C . The first fan unit and the second fan unit are disposed interlacingly so that a central position between any two adjacent first independent supporting arms of the first fan unit corresponds to one of the second independent supporting arms of the second fan unit. In the present invention, each of the pair of first blade supports  21   a  and each of the pair of second blade supports  21   b  comprise respectively three or four independent supporting arms so that the angle between any one of the first independent supporting arms  210   a  of the first fan unit and one of the second independent supporting arms  210   b  of the second fan unit disposed interlacingly with the first fan unit is 60 degrees when there are three independent supporting arms for both the first blade supports  21   a  and the second blade supports  21   b , or the angle between any one of the first independent supporting arms  21   a  of the first fan unit and one of the second independent supporting arms  21   b  of the second fan unit disposed interlacingly with the first fan unit is 45 degrees when there are four independent supporting arms for both the first blade supports  21   a  and the second blade supports  21   b.    
         [0052]    Please refer to  FIG. 9 , which is a 3-D diagram of a power generating system according to the present invention. A windpower generating system  4  is formed after the module  3  in  FIG. 8A  is coupled to a power generator unit  40 . The power generator unit comprises the windings and the axle, which is conventionally well-known and thus description thereof is not presented. The power generator unit  40  is further connected to a fixing frame  41  at one end on a position facing the wind such as the roof of a building. To prevent the power generating system from being damaged due to a blast of wind, the power generator unit  40  further comprises an electric controlled current brake  401  and a mechanical brake  402 . The electric controlled current brake is used to lower or stop the rotation speed of the power generator unit when the rotation speed of the power generator unit increases to a certain extent. The mechanical brake operates in a similar way to manually or electronically stop or lower the rotation speed. 
         [0053]    According to the above discussion, it is apparent that the present invention discloses a vertical-axis windpower fan unit using a central axle having modulized design for assembling or disassembling quickly and includes supporting arms with capability of weight adjustment so as to balance the rotation of the fan unit. Therefore, the present invention is novel, useful and non-obvious. 
         [0054]    Although this invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, the principles involved are susceptible for use in numerous other embodiments that will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. This invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.