Patent Publication Number: US-2016230742-A1

Title: Wind Turbine

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to the field of alternative energy sources. More particularly, the present invention is a vertically-oriented wind turbine with electronic circuitry that maximizes the wind power that is converted to electricity. 
     With the world&#39;s supplies of fossil fuels being slowly, but steadily, depleted, efforts have turned to renewable energy including wind generators. Typically, wind generators take the form of gigantic propeller blades. In large-scale applications, the heavy inertial mass makes turning the windmill into the wind challenging. In some implementations, this is not possible. Propeller designs also have tips that travel at high velocities, inducing parasitic drag and tip vortices. Further, these propeller blades unwittingly kill thousands of migratory birds each year. 
     Vertical axis windmills are generally of the Panemone design. The Panemone design operates by inducing more drag on one side of the apparatus versus the other, hence inducing torque. As one side is used to fight and over-power the other side, this is not an efficient design either. Drag is not as effective as Lift for generating force. 
     Various other features, advantages, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent after a reading of the following detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention is/are described in conjunction with the associated drawings in which like features are indicated with like reference numerals and in which 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective side schematic of a first embodiment of the wind turbine of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram depicting the wiring connections for the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
     A first embodiment of the wind turbine of the present invention is depicted in  FIG. 1  generally at  20 . The wind turbine  20  of the present invention is designed to operated with the long axis (upon which central shaft  23  and central hub  25  lie) extending in the vertical direction. It will, however, be appreciated that were turbine  20  be utilized for harnessing ocean currents, some applications would afford optimal results by orienting the long axis horizontally. A rotatable cage is made up of a first plurality of arms  22  extending from central hub  25  and a second, like plurality of arms  24  extending essentially in a common vertical plane with first arms  22  to afford mountings for a third plurality of wind-catching vanes  26 . Each vane  26  rotates upon axle  33 , in a manner similar to the manner in which central hub  25  rotates upon central shaft  23 . 
     Wind-directional vane  28  is mounted in the vicinity of central shaft  23 . Although  FIG. 1  depicts vane  28  as being mounted atop shaft  23 , it will be appreciated that it is only necessary that vane  28  being mounted close enough to shaft  23  so as to accurately reflect the wind direction in the region occupied by wind turbine  20 . Rotary encoder  30  ( FIG. 2 ) transmits a first data package regarding the wind-direction as determined by vane  28  to micro-controller  40 . Rotary encoder  30  may take any of a variety of forms including a position sensor or angle sensor. Similarly, although the term “micro-controller” has been used, it will be appreciated that any of a variety of similar items could be substituted including, but not limited to, other electronic processors such as a micro-processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Each of the “connections” depicted in  FIG. 2  are intended simply to indicate communication is established between the elements interconnected by the respective lines. While these elements may be interconnected via a hard wire connection, it is more likely, and preferred, that the communications be effected remotely, as by RF signal, or the like. 
     As best depicted in  FIG. 2 , each wind-catching vane  26  has a rotational motor  32  and a position sensor  34  associated therewith. Both the motors  32  and the sensors  34  may be internalized within the vanes  26  to protect them from environmental impact including dirt, weather, etc. Sensors  34  transmit a second data package comprised of positional information regarding each of the vanes  26  to micro-processor  40  and rotational motors  32  receive directives from the micro-processor. TABLE I depicts a flow chart of the steps of operation of the wind turbine of the present invention. In one preferred arrangement, rotary encoder  30 , the motors  32 , sensors  34 , and micro-processor  40  comprise a simple feedback loop designed to maximize the lift the wind provides to the wind-catching vanes  26 . Typically, this will occur when the nose of the vane  26  is positioned at an appropriate angle of attack relative to the on-coming wind as determined by the micro-processor  40 . As an alternative, sensors  34  may each be a home position sensor and the motors  32  can be stepper motors. In this embodiment, the sensors  34  keep track of how far stepper motors  32  rotate vanes  26  from their home positions and micro-processor  40  stores the position information provided by home position sensors  34  and advises stepper motors  32  how far to turn vanes  28  in order to properly position them relative to the wind direction provided by rotary encoder  30 . 
     Various changes, alternatives, and modifications will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the foregoing specification. For example, although the Figures depict the number of vanes as 3, this is regarded as the minimum number necessary to function. The maximum number is limited only by the practicality of having a large number of spider arms extending from the central hub. It is intended that all such changes, alternatives, and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims be considered part of the present invention.