Patent Abstract:
A blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system for achieving maximum wind efficiency with variable speed and blade pitch control. The blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system includes a support assembly including a tower; a turbine rotor assembly being supported upon the support assembly; and a blade pitch control assembly being supported upon the support assembly and being in communication with the said turbine rotor assembly.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to wind turbines and more particularly pertains to a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system for achieving maximum wind efficiency with variable speed and blade pitch control. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of wind turbines is known in the prior art. More specifically, wind turbines heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     The prior art includes a control system including a subtractor for generating a difference signal; a device for generating from the difference signal a first blade control signal greater than a minimum level, from a device for generating a second blade control signal greater than a minimum level, from first blade control signal and the difference signal; a device for generating a third blade control signal for adjusting the pitch of variable-pitch angle blades, from second blade control signal and power rate signal. Another prior art includes a wind power installation having a rotor with at least one blade and an adjusting device for the rotor blade. An adjusting device with more than one drive for one rotor blade is provided. By virtue of that arrangement each drive only has to furnish a corresponding fraction of the power output, it can be of a correspondingly smaller design configuration, and it imposes a correspondingly lower loading on the subsequent components. 
     Further, another prior art describes a redundant and fail-safe blade system of a wind turbine including at least one blade pitch drive and at least two power control modules for controlling the blade pitch drive. The power control modules are connected to the blade pitch drive by a switching unit which allows an alternative connection between the blade pitch drive and any of the power control modules. In operation, the blade pitch drive is controlled by only one of the power control modules. If a malfunction of the currently operating power control module is detected, switching unit provides a connection to the other power control module to allow an ongoing operation of the wind turbine without an unplanned or forced shut-down. Also, another prior art includes a wind turbine blade pitch system for moving the blades to control their pitch in the event of a power failure. The system includes at least one backup that has a non-electrical component that can pitch the blades in the event that the power failure adversely affects the electrical blade pitch actuator system. Embodiments include pitch systems that have a plurality of pitch driving systems including, but not limited to electrical systems, hybrid electrical/mechanical systems and non-electrical systems. The non-electrical systems include mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic systems. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system which has many of the advantages of the wind turbines mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art wind turbines, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a support assembly including a tower; a turbine rotor assembly being supported upon the support assembly; and a blade pitch control assembly being supported upon the support assembly and being in communication with the said turbine rotor assembly. None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system which has many of the advantages of the wind turbines mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art wind turbines, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system for achieving maximum wind efficiency with variable speed and blade pitch control. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system that pitches the blades most effectively to capture the most wind energy possible. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system that passively brakes the wind turbine rotor without using electrical means thus resulting in less stress being put upon the wind turbine. Also, the passive braking of the blades operates independently of one another should any one of the blades become stuck in a certain position or pitch. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional elevational view of the present invention showing blades passively parked into a wind from a right. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional elevational view of the present invention showing the blades to be actively pitched for capturing the mot efficient wind energy. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 3  thereof, a new blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 3 , the blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system  10  generally comprises a support assembly  11  including a tower  12  being securely supported upon a ground  36 . The support assembly  11  also includes an elongate support member  13  being conventionally supported upon the tower  12 . The support assembly  11  further includes a geared bearing  14  being securely and conventionally disposed upon the tower  12 , and also includes a turbine support member  15  being rotatably and conventionally mounted upon the geared bearing  14 . The support assembly  12  further includes a yaw motor  16  having a motor shaft (not shown) being conventionally supported upon and attached to the turbine support member  15 , and also includes a gear member  17  being rotatably and conventionally connected to the yaw motor  16  and being disposed below the turbine support member  15  and being engageable to the geared bearing  14  for selectively moving the turbine support member  15  upon the actuation thereof. 
     A turbine rotor assembly  18  is conventionally supported upon the support assembly  11 . The turbine rotor assembly IS includes a hub member  19  having hub bearings  38  and being rotatably and conventionally disposed upon and about the elongate support member  13 . The turbine rotor assembly  18  also includes blade support members  22   a - c  being rotatably and pivotally mounted to the hub member  19  and being spaced apart and extending radially therefrom. The hub member  19  includes brackets  20   a - d  being conventionally secured thereto with the blade support members  22   a - c  being rotatably disposed therethrough, and also includes braces  21   a - b  conventionally interconnecting to pairs of the brackets  20   a - d . The turbine rotor assembly  18  further includes blades  23   a - c  each being conventionally disposed upon and about a respective blade support member  22   a - c  and each having a leading edge  24   a - c . Each of the blade support members  22   a - c  is rotatable about its longitudinal axis. 
     A blade pitch control assembly  34  is supported upon the support assembly  11  and is in communication with the turbine rotor assembly  18 . The blade pitch control assembly  34  includes blade park members  35   a - c  which are preferably biased members such as springs each being conventionally disposed about a respective blade support member  22   a - c  for urging each blade  23   a - c  into a park position to generally prevent rotation of the hub member  19  with the leading edges  24   a - c  of the blades  23   a - c  substantially facing into a wind when in use. The blade park members  35   a - c  could also include hydraulic accumulators and hydraulic cylinders. 
     The blade pitch control assembly  34  also includes an actuator  25  such as a motor being securely and conventionally mounted upon the elongate support member  13  and being in communication with the blades  23   a - c  and having an rotatable member  30  such as a rotational shaft for rotating the blades  23   a - c , and also a conventional brake mechanism  39  being conventionally mounted upon the actuator  25  and including a friction member (not shown) and a spring (not shown) and being in communication with the actuator  25  to prevent movement such as rotation of the actuating member  30 , and further includes a first carrier member  26  which preferably is a pulley but could also be an arm being conventionally connected and bolted to the rotatable member  30  for linear or rotational movement therewith. The blade pitch control assembly  3  also includes an interconnecting member  28  which is preferably a sleeve being in communication with the actuator  25  and being movably and slidably disposed and conventionally retained upon and about the elongate support member  13  and also having an annular recess disposed thereabout. 
     The blade pitch control assembly  34  further includes first and second linkage members  27 ,  33   a - c  which are preferably cable members but could also include rigid linkages with the first linkage member  27  being fastened to the outer surface of the interconnecting member  28  using fasteners and being conventionally carried by the first carrier member  26  for moving the interconnecting member  28  linearly along the elongate support member  13 . The blade pitch control assembly  34  further includes a rotatable member  29  such as a collar having a bearing member  37  and being rotatably and conventionally retained by the annular recess about the interconnecting member  28  for rotation with the hub member  19 . The blade pitch control assembly  34  also includes second carrier members  32   a - c  which are preferably pulleys each of which is in communication with and conventionally connected and bolted to a respective blade support member  22   a - c  for pivoting the blade support members  22   a - c . The second linkage members  33   a - c  are conventionally carried by the second carrier members  32   a - c  and are fastened to the rotatable member  29  for selectively pivoting the blades  23   a - c  to a desired pitch relative to the wind direction when in use. The rotatable member  29  has holes  31   a - c  being circumferentially spaced apart and being disposed therethrough for receiving and securing portions of the second linkage members  33   a - c  using fastening members. 
     In use, the pitches of the blades  23   a - c  are adjusted according to wind velocity and direction to capture the most efficient wind energy for rotating the turbine rotor assembly  18 . Preferably, an instrument such as a sensor (not shown) measures the wind direction and wind velocity and communicates this information to a processor (not shown) which is in conventional communication with the sensor and which is also in conventional communication with a power source (not shown) and is in further conventional communication with the actuator  25  and the brake mechanism  39 . In response to the sensor, the processor effectively energizes the actuator  25  which moves the interconnecting member  28  via the first carrier member  26  and the first linkage member  27 , upon the elongate support member  13  relative to the turbine rotor assembly  18  to rotate the blades  23   a - c  relative to the wind direction to effectively capture the most efficient wind energy. Once the optimal pitches of the blades  23   a - c  have been set, the processor energizes the brake mechanism  39  with the friction member (not shown) effectively and conventionally engaging the rotatable member  30  of the actuator  25  to prevent movement of the rotatable member  30  and to prevent movement of the interconnecting member  28  by the blade park members  35   a - c . The blades  23   a - c  can be effectively parked automatically without using the actuator  25  to generally prevent the rotation of the turbine rotor assembly  18 . The blades  23   a - c  are parked upon the processor de-energizing the brake mechanism  39  which allows the rotatable member  30  to freely move and the blade park members  35   a - c  to independently bias the blades  23   a - c  and face the leading edges  24   a - c  of the blades  23   a - c  into the wind thus effectively preventing the wind from impacting the blades  23   a - c  and rotating the hub member  19 . 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the blade pitch-controlled wind turbine system. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5