Patent Description:
Wind power, like hydropower and solar power, is eco-friendly in its method of generating electricity. Generally, in addition to using the wind power directly, extra wind power that is generated from the process may be stored in batteries. Currently, lithium batteries are commonly used to store the extra power. However, the lithium batteries often have to be replaced due to their limited lifespan, and therefore are not eco-friendly due to issues such as waste disposal. In addition, costs of storing/utilizing the extra power is also a concern. Document <CIT> describes an arrangement for a wind turbine system. Document <CIT> describes a wind turbine system for the collection of wind energy and the conversion thereof through staged-compression into highly compressed gas. Document <CIT> describes a wind generator of compressed air. Document <CIT> describes a wind energy system.

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide an air-actuated power generating system that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an air-actuated power generating system according to Claim <NUM>.

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment(s) with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that various features may not be drawn to scale.

It should be noted herein that for clarity of description, spatially relative terms such as "top," "bottom," "upper," "lower," "on," "above," "over," "downwardly," "upwardly" and the like may be used throughout the disclosure while making reference to the features as illustrated in the drawings. The features may be oriented differently (e.g., rotated <NUM> degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative terms used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

Referring to <FIG>, an air-actuated power generating system according to an embodiment of the disclosure is illustrated and is operated by wind. In this embodiment, the wind is caused by movement of an air flow. In other embodiments, the air-actuated power generating system of the disclosure may be operated by other types of gases in lieu of air.

The air-actuated power generating system includes an air storage device <NUM>, a housing assembly <NUM> rotatably mounted on the air storage device <NUM>, an air compressor <NUM> disposed within the housing assembly <NUM> and fluidly communicating with the air storage device <NUM>, a vane assembly <NUM> disposed on the housing assembly <NUM> and connected to the air compressor <NUM>, a power generating device <NUM>, and a delivery device <NUM>.

The air storage device <NUM> is disposed on a ground surface and includes a storage unit <NUM>. The storage unit <NUM> includes four air reservoirs <NUM> (only three are shown in <FIG>) spaced apart from each other and arranged in a matrix manner, a plurality of communicating pipes <NUM> interconnecting the air reservoirs <NUM>, a first support member <NUM> mounted on the air reservoirs <NUM>, and a second support members <NUM> mounted on some of the communicating pipes <NUM> situated on same level.

Each of the air reservoirs <NUM> is formed in an upright hollow cylindrical shape and defines an air-receiving space <NUM> that is adapted for receiving pressurized air. The air-receiving space <NUM> of one of the air reservoirs <NUM> is directly connected to the air compressor <NUM>. The communicating pipes <NUM> and the air reservoirs <NUM> are alternately arranged. Each of the communicating pipes <NUM> interconnects by welding a respective adjacent pair of the air reservoirs <NUM>. As a result, each of the communicating pipes <NUM> not only interconnects the air receiving spaces <NUM> of the respective adjacent pair of the air reservoirs <NUM>, but also supports and positions the respective adjacent pair of the air reservoirs <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the housing assembly <NUM> is mounted on the first support member <NUM>, and includes an annular body <NUM>, a rotary body <NUM>, a plurality of rollers <NUM>, a tubular body <NUM>, an insertion member <NUM>, a housing body <NUM>, and a guiding member <NUM>. The annular body <NUM> is fixedly disposed on the first support member <NUM>. The rotary body <NUM> is disposed rotatably around the annular body <NUM>. The rollers <NUM> are disposed between the annular body <NUM> and the rotary body <NUM>. The tubular body <NUM> is fixed between the rotary body <NUM> and the housing body <NUM>. The insertion member <NUM> has an end disposed in the tubular body <NUM>, and an opposite end extending into the annular body <NUM>. The housing body <NUM> accommodates the air compressor <NUM> and is mounted with the vane assembly <NUM>. Because the rotary body <NUM> is disposed rotatably around the annular body <NUM> that is fixedly disposed on the first support member <NUM>, and because the tubular body <NUM> is fixed between the rotary body <NUM> and the housing body <NUM>, the housing body <NUM> is rotatably mounted on the air storage device <NUM>. The guiding member <NUM> is mounted to the housing body <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the annular body <NUM> and the rotary body <NUM> cooperate with each other to form a turntable. The annular body <NUM> is fixed to the first support member <NUM> by a plurality of fastening members <NUM>. The rollers <NUM> facilitate the rotary body <NUM> to rotate relative to the annular body <NUM>.

The tubular body <NUM> is in a cylindrical form and is fixed to the rotary body <NUM> through a plurality of fastening members <NUM> so as to rotate together with the rotary body <NUM> with respect to the insertion member <NUM>.

The insertion member <NUM> has a first inserting portion <NUM>, a second inserting portion <NUM>, and an air delivery channel <NUM>. The first inserting portion <NUM> is in a disc form and is disposed in the tubular body <NUM> in an airtight manner. The second inserting portion <NUM> is in a cylindrical form and is inserted into the annular body <NUM>. The air delivery channel <NUM> extends through the first and second inserting portions <NUM>, <NUM>, and has an open end directly connected to an inner space <NUM> defined between the first inserting portion <NUM> and the tubular body <NUM>.

The housing body <NUM> accommodates the air compressor <NUM> and is mounted with the vane assembly <NUM>. The housing body <NUM> has a main cylindrical portion <NUM> extending in a longitudinal direction of the housing body <NUM>, and a truncated cone portion <NUM> tapered forwardly from the main cylindrical portion <NUM>. The main cylindrical portion <NUM> and the truncated cone portion <NUM> cooperatively define a housing space <NUM> that accommodates the air compressor <NUM> and that fluidly communicates with an external environment.

The guiding member <NUM> is welded to an end of the main cylindrical portion <NUM> in a manner that the guiding member <NUM> and the vane assembly <NUM> are respectively located at two opposite ends of the housing body <NUM>. The guiding member <NUM> includes two plate bodies <NUM> that are connected to the housing body <NUM> and that are transverse to each other. Each of the plate bodies <NUM> is lengthened in a top-bottom direction. The plate bodies <NUM> form a V-shaped structure (see <FIG>).

The air compressor <NUM> is mounted on a support frame <NUM> situated within the housing space <NUM>. The air compressor <NUM> is capable of compressing air into pressurized air, and transmitting the pressurized air to the air storage device <NUM>. The pressurized air from the air compressor <NUM> is at a pressure greater than one atmosphere. Specifically, the pressurized air is at a pressure of <NUM>/cm<NUM> in order to be effectively stored and utilized.

The vane assembly <NUM> includes a driving spindle <NUM> and a vane unit <NUM>.

The driving spindle <NUM> is rotatable about an axis thereof, and has an end extending into the housing body <NUM> of the housing assembly <NUM> and connected to the air compressor <NUM>. In this embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the driving spindle <NUM> extends in an axial direction (D1) parallel with the longitudinal direction of the housing body <NUM>. Referring back to <FIG>, two spaced-apart bearing members <NUM> are mounted on the support frame <NUM> and are disposed around the driving spindle <NUM> in a vicinity of the end of the driving spindle <NUM> connected to the air compressor <NUM>. Another end of the spindle <NUM> is opposite to the air compressor <NUM> and extends outwardly of the truncated cone portion <NUM>.

Referring back to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, the vane unit <NUM> is disposed outside the housing body <NUM> of the housing assembly <NUM> and is connected to another end of the spindle <NUM> opposite to the air compressor <NUM>. The vane unit <NUM> includes a hub <NUM> that is connected to and co-rotatable with another end of the spindle <NUM> opposite to the air compressor <NUM>, an outer ring <NUM> that surrounds the hub <NUM>, and a plurality of vanes <NUM> that are connected between the hub <NUM> and the outer ring <NUM>.

Each of the vanes <NUM> includes a first vane end <NUM> connected to the hub <NUM> and a second vane end <NUM> connected to the outer ring <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the second vane end <NUM> of each of the vanes <NUM> is inclined at an extension angle (A11) relative to the axial direction (D1).

The extension angle (A11) is <NUM> degrees. However, in other embodiments, the extension angle (A11) may range between <NUM> and <NUM> degrees.

Referring back to <FIG>, the power generating device <NUM> includes an air-actuated motor <NUM> that is fluidly connected to the air storage device <NUM>, and a power generator <NUM> that is connected to the air-actuated motor <NUM>. The air-actuated motor <NUM> and the power generator <NUM> are mounted on the second support member <NUM>. The air-actuated motor <NUM> is covered by a cover <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the air-actuated motor <NUM> is operable by the pressurized air discharged from the air storage device <NUM>, thereby driving the power generator <NUM> to generate electricity. Since the air-actuated motor <NUM> and the power generator <NUM> are well known in the art, details thereof are omitted.

The delivery device <NUM> delivers the pressurized air from the air compressor <NUM> to one of the air reservoirs <NUM>. The delivery device <NUM> includes a first air valve <NUM>, a second air valve <NUM>, a first tube <NUM>, a second tube <NUM>, and a third tube <NUM>. The first air valve <NUM> fluidly communicates with the housing space <NUM> and the tubular space <NUM>. The second air valve <NUM> is connected to the first support member <NUM> and fluidly communicates with another open end of the air delivery channel <NUM> adjacent to the first support member <NUM>. The first tube <NUM> is connected between the air compressor <NUM> and the first air valve <NUM>. The second tube <NUM> is connected between the second air valve <NUM> and a corresponding one of the air reservoirs <NUM>. The third tube <NUM> is connected between the air-actuated motor <NUM> and another one of the air reservoirs <NUM>.

The first tube <NUM>, the second tube <NUM>, and the third tube <NUM> are a commercially available high-pressure hose that may withstand a pressure of <NUM>/cm<NUM>. Since the high-pressure hose and the air valve are well known in the art, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted herein.

When the air-actuated power generating system is in use and when winds act on the van unit <NUM>, the vane unit <NUM> rotates the driving spindle <NUM> to drive operation of the air compressor <NUM> so that the air compressor <NUM> draws and compresses the air in the housing space <NUM> into pressured air. The pressured air is delivered to and stored in the air-receiving spaces <NUM> of the air reservoirs <NUM> by passing through the first tube <NUM>, the first air valve <NUM>, the tubular space <NUM>, the air delivery channel <NUM>, the second air valve <NUM>, and the second tube <NUM> until the air-receiving spaces <NUM> of the air reservoirs <NUM> are at a pressure of <NUM>/cm<NUM>. Since measuring the pressure in the air receiving space <NUM> is not the focus of the disclosure, details thereof are omitted herein.

When there is a need for outputting power, the air-actuated motor <NUM> will be driven by the pressurized air from the air receiving spaces <NUM> of the air reservoirs <NUM> passing through the third tube <NUM>, thereby outputting mechanical power to drive the power generator <NUM> to generate electricity.

Since the kinetic energy of wind is converted into pressurized air for storage, and since the stored pressurized air drives operation of the air-actuated motor <NUM> when the air-actuated motor <NUM> needs to output power, one of the features of the disclosure resides in that the cost for storing pressurized air is low and the stored pressurized air may be directly discharged without causing environmental pollution and producing waste.

Referring back to <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, another feature of the disclosure resides in that, by virtue of the annular body <NUM>, the rotary body <NUM>, and the tubular body <NUM>, the housing body <NUM> is rotatable to meet different wind directions (see <FIG>). Additionally, the guiding member <NUM> affected by wind may automatically change an orientation of the housing body <NUM> so that the vane unit <NUM> may face the wind directly, thereby effectively and continuously utilizing the wind.

By virtue of the second vane end <NUM> of each of the vanes <NUM> being connected to the outer ring <NUM>, the vane unit <NUM> may stably operate without producing noise.

In this embodiment, the air storage device <NUM> includes only one storage unit <NUM>; however, a plurality of the storage units <NUM> may be included in other embodiments in a manner that the air reservoirs <NUM> of the storage units <NUM> fluidly communicate with each other. In other words, the storage units <NUM> in other embodiments may increase in numbers and fluidly communicate with each other so that a storage capacity may be varied to store a large amount of pressurized air depending on actual requirements.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment(s). It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects; such does not mean that every one of these features needs to be practiced with the presence of all the other features. In other words, in any described embodiment, when implementation of one or more features or specific details does not affect implementation of another one or more features or specific details, said one or more features may be singled out and practiced alone without said another one or more features or specific details. It should be further noted that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

Claim 1:
An air-actuated power generating system, including:
an air storage device (<NUM>);
a housing assembly (<NUM>) rotatably mounted on said air storage device (<NUM>);
an air compressor (<NUM>) disposed within said housing assembly (<NUM>) and fluidly communicating with said air storage device (<NUM>), said air compressor (<NUM>) being adapted to compress air into pressurized air, and to transmit the pressurized air to said air storage device (<NUM>);
a vane assembly (<NUM>) disposed on said housing assembly (<NUM>) and connected to said air compressor (<NUM>), said vane assembly (<NUM>) being adapted to be rotated by winds to drive operation of said air compressor (<NUM>); and
a power generating device (<NUM>) including
an air-actuated motor (<NUM>) that is fluidly connected to said air storage device (<NUM>), and
a power generator (<NUM>) that is connected to said air-actuated motor (<NUM>);
wherein said air-actuated motor (<NUM>) is operable by the pressurized air discharged from said air storage device (<NUM>), thereby driving said power generator (<NUM>) to generate electricity;
the air-actuated power generating system being characterized in that:
said air storage device (<NUM>) includes at least one storage unit (<NUM>) that includes
a plurality of air reservoirs (<NUM>) spaced apart from each other,
a plurality of communicating pipes (<NUM>) interconnecting said air reservoirs (<NUM>),
a first support member (<NUM>) mounted on said air reservoirs (<NUM>), and
a second support members (<NUM>) mounted on said communicating pipes (<NUM>);
each of said air reservoirs (<NUM>) defines an air-receiving space (<NUM>) that is adapted for receiving the pressurized air, said air-receiving space (<NUM>) of one of said air reservoirs (<NUM>) being directly connected to said air compressor (<NUM>);
said communicating pipes (<NUM>) and said air reservoirs (<NUM>) are alternately arranged, each of said communicating pipes (<NUM>) interconnecting said air receiving spaces (<NUM>) of a respective adjacent pair of said air reservoirs (<NUM>);
said housing assembly (<NUM>) is mounted on said first support member (<NUM>); and
said air-actuated motor (<NUM>) and said power generator (<NUM>) are mounted on said second support member (<NUM>).