Patent ID: 8118537

Claim:
A vertical axis windmill including support means, an upstanding bladed rotor journalled from said support means for rotation about an upstanding axis, a windshield assembly freely journalled from said support means for angular displacement about said axis and including wind vane means supported therefrom operative to maintain said assembly in predetermined position relative to the direction of wind incident thereupon as well as a generally semi-cylindrical wind-shielding portion extending about and operative to shield generally one lateral half of said rotor and operative to laterally deflect wind incident thereupon into the sweep area of said rotor on the side thereof remote from said one diametric lateral half and further in opposition to the rotary torque developed by said wind vane means thereupon as said assembly is angularly displaced from said predetermined position relative to said wind, in a direction to swing said wind-shielding portion in the direction of rotation of said rotor, from its predetermined position shielding said one lateral half of said rotor toward a position shielding at least the forward portion of the other lateral half of said rotor, said windshield assembly also including a balancer vane extending along and disposed outward of said wind-shielding portion generally opposite said excess wind controlling vane means, said windshield assembly and balancer vane including means mounting said balancer vane from said windshield assembly for adjustable shifting relative thereto between positions enabling said balancer vane to develop more or less rotary torque on said windshield assembly responsive to wind incident on said balancer vane and windshield assembly, and wherein said windshield assembly includes upper and lower journal bearing means as well as lower roller means journalled for rotation about axes extending generally radially of the axis of angular displacement of said windshield assembly, said roller means being rollingly engaged with upwardly facing track means mounted from said support means, wherein said support means includes upper roller means supported therefrom for rotation about axes generally paralleling the axis of angular displacement of said windshield assembly and rollingly engaged with an upper annular portion of said windshield assembly.