Patent ID: 7855468

Claim:
A device for converting the natural flow of a motive fluid, such as air or ocean or river current or the movement of ocean waves, to rotational mechanical motion useful for power generation, comprising; (A) a motive fluid capturing means; (B) a plurality of said motive fluid capturing means attached to the periphery of a circular hub by an equal plurality of cooperating hinged connection means and motion limiting means; wherein the motion limiting means comprises; (i) a structural component having a cross section in the form of an “L” fabricated of metal, plastic, composite material or other material suitable to withstand the corrosive effects of the motive fluid and structural strength to resist the stresses imposed upon it by the motive fluid; (ii) said structural component having lengths of arms of the “L” much greater than the thickness of said cross section; (iii) the structural component being sandwiched between the other hinge leaf and the circular hub and is attached to the circular hub by a plurality of fasteners through said other hinge leaf and one arm of the structural component; (iii) thereby restricting the motion of the blade to within the 90 degree arc formed by said arms of the structural component; (C) said circular hub being constructed of a material with sufficient strength, diameter and length to support the weight and torque of the motive fluid capturing means, said hinged connection means and said motion limiting means when it is rotating under the influence of said motive fluid; (D) the motion of each of the motive fluid capturing means being restricted by the motion limiting means to within the 90 degree angle formed by the tangent and perpendicular lines drawn at the points where each of the motive fluid capturing means are attached to the circular hub; (E) the circular hub having a shaft passing through the center of it from one end to the other end, said shaft with a diameter and length sufficient to support the weight and torque of the circular hub when it is rotating under the influence of the motive fluid; (F) the shaft supported by a plurality of bearings to permit the shaft and circular hub to rotate with minimal frictional resistance; (G) a power transmission means connected to the shaft to transfer the rotational movement of the shaft to a power generation means; (H) the hinged connection means, fluid capturing means and motion limiting means cooperating so that the rotational direction of the circular hub is always the same regardless of the direction of approach of the motive fluid; and (I) a support means upon which the circular hub, the shaft, the plurality of bearings, said power transmission means, and said power generation means are mounted, whereby said support means has the strength to support the weight of the circular hub, the shaft, the plurality of bearings, the power transmission means, and the power generation means, and to resist the torque produced when the circular hub is rotating under the influence of the motive fluid.