Patent ID: 7075191

Claim:
A power generation assembly for use in generating electrical power from air or water currents, comprising: a) a rail system; b) a vane assembly, having a frame and at least one vane configured to interact with said currents to produce a force: c) a car assembly, slidably mounted to the rail, including a first and second guide wheels and a longitudinal axis element running between the first and second guide wheels and a linkage portion coupled to the frame, the force being useable to move the car assembly with respect to the rail system; d) a power-take-off device operatively coupled to the car assembly, positioned intermediate the vane assembly and the rail system and located no farther away from the rail system toward the vane assembly than is the longitudinal axis element of the car, said power-take-off device being configured so that it rotates around the rail system; and e) a generating system having: i) a generator; and ii) at least one drive wheel operatively coupled to the generator, and engaged by the power-take-off device; the generator being driven when the power-take-off device moves with respect to the rail system, turning said drive wheel, a relationship of said drive wheel to said power-take-off device being that of a wheel being turned by a translating comparatively straighter element tangent to said wheel.