Patent ID: 7605491

Claim:
An apparatus for generating electric power from wind energy, comprising: a base; a blade unit including an upright rod extending vertically along a pivot axis and having a lower end disposed pivotally in said base, and an upper end, and a plurality of upright blades connected fixedly to the upright rod such that said blade unit is rotatable relative to said base about the pivot axis so as to convert wind energy into a mechanical rotary power output; a generator disposed in said base and coupled to said lower end of said upright rod of said blade unit to convert the mechanical rotary power output into electric power; and a wind-collecting cover mounted pivotally on said base for covering said blade unit such that said wind-collecting cover is rotatable relative to said base about the pivot axis, said wind-collecting cover being configured with an inner space, and having a first end portion formed with a wind inlet in spatial communication with said inner space, and a second end portion opposite to said first end portion in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis and formed with a wind outlet in spatial communication with said inner space and having a size smaller than that of said wind inlet in said first end portion; wherein said wind-collecting cover rotates in response to blowing of wind thereto so that the wind flows into said inner space in said wind-collecting cover via said wind inlet to drive rotation of said blade unit and out of said inner space in said wind-collecting cover via said wind outlet, and wherein said wind-collecting cover further has an intermediate portion interconnecting said first and second end portions, and a width that decreases gradually from said intermediate portion toward said first and second end portions.