Patent ID: 8294336

Claim:
A windmill apparatus configured to handle small scale wind flow, comprising: a rotatable portion including: a shaft, a fan housing having an open interior and circumscribing the shaft, a plurality of fan blades each mounted on the fan housing, and a first plurality of permanent magnets each attached to the fan housing and having a direction of magnetization and poles, wherein the poles of the first plurality of permanent magnets face inward in a radial direction and alternate with each successive of the first plurality of permanent magnets; a stationary portion including: a housing for rotatably supporting the shaft, an electromagnetic generator means attached to the housing and rotatably connected to the shaft, wherein the electromagnetic generator means provides a first electrical output as the shaft is rotated, a stationary disc attached to the fan housing, a plurality of piezoelectric bimorphs attached to the disc, and a second plurality of permanent magnets each attached to a corresponding one of the plurality of piezoelectric bimorphs and having a direction of magnetization and poles, wherein the poles of the second plurality of permanent magnets face outward in a radial direction and alternate with each successive of the second plurality of permanent magnets, and wherein the second plurality of permanent magnets are in radial alignment with the first plurality of permanent magnets such that the plurality of piezoelectric bimorphs provide a second electrical output resulting from oscillations in the plurality of piezoelectric bimorphs as the fan housing is rotated and the second plurality of permanent magnets magnetically interact with the first plurality of permanent magnets; a first circuitry for combining the first electrical output and the second electrical output; and a second circuitry for providing the combined electrical output.