Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Field of the Invention 
     This is a method to generate electric power using the power of wind. This will enable utilities and municipalities to produce renewable, clean energy with very little human involvement and very little investment in terms of capital expenditure. The device will produce renewable, clean energy that will also be environmentally friendly. 
     B. Prior Art 
     There are many other types of devices that serve to catch the wind to generate power. Many of these references are wind turbine devices such as Grabau, U.S. Pat. No. 7,994,652 that generate power as the wind moves a blade or series of blades. In this application the wind is captured by a chute system and power generated as the chute moves away from the tower by catching the wind in the chute. 
     An example in the prior art of a wind catchment device can be found at Saiz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,402, which is a series of chutes plates between two masts that catch the wind and move a generator as the chutes move along a track between the masts. One of the principal disadvantages of this type of system is the cost involved and there is no method to capture the wind if the direction of the wind changes. 
     With this application the wind can be captured because the top portion or platform will be allowed to rotate in order to increase efficiency and maximize the generation of electricity. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One of the challenges of producing power from wind is that the wind is not always constant. In fact there are times when there is no wind and times when there are extremes in wind. In order to address this issue this device is designed permit the maximum generation of power from wind while at the same time being extremely hands free in terms of human involvement. 
     A tower that houses the electrical generating means is installed in the ground. With this application more than one tower may be contemplated. The tower will extend a predetermined height above the ground and will be used to support a wind sock or wind chute that will float away from the tower when the wind fills the interior of the chute. 
     On the top of the tower will be a series of pulleys or winches. 
     A first pulley will support a cable that will be attached to the interior of the wind chute. This first pulley will allow the cable to extend a predetermined distance from the tower and then a stop will be employed to prevent the cable from extending any further from the tower. 
     A second pulley will support a second cable that will be attached at one end to a means to generate electricity and at the other end to a ring that is connected to the wind chute. The end of the cable that is attached to the means to generate electricity will be allowed to extend a greater distance than the cable for the first pulley. 
     The cable that rides over the first pulley will allow the wind chute to travel away from the tower to a predetermined point. Once at that predetermined point the cable that is associated with the first pulley will prevent the chute from moving further away from the tower. 
     The cable that uses the second pulley is attached to the electrical generating means at one end and to a ring on the chute at the other. A plurality of cables from the ring to the chute will be provided in order to provide support for the ring and chute and to address the relatively strong forces that may be encountered by the chute. 
     As the wind forces the chute away from the tower, it will come to a point that will stop the movement of the chute away from the tower. The second cable will continue to move away from the tower and will eventually invert the position of the wind chute. At this point in time computer software will retrieve the chute or bring it back to the tower after the chute has been inverted. 
     Additionally the top of the platform will rotate so that the chute is positioned such that the chute maintains the best position to capture the greatest wind. 
     Once the chute is back at the tower, the two cables will force the chute to open in its normal configuration as it fills up with wind. Once again the movement backward or away from the tower will rotate the electrical generating means that is contained within the tower. Because the power that is required to reposition the chute in the inverted position is less than the power that is generated when the chute is moving away from the tower, there will be a net energy gain. 
     Depending on the amount of power that is required will dictate the size of chute. Additionally, because of varying wind conditions, the chute must be made from material and sized to prevent damage to the chute and any other pieces of equipment that are associated with this device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of the device. 
         FIG. 2  is a depiction of the chute as it is being deployed and moving away from the tower. 
         FIG. 3  is a depiction of the chute as it becomes inverted. 
         FIG. 4  is a depiction of the chute being retrieved with the chute in the inverted position. 
         FIG. 5  is a depiction of the chute as it being opened by the wind and moving away from the tower. 
     
    
    
     NUMBERING REFERENCES 
     
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                  5 
                 Device 
               
               
                  7 
                 Weight 
               
               
                 10  
                 Tower 
               
               
                 15  
                 Wind chute 
               
               
                 20  
                 Cable Ring 
               
               
                 21  
                 Support Cables for the Ring 
               
               
                 22  
                 Ring to Chute Cables 
               
               
                 25  
                 First Pulley 
               
               
                 30  
                 Second pulley 
               
               
                 35  
                 Second Cable 
               
               
                 40  
                 First Cable 
               
               
                 45  
                 Rigid reinforcing surface 
               
               
                 50  
                 Means to generate electricity 
               
               
                 55  
                 Winch 
               
               
                 60  
                 Software 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The wind chute  15  is mounted on a tall tower or mast  10 . Within the tower will be a means to generate electricity  50 . 
     As the wind travels past the tower, it will inflate the chute  15  and force the chute to move away form the tower  10 . The chute  5  is drawn out by wind power, and with sufficient wind, can become essentially perpendicular to the mast  10  such as depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
     On the top of the tower  10  are two pulleys—a first pulley  25  and a second pulley  30  with associated cables, a first cable  40  and second cable  35 . Both pulleys are allowed to freely rotate. 
     The second pulley  30  supports the second cable  35 , which is connected to the means to generate electricity  50  that is located in the tower  10  at the first end and to the cable ring  20  at the second end. As the chute  15  fills with air the chute will move away from the tower  10  and the cable will deploy the electrical generating means  50  that is contained within the tower  10 . 
     At the same time as the chute is moving away from the tower, the first cable  40  is also moving over the first pulley  25 . The first cable  40  is attached at the first end to the interior of the chute and at the second end to a winch  55  in the tower  10 . At a predetermined position the first cable  40  will stop its movement away from the tower  10 . The second cable  35  will continue to move away from the tower  10 . 
     The exact point at which the first cable  40  will stop its movement will be determined by the forces of the tower that are created by the chute as it moves away from the tower  10 . Because the force of the wind will vary, software that will detect the force of the wind and will control the winch  55  to determine the stopping point for the first cable. 
     As a means to reinforce the chute and to insure that the chute will maintain its shape a rigid member  45  on a section of the top of the chute  15  will be provided. Additionally, ring to chute cables  22  and support cables for the ring  21  will also be provided. The first cable  40  passes through the center of the cable ring  20  and this will insure that the cables do not get tangled and the cables maintain the appropriate alignment relative to each other. 
     Once the first cable  40  stops moving, the second cable  35  will continue to move away from the tower  10  and this will force the chute to invert such as depicted in  FIG. 3 . Once the chute is inverted the chute is retracted so that it is again in close proximity to the tower  10 . 
     Software  60  will be used to control when the first cable  40  stops and also when the chute  15  is retracted. The software  60  is designed so that the operation of this device both in terms of the position of the chute and the point at which the chute is retracted is hands free and can be operated remotely. 
     The power that is required to pull the chute when inverted is less that trying to retrieve the chute when it is filled with air and subjected to the forces of the wind, thus creating a net gain of electrical power generation. 
     Once the inverted chute is positioned in close proximity to the tower  10  the chute  15  is again allowed to fill with air and move away from the tower  10 . 
     Because the wind speed will vary from day to day or even hour to hour software  60  will be used to determine the ideal stopping point for the first cable  40 . The other challenge with wind is the wind may change direction and it is important to align the chute downwind of any wind. The top section  65  of this device will be allowed to rotate so that it may capture the maximum amount of wind. The direction of the wind will not determine the stopping point of the first cable as the stopping point is largely a function of the speed of the wind and the resultant force on the chute  15 . 
     More that one chute and set of pulleys and winches may be attached to the mast so that there may be two chutes operational from one mast. Appropriate design considerations must be considered in order to prevent damage to the tower and the chute. 
     The process of generating electricity will also include battery storage for power or it may provide for direction connection to the grid. 
     In the event of no wind, the chute  15  will drape down and approximately twenty-five percent (25%) of the top surface of the chute  15  will be reinforced with the rigid reinforcing member  45 . A weight  7  at the bottom across from the rigid member  45  will also help hold it open so that it will always be ready to inflate under the appropriate wind conditions. 
     While the embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, certain modifications may be made by those skilled in the art to modify the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Technology Category: 4