Vertical-axis wind turbine
| Title: | Vertical-axis wind turbine |
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| Patent Number: | 9,121,388 |
| Publication Date: | September 01, 2015 |
| Appl. No: | 13/810576 |
| Application Filed: | July 15, 2011 |
| Abstract: | Vertical-axis wind turbine composed of first and second independent coaxial rotors (1 and 2), which coincide in the horizontal position, when mounted on one and the same vertical shaft (35), with the ability to rotate in opposite directions. The first and second rotors (1 and 2) bear blades (10 to 13) and (20 to 23) which are articulated to said rotors on non-coinciding vertical shafts (16-26). The blades (10 to 13) and (20 to 23) have curved active surfaces directed, on each rotor, in the same direction but in the opposite direction from the blades of the other rotor. |
| Inventors: | Juan Andreu, Jose Manuel (Ciutadella de Menorca, ES) |
| Assignees: | DOBGIR, S.L. (Ciutadella de Menorca (Illes Balears), ES) |
| Claim: | 1. A vertical axis wind turbine which comprises first and second independent coaxial rotors mounted on the same vertical axis, with the ability to rotate in directions opposite to each other, the first and second rotors having blades articulated to those rotors, the blades having a curved active surface directed in the same direction for all the blades on each rotor but in a direction opposite to the blades of the other rotor, characterised in that the blades are articulated to the rotors on non-coinciding vertical axes in such a way that the area swept by the blades of the first rotor coincides at least partly with the area swept by the blades of the second rotor. |
| Claim: | 2. A wind turbine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the blades of the first rotor are articulated to the first rotor through articulation connections located at a greater height than that at which the connections through which the blades of the second rotor are articulated to the second rotor are located. |
| Claim: | 3. A wind turbine according to claim 2 , characterised in that the blades of the first rotor are articulated to the rotor through the upper extremity of the articulation axis for the blades, while the blades of the second rotor are articulated to the second rotor through the lower extremity of the articulation axis for those blades. |
| Claim: | 4. A wind turbine according to claim 1 or 2 , characterised in that the articulation connections mentioned through which the blades of the first and second rotors are articulated are located half-way up the blades. |
| Claim: | 5. A wind turbine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the first rotor comprises an upper annular support on which the articulation connection for the blades of the first rotor is located, and in that the second rotor comprises a lower annular support on which the articulation connection for the blades of the second rotor is located, the two annular supports being parallel and coaxial. |
| Claim: | 6. A wind turbine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the blades have a concave surface on one side and a convex surface on the opposite side. |
| Claim: | 7. A wind turbine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the blades are vertical axis cylindrical surfaces having the same curvature and are related to the articulation axis to the rotor through one of their straight vertical edges, these edges being opposite ones in the blades of one rotor and the other. |
| Claim: | 8. A wind turbine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the blades of one rotor and the other are located in coincident angular positions in the two rotors. |
| Claim: | 9. A wind turbine according to claim 1 , characterised in that the wind turbine has a sensor mechanism to fold the blades in when they are on the return path and to deploy them when their surfaces face the wind. |
| Patent References Cited: | 3920354 November 1975 Decker 4718821 January 1988 Clancy 2003/0161729 August 2003 Lindhorn 2009/0180878 July 2009 Alunni 2010/0129219 May 2010 Grewal 2010/0135803 June 2010 Grewal 2012/0148403 June 2012 Flaherty et al. 1 096 144 May 2001 280 117 June 1985 1 065 927 December 2007 2 295 258 July 1976 2 811 720 January 2002 2 913 254 September 2008 WO 2004/079186 September 2004 WO 2004/109097 December 2004 WO 2005/100782 October 2005 WO 2007/129049 November 2007 |
| Other References: | EP Search Report in Application 11806347.8, dated Jan. 9, 2015. cited by applicant |
| Assistant Examiner: | Brockman, Eldon |
| Primary Examiner: | Wiehe, Nathaniel |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | RatnerPrestia |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.09121388 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
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