Conversion of wind energy to mechanical energy

Claim 2

Apparatus for converting wind motion to mechanical motion comprising an endless track means defining an endless path, carriage means on said track means, said carriage means including a traction wheel in operative engagement with the track means whereby the carriage means can be propelled about the endless path, omnidirectional windmill means carried by the carriage means, means drivingly connecting the windmill means to the traction wheel, and an energy transducer driven by movement of the carriage means about its endless path.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1, wherein said track means is circular about a central axis normal to the plane of the circular track means, an axle coaxial with said axis, and a radius arm having its opposite ends connected to the axle and to the carriage for angular movement about the axis.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2, including means mounting the axle for nutation movement about a vertical axis, and means mounting the track means on the axle for maintaining the axle and track means mutually perpendicular while also preventing rotation of the track means about the vertical axis, the arrangement of the recited means and the distribution of the masses of the movable parts thereof being such that the axle tends gravitationally to be inclined toward the position of the carriage means.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 3, including a fixed and horizontal circular support base disposed below and engaged by the track means for supporting the track means and for limiting the inclination of the axle to the vertical.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 4, wherein said transducer means is disposed at a position about the circular extent of the track means, and wherein said transducer means is responsive to vertical motion of such position of the track means.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 1, including potential energy storage means, and said transducer means being operatively coupled to the storage means whereby the energy input to the transducer means effected by movement of the carriage means about track means is transferred to and stored by the storage means.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 6, wherein said transducer means comprises a water pump, and wherein said storage means comprises upper and lower water reservoirs with said water pump being operatively interposed between said reservoirs.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 7, wherein the upper water reservoir is adapted to be stocked with fish to constitute a fish farm.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 8, wherein means response to operation of the pump is provided for aerating the water of the upper water reservoir whereby oxygen is introduced for enhancement of aquadic life in the upper reservoir.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 7, including means for conducting water from the upper to the lower reservoir, a second energy transducer driven by potential energy released on water being conducted from the upper to the lower reservoir, each of said reservoirs being adapted to constitute a fish farm, means operative on operation of the water pump to aerate the water of the upper reservoir, and means operative on water being conducted to the lower reservoir, to aerate water in the lower reservoir, the arrangement being such that the waters of the reservoir have oxygen introduced thereinto to enhance aquadic life therein.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 10, wherein said second transducer has an electrical energy output.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 4, wherein said transducer means comprises a plurality of individual transducers circumferentially spaced about the track means, with each of said transducers being responsive to derive their energy input from its vertical motion that accompanies nutation of the axle.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 12, wherein each of said transducers is a water pump that includes a vertically reciprocable pump rod.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 13, including upper and lower water reservoirs with all the water pumps arranged to pump water from the lower to the upper water reservoir, the arrangement being such that the operation of the water pumps are phased in time with respect to each other with each pump effecting a discharge on each cycle of nutation movement of the axle.