Wind turbine generator

Claim 2

A wind-powered prime mover comprising a platform, a power shaft rotatably carried by the platform, a horizontal turn table rotatably supported atop the platform, a pair of elongate laterally spaced vertical columns projecting up from the turn table, a pair of elongate vertical rotors about and rotatably carried by the pair of columns and defining a vertically extending forwardly and rearwardly opening wind gate opening therebetween, a transmission means is engaged with and between the rotors and shaft and causes counter rotation of the rotors and rotation of the shaft when the rotors are drivingly turned, said rotors include a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending radially outwardly projecting vanes which are positioned so that the vanes of each rotor occur between adjacent pairs of vanes of the other rotor when the rotors turn and the vanes advance rearwardly through the wind gate opening, said vanes have curved trailing reactive surfaces curved radially outwardly and circumferentially in the direction of rotation of the rotors and disposed forwardly, laterally, inwardly and rearwardly as they advance laterally inwardly, rearwardly and laterally outward relative to the wind gate opening; and air flow control means comprising a pair of laterally spaced shrouds positioned about the outer portions of the pair of rotors, said shrouds have laterally inwardly opening recesses freely rotatably accommodating the outer portions of the rotors and vanes and have vertical forward edges that define the front of the wind gate opening, the pairs of shrouds have wind directing surfaces projecting forwardly and outward from said edges and which direct air laterally inwardly and rearwardly to said wind gate opening.

Claim 3

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 which further includes bearing means supporting the shrouds for pivotal movement about the rotors and shroud control means to pivot the shrouds to move the forward edges thereof laterally inwardly and outwardly relative to each other and to decrease and increase the lateral extent of the wind gate opening.

Claim 4

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 which further includes bearing means supporting the shrouds for pivotal movement about the rotors and shroud control means to pivot the shrouds to move the forward edges thereof laterally inwardly and outwardly relative to each other and to decrease and increase the lateral extent of the wind gate opening, and drive means to rotate the turn table to dispose the open front of the wind gate opening toward prevailing wind and including a driven part on the turn table, a drive part engaging the driven part and a reversible power drive means driving the drive part.

Claim 5

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 wherein said vanes of the rotors are circumferentially and longitudinally pitched so that the direction of wind impinging upon the trailing reactive surfaces thereof is made to flow longitudinally and radially thereacross as the vanes move through the wind gate opening.

Claim 6

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 wherein said vanes of the rotors are circumferentially and longitudinally pitched so that the direction of wind impinging upon the trailing reactive surfaces thereof is made to flow longitudinally and radially thereacross as the vanes move through the wind gate opening, and so that the leading end of each vane on each rotor moves into position between its related pair of adjacent vanes on the other rotor as the trailing end of the preceding vane on said other rotor moves out of position between its related pair of adjacent vanes on each of said rotors as the vanes advance through said wind gate opening.

Claim 7

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 wherein said vanes of the rotors are circumferentially and longitudinally pitched so that the direction of wind impinging upon the trailing reactive surfaces thereof is made to flow longitudinally and radially thereacross as the vanes move through the wind gate opening, and bearing means pivotally supporting the shrouds concentric with the rotors and shroud control means to pivot the shrouds to move the forward edges thereof laterally inwardly and outwardly relative to each other and to decrease and increase the lateral extent of the wind gate opening.

Claim 8

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 wherein said vanes of the rotors are circumferentially and longitudinally pitched so that the direction of wind impinging upon the trailing reactive surfaces thereof is made to flow longitudinally and radially thereacross as the vanes move through the wind gate opening, and so that the leading end of each vane on each rotor moves into position between its related pair of adjacent vanes on the other rotor as the trailing end of the preceding vane on said other rotor moves out of position between its related pair of adjacent vanes on each of said rotors, and bearing means pivotally supporting the shrouds concentric with the rotors and shroud control means to pivot the shrouds to move the forward edges thereof laterally inwardly and outwardly relative to each other to decrease and increase the lateral extent of the wind gate opening.

Claim 9

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 wherein said vanes of the rotors are circumferentially and longitudinally pitched so that the direction of wind impinging upon the trailing reactive surfaces thereof is made to flow longitudinally and radially thereacross as the vanes move through the wind gate opening, and bearing means pivotally supporting the shrouds concentric with the rotors and shroud control means to pivot the shrouds to move the forward edges thereof laterally inwardly and outwardly relative to each other and to decrease and increase the lateral extent of the wind gate opening, and drive means to rotate the turn table to dispose the open front of the wind gate opening toward prevailing wind and including an annular driven part on and concentric with the central axis of the turn table, a drive part engaging the driven part and a reversible power drive means driving drive part.

Claim 10

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 wherein said vanes of the rotors are circumferentially and longitudinally pitched so that the direction of wind impinging upon the trailing reactive surfaces thereof is made to flow longitudinally and radially thereacross as the vanes move through the wind gate opening, and so that the leading end of each vane on each rotor moves into position betweenits related pair of adjacent vanes on the other rotor as the trailing end of the preceding vane on said other rotor moves out of position between its related pair of adjacent vanes on each of said rotors, and bearing means pivotally supporting the shrouds concentric with the rotors and shroud control means to pivot the shrouds to move the forward edges thereof laterally inwardly and outwardly relative to each other to decrease and increase the lateral extent of the wind gate opening, and drive means to rotate the turn table to dispose the open front of the wind gate opening toward prevailing wind and including a driven wheel on and concentric with the turning axis of the turn table, a drive part engaging the driven part and a reversible power drive means driving the drive part.

Claim 11

A wind-powered prime mover comprising a pair of elongate laterally spaced rotatably supported vertical rotors defining a vertically extending wind gate opening with an open front disposed toward prevailing wind and an open rear opening in the direction of the wind, drive wheels on the rotors, a bearing supported power shaft spaced from the rotors, a driven part on the shaft, power transmission means engaged with and between the wheels and the shaft causing synchronized counter rotation of the rotors and turning of said shaft, each of said rotors has a plurality of elongate, longitudinally extending radially outwardly and circumferentially curved radially outwardly projecting vanes, the vanes on each rotor occur freely between adjacent pairs of rotors on the other rotor when the rotors counter rotate and the vanes advance rearwardly through said wind gate opening and so that the air of the wind moving into said wind gate opening moves into working engagement with the vanes advancing into and through said wind gate opening and slips radially outward from the vanes as the vanes advance from within the wind gate opening and so that air slipping from the vanes of each rotor within the wind gate opening is directed onto and works upon the vane on the other rotor which is in advance thereof before that vane is advanced out of the wind gate opening and wind gate control means defining the open front of the wind gate opening collecting and directing wind into said wind gate opening, said control means includes a pair of laterally spaced shrouds at the opposite outer sides of the pair of rotors, said shrouds have laterally inwardly opening recesses freely accommodating the outer portions of their related rotors and have forwardly and laterally inwardly disposed wind collecting surfaces.

Claim 12

A wind-powered prime mover comprising a pair of elongate laterally spaced rotatably supported vertical rotors defining a vertically extending wind gate opening with an open front disposed toward prevailing wind and an open rear opening in the direction of the wind, drive wheels on the rotors, a bearing supported power shaft spaced from the rotors, a driven part on the shaft, power transmission means engaged with and between the wheels and the shaft causing synchronized counter rotation of the rotors and turning of said shaft, each of said rotors has a plurality of elongate, longitudinally extending radially outwardly and circumferentially curved radially outwardly projecting vanes, the vanes on each rotor occur freely between adjacent pairs of rotors on the other rotor when the rotors counter rotate and the vanes advance rearwardly through said wind gate opening and so that the air of the wind moving into said wind gate opening moves into working engagement with the vanes advancing into and through said wind gate opening and slips radially outward from the vanes as the vanes advance from within the wind gate opening and so that air slipping from the vanes of each rotor within the wind gate opening is directed onto and works upon the vane on the other rotor which is in advance thereof before that vane is advanced out of the wind gate opening and wind gate control means defining the open front of the wind gate opening collecting and directing wind into said wind gate opening, said control means includes a pair of laterally spaced shrouds at the opposite outer sides of the pair of rotors, said shrouds have laterally inwardly opening recesses freely accommodating the outer portions of their related rotors and have forwardly and laterally inwardly disposed wind collecting surfaces.

Claim 13

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 10 wherein the vanes of the rotors have radially outwardly and circumferentially more acutely curved outer edge portions curved circumferentially in the direction of rotation of the rotors and leading the vanes into working reactive engagement with air of the wind advancing into and through the wind gate opening and inducing radial outward flow and slippage of air from the vanes before the vanes advance from within the wind gate opening and so that air slipping outward from the vanes of each rotor within the gate opening is directed to and reacts on the vane of the other rotor which next precedes it within the wind gate opening.

Claim 14

The wind-powered prime mover set forth in claim 1 wherein the columns have truck-like bases engaging the turn table and shiftable laterally relative to each other so that the columns and the rotors rotatably carried thereby are shiftable laterally relative to each other and to the turntable to selectively increase and decrease the extent to which the vanes of each rotor project between adjacent pairs of vanes of the other rotor when the rotors turn and to increase and decrease the wind throttling effect of the related pair of rotors and to adjust and set the speed of rotation of said rotors.