US 2014/0271156 A1 · Apparatus for converting wind into circular mechanical motion

Abstract

Pocket and cup sails formed from flexible materials, especially such sails formed with excess material, have spar like supports attached at their deepest point to maintain the depth of the said sails when the wind fills them so that the sails expand to maximize resistance to the wind coming into the openings of the sails and so that the sails deflate when the wind is coming from the back of the sails to minimize resistance to the wind, the said sails being attached to rotor arms on rotary devices to provide torque, the torque being used to rotate decorative structures including the sails themselves, generate electricity, bring airplane tires up to speed before landing, and/or measure wind speed, and sails optionally having cuffs on the inside to help the sails inflate and/or maintain inflation by minimizing spillage of air.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A structure for use in converting wind energy into rotational mechanical energy comprising a sail formed from flexible material which is either

A. in the form of a pocket-like sail created by a portion of the edge of the sail defining the bottom of the pocket being attached to a rotary solid structure near said rotary solid structure's outer rim and having a spar-like structure at the open edge of the sail being attached to said rotary solid structure and to the center of the open edge of the sail to create and maintain a pocket-like structure when wind fills the said sail structure;
or
B. a cup-like sail structure attached to at least one radial spoke mounted on a vertical rotatable axis, said cup-like sail structure having a central spar attached to said radial spoke at or near its outer end and going out from said radial spoke to the interior of the cup-like sail at its greatest depth where it is attached to said sail and one or more additional spars attached to said radial spoke in a plane roughly perpendicular to both the line from the said radial spoke to the greatest depth of the said cup-like sail and to the direction of the wind and said sail being attached to said spars, either alone or also to the said radial spoke to help define the opening of said sail.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus for converting wind into circular mechanical motion

Life of this patent

Apparatus for converting wind into circular mechanical motion

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20