Pivoted blade barrel rotor wind turbine

A wind turbine, comprising:

• airfoil means for deriving lift from wind moving therepast;
• support arm means for supporting said airfoil means for rotation about the axis of the wind turbine;
• airfoil pivot means for permitting said airfoil means to pivot with respect to said support arm means in response to said wind;
• aerodynamic airfoil orienting means for aerodynamically orienting associated ones of said airfoil means with respect to said wind;
• and
• deflecting means for alternately deflecting said airfoil orienting means to one side of the chords of their associated airfoil means and then to the other and causing said airfoil orienting means to dwell on both sides of the chords of their associated airfoil means, each of said deflecting means comprising toggle means, toggle cam means for operating said toggle means, and transition cam means for positively impelling said toggle means through transition points of said toggle cam means.

A wind turbine, comprising:

• airfoil means for deriving lift from wind moving therepast;
• support arm means for supporting said airfoil means for rotation about the axis of the wind turbine;
• airfoil pivot means for permitting said airfoil means to pivot with respect to said support arm means in response to said wind;
• aerodynamic airfoil orienting means for aerodynamically orienting associated ones of said airfoil means with respect to said wind;
• deflecting means for alternately deflecting said airfoil orienting means to one side of the chords of their associated airfoil means and then to the other and causing said airfoil orienting means to dwell on both sides of the chords of their associated airfoil means;
• and
• deflection limiting means for selectively limiting the angular extent of the deflections of said airfoil orienting means.

A wind turbine, comprising:

• airfoil means for deriving lift from wind moving therepast;
• support arm means for supporting said airfoil means for rotation about the axis of the wind turbine;
• airfoil pivot means for permitting said airfoil means to pivot with respect to said support arm means in response to said wind;
• aerodynamic airfoil orienting means for aerodynamically orienting associated ones of said airfoil means with respect to said wind;
• and
• deflecting means for alternately deflecting said airfoil orienting means to one side of the chords of their associated airfoil means and then to the other and causing said airfoil orienting means to dwell on both sides of the chords of their associated airfoil means, said airfoil orienting means being in transit between their two dwell positions for no more than 50% of the duration of each rotation of the turbine.

A wind turbine, comprising:

• airfoil means for deriving lift from wind moving therepast;
• support arm means for supporting said airfoil means for rotation about the axis of the wind turbine;
• airfoil pivot means for permitting said airfoil means to pivot with respect to said support arm means in response to said wind;
• aerodynamic airfoil orienting means for aerodynamically orienting associated ones of said airfoil means with respect to said wind;
• and
• deflecting means for alternately deflecting said airfoil orienting means to one side of the chords of their associated airfoil means and then to the other and causing said airfoil orienting means to dwell on both sides of the chords of their associated airfoil means, each of said deflecting means comprising a plate cam the profile of which includes first and second oppositely located circular portions of different radius, and further comprising rocker means and a pair of cam follower means mounted on said rocker means for following the profile of said plate cam as said plate cam is rotated and thus rocking said rocker means between two extreme positions and causing said rocker means to dwell in said extreme positions while said cam follower means traverse said circular portions.

A cam toggle mechanism for causing a toggle arm to reciprocate between a first dwell position and a second dwell position in response to the rotation of an input shaft, comprising:

• a face cam affixed to said input shaft for conjoint rotation therewith;
• a first cam track in a first face of said face cam, said first cam track including a cuspate portion, a non-singular, non-circular portion, and first and second circular portions located between said cuspate portion and said non-singular, non-circular portion;
• a second cam track in the second face of said face cam, said second cam track including a cuspate portion, a non-singular, non-circular portion, and first and second circular portions located between said cuspate portion and said non-singular, non-circular portion, the cusp of said cuspate portion of said second cam track being located on the opposite side of said input shaft from the cusp of said cuspate portion of said first cam track;
• first toggle bearing means located adjacent said first face of said face cam at a predetermined distance from the axis of said input shaft and so positioned and oriented that its pivot axis is parallel to the axis of said input shaft, said toggle arm being affixed to the journal of said first toggle bearing means for conjoint pivoting therewith;
• second toggle bearing means located adjacent said second face of said face cam and so positioned and oriented as to be coaxial with said first toggle bearing means;
• first cam follower support means located between said first toggle bearing means and said first face of said face cam and affixed to said journal of said first toggle bearing means for conjoint pivoting therewith;
• second cam follower support means located between said second toggle bearing means and said second face of said face cam and affixed to the journal of said second toggle bearing means;
• a first cam follower mounted on said first cam follower support means for following said first cam track and journalled in said first cam follower support means for rotation about its own axis;
• a second cam follower mounted on said second cam follower support means for following said second cam track and journalled in said second cam follower support means for rotation about its own axis, the axis of said second cam follower being coplanar with the axis of said first cam follower and with the common axis of said toggle bearing means;
• and
• yoke means for joining said first and second cam follower support means for conjoint pivoting about the common axis of said toggle bearing means;
• the adjacent circular portions of said first and second cam tracks being of equal radius and being offset from each other by an angle subtended at the axis of said face cam which is equal to the angle subtended at the axis of said face cam by the axes of said cam followers when said cam followers are both traversing circular portions of their associated cam tracks, the radial distance between each of said cusps and the adjacent portion of the other cam track being such that the axes of said cam followers are coplanar with the axis of said face cam when either of said cam followers is located at the cusp of its associated cam track, the cusp of said first cam track being located closer to the axis of said face cam than said non-singular, non-circular portion of said second cam track, and the cusp of said second cam track being located further from the axis of said face cam than said non-singular, non-circular portion of said first cam track.

A wind turbine, comprising:

• airfoil means for deriving lift from wind moving therepast;
• support arm means for supporting said airfoil means for rotation about the axis of the wind turbine;
• airfoil pivot means for permitting said airfoil means to pivot with respect to said support arm means in response to said wind;
• aerodynamic airfoil orienting means for aerodynamically orienting associated ones of said airfoil means with respect to said wind;
• cam toggle means for causing a toggle arm to rapidly angularly reciprocate between a first dwell position and a second dwell position in synchronism with the rotation of the wind turbine;
• pivotable mounting means for pivotably mounting said airfoil orienting means on said airfoil means;
• first lever means connected to said airfoil orienting means for pivoting therewith about the axis of said pivotable mounting means;
• second lever means located adjacent said first lever means and pivotable about the axis of said pivot means;
• wedge means affixed to the side of said first lever means adjacent said airfoil means;
• guide means affixed to said airfoil means adjacent said wedge means;
• carrier means slidable in said guide means parallel to the chord of said airfoil means;
• first and second stop means affixed to said carrier means and located on opposite sides of said wedge means;
• carrier positioning means for selectively positioning said carrier means along said guide means and thus selectively positioning said stop means along said wedge means and correspondingly limiting the maximum angular deflection of said first lever means;
• fork means affixed to said second lever means and engaging a projection on said toggle arm so that said second lever means reciprocates and dwells in synchronism with said toggle arm;
• and
• lost motion means coupling said first lever means to said second lever means and permitting said second lever means to reciprocate with said toggle arm when said stop means are so positioned with respect to said wedge means as to limit or completely prevent the deflection of said first lever means toward said dwell positions.

A cam toggle mechanism for causing a toggle arm to reciprocate between a first dwell position and a second dwell position in response to the rotation of an input shaft, comprising:

• a plate cam affixed to said input shaft for conjoint rotation therewith, the profile of said plate cam comprising a first circular arc of more than 100.degree. in angular extent and a second circular arc of smaller radius than the radius of said first circular arc and of more than 100.degree. in angular extent;
• a rocker member pivotably mounted for pivoting about an axis parallel to the axis of said input shaft;
• a first cam follower roller mounted on said rocker member for freely rotating about an axis parallel to the axis of said rocker member;
• a second cam follower roller mounted on said rocker member for freely rotating about an axis parallel to the axis of said rocker member;
• the periphery of said cam follower rollers being spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to the sum of the radii of said circular arcs;
• a toggle arm mounted on a shaft located closely adjacent a circular portion of the periphery of said rocker member;
• a first strap having a first end affixed to the periphery of said rocker member near one end of said circular portion thereof;
• a second strap having a first end affixed to the periphery of said rocker member near the other end of said circular portion thereof;
• fastening means for fastening the second end of said first strap and the second end of said second strap to the shaft on which said toggle arm is mounted;
• said cam follower rollers being so positioned as to remain in contact with the periphery of said plate cam, whereby said rocker member is rocked between two extreme positions and dwells in both of said extreme positions each time said input shaft is rotated through 360.degree.;
• and
• said first and second straps being tightly wrapped around the shaft on which said toggle arm is mounted, in opposite directions, whereby said toggle arm reciprocates between a first dwell position and a second dwell position and dwells in each of those dwell positions each time said input shaft is rotated through 360.degree..