Surge-accepting accumulator transmission for windmills and the like

A wind-driven generator comprising

• a wind-responsive rotor mounted on a rotor shaft,
• an electrical generator,
• structural means to support the rotor shaft and generator in secured position,
• a speed-increasing transmission mounted on said structural support means coupled between the rotor shaft and the generator, said transmission being of the type having input gear means coupled to the rotor shaft and two differential output gear means, the first of which is coupled to the generator, and
• means, coupled in torque-communicating relation with the second of said output gear means, to accumulate energy as exerts and maintains on said output gear means a reactive torque increasing with the rotation of said second output gear means caused by increase of power delivered by the rotor,
• whereby after the rotor has reached a selected design operating condition at which said second output gear means has so rotated as to be balanced by such reactive torque, and thereby to cause all rotor power to be normally delivered to the generator, fluctuations of rotor shaft torque, opposed by such reactive torque, will cause or permit rotation of such second output gear means in such sense as to smooth the delivery of power to the generator.

A wind-driven electric generator comprising

• an electrical generator,
• a wind-responsive rotor having a rotor shaft,
• structural means to support said rotor shaft in secured position,
• a speed-increasing transmission having a transmission case, an output shaft coupled to the rotor shaft, and an output shaft,
• the transmission case being mounted and supported for rotation about the transmission input shaft,
• whereby its rotation may serve as a differential output of said transmission,
• an electrical generator fixably mounted onto said transmission case, whereby to rotate therewith, and having a generator input shaft coupled to the output shaft of the transmission, and
• means, coupled in torque-communicating relation with the transmission case so rotatably mounted, to accumulate such energy as exerts and maintains on said transmission case a reactive torque increasing with its rotation in that sense caused by increase of power delivered by the rotor and decreasing in the opposite sense.