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US 4,410,806 AGranted
Control system for a vertical axis windmill
OwnerRobert V. Brulleinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerRobert V. Brulleinventor
Estimating the term…
A vertical axis windmill having a rotating structure is provided with a series of articulated vertical blades whose positions are controlled to maintain a constant RPM for the rotating structure, when wind speed is sufficient. A microprocessor controller is used to process information on wind speed, wind direction and RPM of the rotating structure to develop an electrical signal for establishing blade position. The preferred embodiment of the invention, when connected to a utility grid, is designed to generate 40 kilowatts of power when exposed to a 20 mile per hour wind. The control system for the windmill includes electrical blade actuators that modulate the blades of the rotating structure. Blade modulation controls the blade angle of attack, which in turn controls the RPM of the rotor. In the preferred embodiment, the microprocessor controller provides the operation logic and control functions. A wind speed sensor provides inputs to start or stop the windmill, and a wind direction sensor is used to keep the blade flip region at 90.degree. and 270.degree. to the wind. The control system is designed to maintain constant rotor RPM when wind speed is between 10 and 40 miles per hour.
In a windmill including a support means, a rotor assembly rotatably mounted to said support means, said rotor assembly including a plurality of blades movably mounted to said rotor assembly and rotatable therewith, the improvement comprising a control system for controlling the windmill operation, said control system including means for adjusting the angle of attack of said blades during rotation of the rotor assembly, a processor having memory associated with it, a plurality of different rock angle profiles stored in said memory, each of said rock angle profiles corresponding to a pattern of predetermined blade positions for an orbit of said blade based upon a particular available wind speed, and means for selecting the optimum rock angle profile based on the rotational speed of said rotor assembly, said processor providing an electrical signal output corresponding to said selected rock angle profile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.