Wind-driven generator apparatus
AssigneeCarter Wind Power
InventorsJ. Warne Carter, Jr., J. Warne Carter, Sr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a wind-driven generator apparatus with variable pitch blades. The apparatus includes a yaw damping arrangement for resisting weathervaning rotation of a head assembly of the apparatus about a vertical axis and the apparatus further includes a pitch control mechanism for the blades which maintains the pitch substantially constant during normal operating r.p.m. of the blades but allows the blades to pitch up in an overspeed condition, and a brake mechanism for the generator shaft which includes an adjusting mechanism that compensates for wear in the brake.
Claims15
In wind-driven generator apparatus having a rotor blade adapted to change pitch from a given pitch configuration in response to an increase in rotational speed of the blade, said blade tending to return to the given configuration in response to a reduction in the rotational speed of the blade, the improvement comprising extendable and retractable damper means for damping the return of the blade to said given configuration, said damper means being fully retracted when said blade is in said given pitch configuration and constituting pitch stop means for arresting said blade in said given pitch configuration.
In wind-driven generator apparatus having a rotor blade with a pair of blade sections and adapted to change pitch in a predetermined direction by relative twisting of said pair of blade sections about a longitudinal twist axis of the blade in response to change in rotational speed of the blade, the improvement comprising means connected between said blade sections for resisting pitch changing of the blade in said direction until said blade sections have twisted relatively to a predetermined twist configuration of said blade and for then assisting such pitch changing when the blade sections twist relatively beyond said predetermined configuration.
In wind-driven generator apparatus having a rotor blade with a pair of blade sections, said blade having an initial cone angle and being capable of changing its cone angle in response to change in wind velocity, said blade being adapted to change pitch by relative movement of said blade sections in response to change in the rotational speed of the blade, the improvement comprising extendable and retractable damper means, and means connecting said damper means between said blade sections for changing the pitch of the blade in response to change in the cone angle of the blade.
In wind-driven generator apparatus having a rotor blade with an initial cone angle and capable of changing its cone angle in response to change in wind velocity, said blade having a pair of blade sections and being adapted to change pitch by relative twisting of said sections about a longitudinal twist axis of the blade, the improvement comprising means interconnecting said blade sections for causing the pitch of the blade to change by said relative twisting in response to change in the cone angle of the blade.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.