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US 4,551,631 AGranted
Wind and solar electric generating plant
OwnerGaetano T. Trigilioinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wind energy collection and conversion system includes a plurality of turbine assemblies. The turbine assemblies rotate on a common axis transverse of a base. A plurality of shutter assemblies are disposed in a circular orientation around each of said turbine assembly and are independently operable for causing wind current to be directed thereby for rotating said turbine assemblies. Five wall elements extend outwardly tangential to the periphery defined by the shutter assemblies and intercept the wind current and direct the wind currents toward the shutter assemblies. A roof covers the power plant and thereby increases the overall efficiency.
Claims18
A wind energy collection and conversion system, comprising:
- (a) a base having a periphery;
- (b) a turbine assembly rotatably supported on said base and said turbine assembly including a plurality of wind current engaging vanes so that wind current impinging on said vanes causes said turbine assembly to rotate;
- (c) generator means operably connected to said turbine assembly for generating electric power while said turbine assembly is rotating;
- (d) a plurality of support members spaced from said turbine assembly proximate said periphery and said support members extending upwardly generally from said base and generally parallel to the axis of rotation of said turbine assembly;
- (e) a plurality of shutter assemblies spaced from said turbine assembly, each of said shutter assemblies disposed between and adjacent two of said support members;
- (f) each of said shutter assemblies including a plurality of pivotal shutter means and the shutter means of a shutter assembly are mutually positionable between an open and a closed position for regulating the wind current flowing between the associated support members toward said turbine assembly;
- (g) pivot drive means operably interconnecting each shutter means of a shutter assembly for simultaneously pivoting the shutter means of a shutter assembly and for thereby mutually positioning the shutter means of a shutter assembly between the open and closed positions;
- (h) wind current direction sensing means;
- (i) control means operably associated with said wind current direction sensing means and with each of said pivot drive means for causing the shutter means of each shutter assembly to be selectively positioned between the open and closed positions based upon the direction of the wind current and for thereby regulating the speed of rotation of said turbine assembly;
- (j) a wall assembly outwardly extending a substantial distance from each of said support members for intercepting wind currents and for directing the wind currents generally towards an associated shutter assembly and said wall assemblies extending generally tangential to said periphery;
- and,
- (k) a roof assembly connected to an upper end portion of said wall assemblies and substantially spanning the distance between said wall assemblies so that wind currents intercepted by said wall assemblies are directed toward said shutter assemblies.
9 more elements
A wind energy collection and conversion system, comprising:
- (a) a generally circular base having a periphery;
- (b) a plurality of spaced parallel support elements disposed in longitudinally spaced parallel relation;
- (c) a plurality of turbine assemblies, each of said turbine assemblies rotatably supported by one of said support elements and each of said turbine assemblies including a plurality of wind current engaging vanes;
- (d) each of said turbine assemblies includes a cylindrical frame rotatable on an axis and said vanes depending generally radially outwardly from the periphery of said frame;
- (e) said turbine assemblies are rotatable on a common axis;
- (f) five equiangularly disposed upwardly extending support members depend from said base and each of said support members equiradially spaced from said common axis;
- (g) a plurality of shutter assemblies spaced from each of said turbine assemblies, each of said shutter assemblies disposed between and adjacent two of said support members;
- (h) each of said shutter assemblies including a plurality of pivotal shutter means and the shutter means of a shutter assembly are mutually positionable between an open and a closed position for regulating the wind current flowing between the associated support members towards the associate turbine assembly;
- (i) pivot drive means operably interconnecting each shutter means of a shutter assembly for simultaneously pivoting the shutter means of a shutter assembly and for thereby mutually positioning the shutter means of a shutter assembly between the open and closed positions;
- (j) wind current direction sensing means;
- (k) control means operably associated with said wind current direction sensing means and with each of said pivot drive means for causing the shutter means of each shutter assembly to be selectively positioned between the open and closed positions based upon the direction of the wind current and for thereby regulating the speed of each of said turbine assemblies;
- (l) a wall assembly outwardly depending from each of said support members a substantial distance and tangential to said periphery for intercepting wind currents and for directing the wind currents generally toward associated ones of said shutter means;
- (m) said wall assemblies have substantial height so that an upper portion thereof extends beyond an upper one of said turbine assemblies;
- (n) generator means operably associated with each of said turbine assemblies generating electric power upon rotation of an associated turbine assembly;
- and,
- (o) a roof assembly covering said turbine assemblies and said wall assemblies so that intercepted wind currents are directed by said shutter assemblies toward said vanes for thereby rotating said turbine assemblies.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.