Wind turbine

A wind turbine for generating power in response to a wind, comprising:

• a swivel head mounted to a wind turbine supporting structure for pivotal horizontal movement about an approximately vertical swivel axis;
• a rotor assembly mounted to the swivel head for pivotal tilting movement about an approximate horizontal axis between a substantial inclined angle having maximum wind exposure for low wind velocities and an insubstantial inclined angle having minimum wind exposure for high wind velocities;
• said rotor assembly having a rotor shaft mounted to the rotor assembly for rotation about a rotor shaft axis;
• said circular rotor area being downward of the vertical swivel axis when the rotor assembly is in the substantial inclined angle;
• said rotor assembly having at least one radial rotor blade operatively connected to the rotor shaft and extending radially outward from the shaft defining a circular rotor area as the blade rotates about the shaft axis;
• an airfoil tail section operatively connected to and spaced downwind from the rotor shaft axis for projecting into the wind to pivot the rotor assembly about the approximate vertical swivel axis in response to the direction of the wind to horizontally orient the rotor assembly into the wind;
• said rotor blade having an airfoil cross section with a negative angle of attack with respect to a plane perpendicular to the rotor shaft axis for rotating the rotor shaft in a prescribed rotational direction about the rotor shaft axis;
• wherein the horizontal pivot axis is spaced downwind from the vertical swivel axis to facilitate horizontal swivel movement of the rotor assembly about the vertical swivel axis as the direction of the wind changes to maintain the rotor assembly into the wind.

A wind turbine for generating power in response to a wind, comprising:

• a swivel head mounted to a wind turbine supporting structure for pivotal horizontal movement about an approximately vertical swivel axis;
• a rotor assembly mounted to the swivel head for pivotal tilting movement about an approximate horizontal axis between a substantial inclined angle having maximum wind exposure for low wind velocities and an insubstantial inclined angle having minimum wind exposure for high wind velocities;
• said rotor assembly having a rotor shaft mounted to the rotor assembly for rotation about a rotor shaft axis;
• said rotor assembly having at least one radial rotor blade operatively connected to the rotor shaft and extending radially outward from the shaft defining a circular rotor area as the blade rotates about the shaft axis;
• said circular rotor area being downwind of the vertical swivel axis when the assembly is in the substantial inclined angle;
• an airfoil tail section operatively connected to and spaced downwind from the rotor shaft axis for projecting into the wind to pivot the rotor assembly about the approximate vertical swivel axis in response to the direction of the wind to horizontally orient the rotor assembly into the wind;
• said rotor blade having an airfoil cross section with a negative angle of attack with respect to a plane perpendicular to the rotor shaft axis for rotating the rotor shaft in a prescribed rotational direction about the rotor shaft axis;
• wherein the rotor blade is operatively connected to the rotor shaft to rotate in a shallow conical path about the rotor axis facing the horizontal pivot axis to minimize overspeeding of the rotor assembly.