Wind and water power generation device using a rail system
AssigneeEnvironmental Energy Systems, Inc.
InventorFred E. Davison
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power generation assembly for use in generating electrical power from air or water currents includes a rail system forming a loop, a vane assembly having a frame and at least one vane, and a car assembly slidably mounted to the rail, including a linkage portion coupled to the frame of the vane assembly and a power-take-off arrangement includes an element that is operatively coupled to the car assembly and a drive wheel coupled to a generator and configured to take power off the moving car assembly by the drive wheels being rotated by the passing power take off element.
Claims18
A power generation assembly for use in generating electrical power from air or water currents, comprising:
- a) a rail system;
- b) a vane assembly, having a frame and at least one vane configured to interact with said currents to produce a force:
- c) a car assembly, slidably mounted to the rail, including a first and second guide wheels and a longitudinal axis element running between the first and second guide wheels and a linkage portion coupled to the frame, the force being useable to move the car assembly with respect to the rail system;
- d) a power-take-off device operatively coupled to the car assembly, positioned intermediate the vane assembly and the rail system and located no farther away from the rail system toward the vane assembly than is the longitudinal axis element of the car, said power-take-off device being configured so that it rotates around the rail system;
- and
- e) a generating system having:
- i) a generator;
- and
- ii) at least one drive wheel operatively coupled to the generator, and engaged by the power-take-off device;
- the generator being driven when the power-take-off device moves with respect to the rail system, turning said drive wheel, a relationship of said drive wheel to said power-take-off device being that of a wheel being turned by a translating comparatively straighter element tangent to said wheel.
A power generation assembly configured for generating electrical power from at least one of wind and water currents, including:
- a) a rail system comprising a rail in a continuous loop;
- b) a vane assembly, having a frame and at least one vane configured to cooperate with said at least one of wind and water currents to produce force acting on the frame;
- c) a car assembly including a multiplicity of cars pivotably interconnected to form a continuous loop, said car assembly including a first and second guide wheels and a longitudinal axis element running between the first and second guide wheels, said car assembly being movably carried by the rail system and said car assembly being connected to said frame of the vane assembly whereby said force can be transferred to the car assembly and move it along the continuous loop;
- d) a power take off element operably connected with the car assembly, and being positioned intermediate the vane assembly and the rail system and located no farther away from the rail system toward the vane assembly than is the longitudinal axis element of the car assembly, the power take off element comprising a continuous loop which interacts with at least one drive wheel to transfer moving force from the car assembly through the power takeoff element and drive wheel to
- e) a generator, configured to generate electrical energy, said drive wheel being frictionally engaged with said power-take-off element so that as the power-take-off element translates past the drive wheel and the drive wheel rotates allowing transfer of energy from the car assembly to the generator, the assembly converting a portion of the energy of said currents into electrical energy.
A power generation assembly for use in generating electrical power from air or water currents, comprising:
- a) a rail system;
- b) a vane assembly, having a frame and at least one vane configured to interact with said currents to produce a force:
- c) a car assembly, slidably mounted to the rail, including a linkage portion coupled to the frame, the force being useable to move the car assembly with respect to the rail system;
- d) a power-take-off device operatively coupled to the car assembly, said power-take-off device being configured so that it rotates around the rail system;
- and
- e) a generating system having:
- i) a generator;
- and
- ii) at least one drive wheel operatively coupled to the generator, and engaged by the power-take-off device;
- the generator being driven when the power-take-off device moves with respect to the rail system, turning said drive wheel, and
- wherein the power-take-off device comprises a multiplicity of pivotably linked connector elements, each of which has a tongue at a first end and a groove at an opposite end, such that each power-take-off connector element can pivotally engage an adjacent power-take-off connector element in a tongue-and groove coupling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.