Vertical axis wind turbine with articulating rotor

A wind engine, comprising:

• a support structure;
• a rotor mounted on the support structure for rotational movement about a vertically extending rotational axis and pivotal movement about a horizontally extending pivotal axis, said rotor including a plurality of mounting portions that are disposed radially from the rotational axis in circumferentially spaced apart positions about the rotational axis, and said plurality of mounting portions including at least a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion;
• first rotor-powering means responsive to oncoming wind for causing the rotor to rotate about the rotational axis and pivot about the pivotal axis, said first rotor-powering means including a first airfoil element mounted on the first mounting portion of the rotor, said first airfoil element having a first longitudinally extending axis that extends through the first mounting portion of the rotor;
• and
• first pitch-varying means for varying a pitch of the first airfoil element according to variations in the alignment of the first airfoil element with the oncoming wind as the first airfoil element orbits the rotational axis, said first pitch-varying means including a first mechanical linkage that couples the first airfoil element to the support structure;
• wherein the first longitudinally extending axis of the first airfoil element extends vertically from the first mounting portion of the rotor;
• wherein the first airfoil element is adapted to cause the rotor to pivot on the pivotal axis as the first airfoil element orbits the rotational axis so that the first mounting portion of the rotor and the first airfoil element move upwardly and downwardly together according to variations in the alignment of the first airfoil element with the oncoming wind;
• wherein the first mechanical linkage is adapted to vary the pitch of the first airfoil element as the first airfoil element orbits the rotational axis in response to the first airfoil element moving upwardly and downwardly;
• and
• wherein the wind engine includes a counterbalancing weight mounted on the second mounting portion of the rotor.

A wind engine, comprising:

• a support structure;
• a rotor mounted on the support structure for rotational movement about a vertically extending rotational axis and pivotal movement about a horizontally extending pivotal axis, said rotor including first and second mounting portions disposed radially outward from the rotational axis in diametrically opposite positions relative to the rotational axis, and said rotor including a rotor axis that intersects the rotational axis and that passes through the first and second mounting portions;
• rotor-powering means responsive to oncoming wind for causing the rotor to rotate about the rotational axis and pivot about the pivotal axis, said rotor-powering means including first and second airfoil elements mounted on respective ones of the first and second mounting portions of the rotor, the first airfoil element including a first longitudinally extending axis that intersects the rotor axis at the first mounting portion of the rotor and the second airfoil element including a second longitudinally extending axis that intersects the rotor axis at the second mounting portion of the rotor;
• and
• pitch-varying means for varying a pitch of the first airfoil element and a pitch of the second airfoil element according to variations in the alignments of the first and second airfoil elements with the oncoming wind as the first and second airfoil element orbit the rotational axis, said pitch-varying means including first and second mechanical linkages coupling respective ones of the first and second airfoil elements to the support structure;
• wherein the first longitudinally extending axis of the first airfoil element extends vertically from the first mounting portion of the rotor and the second longitudinally extending axis of the second airfoil element extends vertically from the second mounting portion of the rotor;
• wherein the first and second airfoil elements are adapted to cause the rotor to pivot on the pivotal axis as the first and second airfoil elements orbit the rotational axis so that the first and second mounting portions of the rotor move upwardly and downwardly with the first and second airfoil elements according to variations in the alignments of the first and second airfoil elements with the oncoming wind;
• and
• wherein the first and second mechanical linkages are adapted to vary the pitch of the first airfoil element and the pitch of the second airfoil element in response to the first and second airfoil elements moving upwardly and downwardly as the first and second airfoils orbit the rotational axis.

A wind engine, comprising:

• a support structure;
• a rotor mounted on the support structure for rotational movement about a vertically extending rotational axis, said rotor including a plurality of mounting portions disposed radially outward from the rotational axis in circumferentially spaced apart positions about the rotational axis, said plurality of mounting portions including at least a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion;
• and
• rotor-powering means responsive to oncoming wind for causing the rotor to rotate about the rotational axis, including at least a first airfoil on the rotor having a first longitudinally extending axis and a second airfoil on the rotor having a second longitudinally extending axis;
• wherein the first airfoil is mounted on the first mounting portion of the rotor with the first longitudinally extending vertically and the second airfoil is mounted on the second mounting portion of the rotor with the second longitudinally extending axis extending vertically;
• wherein the rotor is mounted on the support structure in a manner enabling tilting movement of the rotor in response to wind-derived airfoil forces;
• and
• wherein the wind engine includes first pitch-varying means for varying a pitch of the first airfoil in response to tilting movement of the rotor and second pitch-varying means for varying a pitch of the second airfoil in response to tilting movement of the rotor.

A wind engine, comprising:

• a support structure;
• a rotor mounted on the support structure for rotational movement about a vertically extending rotational axis;
• and
• rotor-powering means responsive to oncoming wind for causing the rotor to rotate about the rotational axis, including at least a first airfoil on the rotor;
• wherein the rotor is mounted on the support structure in a manner enabling tilting movement of the rotor in response to wind-derived airfoil forces;
• wherein the wind engine includes pitch-varying means for varying a pitch of the first airfoil in response to tilting movement of the rotor;
• and
• wherein the rotor is mounted on the support structure with a gimbal assembly providing 360-degree articulation.

A wind engine, comprising:

• a support structure;
• a rotor mounted on the support structure for rotational movement about a vertically extending rotational axis;
• and
• rotor-powering means responsive to oncoming wind for causing the rotor to rotate about the rotational axis, including at least a first airfoil on the rotor;
• wherein the rotor is mounted on the support structure in a manner enabling tilting movement of the rotor in response to wind-derived airfoil forces;
• wherein the wind engine includes pitch-varying means for varying a pitch of the first airfoil in response to tilting movement of the rotor;
• and
• wherein the rotor-powering means includes at least three airfoils mounted on the rotor;
• said wind engine further comprising means for repositioning the airfoils relative to the rotor during periods of time in which the rotor is not rotating about the rotational axis in order to thereby lessen airfoil exposure to wind damage.