초록 ▼

Wind driven rotors are affixed along the length of a flexible power shaft, and the shaft is suspended at a great height above the earth by means of a swivel. The lowermost end of the shaft is connected to rotate a ground supported energy conversion device. The winds aloft impart rotational motion in

Wind driven rotors are affixed along the length of a flexible power shaft, and the shaft is suspended at a great height above the earth by means of a swivel. The lowermost end of the shaft is connected to rotate a ground supported energy conversion device. The winds aloft impart rotational motion into the wind rotors, whereupon the rotational energy of the shaft is converted into electrical power or other form of power by the conversion device. The swivel allows the rotating shaft to be affixed to a nonrotating suspension device. The suspension device is ground supported and includes a member having opposed ends anchored to the top of two towers or two spaced apart mountains, with the generator being placed therebetween.

대표청구항 ▼

Apparatus for harvesting energy from high velocity winds found at great heights above the ground, comprising: an elongated, relatively flexible drive shaft having opposed ends, a ground supported energy conversion device for generating power, a plurality of wind driven vertical axis rotors for drivi

Apparatus for harvesting energy from high velocity winds found at great heights above the ground, comprising: an elongated, relatively flexible drive shaft having opposed ends, a ground supported energy conversion device for generating power, a plurality of wind driven vertical axis rotors for driving said shaft, each of said rotors having a plurality of blades circumferentially spaced about the vertical axis thereof for imparting rotational motion into each of said rotors, a shaft swivel means, and an aerial support means by which said swivel means can be supported within the atmosphere at great height above-said energy conversion device; means connecting one end of said shaft to said energy conversion device such that rotation of said shaft operatively actuates said energy conversion device to thereby generate power; means connecting each of said rotors to said shaft with said shaft being connected through the central axis of each of said rotors, thereby enabling the blades of each of said rotors to rotate about the vertical axis thereof while rotating said shaft; means by which said shaft is supported from said aerial support means by said shaft swivel means such that each of said rotors impart relative rotational motion into said shaft respective to said aerial support means in response to the winds aloft blowing thereacross, said shaft being the sole means by which said wind driven vertical rotor rotors are supported from said aerial support means; said aerial support means includes an elongated suspension member having opposed ends which are anchored to spaced adjacent structure supported from the earth; said swivel means being supported by a midportion of said suspension member; said means connecting said rotors to said shaft includes a one-way clutch means which causes a relatively slow rotating one of said rotors to be disengaged from the shaft when the wind causes a relatively fast rotating one of said rotors to rotate said shaft at a rotational speed greater than the speed of said slow rotating one of said rotors.