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A wind turbine has a rotor with at least one blade which has an aileron which is adjusted by an actuator. A hinge has two portions, one for mounting a stationary hinge arm to the blade, the other for coupling to the aileron actuator. Several types of hinges can be used, along with different actuator

A wind turbine has a rotor with at least one blade which has an aileron which is adjusted by an actuator. A hinge has two portions, one for mounting a stationary hinge arm to the blade, the other for coupling to the aileron actuator. Several types of hinges can be used, along with different actuators. The aileron is designed so that it has a constant chord with a number of identical sub-assemblies. The leading edge of the aileron has at least one curved portion so that the aileron does not vent over a certain range of angles, but vents if the position is outside the range. A cyclic actuator can be mounted to the aileron to adjust the position periodically. Generally, the aileron will be adjusted over a range related to the rotational position of the blade. A method for operating the cyclic assembly is also described.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A wind turbine comprising: a rotor with at least one elongated blade with leading and trailing edges; an aileron pivotally mounted to the trailing edge of said blade; a hinge arm rigidly connected to the blade; an actuator assembly connected to the blade, said actuator assembly having a mov

1. A wind turbine comprising: a rotor with at least one elongated blade with leading and trailing edges; an aileron pivotally mounted to the trailing edge of said blade; a hinge arm rigidly connected to the blade; an actuator assembly connected to the blade, said actuator assembly having a movable actuator arm for adjusting the angular position of the aileron, without translation, relative to said blade; and at least one hinge body rigidly mounted to the aileron for coupling said aileron to said blade; means for pivotally connecting said hinge arm to said hinge body; and means for connecting one end of the actuator arm to said hinge body. 2. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said hinge body has two side walls and a cavity, and wherein each of said connecting means includes a trunnion extending from one side wall to another side wall. 3. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said hinge body has two side walls and a central wall defining two cavities, wherein each of said connecting means includes a trunnion, each extending from the central wall to a different side wall. 4. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said hinge body comprises a plate and includes two trunnions, each mounted to the same side of the plate. 5. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said actuator assembly is a linear actuator. 6. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein the actuator assembly comprises: an actuator linkage extending lengthwise along a portion of said blade; and an aileron linkage coupled to said hinge, said aileron linkage and said actuator linkage approximately perpendicular to each other. 7. The wind turbine of claim 6, wherein said blade has a substantially flat lower surface approximately planar over the length of said aileron, said aileron being pivotable via said hinge body about an axis parallel to the length of said blade and substantially parallel to the plane of the lower surface, further comprising a bell crank lying in a plane parallel to said lower surface pivotally mounted to said blade for rotation on an axis perpendicular to the plane of said lower surface, and coupled to said actuator linkage and said aileron linkage. 8. The wind turbine of claim 6 wherein said hinge comprises a plate mounted to said aileron, and wherein each of said connecting means includes a trunnion mounted to the same side of the plate. 9. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said actuator assembly comprises a threaded shaft coupled to said blade and to said hinge. 10. The wind turbine of claim 9 wherein said actuator assembly further comprises a block with a threaded bore which is coupled to said hinge, said threaded shaft turning within said threaded bore. 11. The wind turbine of claim 9 wherein said threaded shaft is coupled to a rotational drive mechanism mounted to said blade. 12. The wind turbine of claim 9 wherein said hinge has two side walls and a cavity, and wherein each of said connecting means includes a trunnion extending from one side wall to another side wall. 13. The wind turbine of claim 9 wherein said hinge has two side walls and a central wall defining two cavities, wherein each of said connecting means includes a trunnion, each extending from the central wall to a different side wall. 14. The wind turbine of claim 1 wherein said actuator assembly is pivotally mounted external to the blade. 15. A wind turbine comprising: a rotor having at least one blade with a leading edge and a trailing edge; an aileron mounted to said blade for rotation, without translation, about a hinge axis, said hinge axis located between top and bottom surfaces of said aileron, said aileron having a leading edge facing the trailing edge of the outer portion of the rotor blade, said leading edge of the aileron having at least one portion extending over substantially the entire length of the aileron which mates with a mating portion of said blade in a manner such that the aileron vents air from one said of said blade to an opposite side of said blade when said aileron is rotated to angular positions beyond a range of angular positions, thereby reducing the blade's coefficient of lift, and said aileron does not vent air when actuated to angular positions within said range of angular positions. 16. The wind turbine of claim 15 wherein said aileron has two curved portions in the leading edge, one near the top surface of the aileron and one near the bottom surface, the center of curvature for each curved portion lying on the hinge axis, both curved portions extending substantially the entire length of the aileron, said curved portions having different radii of curvature. 17. The wind turbine of claim 16 wherein the curved portion having the greater radius of curvature subtends an arc of about 15°. 18. The wind turbine of claim 15 wherein said aileron has two arc portions, each of which mates with a corresponding mating portion of the blade, said arc portions designed so that each arc portion separates from said mating portions when said aileron is actuated to an angle outside said range of angles. 19. A wind turbine comprising: a rotor having at least one blade, said rotor rotating at a frequency; an aileron mounted to the blade for rotation, without translation, about a hinge axis; a cyclic actuator coupled to the blade and the aileron for cyclically adjusting the angular position of said aileron, relative to said blade, at the same frequency as the rotation of the rotor. 20. The wind turbine of claim 19 wherein said cyclic actuator comprises an actuator arm coupled to the aileron and to an eccentric drive mechanism which is coupled to the blade. 21. The wind turbine of claim 19 wherein said cyclic actuator comprises a reciprocal driving mechanism. 22. The wind turbine of claim 21 wherein said reciprocal mechanism comprises a wheel which is coupled to a motor for driving the wheel at the same frequency as the rotor. 23. The wind turbine of claim 21 wherein said cyclic actuator further comprises a threaded screw coupled to said reciprocal driving mechanism. 24. The wind turbine of claim 23 wherein said cyclic actuator further comprises a nut coupled to the aileron, said nut having a threaded bore, said threaded shaft turning within said threaded bore. 25. The wind turbine of claim 19 wherein said cyclic actuator comprises a motor for cyclically adjusting the angular position of said aileron. 26. The wind turbine of claim 19 wherein said rotor has a second blade positioned 180° opposite from said one blade, further comprising: a second aileron mounted to said second blade for rotation, without translation, about a hinge axis; and a second cyclic actuator coupled to said second blade and said second aileron for continuously adjusting the angular position of said second aileron, relative to said second blade, at the same frequency as the rotation of the rotor. 27. The wind turbine of claim 26 wherein said cyclic actuator and said second cyclic actuator adjust said aileron and said second aileron, respectively, to equal angular positions when the blades are at rotational angles of 90° and 270° with respect to the vertical position. 28. The wind turbine of claim 26 wherein said cyclic actuator and said second cyclic actuator adjust said aileron and said second aileron, respectively, to angular positions having values which are furthest apart when the blades are at rotational angles of 0° and 180° with respect to the vertical position. 29. A method for operating a wind turbine, said turbine having a rotor with at least one blade, an aileron being pivotally mounted to the blade and actuable by a cyclic actuator which changes the angular position of the aileron, relative to said blade, continuously with respect to the azimuthal position of the blade, said method comprising: with a controller, i) measuring the azimuthal position of said blade; ii) causing adjustment of the cyclic actuator to a position based upon said azimuthal position; and iii) causing said cyclic actuator to adjust the angular position of the aileron as the rotor rotates. 30. The method of claim 29 wherein causing adjustment of said cyclic actuator comprises activating a motor coupled to said cyclic actuator. 31. The method of claim 29 further comprising: with said controller, monitoring loading on the blade; and continuing or terminating cyclic actuation based upon the monitored loading. 32. The method of claim 29 wherein said rotor comprises a second blade which has a second aileron which is actuated by a second cyclic actuator, said method further comprising actuating said second cyclic actuator to adjust the position of said second aileron with a predetermined phase relationship. 33. A method for controlling a wind turbine having a rotor with a blade, an aileron pivotally coupled to said blade, and an actuator assembly for adjusting the angular position of the aileron relative to the blade, said rotor rotating under the influence of wind blowing at a wind speed, said method comprising the steps: i) defining a first regime comprising wind speeds less than or equal to a lower threshold wind speed; ii) defining a second regime comprising wind speeds greater than or equal to an upper threshold wind speed, said upper threshold wind speed being greater than said lower threshold wind speed; iii) actuating said aileron to a lower bound angular position when said wind turbine is rotating under the influence of wind blowing at a wind speed which is within said first regime; and iv) actuating said aileron to an upper bound angular position when said wind turbine is rotating under the influence of wind blowing at a wind speed which is within said second regime. 34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the steps of defining a third regime, said third regime comprising wind speeds between said lower threshold wind speed and said upper threshold wind speed; and actuating said aileron to angular positions between said lower bound angular position and said upper bound angular position when said wind turbine is rotating under the influence of wind blowing at a wind speed which is within said third regime. 35. The method of claim 33 wherein said lower bound angle is about 0° and said upper bond angle has an absolute value of about 15°.