초록 ▼

A wind turbine system includes a variable blade assembly including adjustable sails and wing shaped masts expanding the wind velocity capture envelope. The blade assembly turns a hydraulic pump, which pressurizes fluid and stores the pressurized fluid in a chamber in the support tower. Pressurized f

A wind turbine system includes a variable blade assembly including adjustable sails and wing shaped masts expanding the wind velocity capture envelope. The blade assembly turns a hydraulic pump, which pressurizes fluid and stores the pressurized fluid in a chamber in the support tower. Pressurized fluid is directed via an electronically controllable proportioning valve to a hydraulic motor which is coupled to an electric generator. A computer control module operates the proportioning valve regulating pressure to the hydraulic motor, maintaining generator rotational speed, and providing consistent output frequency to the power grid. Stored energy in the high pressure tank is used to continue generator operation after the winds cease, allowing early warning notification to the power management system of impending power loss. Residual pressure maintained in the high pressure tank allows restart operations via hydraulic pressure rather than power grid energy drain. On site high energy capacitors store additional energy.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A windmill assembly comprising: a blade assembly including a sail; a hydraulic pump coupled to said blade assembly; a storage tank coupled to said hydraulic pump for storing hydraulic fluid output by said pump under pressure; a hydraulic motor hydraulically coupled to said hy

What is claimed is: 1. A windmill assembly comprising: a blade assembly including a sail; a hydraulic pump coupled to said blade assembly; a storage tank coupled to said hydraulic pump for storing hydraulic fluid output by said pump under pressure; a hydraulic motor hydraulically coupled to said hydraulic pump; and a generator coupled to said hydraulic motor. 2. The windmill assembly of claim 1, wherein said blade assembly includes a plurality of retractable sails, said sail being one of said plurality of retractable sails. 3. The windmill assembly of claim 2, further comprising: a computer control module for controlling sail deployment as a function of wind speed. 4. The windmill assembly of claim 3, further comprising: a support tower, said blade assembly and hydraulic pump being located on said support tower. 5. The windmill assembly of claim 3, further comprising: a wind sensor for detecting wind speed; a valve positioned between said storage tank and said hydraulic motor; and a valve control module in said computer module for controlling said valve to supply hydraulic fluid under pressure to said hydraulic pump. 6. The windmill assembly of claim 5, wherein said valve control module includes computer executable instructions to cause said valve to open after said wind sensor indicates at least a predetermined speed to cause said hydraulic pump to act as a drive motor to induce startup rotation of said blade assembly. 7. The windmill assembly of claim 2, wherein said blade assembly includes a plurality of masts, individual sails being retractable into corresponding individual ones of said plurality of masts. 8. The windmill assembly of claim 3, further comprising: a wind speed sensor; and wherein said computer control module monitors said speed sensor for wind speeds insufficient to generate electrical power on a continuous basis and generates an alarm after a predetermined amount of insufficient wind speed, said alarm indicating that the ability to generate electrical power from said high pressure hydraulic fluid is expected to stop at a point in time in the future. 9. The windmill assembly of claim 8, further comprising a low pressure fluid tank coupled to an output of said hydraulic motor, the low pressure fluid tank including an inert pressurized gas at the top of said low pressure fluid tank. 10. The windmill assembly of claim 7, wherein said computer control module controls the amount of sail deployment as a function of wind speed. 11. The windmill assembly of claim 3, further comprising: a wind speed sensor; and wherein said computer control module dynamically varies the amount of sail deployment in response to changes in detected wind speed. 12. The windmill assembly of claim 11, further comprising a sail drive motor and a gear assembly coupled to said sail drive motor, rotation of said sail drive motor causing said gear assembly to rotate to unroll or roll one of said sails depending on the direction of rotation of said gear assembly. 13. A windmill blade assembly, comprising: a center hub; a plurality of first type sail support members extending outward from the center hub, each first type sail support member including an outer housing and a rotatable inner shaft; a sail secured to the rotatable inner shaft of each of said first type sail support member, said sail being windable around said inner shaft. 14. The windmill blade assembly of claim 13, wherein said outer housing includes a slit opening extending along one side of said outer housing through which the sail attached to said rotatable inner shaft can be retracted and extended. 15. The windmill blade assembly of claim 14, further comprising: a plurality of second type sail support members, one second type sail support member extending perpendicular to each first type sail support member, each second type support member including a second type inner shaft; and a plurality of collar assemblies, one collar assembly movably positioned on each of said second type inner shafts. 16. The windmill blade assembly of claim 15, further comprising: a plurality of sail securing devices, at least one sail securing device per individual collar assembly, for securing the sail corresponding to the first type sail support member corresponding to the individual second type support member on which said individual collar assembly is positioned to the individual collar assembly. 17. The windmill blade assembly of claim 16, wherein said individual collar assemblies move along said corresponding second type inner shaft as the sail attached to the collar assembly moves up and down. 18. The windmill blade assembly of claim 13, wherein the blade assembly includes an even number of first type sail support members and a corresponding number of retractable sails. 19. The windmill blade assembly of claim 18, wherein each of the first type sail support members has a curved solid outer portion and a slot opposite said curved solid outer portion, said slot and said curved solid outer portion extending outward from said center hub. 20. The windmill blade assembly of claim 19, wherein the rotatable inner shaft of each first type sail support member includes a thread hub located at the end of the shaft, said threaded hub contacting a drive gear used to control rotation of the rotatable inner shaft to which the threaded hub is attached.