ELECTRICAL GENERATOR FOR WIND TURBINE

• US 20100264661A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gerald L. Barber
• Original Assignee: Gerald L. Barber
• Inventors: Barber, Gerald L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,825,532 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/55
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/065 characterised by their construction elements F03D13/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/60 Cooling or heating of wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/70 Bearing or lubricating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/7066 via a direct connection, i.e. a gearless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/50 Bearings
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 1/182 to stators axially facing the rotor, i.e. with axial or conical air gap
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 41/03 Synchronous motors; Motors moving step by step; Reluctance motors H02K41/035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/08 Structural association with bearings
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1869 Linear generators; sectional generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/00 Arrangements for cooling or ventilating channels or ducts in parts of the magnetic circuit H02K1/20, H02K1/32; channels or ducts in or between conductors H02K3/22, H02K3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 9/197 in which the rotor or stator space is fluid-tight, e.g. to provide for different cooling media for rotor and stator
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A wind turbine or other rotary device has its outer perimeter constructed with coils that form a rotor (26) of an electrical generator. A stator assembly (52) is positioned at the lower perimeter of the path of the rotor and includes stator halves that are juxtaposed the moving rotor for generating electricity. The stator halves include an air bearing that provides substantially frictionless contact with the rotor, allowing the free rotor to move with a minimum of resistance.

Claims

1. An electrical generator for a wheel mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, said electrical generator comprising:

a circular rotor mounted on said wheel and extending concentrically about the horizontal axis for rotation with the wheel in a perimeter path about the horizontal axis, said circular rotor including radially extending opposed sides,

a stator positioned at the perimeter path of said rotor, said stator shaped for receiving said rotor and generating electricity in response to the rotation of said rotor, said stator including a pair of opposed stator housings positioned on opposite sides of said rotor, said stator housings each including a field coil opening facing said opposed sides of said rotor, and field coils positioned in each of said stator housings and facing said rotor through said field coil openings, and biasing means for selectively urging said stator housings toward each other and toward said rotor, and second biasing means for continuously biasing said stator housings away from each other and away from said rotor.

3. The electrical generator of claim 1, and further including

air supply means in communication with said pair of opposed stator housings and said field coils for supplying air to said stator housings and said field coils,

said stator housings each having a rim facing said rotor, said rims shaped for forming a film of air between the rim of each said stator housing and said rotor, such that air bearings are formed between said rims of said stator housings and said opposed sides of said rotor configured to maintain space between each said stator housing and said rotor.

4. The electrical generator of claim 3, and wherein said air supply means is configured to cool the field coils in said stator housings.

5. The electrical generator of claim 1, and wherein said rotor is formed in series of arcuate segments.

12. The electrical generator of claim 1, and wherein said second biasing means includes a spring in biased relationship with each of said stators for urging each of said stators away from said rotor, and said biasing means includes inflatable air bags in biasing relationship with each of said stators configured for urging said stators toward said rotor.

13. The electrical generator of claim 1, and wherein said wheel is a wind turbine and includes a plurality of radially extending sailwings for catching the wind.

2. (canceled)

6. An electrical generator for a wheel mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, said electrical generator comprising:

a circular rotor mounted on said wheel and extending concentrically about the horizontal axis for rotation with the wheel in a perimeter path about the horizontal axis, and

a stator positioned at the perimeter path of said rotor shaped for receiving said rotor and generating electricity in response to the rotation of said rotor, said rotor formed in series of arcuate segments, wherein said arcuate segments each include an oil chamber for cooling said rotor.

7. The electrical generator of claim 6, wherein said rotor includes cooling fins for cooling said rotor.

8. (canceled)

9. An electrical generator for a wheel mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, said electrical generator comprising:

a circular rotor mounted on said wheel and extending concentrically about the horizontal axis for rotation with the wheel in a perimeter path about the horizontal axis, said circular rotor including radially extending opposed sides,

a stator positioned at the perimeter path of said rotor, said stator shaped for receiving said rotor and generating electricity in response to the rotation of said rotor, said stator including a pair of opposed stator housings positioned on opposite sides of said rotor, said stator housings each including a field coil opening facing said opposed sides of said rotor, and field coils positioned in each of said stator housings and facing said rotor through said field coil openings, and

wherein said first biasing means comprises inflatable air bags for selectively urging said stator housings toward said rotor and for relieving the urging of said stator housings toward said rotor, and second biasing means comprises coil tension springs for continuously biasing said stator housings away from said rotor.

10-11. -11. (canceled)

14. An electrical generator for producing electricity comprising:

an annular rotor formed by a series of rotor segments, each said rotor segment including coils, and said rotor segments extending about a lateral axis of rotation and rotatable through an arc of an annular path,

a stator positioned at said arc of said annular path of said segments, said stator including coils positioned on opposite sides of said arc of said annular path and shaped to receive there between said segments of said rotor, and

first biasing means for yieldably urging said coils of said stator laterally toward juxtaposition with opposite sides of said rotor and generating electricity and for moving laterally with said coils of said stator in response to the lateral movement of said rotor while continuing to generate electricity.

15. The electrical generator of claim 14, and further including an air supply means for forming an air bearing between said rotor and said stator for maintaining said stator juxtaposed said rotor.

16. The electrical generator of claim 14, wherein

said stator comprises stator housings, said stator housings positioned on opposite sides of said annular path, said stator housings each including a stator opening facing said annular path,

said coils of said stator positioned in said stator housings at said stator openings and facing said annular path,

said stator housings configured for forming air bearings between said rotor and said stator housings, and

air supply means for supplying air to said stator housings and forming said air bearings and maintaining said stator housings in juxtaposition with said rotor.

17. An electrical generator for producing electricity comprising:

a pair of concentric annular rails including an inner rail movable about an axis along an inner annular path and an outer rail movable about said axis along an outer annular path,

an inner electrical generator positioned at said inner annular path of said inner rail, and an outer electrical generator positioned at said outer annular path of said outer rail.

18. The electrical generator of claim 17, wherein said inner rail comprises a rotor of said inner electrical generator and said outer rail comprises a rotor of said outer electrical generator.

19. The electrical generator of claim 19, and wherein said inner electrical generator includes an inner stator and said outer electrical generator includes an outer stator, and air pressure means positioned at said inner stator and at said outer stator for urging said inner stator toward said inner rotor and urging said outer stator toward said outer rotor.

20. An electrical generator for producing electricity comprising:

a pair of concentric annular rails including an inner rail movable about an axis along an inner annular path and an outer rail movable about said axis along an outer annular path,

an inner electrical generator positioned at said inner annular path of said inner rail.

21. The electrical generator of claim 21, and further including an outer electrical generator positioned at said outer annular path of said outer rail.

22. An electrical generator for a wheel mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, said electrical generator comprising:

a circular rotor mounted on said wheel and extending concentrically about the horizontal axis for rotation with the wheel in an annular path about the horizontal axis, said circular rotor including radially extending opposed sides,

a stator positioned at the annular path of said rotor, said stator shaped for receiving said rotor and including a pair of field coils positioned on said opposite sides of said rotor and generating electricity in response to the rotation of said rotor, and

biasing means for selectively urging said stators toward each other and toward juxtaposition with said radially extending opposed sides of said rotor for generating electricity in response to rotation of said rotor in the annular path, said biasing means configured for moving said coils of said stator laterally in response to the lateral movement of said rotor while continuing to generate electricity.

23. The electrical generator of claim 22, wherein said biasing means comprises air operated bellows.

24. The electrical generator of claim 22, wherein

said stator comprises stator housings, said stator housings positioned on opposite sides of said annular path, said stator housings each including a stator opening facing said annular path,

said coils of said stator positioned in said stator housings at said stator openings and facing said annular path,

said stator housings configured for forming air bearings between said rotor and said stator housings, and

air supply means for supplying air to said stator housings and forming said air bearings and maintaining said stator housings in juxtaposition with said rotor.

25. The electrical generator of claim 22, wherein said biasing means comprises a spring.