WIND POWER GENERATION DEVICE

• US 20170207730A1
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Published: 07/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National University Corporation Hiroshima University, Toyoda Iron Works Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nagaoka University of Technology, Toyoda Iron Works Company Limited
• Inventors: TAKAO, Hidenobu, SONE, Yasuhiro, MUTSUDA, Hidemi, TANAKA, Yoshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 10,461,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 5/06 the wind-engaging parts swinging to-and-fro and not rotating
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/00 Controlling wind motors supplying or distributing electrical power H02J, e.g. arrangements for adjusting, eliminating or compensating reactive power in networks H02J3/18; controlling electric generators H02P, e.g. arrangements for controlling electric generators for the purpose of obtaining a desired output H02P9/00
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/20 Wind motors characterised by the driven apparatus F03D9/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/709 Piezoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/185 using fluid streams
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/304 Beam type
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/70 Wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin

Abstract

A wind power generation system including a power generation unit having an elastically deformable base material in a shape of a longitudinal flat plate and a piezoelectric element disposed on the base material, and which generates electricity as the power generation unit is vibrated; the piezoelectric element is repeatedly bent and deformed by the vibration and stacked on the base material, the wind power generation system being configured to include a tension adjusting device that, when a wind speed is increased, moves the movable member to increase a tensile force that pulls the power generation unit in the longitudinal direction, and the tension adjusting device being a lift generating member that is formed integrally with the movable member so as to be extended and to have wing shape to both sides of the movable member and that moves the movable member based on lift generated according to the wind speed.

Claims

1. A wind power generation system including a power generation unit having an elastically deformable base material in a shape of a longitudinal flat plate and a piezoelectric element disposed on the base material, in which the power generation unit is held at its both longitudinal ends and is placed at a position where wind blows, and which generates electricity as the power generation unit is vibrated so that an intermediate portion of the power generation unit in a longitudinal direction reciprocates in a thickness direction of the power generation unit and the piezoelectric element is repeatedly bent and deformed by the vibration,

a piezoelectric film made of resin being used as the piezoelectric element, and the piezoelectric element being stacked on the base material,

at least one of the longitudinal ends of the power generation unit being coupled to a movable member that is movable in the longitudinal direction of the power generation unit,

the wind power generation system being configured to include a tension adjusting device that, when a wind speed is increased, moves the movable member to increase a tensile force that pulls the power generation unit in the longitudinal direction, and

the tension adjusting device being a lift generating member that is formed integrally with the movable member so as to be extended and to have wing shape to both sides of the movable member and that moves the movable member based on lift generated according to the wind speed.

3. The wind power generation system according to claim 1, wherein

the movable member is disposed so as to be move between a first position where the tensile force is small and a second position where the tensile force is large, and is positioned at the first position by a biasing force of an elastic member, and as the wind speed increases, the movable member is moved toward the second position against the biasing force of the elastic member by the tension adjusting device.

4. The wind power generation system according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of the power generation units are arranged in parallel inside a rectangular frame-shaped holding member in such an attitude that flat plate surfaces of the longitudinal flat plates are parallel to each other and the longitudinal directions of the power generation units extend in the same direction.

5. The wind power generation system according to claim 4, wherein

the tension adjusting device is the lift generating member that is formed integrally with the movable member so as to be extended and to have wing shape to both sides of the movable member and that moves the movable member based on the lift generated according to the wind speed, and

the movable member provided with the lift generating member is disposed at one of the longitudinal ends of each of the power generation units arranged in parallel, and the one longitudinal ends of the plurality of power generation units are located alternately on opposite sides.

6. The wind power generation system according to claim 4, wherein

of the longitudinal ends of the plurality of power generation units arranged in parallel, one longitudinal ends located on the same side in the longitudinal direction, are coupled to a plurality of the movable members corresponding to the plurality of power generation units, and

the tension adjusting device is a common lift generating member that has wing shape and is disposed over the plurality of movable members so as to be extended to both sides of the plurality of movable members and that moves the plurality of movable members together based on the lift generated according to the wind speed.

7. The wind power generation system according to claim 4, wherein

the base materials of the plurality of power generation units are different in hardness from each other, and

a wind speed range in which the tensile force is increased by the tension adjusting device varies according to the hardness of the base material.

2. (canceled)