Linear turbine

• US 4,134,469 A
• Filed: 10/08/1976
• Issued: 01/16/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DAVIS, RALPH ARLINGTON; 1820 W. DOUGLAS, SUITE 10, WICHITA,.
• Original Assignee: Turbopanel Motors Incorporated
• Inventors: Davis, Ralph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Application Number:
  US05/730,859
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 180/1 R, 180/65 DD, 415/5, 290/43, 290/44, 290/54, 290/55, 290/58, 416/7-9
• US Class Current: 180/2.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/00 Electric propulsion with power supply from forces of nature, e.g. sun or wind
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/006 Converting flow of air into electric energy, e.g. by using wind turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/10 Assembly of wind motors; Arrangements for erecting wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/20 Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 5/02 the wind-engaging parts being attached to endless chains or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/32 on moving objects, e.g. vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2210/16 Air or water being indistinctly used as working fluid, i.e. the machine can work equally with air or water without any modification
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/941 which is a land vehicle
• 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 10/728 Onshore wind turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/90 Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof

Abstract

A turbine in the form of an endless "Venetian blind" set of arcuate turbine blades mounted to extend between a pair of endless chains that are entrained over sets of sprockets so that two flights of the blades travel in opposite directions in closely spaced parallel planes. Shafts connect sprockets of the sets to maintain the blades parallel and to deliver to an alternator the torque applied to the sprockets by the reaction of the blades to a fluid passing therethrough.

Claims

1. A fluid motion actuated power panel comprising a series of spaced elongated turbine blades, means for guiding each of said blades to serially travel a closed endless path that includes substantially straight first and second portions that are in spaced parallelism to each other, means for maintaining the longitudinal extents of the blades traveling the first and second portions of the path in spaced parallelism with each other, said first and second portions of the path being in closely spaced proximity to each other with free running clearance and unobstructed space between the blades moving therealong, orienting means for turning the power panel while maintaining the path portions of the panel oblique to the direction of ambient fluid flow and while also maintaining the extents of the blades traveling said path portions substantially perpendicular to the direction of ambient fluid flow, said path portions and the blades being so constructed and arranged that the blades move along said first and second portions in opposite directions and so that relative ambient fluid flow can sequentially pass through and react with the blades moving along the first and second portions of the path, mechanical means encompassed in their entirety in connections of the guide means to the blades for maintaining the blades moving respectively along the first and second portions of the path oriented to react with a relative ambient fluid flow sequentially passing through the blades moving along such portions to urge the described movement of the blades, and energy transducing means operatively coupled to the blades to be driven by the latter to produce an energy output, said blades being arcuate in transverse section and having concave sides, with the blades moving along the first and second path portions having their concave sides facing directions that are respectively directed generally opposite the direction of their movements along their respective path portions, and means for mounting the panel so that the extents of said path portions lie in a common vertical plane with the extents of said path portions being substantially inclined to the vertical, with said means for mounting including a self-propelled and dirigible automotive vehicle.

2. A fluid motion actuated power panel comprising a series of spaced elongated turbine blades, means for guiding each of said blades to serially travel a closed endless path that includes substantially straight first and second portions that are in spaced parallelism to each other, means for maintaining the longitudinal extents of the blades traveling the first and second portions of the path in spaced parallelism with each other, said first and second portions of the path being in closely spaced proximity to each other with free running clearance and unobstructed space between the blades moving therealong, orienting means for turning the power panel while maintaining the path portions of the panel oblique to the direction of ambient fluid flow and while also maintaining the extents of the blades traveling said path portions substantially perpendicular to the direction of ambient fluid flow, said path portions and the blades being so constructed and arranged that the blades move along said first and second portions in opposite directions and so that relative ambient fluid flow can sequentially pass through and react with the blades moving along the first and second portions of the path, mechanical means encompassed in their entirety in connections of the guide means to the blades for maintaining the blades moving respectively along the first and second portions of the path oriented to react with a relative ambient fluid flow sequentially passing through the blades moving along such portions to urge the described movement of the blades, and energy transducing means operatively coupled to the blades to be driven by the latter to produce an energy output, said blades being arcuate in transverse section and having concave sides, with the blades moving along the first and second path portions having their concave sides facing directions that are respectively directed generally opposite the direction of their movements along their respective path portions, and means for mounting the panel so that the extents of said path portions lie in a common horizontal plane with the extents of said path portions being horizontal, said means for guiding the blades includes an endless elongated flexible member entrained over a plurality of guide elements rotatable about vertical axes, with said blades being attached to said member at spaced positions along the extent of the latter, and a second power panel disposed adjacent the first mentioned power panel in a V-shaped configuration therewith in the horizontal plane, each of said panels having forward and rear ends with the former of each power panel being adjacent the apex of the V-shaped configuration, said mounting means for the panels including said orienting means being responsive to ambient fluid flow to orient the apex directly into ambient fluid flow and also including means for pivotally mounting the forward ends of the panels about vertical pivots, whereby the rear ends of the panels can pivotally swing toward and away from each other, and spring means yielding opposing relative closing movement of the rear ends of the panels, the arrangement being such that relatively higher ambient fluid flow velocity will cause relative closing movement of the rear ends of the panels against the action of the spring means and consequent sharpening of the angle of the apex and reduction of the presentation of the panels to ambient fluid flow and the risk of damage therefrom.

3. A fluid actuated turbine power panel comprising a pair of parallelly spaced, elongated spars having parallel shafts rotatably carried thereby and extending therebetween adjacent their opposite ends, each of said shafts being provided with a pair of pulleys adjacent its opposite ends, a pair of parallelly spaced endless flexible members entrained over the pulleys in an arrangement such that the members move in unison in proximity to the respective spars during rotation of the shafts, idler pulley means carried by the spars adjacent the pulleys for causing each member to have two closely spaced first and second parallel flights between the two shafts, each of said spars and the endless member adjacent thereto having coacting guide means for maintaining the spacing of the parallel flights of such members, and a plurality of elongated turbine blades of arcuate transverse section extending, in spaced parallelism to each other and the shafts, between and having their opposite ends attached to the endless members, said blades attached to the members of the first and second flights of the members being in closely spaced proximity to each other with free running clearance and unobstructed space therebetween, said arcuate blades having in transverse section a concave side having first and second opposite marginal extents, with both of such marginal extents of each blade extending to its free marginal edge in directions having direction components in the same direction with respect to the direction of travel of the members at the positions of attachment of such blade to the latter, orienting means for turning the power panel so that the direction of ambient fluid flow is oblique relative to the extent of the spars and also perpendicular relative to the extent of the blades, and energy transducer means operatively driven by one of said shafts, said panel being mounted on a self propelled dirigible vehicle at a position exposed to relative wind occasioned by movement of the vehicle, said vehicle having an energy input requirement, and said energy transducer means being applied to meet, at least in part, said energy input requirement.

4. A fluid actuated turbine power panel comprising a pair of parallelly spaced, elongated spars having parallel shafts rotatably carried thereby and extending therebetween adjacent their opposite ends, each of said shafts being provided with a pair of pulleys adjacent its opposite ends, a pair of parallelly spaced endless flexible members entrained over the pulleys in an arrangement such that the members move in unison in proximity to the respective spars during rotation of the shafts, idler pulley means carried by the spars adjacent the pulleys for causing each member to have two closely spaced first and second parallel flights between the two shafts, each of said spars and the endless member adjacent thereto having coacting guide means for maintaining the spacing of the parallel flights of such members, and a plurality of elongated turbine blades of arcuate transverse section extending, in spaced parallelism to each other and the shafts, between and having their opposite ends attached to the endless members, said blades attached to the members of the first and second flights of the members being in closely spaced proximity to each other with free running clearance and unobstructed space therebetween, said arcuate blades having in transverse section a concave side having first and second opposite marginal extents, with both of such marginal extents of each blade extending to its free marginal edge in directions having direction components in the same direction with respect to the direction of travel of the members at the positions of attachment of such blade to the latter, orienting means for turning the power panel so that the direction of ambient fluid flow is oblique relative to the extent of the spars and also perpendicular relative to the extent of the blades, and energy transducer means operatively driven by one of said shafts, said orienting means comprising said power panel being mounted on a self propelled, dirigible automotive vehicle in an arrangement such that, during substantial forward velocity of the vehicle, the direction of relative wind impinging on the panel is maintained substantially in the recited direction.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein said power panel is mounted at a forwardly facing and exposed position on the top of and adjacent the front end of the vehicle, said panel being disposed in an inclined attitude sloping downwardly toward the front end of the vehicle, with the extents of the blades being horizontally disposed and transverse to the forward direction of the vehicle.

6. A fluid actuated turbine power panel comprising a pair of parallelly spaced, elongated spars having parallel shafts rotatably carried thereby and extending therebetween adjacent their opposite ends, each of said shafts being provided with a pair of pulleys adjacent its opposite ends, a pair of parallelly spaced endless flexible members entrained over the pulleys in an arrangement such that the members move in unison in proximity to the respective spars during rotation of the shafts, idler pulley means carried by the spars adjacent the pulleys for causing each member to have two closely spaced first and second parallel flights between the two shafts, each of said spars and the endless member adjacent thereto having coacting guide means for maintaining the spacing of the parallel flights of such members, and a plurality of elongated turbine blades of arcuate transverse section extending, in spaced parallelism to each other and the shafts, between and having their opposite ends attached to the endless members, said blades attached to the members of the first and second flights of the members being in closely spaced proximity to each other with free running clearance and unobstructed space therebetween, said arcuate blades having in transverse section a concave side having first and second opposite marginal extents, with both of such marginal extents of each blade extending to its free marginal edge in directions having direction components in the same direction with respect to the direction of travel of the members at the positions of attachment of such blade to the latter, orienting means for turning the power panel so that the direction of ambient fluid flow is oblique relative to the extent of the spars and also perpendicular relative to the extent of the blades, and energy transducer means operatively driven by one of said shafts, means for mounting the panel for exposure to a moving fluid, and means for reducing the exposure of the panel to a moving fluid in response to the velocity of the fluid exceeding a predetermined value, said last means comprising said orienting means including spring means for varying the orientation of the panel to vary the degree of said obliqueness in response to the amount of force exerted upon the panel by relative ambient fluid flow.

7. A fluid actuated turbine power panel comprising a pair of parallelly spaced, elongated spars having parallel shafts rotatably carried thereby and extending therebetween adjacent their opposite ends, each of said shafts being provided with a pair of pulleys adjacent its opposite ends, a pair of parallelly spaced endless flexible members entrained over the pulleys in an arrangement such that the members move in unison in proximity to the respective spars during rotation of the shafts, idler pulley means carried by the spars adjacent the pulleys for causing each member to have two closely spaced first and second parallel flights between the two shafts, each of said spars and the endless member adjacent thereto having coacting guide means for maintaining the spacing of the parallel flights of such members, and a plurality of elongated turbine blades of arcuate transverse section extending, in spaced parallelism to each other and the shafts, between and having their opposite ends attached to the endless members, said blades attached to the members of the first and second flights of the members being in closely spaced proximity to each other with free running clearance and unobstructed space therebetween, said arcuate blades having in transverse section a concave side having first and second opposite marginal extents, with both of such marginal extents of each blade extending to its free marginal edge in directions having direction components in the same direction with respect to the direction of travel of the members at the positions of attachment of such blade to the latter, orienting means for turning the power panel so that the direction of ambient fluid flow is oblique relative to the extent of the spars and also perpendicular relative to the extent of the blades, and energy transducer means operatively driven by one of said shafts, said spars being horizontally disposed and vertically spaced with the extents of the blades being vertical, and a second power panel disposed adjacent the first mentioned power panel in a V-shaped configuration therewith in the horizontal plane, each of said panels having forward and rear ends with the former of each power panel pg,26 being adjacent the apex of the V-shaped configuration, said orienting means being responsive to ambient fluid flow to orient the apex directly into ambient fluid flow, means for pivotally mounting the forward ends of the panels about vertical pivots, whereby the rear ends of the panels can pivotally swing toward and away from each other, and spring means yielding opposing relative closing movement of the rear ends of the panels, the arrangement being such that relatively higher ambient fluid flow velocity will cause relative closing movement of the rear ends of the panels against the action of the spring means and consequent sharpening of the angle of the apex and reduction of the presentation of the panels to ambient fluid flow and the risk of damage therefrom.