Turbine air battery charger & power unit

• US 4,423,368 A
• Filed: 11/17/1980
• Issued: 12/27/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jean L. Bussiere
• Original Assignee: Jean L. Bussiere
• Inventors: Bussiere, Jean L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, R. J.
• Application Number:
  US06/140,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 322/2, 322/1, 290/44, 290/55, 180/65 DD, 320/2, 320/61
• US Class Current: 322/35
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/006 Converting flow of air into electric energy, e.g. by using wind turbines
• 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 2240/941 which is a land vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/30 Wind power
• 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 10/7072 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 416/04 Fluid current motor and generator

Abstract

An automobile is provided with a wind driven electric generator. An air duct extends from an inlet along the roof section of the body above the windshield and over the passenger compartment to air outlets located in the fender wells of the automobile rear section. Air turbines, operatively connected to electric generators, are positioned at the air outlets and are driven by air currents flowing from the duct.

Claims

1. An automobile provided with an electric power generating system comprising:

an automobile body including a passenger compartment, a roof section, two sides and a rear section having two fender wells, one of the wells being adjacent one side of the body and the other of the wells being adjacent the other side of the body, each well defining an opening leading to the exterior of the body, the roof having a forwardmost portion situated forward of the rear section;

an air duct extending along the roof section for carrying a flow of air, the duct defining an air inlet located in the forwardmost portion of the roof section and generally facing forward of the automobile to receive air from natural wind and wind dynamically produced by movement of the automobile body through the air, and the duct being divided into two sections rearwardly of the inlet, each section received within and defining an air outlet in each fender well;

electrically generating means supported in the automobile; and

two air turbines each having multiple blades connected in driving relationship to the electricity generating means, one of the turbines being mounted in one fender well of the rear section with a portion of the turbine blades positioned at the air outlet in the one fender well, the other of the turbines being mounted in the other fender well with a portion of the turbine blades positioned at the air outlet in the other fender well whereby the generating means is activated by air currents flowing through the duct and impinging upon the turbine blades.

2. An automobile as defined in claim 1 wherein the air duct sections extend between the roof and the respective fender wells along separate sides of the automobile body.

3. An automobile as defined in claim 1 wherein the generating means comprises two generators connected respectively with the air turbines in the fender wells.

4. An automobile as defined in claim 1 wherein the turbine blades positioned at the air outlet are mounted in a circular array and positioned to receive the air currents tangentially of the array.