ENERGY

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to systems and methods for a self-contained light-producing wind turbine.

Description of Related Art

[0002] Wind turbines are well known as an alternative to fossil fuels for production of energy. Generally the energy produced from wind turbines is used for pumping water, local electricity production, and/or sale to the electric grid.

[0003] However generally such turbines are of a large scale and require external mechanical and/or electrical connections, strong winds and electricity transportation. Hence, an improved method and system for self-sufficient, low-speed wind utilization, light production from wind energy is still a long felt need.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0004] An aspect of the present invention provides a light-producing wind-powered device comprising:

a. light generating elements;

b. an electrical generator in electrical communication with said light- generating elements;

c. a wind turbine in mechanical communication with said electrical generator; whereby light is produced directly without need for external connections. [0005] It is further within provision of the invention that the device have no energy storage means.

[0006] It is further within provision of the invention to provide energy storage means selected from the group consisting of: battery, capacitor, flywheel, inertial storage, chemical storage, gravitational storage, electrical storage, kinetic storage, and thermal storage.

[0007] It is further within provision of the invention to provide sensing means selected from the group consisting of: light sensing means, movement sensing means, and time- sensing means.

[0008] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said storage means are used to power said light producing means based upon the states of said sensing means.

[0009] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said storage means are used to power said light producing means only on conditions selected from the group consisting of: said light sensing means indicate the ambient light is below a predetermined threshold; said movement sensing means indicate the proximity of a moving body; said time sensing means indicate a given period of the day; and combinations thereof.

[0010] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said light producing elements is selected from the group consisting of: LED, incandescent light, halogen light, compressed vapor, metal halide, mercury arc, high-intensity discharge, fluorescent, compact fluorescent, and combinations thereof.

[0011] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said electrical generator is selected from the group consisting of: permanent magnet generator, homopolar generator, Faraday disk, dynamo, alternator, electrostatic generator, asynchronous singly-fed generator, doubly-fed generator, and brushless wound-rotor doubly-fed generator.

[0012] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said wind turbine is provided with a plurality of blades adapted for converting kinetic energy of wind into rotation energy of said blades.

[0013] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said blades are selected from the group consisting of: pinwheel blades; drag-based blades; lift-based blades; and combinations thereof. [0014] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said light producing elements are integrated into said blades.

[0015] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said blades comprise PCB material.

[0016] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said wind turbine is selected from the group consisting of : vertical axis wind turbine; horizontal axis wind turbine; and skew-axis wind turbine.

[0017] It is further within provision of the invention to provide a light-producing device comprising multiple devices as described above attached to a central support.

[0018] It is further within provision of the invention to provide a method for production of light comprising steps of:

a. providing light generating elements;

b. providing an electrical generator in electrical communication with said light-generating elements;

c. providing a wind turbine in mechanical communication with said electrical generator;

d. producing light when said wind turbine is spun by the wind; whereby light is produced directly without need for external connections.

[0019] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said method provides no energy storage means.

[0020] It is further within provision of the invention to provide energy storage means selected from the group consisting of: battery, capacitor, flywheel, inertial storage, chemical storage, gravitational storage, electrical storage, kinetic storage, and thermal storage.

[0021] It is further within provision of the invention to provide sensing means selected from the group consisting of: light sensing means, movement sensing means, and time- sensing means.

[0022] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said storage means are used to power said light producing means based upon the states of said sensing means.

[0023] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said storage means are used to power said light producing means only on conditions selected from the group consisting of: said light sensing means indicate the ambient light is below a predetermined threshold; said movement sensing means indicate the proximity of a moving body; said time sensing means indicate a given period of the day; and combinations thereof.

[0024] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said light producing elements is selected from the group consisting of: LED, incandescent light, halogen light, compressed vapor, metal halide, mercury arc, high-intensity discharge, fluorescent, compact fluorescent, and combinations thereof.

[0025] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said electrical generator is selected from the group consisting of: permanent magnet generator, homopolar generator, Faraday disk, dynamo, alternator, electrostatic generator, asynchronous singly-fed generator, doubly-fed generator, and brushless wound-rotor doubly-fed generator.

[0026] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said wind turbine is provided with a plurality of blades adapted for converting kinetic energy of wind into rotation energy of said blades.

[0027] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said blades are selected from the group consisting of: pinwheel blades; drag-based blades; lift-based blades; and combinations thereof.

[0028] It is further within provision of the invention wherein said wind turbine is selected from the group consisting of : vertical axis wind turbine; horizontal axis wind turbine; and skew-axis wind turbine.

[0029] These, additional, and/or other aspects and/or advantages of the present invention are: set forth in the detailed description which follows; possibly inferable from the detailed description; and/or learnable by practice of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be implemented in practice, a plurality of embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 illustrates a front and back view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view along section A-A of Fig. 1 ;

FIG. 3 another side view of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view along section B-B of Fig. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of a closeup of item 401 of Fig. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a number of different possible embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a top and side view of a configurations employing three modules of the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a top and side view of a configurations employing a number of modules of the invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a configuration employing a number of modules of the invention taking the form of a ceiling-hanging unit;

FIG. 11 illustrates a Weibull distribution.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following description is provided, alongside all chapters of the present invention, so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make use of said invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out this invention. Various modifications, however, will remain apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined specifically to provide a means and method for providing a system and method for localized off-grid self sufficient light production from wind energy.

[0032] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that such embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention.

[0033] The term 'plurality' refers hereinafter to any positive integer (e.g, 1,5, or 10).

[0034] The term 'turbine' refers hereinafter to any device able to extract wind energy from the air and transform it into mechanical and/or electrical energy.

[0035] The term 'pcb' refers hereinafter to any material comprising printed circuits.

[0036] Currently most wind energy exploitation involves the collection of high-speed winds in carefully chosen geographic locations, generally by means of heavy-duty turbines ranging on the low end from several hundred watts, to tens of MW on the high end. The energy collected from such devices is either used onsite or transferred to the grid.

[0037] The invention herein described bucks this trend by utilizing small-scale wind power, e.g. on the order of fractions of a watt to tens of watts. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, in urban environments there are many sources of relatively light winds. The device is designed to have a low cut-in speed such that even very light breezes cause it to spin, generating light.

[0038] The invention comprises a standalone self sufficient wind-operated source of lighting, having a wind turbine, electric generator, and light source all in one unit. The device operates on wind energy without requiring connection to the electrical grid or storage means, for low environmental impact.

[0039] The invention collects wind energy and transforms it to light onsite, where it is needed, avoiding transport losses and serving for instance the -50% of the population living in the urban built environment. The invention offers a way to utilize relatively low-speed wind resources available in urban and other environments, translating the wind to an immediately available resource. Specifically, the device is designed to have a relatively low cut-in speed, for example one embodiment having a minimum lm/s cut-in wind speed. Thus the device is adapted to provide light even in a densely built urban environment.

[0040] The invention offers a light solution that requires no connection to the electrical grid, hence self sufficient, and enables the installation of light providing means without the financial and environmental cost of installing infrastructure.

[0041] In one embodiment the blades of the device comprise pin wheel-like elements, while in others more traditional lift-based airfoils are employed.

[0042] In certain embodiments of the invention the light source(s) is/are integrated onto the blades themselves, allowing for transformation of wind energy to light directly, by means of an electrical generator as will be known to one skilled in the art. In certain embodiments the light source(s) is/are integrated onto the hub, shaft, or other member of the device.

[0043] It is within provision of the invention the entire blade assembly be comprised of pcb or other printed-circuit material, either flexible or otherwise, so as to integrate the airfoils or blades with the electrical circuitry of the device.

[0044] The invention is based on a repeated module that integrates wind collection, conversion, and light source into one element. Said element may be self sufficient. This element is able to transform wind energy to electrical current flow without external connections or energy storage means. However in some embodiments of the invention, energy storage means such as capacitors, batteries, flywheels and the like may be employed to allow for use of energy generated at one time during the day (such as during daylight hours) to be used at another time during the day (such as at night when lighting is more desirable).

[0045] The basic unit of the device comprises turbine consisting of a set of blades rotating on a shaft; an electrical generator powered by these blades; and a light source or light sources in electrical communication with the generator. Multiple basic units as described may be combined in a variety of configurations and sizes to allow the creation of a collection of lighting solutions for both private and public sectors.

[0046] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the use of multiple units will multiply the wind energy utilized and hence the light generated, especially since they are designed for use with light winds, as opposed to large electricity generated turbines.

[0047] The invention will find use for example by municipalities worldwide that would like to promote sustainable patterns of use and minimize environmental impact of lighting infrastructure. The device may be used as an urban lighting solution for no-impact lighting in built environments.

[0048] A variety of configurations may be used for gardens as well as portable lights for outdoor use. It may further be used in windowsills, porches, in back yards, frontages, roofs, gable windows, porticos, arches, and even indoors in areas having the slightest breezes such as near ventilation outlets or inlets, fans, doorways and the like.

[0049] Any known light source may be utilized in connection with the invention, including but not limited to LED lights, OLEDs, incandescent lights, fluorescent lights, halogen lights, gas vapor discharge lighting, electric arc lighting, and the like. It is within provision of the invention that a wind vane or other tail be used in conjunction with the devices as described above, allowing them to be pointed into the wind as known in the art. This will allow use of even lower wind velocities for production of light.

[0050] In one embodiment of the invention, wherein the source of light is OLED (Organic light-emitting diode), it is within provision of the invention that the blades themselves will be made of layer(s) of organic semiconductor situated between at least two electrodes, which might be transparent.

[0051] In Fig. 1 one possible embodiment of the invention is shown in front and back view. The vanes or blades 401 rotate around a central hub 402. The section A- A is shown in Fig.2. [0052] Fig. 2 depicts the side view of one embodiment of the device being the section A-A of Fig. 1. The blades 401 are visible as is the central hub or axle 402 which forms an axis by which the device may be secured to a base.

[0053] Fig. 3 shows another side view of one embodiment of the device, with blades 401 and axle 402 visible. The section B-B is displayed in Fig. 4.

[0054] Fig. 4 shows the section B-B of Fig. 3. Here a central light-producing portion 101 is seen, which is shown in further detail in Fig. 5.

[0055] Fig. 5 depicts the central light-producing portion 101 of Fig. 4, having a PCB portion 501 and light producing elements 502 such as LEDs. This section may also contain various electronics associated with the device such as DC-DC conversion means, energy storage means, current control, and the like.

[0056] Fig. 6 shows an exploded perspective view of one possible embodiment of the device having blades 401, and hub or axis 402.

[0057] Other possible embodiments of the blades are shown in various views in Fig. 7.

[0058] One or more of the inventive modules may be assembled together as seen in Figs. 8-10. Assembly of multiple modules enables the creation of configurations in different sizes and functions that address a variety of target groups. For example several designs have been developed for public parks, promenades, public squares and the like. These solutions are suitable for urban areas as well as outdoor areas with no infrastructure such as desert areas and groves. The repeated modules can be designed to specific target uses, and the design may be either functional or ornamental. Numerous designs can be made by the repetition of the module.

[0059] Figs. 8a,b show top and side views of one possible embodiment of the device employing three individual light-producing wind turbines as described above, all connected to a central support 801.

[0060] Figs. 9a,b show top and side views of one possible embodiment of the device employing a number of individual light-producing wind turbines as described above, all connected to a central support 801. [0061] Figs. 10 show top and side views of one possible embodiment of the device employing a number of individual light-producing wind turbines as described above, all connected to a ceiling support 1001. This device may be for instance hung from a tree of light pole.

[0062] It is within provision of the invention that the blades, axis, or any other part of the device may be used as a reflector to reflect the light produced by the device to a desired direction. In one embodiment of the invention the blades themselves may enhance and/or further disperse the light produced by the light source.

[0063] The device may be supplied with energy storage means such as capacitors, batteries, flywheels and the like. The energy so stored can be employed intelligently or manually to allow for use of energy generated at one time of the day to be used at another time of the day (such as at night when lighting is more desirable). This may be particularly useful for single units of the device not connected in assemblies of multiple units.

[0064] It is within provision of the invention that one or more externally powered light sources be provided in addition to the light sources as described above. In this way for example in assemblies such as those shown in Figs. 10, a central light may be used for security applications or where safety light is needed where some minimum amount of light is required, while the units of the assembly that surround this central externally- powered light add their own light thereto.

[0065] It is within provision of the invention that the said central light will provide minimum of light as required when no wind is available by using stored energy and said units that surround it will provide light only when wind power is available.

[0066] As will be familiar to one skilled in the art, the frequency distribution of wind speed is often modeled using a Weibull distribution as seen in Fig. 11.

[0067] This distribution is in fact a 'stretched exponential', having a shape parameter k and scale parameter λ involved in the expression [0068] From this distribution, direct measurement, or other means, the wind power density available at a given site may be determined on average or as a function of time. From such determinations, the power available to a given device may be computed as in the following table:

Power Available in Watts = 0.5 ^* 1.23 ^* π r ^{2 *} (Wind speed m/s) ³

[0069] Here the power available to a given device of radii 0.13m and 0.15m is given as a function of wind speed in m/s. As will be obvious to one skilled in the art the actual power available to the device cannot exceed the Betz limit, which gives a power of 1.65W for example for a 0.15m radius device at wind speed 4m/s. It is within provision of the invention to allow for energy generation in the range of 0.1W-12W.

[0070] It is within provision of the device to have no energy storage means. It is also within provision of the device to be provided with energy storage means known in the art, including but not limited to battery, capacitor, flywheel, inertial storage, and the like.

[0071] It is within provision of the invention, for those cases having energy storage means, to allow for condition-dependent light production. This will be accomplished by use of control means adapted to control the flow of energy to the light producing means based upon the condition(s) of one or more sensors. For instance the device may be provided with light-sensing means such as LDR, photocell, or the like for sensing ambient light level. When this level is for instance below a predetermined threshold, the device may allow for release of the stored energy to light producing elements such as LEDs, for example by means of control circuitry adapted for this function. Alternatively the LEDs may be energized only at certain predetermined times of times of day, or when several criteria are such as when both motion is sensed in the immediate surroundings and the light level is below a certain level.

[0072] It is within provision of the device to utilize any light-producing element known in the art, including but not limited to LED, incandescent light, halogen, compressed vapor, arc, and the like.

[0073] It is within provision of the invention to utilize any electric generator means as known in the art, including but not limited to use of a permanent magnet generator, homopolar generator, Faraday disk, dynamo, alternator, electrostatic generator, asynchronous singly-fed generator, doubly-fed generator, and brushless wound-rotor doubly-fed generator.

[0074] It is within provision of the invention to use any types of blades known in the art. This includes the pinwheel-type blades shown for example in Fig. 7 which often operate on drag, as well as more conventional lift-based airfoils such as those seen on large scale wind turbines.

[0075] It is within vertical axis wind turbine; horizontal axis wind turbine; and it is further within provision of the invention that the axis of the turbine be neither horizontal nor vertical, this being referred to hereinafter as a skew-axis wind turbine.

[0076] Although selected embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Instead, it is to be appreciated that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof.