Vertical axis windmill structure with wind-increase mechanism

Abstract

To provide a vertical axis windmill structure with a wind-increase mechanism that is improved in electric power generation capacity.SOLUTION: More wind W1 is gathered by a wind-increase mechanism 15 to increase the air flow to a vertical axis windmill 14. The vertical axis windmill 14 in the wind-increase mechanism 15 can be rotated faster, so the original electric power generation capacity of the vertical axis windmill 14 can be improved. Further, the light energy of the sunlight S can be converted into electric energy by a flexible photoelectromotive element P provided on at least an outer surface of the wind-increase mechanism 15, so the total electric power generation capacity is further improved. There is no hinderance to the gathering of the wind W and collection of the sunlight S since an outer frame body 1 supporting the wind-increase mechanism 15 is so structured as to enable ventilation and reception of the sunlight S from all directions except from its lower surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vertical axis wind turbine structure with a wind booster mechanism. [Background technology]

[0002] There are two types of wind turbines for wind power generation: horizontal axis wind turbines, which have propeller-type lift blades attached to the tip of a horizontal axis, and vertical axis wind turbines, which have straight-wing type lift blades attached to a vertical axis. Both types are known to rotate at high speeds using the rotational component of the lift generated by the lift blades as rotational force (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-61319 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, while both are lift-type wind turbines, propeller-type horizontal axis wind turbines generate rotational torque over the entire 360-degree rotation range of the lift blades, vertical axis wind turbines can only generate effective rotational torque for the lift blades within an angle range of about 90 degrees, where the wind from the upwind side first hits the lift blades in the 360-degree rotation range of the lift blades. Outside this range, the angle between the lift blades and the wind direction becomes inappropriate, and effective rotational torque is not generated for the lift blades. For this reason, vertical axis wind turbines have inferior power generation capacity compared to horizontal axis wind turbines.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional techniques, and has an object to provide a vertical axis wind turbine structure with a wind boosting mechanism that has improved power generation capacity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first technical aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vertical axis wind turbine structure with a wind boosting mechanism, comprising: an outer frame body having a structure capable of receiving sunlight and ventilation from all directions except the bottom and having a small-area support part near the center of the top and bottom; a vertical axis wind turbine having a vertical rotation shaft whose top and bottom ends are supported rotatably on the support parts of the outer frame body and having a plurality of straight blade type lift blades attached by a horizontal frame extending in a radial direction around the periphery of the vertical rotation shaft; and a wind boosting mechanism having a roughly rectangular cylindrical shape penetrating horizontally and housing the vertical axis wind turbine therein, characterized in that a flexible photovoltaic element is provided on at least the outer surface of the wind boosting mechanism.

[0007] According to a second technical aspect of the present invention, the side portions of the air-increasing mechanism have a narrow gap between their front ends on the side where the air flows in and a wide gap between their rear ends on the side where the air flows out, have an overall V-shaped cross section, and have flanges at their rear ends that are bent outward.The upper and lower portions are formed with circular openings through which the vertical rotation shaft passes, and the openings are supported for free rotation relative to the support portion of the outer frame body.

[0008] According to a third technical aspect of the present invention, the front end of the side portion of the air-increasing mechanism is slightly open outward. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the first technical aspect of the present invention, the wind-boosting mechanism draws in more wind, increasing the amount of wind hitting the vertical axis wind turbine and allowing the vertical axis wind turbine in the wind-boosting mechanism to rotate at a higher speed, thereby improving the inherent power generation capacity of the vertical axis wind turbine. Furthermore, flexible photovoltaic elements provided on at least the outer surface of the wind-boosting mechanism can convert solar light energy into electrical energy, further improving power generation capacity. The outer frame supporting the wind-boosting mechanism has a structure that allows ventilation and sunlight to be received from all directions except the bottom, so wind drawing in and sunlight capture are not impeded.

[0010] According to the second technical aspect of the present invention, the wind passing inside the wind-increasing mechanism is two-dimensionally drawn in behind the side part, and the wind passing outside the side part also collides with the flange and is drawn in while being diffused two-dimensionally behind the side part. Therefore, a low pressure part is formed behind the vertical axis wind turbine, and a large amount of wind is drawn in from the front end of the wind-increasing mechanism into the wind-increasing mechanism, making it possible to rotate the vertical axis wind turbine at a higher speed and improving the power generation capacity of the vertical axis wind turbine.

[0011] In addition, since the air-boosting mechanism is supported rotatably relative to the support part of the outer frame body rather than on the vertical rotation shaft, the load of the air-boosting mechanism is not applied to the vertical rotation shaft, which suppresses wear on the rotating part of the vertical rotation shaft and improves the support rigidity of the air-boosting mechanism.

[0012] According to the third technical aspect of the present invention, the front end of the side portion is slightly open outward, so that a large amount of wind can be drawn into the wind-boosting mechanism, allowing the vertical axis wind turbine to rotate at even higher speed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a vertical axis wind turbine structure with a wind boosting mechanism. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a wind-increasing mechanism in which a vertical axis wind turbine is housed. [Diagram 3] Cross-sectional view taken along the line SS indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an air flow in the air-increasing mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] 1 to 4 are diagrams showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] The wind turbine structure according to this embodiment has an outer frame 1. The outer frame 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped with each side formed by a metal frame as a whole, and the side surfaces are formed only by four support columns 2. Small rectangular support parts 3 are formed in the center at the top and bottom of the outer frame 1. A circular hole 4 is formed in the center of the upper support part 3. Therefore, this outer frame 1 is capable of ventilation and receiving sunlight S from all directions except the bottom surface.

[0016] Bearing fixing parts 5, 6, which penetrate the center, are attached integrally to the upper and lower support parts 3 of the outer frame 1 by welding. The upper and lower ends of a vertical rotating shaft 7 are inserted into the central penetration part of these bearing fixing parts 5, 6, and the vertical rotating shaft 7 is supported for free rotation by bearings. A pulley 11 is fixed to the lower end of the vertical rotating shaft 7 in the central penetration part of the lower bearing fixing part 6. A timing belt (not shown) is hung on this pulley 11, so that the rotational force of the vertical rotating shaft 7 can be transmitted to a generator to generate electricity.

[0017] Lift blades 13 are attached to the vertical rotation shaft 7 by four horizontal frames 12. The vertical rotation shaft 7, horizontal frames 12, and lift blades 13 constitute a vertical axis wind turbine 14. The lift blades 13 are of a straight blade type, and when they receive wind W, lift is generated on the lift blades 13, and the rotational component of this lift causes the vertical axis wind turbine 14 to rotate in the rotational direction R (see Figure 4).

[0018] In this embodiment, the vertical axis wind turbine 14 is housed inside the wind-boosting mechanism 15 to improve the rotational force. The wind-boosting mechanism 15 has a roughly rectangular tubular shape penetrating horizontally, with a narrow gap between the front ends 17 on the side where the wind W flows in and a wide gap between the rear ends on the side where the wind flows out, and the cross section of the side portions 16 is generally V-shaped. The front ends 17 of the side portions 16 open slightly outward, and flanges 18 bent outward are formed at the respective rear ends.

[0019] The upper surface 19 and the lower surface 20 are each horizontal and have a circular opening 21 through which the vertical rotation shaft 7 passes. The opening 21 is supported rotatably on the outside of the bearing fixing parts 5 and 6 of the support part 3 of the outer frame 1 via bearings.

[0020] Since the cross section of the side portion 16 of the air-increasing mechanism 15 is generally V-shaped, the front end 17 side is always oriented straight in the direction of the wind W. Even if the direction of the wind W changes, the air-increasing mechanism 15 rotates as a whole accordingly, so that the front end 17 always faces straight in the direction of the wind W. The wind W is then drawn into the air-increasing mechanism 15 from between the front ends 17.

[0021] The wind W1 introduced into the wind-increasing mechanism 15 hits the lift blades 13 of the vertical axis wind turbine 14 as it passes inside the wind-increasing mechanism 15, causing the vertical axis wind turbine 14 to rotate in a predetermined rotation direction R. After rotating the vertical axis wind turbine 14 inside the wind-increasing mechanism 15, the wind W1 is two-dimensionally drawn in behind the wind-increasing mechanism 15.

[0022] Moreover, the wind W2 that is not introduced inside the wind-increasing mechanism 15 and passes outside the side portion 16 collides with the flange 18 and is drawn in while being diffused two-dimensionally toward the rear of the side portion 16. In this way, a very strong vortex is formed behind the wind-increasing mechanism 15 by drawing in both the inside and outside winds W1 and W2, which forms a low pressure area L behind the vertical axis wind turbine 14.

[0023] This low pressure section L allows a large amount of wind W1 to be drawn into the vertical axis wind turbine 14 from the front end 17 of the wind-increasing mechanism 15 to rotate, so the vertical axis wind turbine 14 rotates at a higher speed, improving the inherent power generation capacity of the vertical axis wind turbine 14. Because the front end 17 of the wind-increasing mechanism 15 opens slightly outward, even more wind W is drawn into the wind-increasing mechanism 15, allowing the vertical axis wind turbine 14 to rotate with even greater vigor.

[0024] The wind-increasing mechanism 15 rotates concentrically with the vertical axis wind turbine 14 depending on the direction of the wind W. However, since the wind-increasing mechanism 15 is supported for free rotation not relative to the vertical rotation shaft 7 but relative to the bearing fixing parts 5, 6 of the outer frame body 1, the load of the wind-increasing mechanism 15 is not applied to the vertical rotation shaft 7, which suppresses wear on the rotating part of the vertical rotation shaft 7 and improves the supporting rigidity of the wind-increasing mechanism 15.

[0025] Furthermore, flexible photovoltaic elements P are provided on the entire outer surface of the air-boosting mechanism 15, i.e., the outer sides of the upper surface portion 19, the lower surface portion 20, and the side surface portion 16. In this embodiment, a perovskite-type cell is used as the flexible photovoltaic element P. In addition to the perovskite-type cell, a CIS, CIGS, GaAs or Si cell, an organic photovoltaic element (OPV), etc. can also be used. The flexible photovoltaic element P is designed as a flexible film covered with at least one photoactive layer, and is provided on the outer surface of the air-boosting mechanism 15 by a method such as adhesion.

[0026] Since the outer frame 1 surrounding the wind-boosting mechanism 15 has a frame structure, direct light and reflected light of sunlight S pass through the outer frame 1 and hit the flexible photovoltaic elements P provided on the outer surface of the wind-boosting mechanism 15, and the light energy of sunlight S can be converted into electrical energy. The electrical energy generated by the flexible photovoltaic elements P can be extracted by a known slip ring or the like. Therefore, in addition to the inherent power generation of the vertical axis wind turbine 14, power generation by the flexible photovoltaic elements P can also be performed, improving the overall power generation capacity.

[0027] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the flexible photovoltaic element P is provided on the outer surface of the air-boosting mechanism 15, but since the inner surface near the front and rear ends of the open air-boosting mechanism 15 is likely to be hit by reflected sunlight S in particular, the flexible photovoltaic element P may also be provided there. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1 Outer frame 2 pillars 3 Support part 7 Vertical Rotation Axis 12 Horizontal Frame 13 Lifting Blade 14 Vertical axis wind turbine 15 Wind increase mechanism 16 Side part 17 Front end 18 Flange 21 Opening R Rotation direction L Low pressure section P Flexible photovoltaic element S Sunlight W Wind W1 Inner Wind W2 Outside Wind

Claims

1. A vertical axis wind turbine structure with a wind boosting mechanism, comprising: an outer frame body having a structure capable of receiving sunlight and ventilation from all directions except the bottom surface, and having a small support part near the center of the top and bottom; a vertical axis wind turbine having a vertical rotation shaft whose top and bottom ends are rotatably supported by the support parts of the outer frame body, and a horizontal frame extending radially around the vertical rotation shaft and having a plurality of straight blade type lift blades attached thereto; and a wind boosting mechanism having a roughly rectangular cylindrical shape penetrating horizontally and housing the vertical axis wind turbine therein, A vertical axis wind turbine structure with a wind boosting mechanism, characterized in that a flexible photovoltaic element is provided on at least an outer surface of the wind boosting mechanism.

2. The side portion of the air-increasing mechanism has a narrow gap between its front ends on the side where the air flows in and a wide gap between its rear ends on the side where the air flows out, and has an overall V-shaped cross section, with flanges bent outward at each rear end, 2. The vertical axis wind turbine structure with a wind boosting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a circular opening through which the vertical rotation shaft passes is formed in the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion, and the opening is rotatably supported by a support portion of the outer frame body.

3. 3. The vertical axis wind turbine structure with a wind boosting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a front end of a side portion of the wind boosting mechanism is slightly open outward.

Images