Wind-powered lighting devices

Abstract

To provide a wind-powered lighting device that is weather-resistant for outdoor installation, easily mass-producible, and capable of lighting up in sync with even light breezes, while also possessing excellent decorative properties. [Solution] By placing the light source inside a cross-flow type wind turbine and using the electromotive force generated when the rotational force of the cross-flow type wind turbine acts on a DC motor with its rotation axis on the same axis, the light source is driven to light up. This allows the wind turbine to start rotating even at low wind speeds due to the high torque, resulting in a wind-powered lighting device in which the rotation of the wind turbine and the lighting are synchronized.

Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 The present invention relates to a vertical-axis windmill and a wind-powered lighting device that generates electricity by the windmill and causes a light source unit to emit light. In particular, it relates to a wind-powered lighting device having excellent decorativeness and being small in size. 【Background Art】 【0002】 As a wind-powered lighting device, it has been basic to include a windmill as an auxiliary power acquisition means for streetlights and the like since ancient times, and further include a power storage means for stably lighting the lamp. Unless there is a condition where wind power can be obtained stably to some extent, such as in a place where a wind power generation plant is installed, most of them aim to light continuously for a long time. The wind-powered lighting device shown in the patent document also has a configuration in which a power storage means and a solar power generation device capable of obtaining power more stably are combined. Alternatively, those that light up in conjunction with the wind are toys, but such ones have a simple structure, low decorativeness, and only those that do not have weather resistance for outdoor installation. 【Prior Art Documents】 【Patent Documents】 【0003】 【Patent Document 1】 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-206925 【Summary of the Invention】 【Problems to be Solved by the Invention】 【0004】 Thus, among the conventional wind-powered lighting devices, there has been no wind-powered lighting device that has weather resistance for outdoor installation, can be easily mass-produced, synchronizes with even a gentle breeze, and has excellent decorativeness for lighting. 【Means for Solving the Problems】 【0005】 The wind-powered lighting device of the present invention is characterized in that the light source is located inside a cross-flow type wind turbine, and the light source is driven to light up by the electromotive force generated when the rotational force of the cross-flow type wind turbine acts on a DC motor whose rotation axis is coaxial with the wind turbine. [Effects of the Invention] 【0006】 According to this invention, it is possible to obtain a wind-powered lighting device that is compact, operates even in a light breeze, provides lighting operation that matches a wind of a certain brightness or higher, and has improved decorative appeal. [Brief explanation of the drawing] 【0007】 [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a wind-powered lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic circuit diagram showing the circuit of a wind-powered lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wind-powered lighting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention] 【0008】 Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures. 【0009】 The light source suitable for the light-emitting part of this invention is an LED. It is adopted as a light source because it is readily available and can be lit with low energy. This is especially important when the wind turbine is small, as the power that can be obtained is very limited. Furthermore, since vibration sources are always present in the environment, it is also suitable because it is easy to implement countermeasures against vibration. 【0010】 Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the wind-powered lighting device of the present invention. When the wind turbine 101 rotates, the DC motor integrated with the wind turbine also rotates, generating an electromotive force. This electromotive force is supplied to the drive circuit of the LED light-emitting unit 102, causing it to emit light in conjunction with the rotation of the wind turbine. 【0011】 Figure 2 shows a simplified circuit diagram of the wind-powered lighting fixture of the present invention. Multiple LED elements 202 are connected in parallel to a DC generator 201 powered by wind. In light winds such as wind force 2 (1.6 m / s or more and less than 3.4 m / s), the energy obtained from the small wind turbine is minimal, and a simple configuration with minimal power attenuation is used. 【0012】 The wind turbine of the wind power generator of this invention is a vertical-axis wind turbine, particularly a cross-flow type wind turbine. Other forms of wind turbines will also be described. 【0013】 While propeller-type horizontal-axis wind turbines are common and suitable for wind power generation, their fixed orientation makes them unsuitable for installation in open areas. Furthermore, they produce significant rotational noise and, depending on wind direction, exhibit oscillation, reducing their power generation efficiency, making them undesirable. 【0014】 Therefore, it is desirable to adopt a vertical wind turbine that can operate in all directions. The Savonius wind turbine, a representative vertical wind turbine, can rotate in all directions, is efficient, and has high torque, thus providing excellent characteristics when installed naturally. However, when used in a wind-powered lighting device that has a light source inside the wind turbine, as in the present invention, the shape makes it difficult to see inside the wind turbine, and the light emitted from inside cannot be seen. In other words, it is not possible to obtain the appearance that the wind turbine itself is emitting light, resulting in an inferior aesthetic. On the other hand, with the open-shaped Darrieus wind turbine, it is possible to install a light source inside the wind turbine and it can be seen, but the starting torque is low and it is difficult to obtain illumination in light winds. 【0015】 For these reasons, the wind turbine of this invention uses a cross-flow type. Because the cross-flow type wind turbine has a large starting torque, it can begin rotating even in a light breeze. Furthermore, since the inside of the wind turbine is hollow, it is easy to design a system to install a light source inside, which enhances its aesthetic appeal. It also has excellent quietness, making it an excellent choice for decorative purposes. 【0016】 The present invention uses a brushed DC motor as the generator. Since an LED is used in the light source section, a direct current is desirable, and since the wind turbine is a cross-flow type wind turbine, by employing a DC motor generator, it rotates in one direction regardless of the wind direction, thus always obtaining a direct current in the desired direction for any wind. 【0017】 Generally, wind turbines require maintenance-free operation, so brushless DC motors are often used. However, brushless DC motors require a rectifier circuit, which reduces the output voltage by the amount of the rectifier. When miniaturizing, the wind turbine and generator are also small, resulting in low power generation. When the voltage drop due to the rectifier circuit is added to the voltage drop across the LEDs, the resulting current is minimized, making the design extremely critical. This effect can be particularly significant when the lights need to operate even in light breezes. Therefore, although not used in this embodiment, it may be used if there is sufficient drive current. 【0018】 Figure 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the wind-powered lighting device of the present invention. The connection state of the components of the present invention will be explained using this cross-sectional view. 301 is a cross-flow wind turbine, 302 is an LED and LED drive unit, 303 is a DC motor, 304 is the shaft of the DC motor, 305 is the shaft fixing part, 306 is a spacer, and 307 is the exterior part. The DC motor 303 and the LED and LED drive unit 302, which are the generators of the present invention, are integrated with the cross-flow wind turbine 301, and the shaft of the DC motor 303 is fixed by the shaft fixing part 305. As a result, when wind force acts on the cross-flow wind turbine 301, the wind turbine 301 rotates around its fixed axis, generating an electromotive force from the DC motor 303, causing the LED and LED drive unit 302 to emit light. 【0019】 As shown in the figure, the rotation axis of the cross-flow type windmill 301 and the axis of the DC motor 303 which is a generator are coaxial. By this, attenuation and friction due to the use of gears or the like are minimized. By using a cross-flow type windmill with a large starting torque and configuring it in a directly-connected manner with almost no mechanical attenuation, the windmill can rotate even with a wind speed of about 2 m, and the LED can be made to emit light. Further, the shaft fixing portion is made of a material with a high specific gravity such as brass. By this, the center of gravity is lowered with respect to the windmill to achieve stability. 【0020】 At this time, an elastic member may be provided between the shaft fixing portion and the shaft. By having the elastic member, even when the entire windmill portion tilts when a strong wind occurs, the load can be absorbed and reduced. Also, as shown in the figure, an exterior portion 307 is provided, and rotation can be suppressed by adjusting the frictional force with a separate member with respect to the cross-flow type windmill 301 or by adjusting its own frictional resistance. 【0021】 As described above, according to the wind power lighting device of the present invention, rotation and lighting corresponding to the wind can be obtained even from a gentle wind state, and a wind power lighting device excellent in weather resistance with excellent decorativeness as if the windmill is emitting light can be obtained. 【Explanation of Reference Numerals】 【0022】 101…Windmill 102…LED light emitting portion 103…Exterior portion 104…Fixed shaft 201…DC generator 202…LED element 301…Cross-flow type windmill 302…LED and LED drive portion 303…DC motor 304…DC motor shaft 305…Shaft fixing portion 306…Spacer 307…Exterior portion

Claims

[Claim 1] A wind-powered lighting device that lights up in sync with the wind, comprising a cross-flow type wind turbine, an LED lighting unit having a light-emitting part in a cavity inside the wind turbine which is integrally formed with the cross-flow type wind turbine, a DC motor for generating power that operates the LED lighting unit using electromotive force, and a fixed shaft, wherein the electromotive force generated from the rotational force of the cross-flow type wind turbine can drive the light source unit to light up. [Claim 2] The fixing portion between the fixed shaft and the shaft of the DC motor for power generation is fixed via an elastic member, as described in claim 1. [Claim 3] The wind-powered lighting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fixed shaft further has an outer casing, and the rotational force is suppressed by friction at the contact point between the outer casing and the cross-flow type wind turbine.

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