US662944A

US662944A - Wind-motor.

Info

Publication number: US662944A
Application number: US193200A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles J Jones
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1900-01-18
Filing date: 1900-01-18
Publication date: 1900-12-04
Anticipated expiration: 1917-12-04

Description

4n 0 4, D. e D d e t n e t a DI S. E N U J Ih C. 4. 4` 9 2 6 6 0. N

WI N D M 0 T 0 R.

(Application led Jan. 1B, 1900.'

(No Modal.)

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No. 662,944. Patented Dec'. 4, |900.

C. J. JONES.

WIND MOTOR.

(Application -led Jan. 18. 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2` (No Model-1 Jil, Y

@Ntra rATEs ATENQT Errori.

CHARLES J. JONES, or ToPEKA, KANSAS.

WIND-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,944, dated December 4, 1900. Application iiled January 18, 19020. `Serialllo. 1,932. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES J. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Wind-Motor, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention is an improved wind-motor which is adapted to operate in any position, either vertical, horizontal, or inclined.

One object of my invention is to provide a wind-motor in which the fans are feathered and arranged to be fully exposed to the force of the wind on one side of the motor and almost entirely withdrawn from the force of the wind on the opposite side thereof, and hence adapted to utilize the power of the Wind to the maximum extent.

A further objectof my invention is to provide a novel combination and arrangement of devices for automatically releasing the fans from their revoluble supporting frame or wheel in a high wind, and thus avoid injury to the wind-motor.

. With these and other objects in View my invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating one embodiment of my invention, Figurel is a vertical central sectional view of my improved wind-motor. Fig. 2 is partly a top plan view of the same and partly a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional view illustrating the opera-l tion of the pressure-vanos, connecting mechanism, and clutch or locking devices for releasing the vanes from their pivotal supports in a dangerously high wind. Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4L a of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view through one of the fans and its pivotal support, showing the compressing-springs to normally lock the fan to its pivotal support. v

The supporting-tower 1 may be of any suitable construction and height and is provided at its upper side with a centrally-located circular table or head 2, which is angular in cross-section, as shown in Figs. l and 3. Ar-

ranged centrally in the table or head and ex; tending upward therefrom is a hollow hub or pivot 3. A revoluble headplate 4 turnson the table or head and is swiveled thereto, as at 5, and said head-plate is provided on one side with a pair of horizontal arms or ears 6. An annular sleeve 7 turns on the hollow spindle 3 and is vertically movable thereon, and said sleeve extends through and works in a central openingin the head-plate 5 and serves thereby to center and retain the latter on the table or head 2. This sleeve 7 is provided near its upper side with a pair of horizontal annular grooves 8 9.

The hub 10 of the lower spider-frame 11 is located centrally in the sleeve 7 and is supported by a ball-bearing 12 upon the upper end of the hub 3, and hence is adapted to rorate independently of said sleeve. A vertical tubular shaft 13 is keyed to the spider-hub l0, extends downward therefrom, has its bearing in the center of the hub 3, and turns upon a vertical supporting-shaft 14, said shaft 14E being non-revoluble and secured at its lower end firmly on a suitable platform 15, with which the tower-frame is provided. The tubular shaft 13 forms a part of the windwheel and turns therewith, and, as shown, is geared to a counter-shaft 16 by miter-gears 17. The said power-shaft is journaled in suitable bearings 18 on the platform and may be provided with a crank-wheel 19 for operating a pump. Any other suitable means may be employed for conveying power from the shaft 13, and Ido not limit myselfin this particular.

A series of radial arms 20 project from the spider-hub l0, said arms and said spider-hub constituting the lower spider-frame. The upper spider-frame 21 is similarly composed of a hub 22 and a series of radial arms 23. The said hub 22 has its bearing on the vertical shaft 14.

In bearings formed in the outer ends of the spider-arms are journaled a series of vertical shafts 24, which are capable of vertical movement in their bearings, and each of the said shafts is provided at its upper end with a crank 25. The lower ends of said shafts rest upon and said shafts are supported vertically by a series of levers 26, which are fulcrn med under the spider-arms 20, as at 26, and the inner ends of said levers engage the groove IOO 8 of the vertically-movable sleeve 7. Said Shafts 24 constitute the supports and pivots for the fans 27. Keyed to or formed with the shafts 24 are lock-cams 28, having angular sides, as at29. (See Fig. 6.) As here shown, the said cam-locks form tubular sleeves on the shafts 24, and fans are pivoted on the turn on the sleeves, are disposed nearer to y one side thereof than to their opposite side,

so that the shafts 24 are out of the centers of said fans, and the latter present a larger area of surface on one side than on the other of said shafts. The fans 27 are provided with tension-springs 31,'which engage the angular side's of the lock-cams 28. In the form of tension-springs herein shown the same are supported and adapted to play in yokes 32, which project from one side of the fans, and said springs are secured against endwise movement by angle-plates 33,which are bolted to said fans. Formed with or secured to the upper bearing 30 of each of the fans is a clutch member 34, and keyed or otherwise suitably secured to each of the verticallymovable pivotal shafts 24 is a clutch member 35, which isadapted to engage the member 34 when the shaft 24 is lowered, and thereby lock the fans to the said shaft and adapt them to rotate in unison, and which when the shaft 24 is raised disengages said member 34, and hence permits the fan to 'turn idly on its supporting-shaft 24 and to rotate independently thereof.

The cranks 25 of the pivotal supportingshafts 24 are connected togetlien in series around the wind-wheel by the links 36; but other suitable rigid or chain connections may be employed in `lieu of said links.

On the upper portion of the shaft 14 is a tubularshaft 37, which is mounted and adapted to rotate thereon and carries a set-vane 38, which turns with said tubular shaft and is supported by an arm 39, which is preferably provided on the end opposite the vane with a counterbalancing-weight 40, which also constitutes a 'pointer to indicate the `directionof the wind. Sprocket-wheels 41 are keyed to the tubular shaft 37 and a-re `connected with` sprocket-wheels 42, keyed on two of lthe shafts 24 by means of endless sprocket-chains 43. The said sprocket-wheels 42 are of 'greater diameter than the said wheels 4l and are so proportioned to the latter as to be caused to turn through one-half of a revolution while the wind-wheel is making one complete Vrevolution, assu ming the wheels 4l to be at rest and not in rotation.

From the foregoing and by reference to Fig.

Y 2 it will be understood that the fans 27 travel the wind and utilizing the force thereof to rotate the Wind-Wheel at all times When the Wind-motor is in operation, as will appear from aninspection of Fig. 2 in the drawings, in which the direction of the wind is indicated by the feathered arrow and the direction of rotation of the wind-wheel is indicated by an unfeathered arrow.

The function of the set-vane 38 is to turn the Wheels 41- when the wind changes, and thereby readjust the fans 27, as will be readily understood, so`as to cause them to feather to the new quarter.

A shaft 44 is horizontally disposed and mounted in bearings 45 in the ears or arms 6 of the revoluble head-plate@ and a pair of pressure-vanes 46 are secured to and depend from the said shaft. A yoke 47, which is of the form shown in Fig. 4, is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the shaft 44 and is provided with pins 48, which engage the groove 9 of the vertically-movable sleeve 7. A tripping-lever 49 projects from the front side of the 'said yoke and is provided with a depending cord 50, which extends downward nearly to the ground, and the said yoke is further provided with a substantially horizontally disposed extending arm 51, which carries a set-vane 52, the function of which, as will be readily understood, is to rotate the headplate on the turn-table with the wind as the latter changes its direction, and thereby always pre- -sent the pressure-Vanes 46 to the win-d.

When the wind is blowing at a moderate rate, the wind-wheel is'caused to rotat-e thereby in the manner hereinbefore stated; but in the event that the wind should blovs7 with sfuch force as t'o endanger the motor by revolving the wind-wheel at too high a rate of speed the pressure of the wind on the vanes 46 will cause them to turn from the vertical position (shownfin Fig. l) to the inclined position, (shown in Fig. 3,) hence partly turning the shaft 44 and causing the yoke v47 to move the sleeve 7 downward, and as the groove 8'of said sleeve :is engaged by the

levers

2,6 the inner rends of said levers are depressed and their outer ends raised, thereby causing said levers to raise the shafts 24 and the members 35 of the clutches to disengage the clutch members v34 of the fans, hence releasing said fans `from the said shafts 24, when they will instantly turn in the directionof the wind and present only their edges to the wind, and thereby not only stop the revolution of the Wind-wheel, but present only the skeleton framew'ork'of `the motor to the wind,and hence avoid 'being injured. The same results may be accomplished at any time it is desi-red to fstop the motor by drawing Ydown upon the cord 50, attach'ed to the lever 49, as 'will be readily understood.

It will beunderstood that when the clutches are disengaged, so that the fans are free to turn on their shafts 24, the latter, together with-'the sprocket-wheels 42 at the upper ends thereof, are supported and their weight Ven*- IOO IIO

ltirelyl borne by the levers 26. Hence the clutch members 35 will redescend by gravity and engage with the clutch members 34 as soon as the wind lulls.

The shafts 24 are movable vertically independently of each other and-descend by gravity into engagement with the fans 27. The weight of said shafts, together With the weight. of the sprocket-wheels and connections which they carry, is sufficient to insure their operation in engaging the clutch members.

If necessary, weights, such as are indicated at a, Figs. l, 2, and 3, may be placed on the upper ends of shafts 24.

It will be understood that when the fans 27 are disconnected from the vane 38 they are free to Hutter in the wind, and the vane 38 also utters, owing to the almost constant variations in the course of the wind, with the result that the clutch members are caused to oscillate constantly, and upon a decrease in the strength of the wind and the consequent release of the upward pressure on the shafts 24, owing to these oscillations of the clutch members, one at least of the fans will be almost instantly locked to its shaft, owing to the coincidence of the clutch members of said shaft and fan, thereby starting the windwheel in rotation, whereupon the remaining fans will become rengaged and locked to their respective shafts, as Will be readily understood.

Under ordinary circumstances the tensionsprings and locking-cams which secure the fans 26 against independent rotation on the shafts 24 are inoperative; butin the event of any disarrangement of the clutch-releasing mechanism, hereinbefore described, said tension-sprin gs and cams will permit the fans to turn on their pivotal shafts 24 in a high wind independently, regardless of the clutch or locking mechanisms, and hence afford additional safeguards against injury by abnormally high winds. By Weighting the arm 5l of vane 52 in any suitable manner, such as by hanging a stone thereto or by employing a suitable tension-spring mechanism for the shaft 44, such as will be within the scope of any skilled mechanic, the vanes 46 may be so regulated as to be inoperative, excepting by a wind of any predetermined degree of strength.

While I have shown and described sprocket wheel and chain connections between the shaft of the set-vane 38 and the crankshafts which constitute the pivotal supports for the orbitally-movable fans, I do not limit myself to the use of such sprocket wheel and chain connections, as other suitable connections may be substituted in lieu thereof, as Will be readily understood.

An additional function of the cams and tension-springs of the fans is to permit the latter to turn slightly on the shaft 24 in a high wind when the motor is being used for heavy work, hence regulating and governing the rotation of the wind-wheel automatically and securing a uniform rate of speed; I also `purpose to employ such cams and tensionsprings or equivalent devices on the shaft 44 of the pressure-varies and adapt the latter to be so regulated as to operate in a wind of any desired predetermined force.

I do not desire to limit myself to the use of a revoluble support in combination with axially-pivoted members carried by said support and connected together in series and caused to turn axially in unison and connections between said members and a relativelyfixed point eccentric to the axis of the revoluble support in a Wind wheel or motor, as the same combination may be advantageously used for propulsion and other purposes.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. The fan, having the pivotal support,with angular sides, in combination with compress ing-springs turning with said vane and bearing on said angular sides, substantially as described.

2. In a wind-motor, a series of orbitallymovable fans, pivotal supports therefor, connected together in series and adapted to move said orbitally-movable supports and the pressure-vanes, for the purpose set forth and a frame to maintain the parts in their operative relationship to each other, substantially as described.

4. The combination, of a series of orbitallymovable fans, supports therefor, connected together in series and adapted to move in unison, means to lock said fans to said supports, a pressure-vane, a revoluble support to which said pressure-vane is pivoted, and having a set-vane, and operating connections between said orbitally-movable supports and the pressure-varies, for the purpose set forth and a frame to maintain the parts in their operative relationship to each other, substantially as described.

The combination, in a Wind-motor, of a revoluble supporting-frame, a set-vane pivoted centrally with relation to the said supporting-frame, but revoluble independently thereof, a series of fans revoluble on supports carried by the revoluble supporting-frame, said series of fans being connected together and caused` to turn axially in unison, connections between the set-vane and said series of IOO IIO

fans, 'to set the latter When said set-'vane In testimonythat fI claimtheforegoing as turns, locks `to ysecure the fans tother supmy own I have hereto affixed my signature in ponts, a pressure-Vane and'operative connecthe presence of two Witnesses.

tions, actuated by the pressure-Vane, tofu'n- CHARLES JuJONfES. 5 lockthefa'ns from their supports and renderk `Witnesses:

them free to turn independently thereof Sub- J. W. GARNER,

stantially'as described. J. ROSS COLHOUN.