Wind-operated dynamo.

Application filed August 31, 1907. Serial No. 390,9,09.

To dll whom it may concern: ¹

Be it known that I, Emil J. Johnson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madrid, in the county of Boone and State of 5 Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Wind-Operated Dynamo, of which the following is a specification.

The object or my invention is to provide a combined wind-wheel and electric dynamo 10 so arranged that a maximum amount of current may be generated by the use of two wind-wheels having their blades oppositely disposed, so that they will turn in opposite directions.

A further object is to provide improved means for collecting the current and for protecting the dynamo from rain, whereby a simple, durable and inexpensive construction is obtained.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the dynamo with the wind-wheels whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my 25 claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which—

Figure 1 shows a central vertical sectional view of the upper portion of a wind-mill provided with two oppositely moving wind ac30 tuated wheels, and a dynamo connected with skid wheels, embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows an elevation of a wind-mill tower having my improved device supported thereon. Fig. 3 snows an enlarged detail side 35 view of the armature portion of the dynamo with the wind-wheel blades attached thereto, and—Fig. 4 shows a similar view of the field portion.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 40 I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a wind mill tower of ordinary construc. tion having at its top a horizontally arranged shaft 11 and a vane 12. This vane is pivotally supported in the usual manner so that 45 it may be set to throw the wind-wheels out of the wind, or to hold them toward the wind, as desired.

Rotatably mounted upon the shaft 11 is a hub 13. Fixedtothishubisadiskshapedweb 50 14 'nsving projected laterally and outwardly from one side a series of brackets 15, to each of which is attached a wind-wheel blade 16. Oh the other side of the web 14 is a dynamo field core 17 having mounted thereon a se55 ries of coils of wire 18, connected together by means of the conductors 19 and 20, each of which is connected to a commutator brush 21. These wires are extended through the web, and each is connected to one of the current collecting rings 22 on the hub 13, and in- θο sulated from it.

Mounted on the top of the wind mill tower is a cylindrical casing 23 surrounding the collector rings 22 and having one edge curved outwardly. Fixed to the web 14 is an an- 95 nular rim 24 arranged to overlap the outwardly curved edge of the casing 23, so that a rain tight joint is provided between the casing and the said rim. The said casing supports two collector brushes 25 with their 70 inner ends in engagement with the collector rings 22. These brushes are connected by the conductors 26 which extend to a point below the wind mill top.

Mounted upon the shaft 11 adjacent to the 75 hub 13 is a second hub 27 having thereon a disk shaped web 28. Formed on the side of the web 28 near its periphery is the armature core 29, arranged in position directly over the field core 17. Formed on the outer edge of so the core 29 is a rim 30 overlapping the periphery of the web 14, and fixed to said rim 30 is a short circular apron 31 projected inwardly from the rim 30 to stand close to the adj acent face of the web 14, and thus serve to prevent 85' the entrance of rain between the field and armature cores. Mounted upon the armature core is a series of wire coils 32, connected by means of a conductor 33, the ends of which conductor are connected respectively 90 to the collecting rings 34 and 35, which are fixed to the web 28, and insulated from it. Mounted upofi the hub 27 is a commutator 36, the alternate sections of which are connected by conductors 37 and 38 with the col- 95 lector rings 34 and 35, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Formed on the periphery of the armature core 29 is a series of radial arms 39, to which wind-wheel blades 40 are fixed, said blades being oppositely disposed relative to 100 the blade 16 so that one wind-wheel will be rotated in one direction, and the other windwheel in an opposite direction.

In practical use, and assuming the vane 12 to be in position for holding the wind-wheels 105 to the wind, then obviously the blades 40, which carry the armature core will be rotated by the wind in one direction, and the blades 16 which carry the field, will be rotated in the opposite direction. The current 110 generated by the oppositely moving cores and the coils, or wire thereon, will be col2

889,883 lected first by the rings 34 and 35 and carried from them by the wires 38 and 39 to the alternate sections of the commutator 36 as an alternating current, from which it is 5 gathered and delivered as a direct current to the. conductor rings 22. From these rings, it is carried by the collector brushes 25 to the conductors 26. A portion of the current is also carried by the conductors 19 and 10 20, as shown in Fig. 4, to the dynamo field core 17, thus exciting the field. Obviously, the construction of the dynamo is such that rain cannot enter into the operative parts thereof. By thus connecting the dynamo 15 members direct with the wind-wheels, the power diverted from the wind-wheels may be converted at once into electric currents, and conducted to an indefinite distance by means of wires, thus doing away with all necessity 20 for gearing devices for transmitting the power, and also doing away with the loss of power by the operation of such parts. Furthermore, by having one of the dynamo cores moving in one direction, and the other in an 25 opposite direction, I am enabled to obtain a maximum amount of 'electrical current from wind- mills of minimum size. Furthermore, the efficiency of a dynamo increases rapidly in proportion to its speed of rotation, and the 30 speed of rotation of a wind wheel is necessarily limited by the force of the wind and other conditions. I provide for practically doubling the speed of movement of the armature relative to the core by providing the 35 means for rotating one in one direction and - the other in an opposite direction, so that a maximum of speed of movement of one part relative to the other is obtained from a wind wheel.