Aero wind power generation apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11873124-B2
Application number	US-202217852101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2022
Priority date	Jan 17, 2022
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

An aero wind power generation apparatus includes: a drone unit including drone wings configured to make the aero wind power generation apparatus move and hover and a sensor unit configured to detect information for controlling the aero wind power generation apparatus; a buoyancy generation unit connected to the drone unit and including a side cover configured to open or close and a balloon provided inside the side cover, wherein the buoyancy generation unit is configured to enable injection of gas into or release of the gas from the balloon; and a power generation unit connected to the buoyancy generation unit and including a rotating unit with a plurality of blades, a blade control unit of adjusting the state of the blades, and a motor unit of converting kinetic energy transferred from the rotating unit into electrical energy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aero wind power generation apparatus comprising:
a drone unit including drone wings configured to make the aero wind power generation apparatus move and hover, and a sensor unit configured to detect information for controlling the aero wind power generation apparatus;
a buoyancy generation unit connected to the drone unit and including a side cover configured to open or close and a balloon provided inside the side cover, wherein the buoyancy generation unit is configured to enable injection of gas into or release of the gas from the balloon; and
a power generation unit connected to the buoyancy generation unit and including:
a rotating unit with a plurality of blades;
a blade control unit configured for adjusting a state of the blades; and
a motor unit engaged to the rotating unit and configured for converting kinetic energy transferred from the rotating unit into electrical energy.

2. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drone wings include:
a pair of first drone wings configured to be collapsible from a predetermined position; and
a pair of second drone wings configured to be collapsible from a predetermined position, with a phase difference of 90 degrees from the first drone wings.

3. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the drone unit further includes:
a first drone motor engaged to the first drone wings and configured to control the first drone wings; and
a second drone motor engaged to the second drone wings and configured to control the second drone wings.

4. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the drone unit further includes a battery unit connected to the first drone motor and the second drone motor and configured to supply electric power to the first drone motor and the second drone motor.

5. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the drone unit further includes wing grooves in which the first drone wings and the second drone wings are selectively inserted.

6. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit includes at least one of a camera, a hygrometer, a wind gauge, an accelerometer, a gyro, and a UWB sensor.

7. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the side cover is configured to open when the aero wind power generation unit takes off from a predetermined location and to close when the aero wind power generation unit lands to a predetermined location.

8. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the gas is helium gas, and
wherein the helium gas is injected into the balloon when the aero wind power generation unit takes off from a predetermined location, and the helium gas is released from the balloon when the aero wind power generation unit lands to a predetermined location.

9. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is made of a urethane material.

10. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the buoyancy generation unit further includes:
an upper cover coupled to the drone unit;
a lower cover coupled to the power generation unit; and
a support supporting the buoyancy generation unit between the upper cover and the lower cover.

11. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the blade control unit has a hexapod structure including six actuators.

12. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the blade control unit is configured to adjust at least one of heights, surface areas, and angles of the blades and distances between the blades.

13. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the blades are vertical wind blades, a first end portion of which are coupled to an upper end portion of the power generation unit, and a second end portion thereof is coupled to a lower end portion of the power generation unit.

14. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the blades are coupled at predetermined intervals along an external surface of the power generation unit in a circumferential direction thereof.

15. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the blades are made of urethane or aluminum.

16. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the power generation unit includes a reducer configured to transfer the kinetic energy of the rotating unit to the motor unit.

17. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 16 , wherein an input shaft provided in the rotating unit and an output shaft provided in the motor unit are engaged to each other by the reducer.

18. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the motor unit includes a power generation motor engaged to the output shaft and configured for producing the electrical energy by use of the kinetic energy transferred from the reducer.

19. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , further including a magnet at a bottom portion of the power generation unit, and configured to be docked to a member including a vehicle or a charging station.

20. The aero wind power generation apparatus of claim 1 , further including a cable, wherein a first end portion of the cable is connected to the power generation unit and a second end portion of the cable is connected to a member including a vehicle or a charging station.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Choi Jung Hun
• Ha Dong Hyun
• Jung Jae Wung

Classifications

• B64U50/19

  using electrically powered motors · CPC title

• B64U10/60

  Tethered aircraft · CPC title

• F03D9/322 Primary

  the wind motors being supported in air by airborne structures, e.g. by kites (controlling thereof F03D7/051) · CPC title

• B64U10/10 Primary

  Rotorcrafts · CPC title

• B60L8/006

  Converting flow of air into electric energy, e.g. by using wind turbines · CPC title