How a Wind Turbine Shroud Can Adjust Its Blades to Control Power
This patent describes a wind turbine design where a ring-shaped casing around the main rotor has small, adjustable blades that can change their angle to control how much wind hits the rotor and how much power is generated.
Original patent title: “Fluid turbine with variable pitch shroud segments”
This patent describes a wind turbine design where a ring-shaped casing around the main rotor has small, adjustable blades that can change their angle to control how much wind hits the rotor and how much power is generated. Owned by FloDesign Wind Turbine with 42 claims and 10 forward citations, and it is expected to expire in 2033.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a 'shrouded fluid turbine' that includes a main 'rotor' (the spinning blades) and a 'ringed airfoil' around it, which acts like a shroud or casing. This ringed airfoil is made up of many 'pivotable airfoil segments' (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1), which are essentially small, adjustable blades. Each of these segments can 'rotate about an axis to change a pitch' (Claim 2), meaning their angle can be adjusted. A 'pitch control mechanism' (Claim 3) can change the angle of these segments, even 'continuously' during operation (Claim 4). By changing the angle of these shroud segments, the turbine can control the airflow to the main rotor, thereby managing its power output or reducing the impact of uneven wind, like 'wind shear' (Claim 19). For example, if the wind is too strong, the segments can be angled to reduce the airflow to the rotor, preventing over-speeding.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover wind turbines that do not have a shroud or casing around their rotor.
- Does not cover shrouded turbines where the shroud segments are fixed and cannot change their angle or 'pitch'.
- Does not cover controlling turbine power solely by adjusting the pitch of the main rotor blades.
- Does not cover systems where the entire ringed airfoil pivots as a single unit, rather than individual segments being adjustable.
- Does not cover turbines where the shroud's pitch is only set once and not altered during operation.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The clever part is shifting the primary power control mechanism from the large, complex main rotor blades to smaller, individually adjustable segments on the surrounding shroud. This allows for fine-tuned control of airflow and can specifically address issues like wind shear by altering the shroud's pitch in different sections, making the turbine more adaptable.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
FloDesign Wind Turbine's ducted turbine prototypes
Advanced shrouded wind turbine designs
Turbines designed for urban or turbulent wind environments
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Controlling the power output of wind turbines is crucial for efficiency and preventing damage in varying wind conditions. This invention offers a way to manage power and mitigate 'wind shear' — where wind speed changes significantly over the height of the rotor — without needing to adjust the large, heavy main rotor blades. This could lead to more stable and potentially more efficient wind energy generation, especially in turbulent environments.
Filed
September 30, 2013
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
FloDesign Wind Turbine, the original assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, was focused on developing ducted wind turbine technology. While the company's status has changed, the underlying concepts of ducted or shrouded turbines with active flow control are explored by various research institutions and startups aiming to improve wind turbine efficiency and performance, particularly in complex wind environments.
Market impact
This patent contributed to the ongoing research and development in the wind energy sector, particularly for ducted or shrouded turbine designs. By proposing an alternative method for power control and wind shear mitigation, it offered a pathway for potentially more efficient and robust turbines. While not becoming a universal standard, it influenced thinking around active flow control and the potential benefits of integrating adjustable components into the turbine's structure beyond just the main rotor blades.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a 'shrouded fluid turbine' that includes a main 'rotor' (the spinning blades) and a 'ringed airfoil' around it, which acts like a shroud or casing. This ringed airfoil is made up of many 'pivotable airfoil segments' (Claim 1), which are essentially small, adjustable blades. Each of these segments can 'rotate about an axis to change a pitch' (Claim 2), meaning their angle can be adjusted. A 'pitch control mechanism' (Claim 3) can change the angle of these segments, even 'continuously' during operation (Claim 4). By changing the angle of these shroud segments, the turbine can control the airflow to the main rotor, thereby managing its power output or reducing the impact of uneven wind, like 'wind shear' (Claim 19). For example, if the wind is too strong, the segments can be angled to reduce the airflow to the rotor, preventing over-speeding.
The clever bit
The clever part is shifting the primary power control mechanism from the large, complex main rotor blades to smaller, individually adjustable segments on the surrounding shroud. This allows for fine-tuned control of airflow and can specifically address issues like wind shear by altering the shroud's pitch in different sections, making the turbine more adaptable.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover wind turbines that do not have a shroud or casing around their rotor.
- Does not cover shrouded turbines where the shroud segments are fixed and cannot change their angle or 'pitch'.
- Does not cover controlling turbine power solely by adjusting the pitch of the main rotor blades.
- Does not cover systems where the entire ringed airfoil pivots as a single unit, rather than individual segments being adjustable.
- Does not cover turbines where the shroud's pitch is only set once and not altered during operation.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
21/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
20/20
Very broad protection
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$64K – $205K
Midpoint $128K · 7.0 yr remaining · industry baseline
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
42 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Lovmand, B., Dalsgaard, S., Werle, M. J., Hjort, S., Jr., W. M. P., & Rubak, R. How a Wind Turbine Shroud Can Adjust Its Blades to Control Power (U.S. Patent No. 20,140,030,059). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20140030059/fluid-turbine-with-variable-pitch-shroud-segments
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How a Wind Turbine Shroud Can Adjust Its Blades to Control Power cover?
This patent describes a wind turbine design where a ring-shaped casing around the main rotor has small, adjustable blades that can change their angle to control how much wind hits the rotor and how much power is generated.
Who owns patent US 20140030059?
This patent is owned by FloDesign Wind Turbine.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on September 30, 2033, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 20140030059 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 10 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Controlling the power output of wind turbines is crucial for efficiency and preventing damage in varying wind conditions. This invention offers a way to manage power and mitigate 'wind shear' — where wind speed changes significantly over the height of the rotor — without needing to adjust the large, heavy main rotor blades. This could lead to more stable and potentially more efficient wind energy generation, especially in turbulent environments.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover wind turbines that do not have a shroud or casing around their rotor.
Patent monitoring