{
  "patent_number": "US 7927078",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Wind Turbine Blades Reduce Noise with Small Fins",
  "original_title": "Wind turbine blade tip vortex breakers",
  "summary": "This patent describes how small, flat fins attached to the tips of wind turbine blades can reduce noise and improve efficiency by managing swirling air, called vortices.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a wind turbine blade designed to reduce noise and improve efficiency by managing swirling air at its tip. It uses several \"substantially flat flaps\" (Claim 1) that stick out \"substantially perpendicular\" from the blade's \"suction surface\" (Claim 1) near its end. These flaps are placed along \"different chord lines\" (Claim 1) and are specifically shaped so their \"trailing edge\" is taller than their \"leading edge\" (Claim 1). Their job is to \"capture and direct tip vortices toward a trailing edge of the blade\" (Claim 1), which means they grab the swirling air and guide it away, making the blade quieter and more effective. For example, a wind turbine blade might have three such fins, each about a quarter of the length of the blade's width at that point, helping to smooth out the airflow.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover flaps that are not \"substantially flat\" (Claim 1), such as curved or complex shapes.",
    "Does not cover flaps that are not positioned \"substantially perpendicular\" (Claim 1) to the blade's suction surface.",
    "Does not cover flaps where the \"trailing edge\" is not taller than the \"leading edge\" (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover flaps with a length outside the range of 0.2 to 0.6 times the chord line length (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover systems that manage vortices using methods other than these specific flaps (Claim 1)."
  ],
  "filed": "2007-07-12",
  "granted": "2011-04-19",
  "expires": "2027-07-12",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "General Electric",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/general-electric",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Nishant Parsania",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/nishant-parsania"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kevin Standish",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/kevin-standish"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 17,
  "tags": [
    "energy",
    "mechanical",
    "aerospace",
    "renewable_energy"
  ],
  "abstract": "A wind turbine includes a tower supporting a drive train with a rotor, at least one blade extending radially from the rotor; and a plurality of substantially flat flaps extending substantially perpendicular from a suction surface of the blade and along different chord lines near a tip of the blade for capturing and directing tip vortices toward a trailing edge of the blade.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7927078/wind-turbine-blade-tip-vortex-breakers",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7927078/wind-turbine-blade-tip-vortex-breakers/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US7927078",
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      "countryCode": "US",
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      "patentNumber": "8932024",
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  ]
}