US Patent 7989973 Fluid-responsive oscillation power generation method and apparatus

Power generation apparatus includes a wing-shaped blade having opposite sides, opposite ends and leading and trailing edges extending between those ends. A lift differential producing device in the blade produces a lift differential at the opposite sides of the blade and that device is switched so that one blade side or the other produces the greater lift. A blade shaft extends along an axis in the blade that is in close parallel relation to the leading edge of the blade and that shaft is fixed to move with the blade. Supports support the blade shaft so that the blade can be positioned in a fluid stream with the leading edge facing upstream and swing about the axis between first and second extreme positions on opposite sides of a neutral position, the blade shaft oscillating with the blade. A coordinating device coordinates the switching of the lift differential producing device with the swinging of the blade so that the switching occurs at the extreme positions of the blade. A method of generating power using the apparatus is also disclosed.