The Hydrovolts Turbine - II

In my last post on the Hydrovolts Flipwing Turbine I was deliberately vague about exactly how we've managed to make a cross-axis rotor ("paddlewheel") spin when entirely submerged. Well, the patent is filed so here's an explanation.

The animation shows the patent-pending Hydrovolts Flipwing Turbine in action. The view is end-on with the water flow coming from the right. At the 12 o'clock position, one of the four flipwing blades is pinned against the central axle, providing drag resistance to the current, which pushes on it causing the turbine to rotate counter-clockwise. As the flipwing blade moves past the 9 o'clock position the current pushes the blade open, and it flips backwards from the hinge on the outer edge so the blade is parallel to the current. It remains in the open position through the 3 o'clock position, where it again becomes pinned to the central axle, catching the water current and forcing the turbine to rotate.