Patent Application
20250083785
This disclosure generally relates to use of assisting device for a watercraft with a hydrofoil. More particularly, the assisting device is configured to selectively provide sufficient propulsion to facilitate getting the watercraft on foil and includes a frame that transitions from a deployed state to a collapsed state.
Hydrofoils are wings that are adapted to function in water as opposed to air, but share many similar attributes. Notably, a hydrofoil provides a significant amount of lift, even at relatively slow speeds. Accordingly, the benefits of a hydrofoil may be extended to any number of applications involving movement through the water. For example, nearly any recreational pursuit that involves riding a board may take advantage of a hydrofoil, including downwind foiling which generally refers to techniques for riding swell in one predominant direction, typically aligned with the wind direction given that the wind may either create or accentuate the swell.
An important characteristic associated with a hydrofoil-equipped craft is the concept of a threshold speed. Below this speed, the hydrofoil is unable to generate the lift necessary to suspend the hull of the craft, such as a surfboard, above the water. Consequently, in addition to whatever friction is attributed to the hydrofoil, the hull displaces water and presents a significant amount of surface area to the water. Both aspects dramatically increase the drag experienced by the craft. However, above the threshold speed, the hydrofoil generates sufficient force to lift the hull of the craft free from the water surface, a condition typically termed “flying.” This takes all drag components associated with the hull out of the equation, leaving only the hydrofoil friction, which is relatively unchanged. Due to the significant reduction in drag, much less force is required to keep the craft at or above the threshold speed than may be required to accelerate the craft to the threshold speed. This phenomenon is similar to the transition of a hull from a displacement mode to a planning mode, when a reduced surface area of the hull is able to “skip” across the water. While readily appreciated in any number of sports, it is magnified here given the greater efficiency of the hydrofoil. The techniques of this disclosure facilitate attaining the threshold speed with a hydrofoil watercraft using the selective assist device as will be appreciated in view of the following discussion.
This disclosure is directed to a collapsible wing having a frame and a canopy. The frame may be configured to transition between a deployed state in which the canopy has an aerodynamic profile and a collapsed state with a reduced profile.
In one aspect, the frame has a central spar and at least one leading edge member connected to the central spar that extends outwardly from the central spar when the frame is in the deployed state and is generally aligned with the central spar when the frame is in the collapsed state. For example, two leading edge members may be pivotally connected to a hinge that slides along the central spar. The hinge may be releasably locked at a position corresponding to the deployed state by an actuator. The leading edge members may form an angle less than 180 degrees with respect to each other.
In one aspect, the canopy may be attached to at least one of the central spar and the at least one leading edge member with adjustable tension to vary the aerodynamic profile.
In one aspect, at least one of the central spar and the at least one of leading edge member may be configured to have a degree of flexibility that contributes to the aerodynamic profile.
In one aspect, the frame may have a cross brace releasably secured to the leading edge members when the frame is in the deployed state. The cross brace may adjust an angle formed by the leading edge members with respect to each other when the frame is in the deployed state. The cross brace may disengage from the leading edge members when the frame transitions to the collapsed state.
In one aspect, an integrated storage sleeve may be used for stowing the wing when the frame is in the collapsed state.
The disclosure is also directed to a method for using a collapsible wing. The method may involve providing a frame and a canopy and transitioning the frame between a deployed state in which the canopy has an aerodynamic profile and a collapsed state with a reduced profile.
In one aspect, providing the frame may involve providing a central spar with two leading edge members are pivotally connected to a hinge that slides along the central spar. Correspondingly, transitioning the frame may involve moving the leading edge members from an outwardly extending orientation with respect to the central spar when the frame is in the deployed state to an orientation that is generally aligned with the central spar when the frame is in the collapsed state. Transitioning the frame may involve releasing an actuator to allow the hinge to slide distally along the central spar.
In one aspect, the method may also involve adjusting an angle formed by the leading edge members with respect to each other.
In one aspect, the method may also involve adjusting the tension of the attachment of the canopy to the frame to tailor the aerodynamic profile when the frame is in the deployed state.
In one aspect, the method may also involve stowing the wing in a storage sleeve when the frame is in the collapsed state.
Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following and more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which like referenced characters generally refer to the same parts or elements throughout the views, and in which:
At the outset, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particularly exemplified materials, architectures, routines, methods or structures as such may vary. Thus, although a number of such options, similar or equivalent to those described herein, can be used in the practice or embodiments of this disclosure, the preferred materials and methods are described herein.
It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of this disclosure only and is not intended to be limiting.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only exemplary embodiments in which the present disclosure can be practiced. The term “exemplary” used throughout this description means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other exemplary embodiments. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the specification. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments of the specification may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the novelty of the exemplary embodiments presented herein.
For purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms, such as top, bottom, left, right, up, down, over, above, below, beneath, rear, back, and front, may be used with respect to the accompanying drawings or chip embodiments. These and similar directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure in any manner.
In this specification and in the claims, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element, there are no intervening elements present. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure pertains. Finally, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
Considering the dramatic efficiencies of a hydrofoil watercraft, there are many situations where a user could exploit wind and water conditions to maintain the craft above the threshold speed if there were a convenient way to provide the transient supplemental propulsive force. As illustrations only, a hydrofoil water craft may catch ground swell, wind driven swell, swell resulting from tidal effects or even swell generated by the wake of a passing vessel. With a hydrofoil, much less amplitude is required for the swell or wake to impart enough force to maintain the threshold speed. However, there is still the requirement to reach the threshold speed dictated by the characteristics of the hydrofoil, the watercraft and the environmental conditions. The techniques of this disclosure are directed to providing transient propulsive force to exceed the threshold speed, potentially with one or more supplemental techniques such as the foil pumping noted above.
Given the context of the threshold speed discussed above, many situations exist in pursuits involving watercraft where an attempt is made to harness a propulsive power with some device to drive past the threshold speed (it should be understood that other techniques may be used in conjunction with the overall process, including pumping the watercraft to induce additional motion to the hydrofoil and thereby increase lift). A prone surfer may use their hands, a stand-up paddle (SUP) surfer may use their paddle, a wing foiler or windsurfer may perform an analogous pump of their sail or wing or a kite boarder may dive the kite in order to achieve sufficient forward propulsion to reach the threshold speed and get the watercraft foiling. Still further, the watercraft may also have some powered foil assist system, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,279,873, issued May 7, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Critically, once foiling, the force accessible from the swell can be sufficient to keep the craft moving above the threshold speed and no supplementation may be required. Correspondingly, the user of the watercraft is allowed to simply ride whatever swell exists in the direction the swell is traveling. Prone surfing or paddle surfing offer the advantage that the encumbrance associated with the propulsion technique is minimized (as with a paddle) or non-existent (if hand-paddling), but both require a relatively high degree of both technical expertise and endurance.
Clearly, it would be desirable to provide an assist device according to the techniques of this disclosure that is configured to selectively provide its propulsive force in order to reach the threshold speed. In some embodiments, the amount of force developed by the selective assist device is sufficient to drive the watercraft to the threshold speed by itself or in combination with riding technique. However, the selective assist device may also be used in conjunction with paddle based propulsion or to help supplement and conserve its power in situations where the watercraft has a power foil assist system as noted above. It must be noted that many conventional approaches, such as those employing inflatable hand wings, kites or sails, do not permit any feasible operation that would changes their profile during use. For example, the kiter must still fly the kite while the windsurfer or wingfoiler must still manage the sail or wing in an essentially static configuration. Correspondingly, it would also be desirable to configure the assist device to change profile to reduce interference as the user rides swell with the watercraft as enabled by the techniques of this disclosure.
Notably, the assist devices within the scope of this disclosure allow for a reduced change in profile when not providing propulsive force, such as by being collapsible, packable, shrinkable or other similar transfiguration that may be deployed to start foiling and may then be reduced in profile to allow for a more unencumbered riding experience. In some embodiments, the deployed assist device allows the user to ride upwind in circumstances allowed by wind direction.
One exemplary embodiment is depicted in
In other embodiments, canopy 14 may be attached to frame 12 at more points than just the opposing ends of central spar 16 and leading edge members 18. For example, a sleeved infill panel (not shown for the sake of clarity) extending from the midline of canopy 14 may be used to help control the draft of the aerodynamic profile when frame 12 is in the deployed state. The sleeve of the infill panel can slide along central spar 16 during the collapsing operation.
Given that wing 10 may be used primarily on water, various modifications may be employed to ensure that it floats as a safety measure and to aid usability. As one example, central spar 16 and/or leading edge members 18 may be hollow or have sufficient voids to provide the desired buoyancy. In such embodiments, the components would be sealed to prevent ingress of water. Alternatively or in addition, the spaces may be filled with foam to exclude water. In other embodiments, inflatable floats may be positioned at desired locations of frame 12.
As shown in the detail of
As desired, central spar 16 may be configured to facilitate being gripped by the user's hands. For example, central spar 16 may have an outer layer of resilient foam having sufficient durometer to still allow hinge 20 to slide smoothly. As another illustration, central spar 16 may have a construction that imparts a textured surface such as ridges of the like to facilitate being held. Similarly, the diameter of central spar 16 may also be chosen to be comfortably gripped without excess effort. Still further, central spar 16 may have attachment points for a harness line.
In some embodiments, additional structural elements may be employed as desired. For example,
When deployed, the user may hold central spar 16 to control wing 10 and harness propulsive power to assist a hydrofoil watercraft, such as to reach the threshold speed at which the hydroil can lift the watercraft off the surface of the water. One exemplary usage is schematically shown in
To facilitate transport, one or more of central spar 16, leading edge members 18 and/or cross brace 32 may comprise multiple pieces that assemble. Typically, the assembly and disassembly of these components would be performed before and after use rather than being performed as part of the transition between the deployed state and the collapsed state, which as described above, is preferably performed with a minimum number of options (e.g., releasing hinge 20 and sliding it distally along central spar 16.) As another option, central spar 16 or other components of frame 12 may have a paddle blade attachment that is either integral or detachable to provide another source of propulsion.
The various components of frame 12 may be formed using any suitable technique, such as injection molding, three-dimensional printing, computer number controlled (CNC) milling and others. Moreover, any suitable material can be employed. In some embodiments, composite materials are used that can optionally be reinforced by embedding components in a binder matrix. For example, the reinforcing components may be formed from fibers, fabrics or the like of any suitable material, including carbon, glass, boron, basalt, Nylon, Kevlar and the like. The binder matrix may be formed from suitable polymeric materials, including polyester and epoxy. The reinforcing members may be “wet out” or saturated with the polymer prior to curing to achieve desired structural characteristics. In some embodiments, the reinforcing member may have a three- dimensional structure such as a honeycomb configuration or the like. By employing such materials, the components of frame 12 may exhibit increased structural integrity and can be adapted based on the expected forces. In some embodiments, the use of metals or alloys may be reduced or avoided to minimize or eliminate the risk of corrosion. However, any or all the portion of frame 12 may also be formed from materials such as metal, alloys or others as desired to create a component having sufficient structural strength.
Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope.
This application claims priority from and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/538,258, filed Sep. 13, 2023, entitled “DOWNWIND FOIL ASSIST FOR WATERCRAFT,” which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63538258 | Sep 2023 | US |
