Patent Application
20240166321
The invention relates to the field of tethered-wing traction systems which are designed to deploy and fold a traction wing in relation to a base platform, this traction wing being designed to generate a traction force under the effect of the wind.
Such traction systems make it possible to deploy a flying traction wing used for the propulsion of a vehicle, notably a ship (as main propulsion or by way of support), for the generation of electricity, or for any application benefiting from such a traction force.
The French patent application FR3082184 describes a tethered-wing traction system and a method for deploying and folding the traction wing. The traction wing has folding lines secured to its leading edge and the system has means for pulling on at least three folding lines in order to bring the leading edge against the mast at least at two different heights along this mast.
This traction system benefits from a more efficient and more reliable deployment and folding method.
An aim of the invention is to improve the tethered-wing traction systems of the prior art.
To that end, the invention concerns a tethered-wing traction system having:
This tethered-wing traction system also has:
According to another object, the invention concerns a process for deploying or folding the traction wing of such a traction system, this process comprising a step of immobilizing the capturing device in relation to the folding carriage in a position in which the fastening rod faces the capturing hook.
Throughout the text, the terms “one” or “a” in the formulations “one/a carriage”, “one/a fastening arm”, “one/a rod” and “one/a hook” are to be understood as meaning “at least one”.
Such a tethered-wing traction system benefits from automated capture of the folding lines with a high level of security irrespective of the external conditions relating for example to the weather, to the movements of the vehicle or the ship, etc.
Such a traction system can therefore be entirely automated. The intervention of an operator is then not required to deploy or fold it. Specifically, the capture of the folding lines is a critical point in the automation of such a system, since the fastening of these lines, which are by definition flexible and moving, is difficult and, in the prior art, generally requires human intervention to secure the capture of the folding lines, for example by virtue of attachments of the snap hook type, or also requires complex and prominent immobilizing devices which require the lines to be stretched in order to automatically capture them.
The invention notably makes it possible to utilize the mooring of the leading edge of the traction wing to the mooring mast (during the deployment or folding phases) to securely implement the capture and guidance of the folding lines irrespective of the position of the latter and without placing them under stress.
The invention makes it possible to fold the traction wing by disposing the folding lines vertically along the mooring mast, after they have been captured by virtue of the capturing device, by simply sliding the one or more folding carriages.
The means for capturing the folding lines make it possible to capture multiple folding lines simultaneously, while still ensuring individual management of these folding lines (or in pairs of folding lines) and to bring them sequentially along the mast after a single capturing operation.
The traction system according to the invention may have the following additional features, on their own or in combination:
Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following nonlimiting description with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
Elements that are similar and shared by various embodiments bear the same reference numbers in the figures.
In the present example, the traction system 1 is mounted on the bow of the ship 2 and is actuated as a complementary propulsion means for the ship that makes it possible to save fuel. In this context, the traction system 1 is dimensioned depending on the tonnage of the ship to be hauled and is intended to be deployed and folded automatically.
In a variant, this traction system 1 may be used for any other application in which such an automatically foldable and deployable traction system is desired, for example as main propulsion means for a ship, for the propulsion of any other vehicle, for the generation of electricity, etc.
The traction system 1 has a base platform 3 which in this instance is fixed in place on the deck of the ship 2 and on which is mounted a mooring mast 4 provided for automatic folding and deployment operations of the system.
The traction system 1 also has a traction wing 5 which is designed to generate a traction force under the effect of the wind. In the present example, the traction wing 5 is a sail of the paraglider type. Any other flying equipment designed to generate a traction force under the effect of the wind can alternatively be employed, such as kites, gliding equipment, sails of the kite type, etc. The traction wing 5 conventionally has a leading edge 16 intended to be exposed to the ambient wind and an opposite edge, referred to as trailing edge 17.
The traction wing 5 is connected by an assembly of suspension lines 6 to a flying trajectory control device 7 which is designed to act on the suspension lines 6 to steer the flight of the traction wing 5.
The traction system 1 also has a traction line 8 connecting the flying trajectory control device 7 to the base platform 3. The traction force generated by the traction wing 5 is transmitted by the traction line 8 to the ship 2 to propel the latter, and the traction line is dimensioned accordingly. Within the context of the traction of an ocean freight ship, the traction line may be for example a textile cable of which the diameter may reach several centimeters.
The flying trajectory control device 7 makes it possible to steer the flight of the traction wing 5 in order to orient and position the traction wing and possibly to cause the traction wing 5 to describe flight paths that make it possible to increase the traction force on the ship. The control of the trajectory of the traction wing 5 is obtained in this instance by controlling the length of certain movable suspension lines, in a way which is conventional in the field of flying wings. The set of suspension lines 6 specifically has fixed suspension lines (that is to say that have a fixed length between their attachment to the traction wing 5 and their attachment to the flying trajectory control device 7) and movable suspension lines of variable length. The flying trajectory control device 7 is thus designed to pull on certain movable suspension lines and/or to slacken other movable suspension lines such that the aerodynamic profile of the traction wing 5 is modified with a view to controlling its lift, its trajectory, etc. The modification of the profile of a traction wing to control its trajectory is performed conventionally and will not be described in more detail here.
The traction wing 5 also has a guide line 9 and multiple folding lines 10A, 10B, 10C, which are all secured to the leading edge 16 by at least one of their ends.
The traction line 8 is connected to the base platform 3 via a winch 11 controlled by a motor, for example an electric or hydraulic motor, which is designed to unwind the traction line 8 to allow the traction wing 5 to gain altitude, or conversely to wind up this traction line 8 in order to bring the traction wing 5 towards the base platform 3.
The traction wing 5 has a furling line 13 which is divided into multiple lines (shown in dashed lines in
The traction system 1 has carriages 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, 12E, five of them in the present example. These carriages are fixed slidingly on the mooring mast 4 and each has a drive such that the position of each carriage along the mooring mast 4 can be managed. These carriages are provided to capture and guide the folding lines 10A, 10B, 10C and the furling line 13 during the deployment or folding phases described later on.
These carriages are arranged as follows:
In a variant, the traction system 1 has as many carriages as are necessary to capture the folding or furling lines, the number of which can vary in relation to the example described.
The folding lines 10A, 10B, 10C are arranged in pairs, as illustrated in
In this
With reference again to
Taking the traction configuration of
From the positions of
This operation continues as far as the position of
The mooring line 20 enters the mooring carriage 12B and holds the leading edge 16 against the mooring carriage 12B by traction. The traction wing 5 is then locked in this moored position (as will be described later on), the tension on the mooring line 20 is no longer necessary, and the lines can be captured.
To capture the lines (these operations do not necessarily take place in this order):
The lines are captured by virtue of hooks on the carriages, and a capturing device, as set out below.
The folding carriages 12C, 12D, 12E then start to descend along the mooring mast 4 by sliding their hooks along lines which have been caught.
The traction wing 5 is then folded along the mooring mast 4, that is to say that the two lateral portions 19 of the leading edge 16 extend vertically along the mooring mast 4, while the median zone 15 is kept moored to the mooring carriage 12B.
From this position in
With reference to
The capturing device 22 is connected to the leading edge 16 of the traction wing 15 in the median zone 15 by a pylon 23 (visible notably in the side view of
In a variant, the capturing device 22 may be connected to the leading edge 16 by any other flexible or stiff means, such as textile ties or any other element that makes it possible for traction on the capturing device 22 to cause traction on the leading edge
The capturing device 22 has a body 24 and two fastening arms 25 mounted on this body 24 so as to be able to pivot each about a pin 26. Each of the fastening arms 25 has a first fastening rod 27A, a longer second fastening rod 27B, and an even longer third fastening rod 27C (the fastening rods 27A, 27B, 27C are seen in section in
In the present example, the fastening rods 27A, 27B, 27C are made up of tubes force-fitted in bores provided to that end in the fastening arms 25.
The fastening arms are movable in relation to the body 24 between a flight position (that of
Each fastening arm 25 moreover has a lever 28, that is to say a portion extending beyond the pin 26 and making it possible to act on the fastening arm 25 to fold it.
Each folding line 10A, 10B, 10D, 10C which joins the median zone 15 is connected to a fastening rod 27A, 27B, 27C so as to protrude in the continuation of this fastening rod. In other words, the end of the fastening rod is continued by the folding line.
In the present example, in which the fastening rods are formed by tubes, the folding line is advantageously inserted in the tube and passes all through the tube to a fixing zone 29 of the fastening arm 25.
The pivot connection between the fastening arms 25 and the body 24 allows the fastening arms 25 to naturally take the spaced-apart position illustrated in
The function of this flight position of the fastening arms 25 is to further secure the automatic fastening of the lines by limiting the risk of the fastening arms 25 and the fastening rods 27A, 27B, 27C becoming entangled with the other lines, such as the guide line 9 and the mooring line 20.
The shuttle 14 is also shown in section in
In this instance, the guide line 9 is made up of a pair of lines stretched between the body 24 and the flying trajectory control device 7. In the present example, the pair of guide lines 9 forms a loop around a stop 34 of the body 24.
The guide line 9 is thus attached to the median zone 15 via the capturing device 22.
The mooring line 20 passes through the shuttle 14 and is connected to the body 24. The shuttle 14 has a guide means through which the mooring line passes 20 and which makes it possible for the mooring line 20 to slide freely. In the present example, this guide means is formed by a sheave 63 (see
In
The capturing device 22 is shown facing an interlocking interface 35 which is fixed to the mooring carriage 12B (the rest of the mooring carriage 12B has not been shown).
The position of
This operation causes the shuttle 14 to rise along the guide line 9. The doubling of the guide line 9 makes it possible here for the shuttle 14 to slide without pivoting about a vertical axis. A sliding connection is thus ensured, instead of a sliding pivot connection.
The capturing device 22 has, in the body 24, a receiving portion 36 intended to receive the shuttle 14. The receiving portion 36 is delimited by lateral walls interacting with the two flats 33 of the shuttle 14, and by a bottom wall 37 itself interacting with another flat 38 of the shuttle 14.
The impression 41 has inner walls for receiving and positioning the shuttle 14. The ovoid shape of the shuttle 14 and the complementary shape of the impression 41 ensure the predefined positioning when the capturing device 22 is being moored to the interlocking interface 35.
Between its attachment to the furling line 42 and its journey toward the trailing edge 17, the furling line 13 forms a loop 55 and enters a ring 43 which is integral with the tube 42. The ring 43 is for example a low-friction ring, or may be formed by a tube or a pulley. Traction on the loop 55 thus causes traction on the furling line 13 and therefore furling of the traction wing 5.
Furthermore, the traction on the mooring line 20 during the phase of mooring the traction line causes the shuttle 14 to rise and ends with the shuttle 14 entering the receiving portion 36, as illustrated in
The shuttle 14 is thus movable between a sliding configuration, in which it slides along the guide line 9, and a mooring configuration, in which the shuttle 14 is disposed in its receiving portion 36.
The entry of the shuttle 14 into the receiving portion 36 also activates the levers 28, this causing the fastening arms 25 to close, that is to say be transferred into the vertical position, and to be held in this position by way of the presence of the shuttle 14.
When the capturing device 22 and the shuttle 14 are in the position of
The capturing device 22 and the interlocking interface 35 are coupled in the required predetermined position by the interlocking of the indentations 39, 40 and by the interlocking of the shuttle 14 in the impression 41. The ovoid shape of the shuttle 14 makes it possible, during the mooring operation, to bring the capturing device 22 toward this predetermined position even if the mooring line 20 is twisted, that is to say even in the event of rotation of the capturing device 22 about the mooring line 20. The convex shape of the shuttle 14 is thus designed to be received in a concave shape of the interlocking interface 35 when the shuttle is in the mooring configuration, if required the shuttle 14 causing the assembly formed by the capturing device 22 and the shuttle 14 to rotate by virtue of the ovoid shape of the shuttle 14, under the traction of the mooring line 20.
The mooring carriage 12B has an upper immobilizing hook 48 and a pair of lower immobilizing hooks 49, which are movable between a retracted position, in which they are spaced apart from the capturing device 22, and an immobilizing position (that shown in
Each of the folding carriages 12C, 12D, 12E has a pair of capturing hooks 46A, 46B, 46C, each of these pairs of capturing hooks being intended to hook the corresponding pair of folding lines 10A, 10B, 10C. These hooks 12C, 12D, 12E are in the retracted position in
The furling carriage 12A has a capturing hook 47 intended to actuate the furling line 13 by way of the loop 55. The capturing hook 47 is also retracted in
The hooks 46A, 46B, 46C, 47, 48 are hooks which can pivot in the integral yokes of the corresponding carriage.
During the process of folding the traction wing 5, once the capturing device 22 is coupled to the interlocking interface 35, the immobilizing hooks 48, 49 of the mooring carriage 12B are activated toward their immobilizing position to fix the capturing device 22 to the interlocking interface 35, as illustrated in
The upper immobilizing hook 48 clamps the upper part of the body 24 while the lower immobilizing hooks 49 clamp the fastening arms 25 at the fixing zone 29, that is to say above the fastening rods 27A, 27B, 27C.
The hooks 48, 49 can be activated by any means, such as a pivot means controlled by an electric motor, or remote-controlled magnetic actuating means. In the present example, with reference to
As illustrated in
In the same way as before, the capturing hooks 46A, 46B, 46C of the folding carriages 12C, 12D, 12E may also be managed by any means that make it possible to close them over the fastening rods 27A, 27B, 27C. In the present example, the capturing hooks 46A, 46B, 46C are preferably made to transfer to their capturing position by moving the corresponding folding carriage away from the preceding carriage, by virtue of the same type of control as above: with a control shaft, lug and helical camway.
Thus, with reference to
The folding carriages 12C, 12D, 12E then each start to descend along the mooring mast 4 while moving away from one another such that the pairs of hooks 46A, 46B, 46C close over the fastening rods 27A, 27B, 27C, as illustrated in
Each hook 46A of the first folding carriage 12C closes over the three fastening rods 27A, 27B, 27C, that is to say just above the ends of the first fastening rods 27A.
Each hook 46B of the second folding carriage 12D closes over two fastening rods 27B, 27C, that is to say just above the ends of the second fastening rods 27B.
Each hook 46C of the third folding carriage 12E closes solely over a third fastening rod 27C, just above the ends of the third fastening rods 27C.
In this position in
From the position in
As the carriages descend, the hooks 46A, 46B, 46C thus slide on their corresponding folding line, making this folding line run vertically along the mooring mast 4.
This descent continues until the folded position in
Once the folded position has been reached, the traction wing 5 can then be furled. This operation is performed by the furling carriage 12A rising along the mooring mast 4, this first of all causing the furling hook 47 to close over the furling rod 42 (see
The capturing device 22 thus makes it possible to ensure rapid and secure mooring of the leading edge 16 of the traction wing 5 to the mooring carriage 12B and also ensures automatic and faultless hooking of each of the folding lines 10A, 10B, 10C and the furling line 13.
A second embodiment concerning the arrangement of the mooring line 20 will now be described with reference to
The capturing device 22 thus has a clamping means designed to take up a clamping position in which the mooring line 20 is kept fixed in place on the capturing device 22, and designed to take up a release position in which the mooring line 20 slides freely in relation to the capturing device 20.
The continuation of the mooring line 20 beyond the jaws 57 allows this additional portion 62 of the mooring line 20 to perform an additional function within the traction wing 5. This function may for example relate to an action on the aerodynamic profile of the traction wing 5 or to a action of closing the trailing edge of the traction wing 5.
This additional function is performed by making the jaws 57 open and by exerting traction on the mooring line 20, this causing traction on this additional portion 62 of the traction line 20 and therefore the performance of this additional function, for example by way of traction which modifies the shape of the trailing edge 17.
The jaws 57 are made to open after the capturing device 22 has been immobilized by the immobilizing hooks 48, 49, such that the traction on the mooring line 20 is no longer useful for maintaining the mooring.
The opening lever 58 is actuated by a rod 59 which interacts with a bar 60 having a camway 61 at its end. The bar 60, when it is pushed downward by the movement of the furling carriage 12A toward it, is intended to cause the rod 59 to retract (and therefore the opening lever 58 to be released), this causing the jaws 57 to close. Conversely, continuing to move the furling carriage 12A away from the mooring carriage 12B, after having immobilized the capturing device, causes the jaws 57 to open and thus the additional portion 62 of the mooring line 20 to be released.
In a variant, the jaws 57 can be controlled by any other means allowing the mooring line 20 to be separated from the capturing device 22 in order to perform an additional function within the traction wing 5.
At the end of these operations leading to the traction wing being folded (
The process for folding the traction wing 5 is thus finished.
The process for deploying the traction wing 5, during the next use, is then performed with the same operations as those described above, executed in reverse order.
Variant embodiments may be implemented. For example, the lines may be directly attached to the end of the fastening rods or of the furling rod. The number of carriages, hooks and lines can of course vary in order to correspond to a particular application.
In addition, the clamping means which in this case is made up of jaws 57 may alternatively be formed by any other means for preventing traction of a line, for example by a textile-sleeve locking means.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR2102790 | Mar 2021 | FR | national |
This application is a national stage entry of PCT/EP2022/056883 filed Mar. 16, 2022, under the International Convention and claiming priority over French Patent Application No. FR2102790 filed Mar. 19, 2021.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/056883 | 3/16/2022 | WO |
