1028results about "Wind acting propulsive elements" patented technology

An unmanned, autonomous, waterborne vehicle (500) for marine use capable of operating on and below the surface of water, said vehicle (500) including an enclosed hull (501) having a payload bay (506), a hybrid propulsion system having energy collection means (504) in the form of a wing sail (503) covered with photovoltaic cells and energy storage means (511) for utilising at least solar energy and wind energy, a plurality of sensors (508, 514) for detecting predetermined environmental parameters and a communications system (509, 515) for transmitting data from said sensors (508, 515) to and for receiving command signals from one or more remote stations and/or cooperating vehicles.

A foot strap and recreational sports board that allows the user to easily tension a foot strap over the top of his or her foot. The foot strap, attached to the board, includes a strap, a cable, and a cable adjuster. The strap has separate first and second sides connected by the cable cinched and uncinched together as the cable is tightened and loosened by the cable adjuster with which it is engaged. A single cable adjuster and cable can be employed to simultaneously adjust two straps, both attached to the sports board. A pull may be included to facilitate exercise of the cable adjuster.

Fiber-oriented sails, including a method of manufacture, wherein woven, laminated panels of oriented fibers are of oriented fill yarns, e.g., in a woven cross-cut panel and the fill yarns, from panel to panel define load paths such as from head to clew and head to tack of a sail.

In an electronic apparatus having a touch panel and a chassis for supporting the touch panel, pair of fixing cushions are fixed to the touch panel along edges, which are parallel to each other, of the touch panel. Pair of vibration absorbing cushions are fixed to the chassis parallel to each other. A fixing flame is disposed between the touch panel and the chassis and fixed to the fixing cushions and the vibration absorbing cushions. Thus, the touch panel is supported against the chassis by the fixing cushions, the fixing frame and the vibration absorbing cushions. When the touch panel vibrates, the vibration absorbing cushions prevent transmission of the vibration from the touch panel to the chassis through fixing cushions and the fixing frame. Accordingly, the vibration of the touch panel hardly exercises a harmful influence on components mounted on the chassis.

A control device for a steering kite on a boat. The steering kite can be steered by a steering device and at least two or three, preferably at least four or five, suspension lines. The control device comprises at least one force introduction rail that extends horizontally over the water line and on which a deviation device for the suspension lines is positioned in such a way that it can move back and forth. The rail is fixed to the boat between the steering kite and the steering device in such a way that the traction force of the steering kite produces torque about the longitudinal axis and/or the transverse axis of the boat in the water, by means of which the leeward side of the boat is lifted upwards.

A composite tension rod is received in the sleeve portion of a shank that forms part of a terminal fitting, and is spaced from the shank sleeve and connected thereto by a potting resin. The shank sleeve wall tapers out from thin at its distal end to thick at the bury depth of the rod. The rod is tapered outwardly from a point of minimum diameter at its inner end to its full diameter a given distance from the end. The shank sleeve and rod have complementary dual tapering along said length such that as the diameter of the rod along said distance increases, the wall thickness of the shank sleeve decreases. The resin layer and the rod are secured to each other against relative longitudinal movement, as are the resin layer and the shank sleeve.

In another aspect of the invention, a tension rod sleeve is fixed to the tension rod and extends over the distal end of the shank sleeve and along all or a majority of the length of the shank sleeve. The rod sleeve is tapered so that its wall thickness decreases to a minimum in the vicinity of the proximal end of the shank sleeve, or the rod sleeve, as it extends along the shank sleeve, is divided, or divides, into two halves or bands which join to form loop extending around a loop-engaging, convex, fiber-turnaround face formed on the terminal fitting. Such face extends transversely from one side to the other of the fitting.

An apparatus and method for control of at least one of a plurality of semiautonomous marine vessels are provided. The system includes a control station with a communications system for network communication with marine vessels, and provides diagnostics and control for control and monitoring of the marine vessels, according to a mission plan.

A telescoping mast for supporting and raising a load may be telescopically extended by a zipper-action chain extension system further comprising a system for the management of one or more cables, such as power or communication cables traversing the length of the mast, and is capable of being locked into a rigid formation along a range of telescopic lengths.

A system for generating hydrogen is provided which includes at least one vessel which floats in water. At least one sail for capturing wind to move the vessel reciprocally along a substantially linear path is mounted on the vessel. A power generation system is provided for converting movement of the vessel relative to the water into electricity. And an onboard hydrogen production system produces hydrogen by electrolysis using the electricity generated by the power generation system.

There is disclosed a system and method for retaining portable rechargeable devices to recharging stations wherein one or other or both of the recharging station and the portable device are provided with connecting means adapted for temporary releasable connection of the two. This is particularly advantageous when used with recharging stations, which permit the device to be recharged in multiple places on the recharging station, providing a positive means of retaining the device. This is particularly advantageous if the recharging station is to be used in a mobile environment such as a car, or on a wall or ceiling.

A quick release harness system for wind or kite surfers or the like that enables users to manually release themselves from the harness line during a "blow over" event and which can easily reconnect to the harness line when desired. The system includes a quick release, biased lever mounted to a main bracket. The main bracket is attached to a waist support member worn around the waist of the user. Located below the lever and attached to the main bracket is a biased pivoting hook member with a forward extended arcuate section designed to engage a ring or similar structure attached to the distal end of a harness line. Also attached to the main bracket is a biased pivotal latch that selectively moves between engaged and disengaged positions with the hook member. Movement of the latch is manually controlled by pressing downward on the lever which enables the latch to rotate inward and move to a non-blocking position so that the hook member is able to move upward and disengage from the harness line. The lever and the hook member are both biased so that they automatically return to their original positions for re-engagement to the harness line. The latch is also biased so it automatically returns to a locked position.

The present disclosure provides a harness adjustment system that may be used in various applications including backpacks, windsurf harnesses, kite-board harnesses, mountain climbing harnesses, utility harnesses, backpack shoulder straps, tie-down straps, and various belts for numerous applications. The harness adjustment system includes a first webbing strap, a winding reel, a cable tension member, and a strap lock. The winding reel is secured to a first portion of the strap. The cable is interconnected between a second portion of the strap and the winding reel. The cable loops from the strap to the reel such that winding of the reel retracts the cable to pull the second portion of the strap toward the first portion. The lock is coupled to the first strap second portion. The lock is selectively engageable with the second portion of the strap to relieve tension from the cable. Both cam and plate locks are disclosed.

A bearing block has a head, a central hub, bearing means facilitating rotation of the sheave about the central hub. The block further has locking means for removably locking a length of high strength, fibrous material, such as cord, to the block for tethering the block to a boat deck or the like. The locking means may be a part of the block head, cheeks, or may be located at the block central hub. Preferred locking means are a plurality of passages for the cord ends to pass through, with set screws in two of the passages for removably holding the cord ends therein. A center portion of the cord length thus forms a loop for tethering the block.

A fabric and tape laying machine operable with: (a) a robot including programmable control means, (b) a supply roll containing a continuous strip of composite tape or fabric, and (c) a mold of predetermined surface shape relative to x, y and z coordinates, including: a. a chassis mountable to and movable by the robot, b. a contact roller module mounted on the chassis and spaced apart and downstream from the supply roll and adapted to receive tape from the supply roll, the contact roller module being moved along the programmed path by the chassis, c. a tape cutting unit carried by the chassis and situated between the supply roll and the contact roller module, and d. a suspension system for dynamically energizing the contact roller module to have its rollers apply a predetermined level of force downward on the tape during the lay-up process.

An unmanned ocean-going vessel including a primary hull, a rigid wing rotationally coupled with the primary hull where the rigid wing freely rotates about a rotational axis of the rigid wing, a controller configured to maintain a desired heading, a control surface element configured to aerodynamically control a wing angle of the rigid wing based on a position of the control surface element, where the controller is configured to determine a control surface angle and generate a signal to position the control surface element based on the control surface angle, a rudder, where the controller is further configured to determine a rudder position and generate a signal to position the rudder to the rudder position, and a keel including ballast sufficient to provide a positive righting moment sufficient to cause the primary hull to passively right from any position.

In a wind power installation with a (hollow) axis tube member and a hollow shaft mounted thereon for the rotor there is provided only a single bearing which also carries moments, between the axis tube member and the hollow shaft, whereby the parts of the machine which are to be fixed to the machine carrier and thus on the top of the pylon are of a markedly lower weight without the required orientation between the rotating and stationary parts of the electrical generator being adversely affected. In that arrangement the rotating part of the generator is radially aligned substantially with the bearing. The bearing to be used is in particular a twin-row inclined roller bearing with rows of rollers arranged at an angle of about 45° relative to each other.