Winch device for the tether of a kite

Abstract

The present invention provides a structure capable of detecting the position of a tether of a kite tethered to the sky even at night. In a winch device connected to a kite raised to the sky and tethering the tether of the kite, the tether discharged from the winch device is coated with a luminous coating. The winch device can include a luminous coating coating mechanism that coats the surface of the tether with a luminous coating when the tether is sent out from the winch device toward the kite.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a winch device for releasing and rewinding the tethering rope of a kite, such as a kite used for aerial wind power generation, which has been raised into the air. Background Technology

[0002] As one method for obtaining renewable energy, a method of raising kites into the air and using the wind power they receive to generate electricity has been proposed and is being put into practical use. For example, in Patent Document 1, as a structure for improving the controllability of a kite to improve the power generation using the kite, the following structure is proposed: In a kite having wings, tethers directly or indirectly connected to the wings, a rigid wing truss structure, tension connectors at multiple positions from the wing truss structure to the wings, and an actuator linkage device with a controllable and adjustable length, the wing truss structure has a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion for the tether. In the first mounting portion, the wing truss structure is fixed to the tether at a position above the roll neutral point or area of ​​the wings, and in the second mounting portion, the wing truss structure is mounted to the tether at a position below the roll neutral point or area of ​​the wings via the actuator linkage device. In this structure, the wing truss structure can accommodate lighting for assisting in the positioning of the kite. In Patent Document 2, in a structure that generates electricity by rotating the generator shaft through the up-and-down movement of multiple kites, in order to prevent the tethers used to hold the kites from getting tangled together during the flight of the multiple kites, the following structure is proposed: the first tether for the first kite is wound in one direction on the rotating shaft connected to the generator shaft, and the second tether for the second kite is wound in the opposite direction to the first direction on the rotating shaft. The characteristics of the first kite and the second kite are different from each other so that their elevation angles are different.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-534801

[0004] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-053776 Summary of the Invention

[0005] Ideally, while the kite is in the air, not only should its location be confirmed, but also the extension of the tether should be determined for tethering operations or navigation planning. In this regard, kites such as those used for aerial wind power generation are envisioned to be in the air day and night. During the day, the positions of the kite and tether can be visually or optically confirmed by the reflection or refraction of sunlight on the kite and tether. However, at night or when sunlight is weak, this cannot be confirmed. Therefore, for kites, it is possible to detect their position by illuminating them with a light source or by detecting light from a light source mounted on the kite. However, the tether does not extend in a straight line from the winch to the kite; instead, it is slack due to its own weight or bent by the wind. Therefore, it is difficult to continuously illuminate the tether by following its direction. Furthermore, tethers are typically on the order of millimeters in thickness, requiring long-distance extension and lightness, making it impractical to mount a light source along the entire length of the tether. Therefore, in order to detect the position of the tether at night or when sunlight is weak, it is advantageous to use methods such as making the tether glow, rather than using methods other than illumination or mounting a light source.

[0006] In view of the above, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a structure that can detect the position of the tether of a kite that has been raised into the air, even at night.

[0007] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problem is achieved by a device, which is a winch device that connects to and holds the tether of a kite that has been raised into the air, wherein the tether released from the winch device is coated with a luminescent coating.

[0008] In the above structure, the "kite" can be any kite connected to a tether launched from the ground or water and raised into the air, such as a wind-powered kite, but is not limited thereto. The "tether" can be any tether commonly used in this field, such as a tether made of millimeter-scale ultra-high-strength polyethylene fibers. The "winch device" can be any type of device, typically comprising: a rotating drum wound with the tether; and a rotation control mechanism that appropriately controls the rotation of the rotating drum, for example, based on the tension acting on the tether, and is configured to adjust the length of the tether sent from the rotating drum to the kite. The "luminescent coating" can be any type of luminescent paint that can be applied to the tether as described above and emits light without illumination. Typically, any phosphorescent or luminescent paint can be used for the luminescent coating.

[0009] Furthermore, in the winch device of the present invention described above, by coating the tether with a luminescent coating, the position of the tether can be detected visually or optically by the light from the luminescent coating on the tether, even at night or in conditions where there is no sunlight or the sunlight is weak. According to this structure, there is no need for illumination light or a light source to illuminate the tether, and the increase in the weight of the tether is expected to be minimal; therefore, the position of the tether of a kite moored in the air can be detected even at night.

[0010] In the structure of the aforementioned device, a light-emitting coating application mechanism can be provided. This mechanism applies a light-emitting coating to the surface of the tether when it is being sent out of the winch device toward the kite. That is, the tether is first coated with a light-emitting coating when it is being sent out of the winch device, and can remain uncoated while inside the winch device. The reason for this is that, as described above, the tether is wound and stored on a rotating drum. If a light-emitting coating or similar substance is present on the surface of the tether when it is wound onto and released from the rotating drum, the friction state of the tether surface becomes unstable. Consequently, the tension control of the tether becomes unstable, and sometimes it is impossible to effectively wind and release the tether on the rotating drum. Therefore, to stabilize the friction state of the tether surface, it is maintained in a state where there is no coating on the tether surface until the tether is released out of the winch device.

[0011] In the embodiment, the above-mentioned device may include: a tether storage mechanism, which may be in the form of a rotating drum for storing the tether; a tether guiding mechanism for guiding the tether connected between the tether storage mechanism and the kite; and a light-emitting coating application mechanism, which is disposed outside the tether guiding mechanism and applies a light-emitting coating to the surface of the tether. The light-emitting coating application mechanism is configured to apply the light-emitting coating to the surface of the tether when the tether is sent from the tether guiding mechanism toward the kite. Thus, the tether is coated with a light-emitting coating when it is released out of the winch device, thereby effectively releasing the tether from the winch device.

[0012] In the above structure, the luminescent coating on the tether surface can be applied continuously or intermittently. In this case, the amount of paint in the luminescent coating is reduced, which is beneficial for paint conservation and tether weight reduction. When the luminescent coating is applied by the above-described luminescent coating application mechanism, the luminescent coating on the tether surface can also be applied intermittently. In the embodiment, if the area where the luminescent coating is applied and the area where the luminescent coating is not applied are each set to a predetermined width, the length of the tether can be estimated by counting the number of areas where the luminescent coating is applied on the tether when it is extending upwards, which is convenient.

[0013] Invention Effects

[0014] Therefore, according to the structure of the present invention, even at night or in low sunlight, even when the kite is raised in the air while tethered, the extension position of the tether can be detected visually or optically. Thus, it is expected that tethered operations or navigation plans can be carried out effectively even at night or in low sunlight.

[0015] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a winch device used in this embodiment to tether a kite that has been raised into the air.

[0017] Figure 2 (A) Figure 2 (B) is a schematic diagram of the tether rope delivered from the winch device used in this embodiment.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the coating process of the luminescent coating on the tether rope in the winch device used in this embodiment.

[0019] Symbol Explanation

[0020] 1-Windlass device, 2-Tether rope, 3-Kite, 4-Rotating drum (tether rope storage mechanism), 5-Rotating device, 6-Running control device, 7-Auxiliary roller, 8-Guide roller (tether rope guiding mechanism), 10-Coating section, 11-Paint container section, 12-Luminous paint, 13-Coating roller. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Hereinafter, several preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same symbols denote the same parts.

[0022] Structure of winch device

[0023] refer to Figure 1In this embodiment, the winch device 1 is used to release and wind up the tether 2 connected to the kite 3 that has been raised into the air, thereby changing the height of the kite 3. As shown in the figure, in the device 1, the tether 2 is wound on a rotating drum 4 at the end opposite to the end connected to the kite 3. The rotation of the rotating drum 4 by the rotating device 5 in any manner enables the tether 2 to be released in the extension direction and wound in the shortening direction. As mentioned, the tether 2 can be any tether commonly used in this field, such as a tether made of ultra-high strength polyethylene fiber on the order of millimeters. The kite can be of any form with dimensions on the order of several meters in both length and width. The operation of the rotating device 5 can be appropriately controlled in various ways by an operation control device 6, which can be a computer device. The tether 2 released from the rotating drum 4 is guided in the extension direction by a guide roller 8 mounted on the outside of the winch device 1 through a path formed by auxiliary rollers 7, etc., and is then connected to the kite 3. During operation, for example, the torque acting on the rotating drum is adjusted by the operation control device 6, while the length of the tether released from the rotating drum is controlled. In addition, in the case of a kite for aerial wind power generation, although not shown, the generator is connected to the rotating shaft of the rotating drum, and the generator's rotating shaft rotates to generate electricity as the rotating drum rotates due to the extension of the tether when the kite rises based on the wind force.

[0024] In the winch device 1 described above, in this embodiment, in order to be able to visually or optically detect the extension position of the tether 2 up to the kite 3 in the air even at night or when sunlight is weak, a coating application section 10 is provided as a mechanism for applying a luminescent coating to the surface of the tether 2.

[0025] The coating section 10 includes a paint container section 11 for storing luminescent paint 12 and a coating roller 13 for applying the luminescent paint 12 from the paint container section 11 to the tether 2. The coating roller 13 is typically positioned closer to the kite 3 than the guide roller 8, as shown in the figure. The luminescent paint 12 can typically be any phosphorescent or luminescent paint that emits light of any wavelength without the need for illumination. The application of the luminescent paint 12 is performed when the tether 2 is extended to the kite 3 side, but not when the tether 2 is wound up. During operation, the rotating drum rotates in the direction of releasing the tether 2 via the operation control device 6, and in conjunction with this, the luminescent paint 12 is supplied from the paint container section 11 to the coating roller 13. The coating roller 13 rotates while in contact with the tether 2 released from the guide roller 8, and the luminescent paint 12 is applied to the surface of the tether 2. Additionally, a coating with anti-freezing, anti-wear, and discharge-conducting (including lightning protection) functions can be applied along with the luminescent paint, depending on the tether's dwell height.

[0026] luminescent coating method

[0027] like Figure 2 As schematically depicted in (A), the luminescent coating applied to the aforementioned tether 2 can be applied to the total length of the area released from the guide roller 8 of the tether 2, but as Figure 2 As indicated by symbol 2a in (B), the coating can also be applied intermittently along the length of the tether 2. In this case, the length and interval of the area 2a coated with the luminescent coating can be appropriately set as predetermined values, so that by counting the number of areas 2a coated with the luminescent coating, the length of the tether released or the length to the kite can be estimated.

[0028] In the coating section 10, the process of intermittently coating the luminescent coating onto the tether 2 as described above can be achieved through... Figure 3 Follow the steps shown in the flowchart. (Refer to...) Figure 3 First, the release length of the tether is detected (S1). If it is not within the coating range ("No" in S2), the coating roller 13 allows the tether to pass through without coating (S3). On the other hand, if the tether is within the coating range ("Yes" in S2), and the completed coating length is less than the set coating length ("Yes" in S4), the coating roller 13 allows the tether to pass through while performing coating (S5). Furthermore, if the completed coating length reaches the set coating length ("No" in S4), the coating roller 13 allows the tether to pass through while the coating process is stopped (S3).

[0029] Therefore, according to the above structure, even in situations where sunlight is weak, such as at night, on cloudy days, or rainy days, and it is difficult to visually or optically confirm the position of the tether caused by the reflection or refraction of sunlight, the tether emits light, thus enabling visual or optical detection of its extension position. This embodiment's structure can be applied not only to kites used for aerial wind power generation but also to the tethers of various other kites.

[0030] The above description is based on embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and changes. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated above, and can obviously be applied to various devices without departing from the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A winch device for securing a kite's tether, which is a winch device connected to and securing the kite's tether when the kite is airborne, characterized in that... The tether released from the winch device is coated with a luminescent coating.

2. The winch device for the tethering rope of a kite according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device includes a light-emitting coating application mechanism that applies the light-emitting coating to the surface of the tether as it is being sent toward the kite from the winch device.

3. The winch device for the tethering rope of a kite according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: A tether storage mechanism for storing the tether; A tether guiding mechanism that guides the tether connecting the tether storage mechanism and the kite; and A light-emitting coating application mechanism is disposed outside the tether guide mechanism and applies the light-emitting coating to the surface of the tether. The luminescent coating application mechanism is configured to apply the luminescent coating to the surface of the tether when the tether is sent from the tether guide mechanism toward the kite.

4. The winch device for the tethering rope of a kite according to claim 1, characterized in that, The luminescent coating is intermittently applied to the tether.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The luminescent coating application mechanism is configured to intermittently apply the luminescent coating onto the tether.

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