Winch device for the tether of a kite

Abstract

The present application provides a structure that performs cleaning of a tether when the tether is housed in a capstan device, to enable good implementation of housing and payout of the tether of a kite that is tethered and raised into the air in the capstan device. A capstan device that is connected to and tethers a kite that is raised into the air includes a tether cleaning mechanism that performs cleaning of a tether when the tether that extends to the outside of the capstan device is housed in the capstan device. The tether cleaning mechanism can be configured as follows: provided outside a tether guide mechanism that guides the tether that is connected between the tether housing mechanism and the kite, and removes foreign matter from the surface of the tether before the tether passes through the tether guide mechanism when the tether is housed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a winch device for releasing and reeling in 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 a wing, a tether directly or indirectly connected to the wing, a rigid wing truss structure, tension connectors at multiple positions from the wing truss structure to the wing, and an actuator linkage device with a controllable and adjustable length, the wing truss structure has a first 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 wing, 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 wing via the actuator linkage device. 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, and the characteristics of the first kite and the second kite are different from each other in 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] In a winch device for releasing and retrieving the tether of a kite as described above, a typical configuration includes: a rotating drum on which the tether is wound; a guiding mechanism for guiding the tether sent from the rotating drum to the kite; and a rotation control mechanism that appropriately controls the rotation of the rotating drum based, for example, 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. In this configuration, if the frictional state of the tether's surface is unstable due to the presence or absence of dirt or coating on its surface when the tether is wound onto and unwound from the rotating drum, the tension control of the tether becomes unstable, and sometimes it is not possible to effectively wind and unwind the tether onto the rotating drum, i.e., to retrieving and releasing the tether. Therefore, it is preferable that the surface of the tether is clean when it is wound onto the rotating drum. However, the tether is exposed to the atmosphere when the kite takes off and comes into contact with the ground when the kite lands. Therefore, the outer part of the winch device is sometimes contaminated with dust, grease, water droplets, etc. from the atmosphere or the ground. Alternatively, various coatings are sometimes applied to the surface of the tether when it is extended to launch the kite. For these reasons, it is preferable to clean the tether before winding it onto the rotating drum or storing it in the winch device.

[0006] In view of the above, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a structure that cleans the tether while storing it in the winch device, so as to effectively store and release the tether of a kite being raised into the air in the winch device.

[0007] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problem is achieved by a device, which is a winch device connected to and tethering the kite to a kite that has been raised into the air, the device including a tether cleaning mechanism that cleans the tether when the tether extending to the outside of the winch device is housed within the winch device.

[0008] In the above structure, the "kite" can be any kite connected to a tether released 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 typically include: a rotating drum that winds 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 in any form.

[0009] Furthermore, the winch device of the present invention is also provided with a tether cleaning mechanism, which cleans the tether when it is stored inside the winch device after extending to the outside of the winch device. As a result, the surface of the tether is cleaned when it is stored, thereby stabilizing the friction state of the tether surface and enabling efficient storage and release of the tether.

[0010] More specifically, the structure of the aforementioned device may include: a tether storage mechanism, which may be in the form of a rotating drum for storing the tether; and a tether guide mechanism for guiding the tether connecting the tether storage mechanism and the kite. The tether cleaning mechanism is configured as follows: it is located outside the tether guide mechanism; and when storing the tether, before the tether passes through the tether guide mechanism, the tether cleaning mechanism removes foreign matter from the surface of the tether. Therefore, when the tether released to the outside of the winch device is stored inside the winch device, the surface of the tether is clean, and dirt from the tether is not carried into the inner part of the winch device beyond the tether guide mechanism, thus maintaining a clean state inside the winch device.

[0011] Various methods can be used to clean tethers. For example, a tether cleaning mechanism can be configured to spray air onto the surface of the tether, removing foreign matter from the surface by blowing air. Alternatively, a tether cleaning mechanism can be configured to spray cleaning fluid onto the surface of the tether and to recover the cleaning fluid from the surface of the tether, thereby suspending foreign matter from the surface of the tether by the cleaning fluid sprayed onto the surface of the tether and recovering the foreign matter together with the cleaning fluid, thus removing foreign matter from the surface of the tether. Furthermore, if the surface of the tether is coated with a coating for any function, the tether cleaning mechanism can include a coating peeling mechanism. These cleaning methods can be used in combination as appropriate.

[0012] Invention Effects

[0013] Thus, according to the structure of the present invention, it is expected that in the winch device for holding the tether of a kite raised into the air, the tether will be cleaned when it is stored in the winch device, thereby storing the tether in a clean state in the winch device, stabilizing the friction state of the surface, and enabling good storage and release of the tether.

[0014] 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

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a winch device used in this embodiment to tether a kite that has been lifted into the air.

[0016] Symbol Explanation

[0017] 1-Windlass device, 2-Tether, 3-Kite, 4-Rotating drum (tether storage mechanism), 5-Rotating device, 6-Running control device, 7-Auxiliary roller, 8-Guide roller (tether guiding mechanism), 10-Tether cleaning section, 11-Cleaning fluid container section, 12-Cleaning fluid, 13-Stripping roller, 14-Air jet, 15-Recoverer. Detailed Implementation

[0018] 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.

[0019] Basic structure of winch device

[0020] refer to Figure 1 In 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 the operation control device 6, which is a computer device. The tether 2 released from the rotating drum 4 is guided in the extension direction by the 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 operating control device 6, while the length of the tether released from the rotating drum is controlled. Furthermore, in the case of a kite used for aerial wind power generation, although not shown, the generator is connected to the rotating shaft of the rotating drum. Power is generated by the rotation of the rotating drum as the tether extends due to the wind force of the kite, causing the generator's rotating shaft to rotate.

[0021] Rope-tethered cleaning facilities

[0022] As described in the summary of the invention, the tether is exposed to the atmosphere when the kite takes off and comes into contact with the ground when the kite lands. Therefore, the outer part of the winch device is sometimes contaminated with dust, grease, water droplets, etc. from the atmosphere or the ground. Sometimes, various coatings are applied to the surface of the tether when it is extended to launch the kite. Furthermore, when the tether is stored in a rotating drum, if the surface of the tether is dirty or coated, the surface friction becomes unstable, and the tension control of the tether becomes unstable, potentially preventing proper winding and unwinding of the tether on the rotating drum. Therefore, in this embodiment, a tether cleaning section 10 is provided on the outer side of the guide roller 8 as a mechanism for cleaning the surface of the tether, so that the tether is cleaned during storage.

[0023] The cleaning of the tether can be performed in any manner. Specifically, in one manner, for example, an air jet 14 can be provided adjacent to the outside of the guide roller 8 along the path of the tether. When the tether is being stored, foreign matter on the surface of the tether 2 is blown away by air jetting from the air jet 14 onto the tether 2, thereby cleaning the surface of the tether 2. The blown-away foreign matter can be collected by a collector 15 located below the tether cleaning section 10 (refer to arrow a). Alternatively, a cleaning fluid container 11 storing cleaning fluid 12 can be provided. When the tether is being stored, the cleaning fluid 12 in the cleaning fluid container 11 is sprayed onto the tether to rinse away foreign matter on the surface of the tether 2, thereby cleaning the surface of the tether 2. In addition, the spray position of the cleaning fluid can be positioned further outward than the air spray position of the air jet 14, so that the cleaning fluid containing foreign matter is blown away from the tether by air jetting and collected by the collector 15.

[0024] Furthermore, when various coatings are applied to the surface of the tether, a mechanism for peeling off the coating, such as a peeling roller 13, can be provided. Additionally, in the winch device, although not shown, a mechanism can be provided to apply any coating, such as a luminescent coating, to the surface of the tether in any manner when the tether is being fed out.

[0025] The aforementioned air blowing mechanism, cleaning fluid-based cleaning mechanism, and coating stripping mechanism can be simultaneously installed on the winch device 1.

[0026] Based on the structure of this embodiment described above, it is expected that when the kite is lowered from its height and the tether is retrieved to the winch device, the tether will be cleaned, and it will be stored in a clean state, thereby achieving efficient tether storage and release. This embodiment's structure is applicable not only to kites used for aerial wind power generation but also to the tethers of various other kites.

[0027] 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 tether, which is connected to and secures the tether of a kite raised into the air, the device being characterized in that it includes a tether cleaning mechanism that cleans the tether when the tether extending to the outside of the winch device is housed within the winch device.

2. 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; and A tether guiding mechanism guides the tether connecting the tether storage mechanism and the kite. The rope-tethered cleaning mechanism is configured as follows: Located on the outside of the tethering guide mechanism; and When storing the tether, the tether cleaning mechanism removes foreign matter from the surface of the tether before it passes through the tether guide mechanism.

3. The winch device for the tethering rope of a kite according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tether cleaning mechanism is configured to include a mechanism for spraying air onto the surface of the tether, and to remove foreign matter from the surface of the tether by blowing air.

4. The winch device for the tethering rope of a kite according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tether cleaning mechanism has a mechanism for spraying cleaning fluid onto the surface of the tether and a mechanism for recovering the cleaning fluid from the surface of the tether. The tether cleaning mechanism is configured to remove foreign matter from the surface of the tether by spraying the cleaning fluid onto the surface of the tether and recovering the foreign matter together with the cleaning fluid.

5. The winch device for the tethering rope of a kite according to claim 1, characterized in that, A coating is applied to the surface of the tether, and the tether cleaning mechanism has a mechanism for peeling off the coating.

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