Take-off and landing support device for kite

Abstract

To smoothly take off and land a kite with a floating body side unit for flying the kite from above the water.SOLUTION: A take-off and landing support device (1) of a kite (101) includes a take-off and landing floating body (7) capable of floating separated or detached from a floating body side unit, to which the kite is detachably fixed with a tension of a tether (102) when the tether is wound up by a winch (5), and which includes a cavity support part in which a cavity (7a) serving as a flow passage of air in secured in a direction intersecting a wind receiving surface of the kite.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a kite takeoff and landing assistance device that assists kites in taking off and landing in floating body units such as yachts that float on water and that constitute tethered wind power generation systems, observation systems, transportation systems, communication systems, etc. that use kites. [Background technology]

[0002] As this type of floating unit, various types of ships with sails that raise kites from the stern have been proposed (see Patent Document 1). According to these technologies, it is expected that the kite will take off from the ship behind the sail and land on the ship in the same way as taking off and landing on land. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-191963 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, according to the background art, in order to take off and land a kite, a fairly large takeoff and landing area must be secured behind the sail on the boat. Conversely, if such a large takeoff and landing area is not secured, the kite and the tether attached to it, which moves wildly in strong winds or windbreaks, may interfere with each other. Thus, according to the background art, there is a technical problem that the floating body unit may become large, or the tether or kite may interfere with the sail, which may result in takeoff and landing failures.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a kite take-off and landing assistance device that enables a kite to take off and land smoothly on a floating body unit that lifts the kite from the water. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the kite takeoff and landing assistance device of the present invention is a kite takeoff and landing assistance device that assists the takeoff and landing of a kite attached to the tip of a tether in a float side unit equipped with a winch that unwinds and reels in the tether, and is characterized in that when the tether is reeled in by the winch, the kite is detachably fixed by the tension of the tether from the winch, and the device includes a hollow support part in which a cavity is secured that serves as an air flow path in a direction intersecting the wind-receiving surface of the kite, and the takeoff and landing float can be separated or detached from the float side unit and floats, and a drive unit that separates the takeoff and landing float to a position where the tether or the kite does not interfere with the float side unit prior to the kite taking off and landing, and tows or connects it to the float side unit after the kite has landed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the kite takeoff and landing support device of the present invention, takeoff and landing can be performed smoothly with the wind-receiving surface of the kite receiving wind through the cavity of the takeoff and landing float. Furthermore, by horizontally separating the takeoff and landing float from the float unit, it is possible to avoid interference between the tether or kite and the float unit during takeoff and landing, and it is also possible to make the float unit smaller. In addition, after landing, the takeoff and landing float to which the kite is fixed and the float unit are connected or united by the drive unit, so that the whole is stable on the water and easy to navigate.

[0008] Such effects of the present invention will become more apparent from the embodiments of the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view (part 1) showing the configuration of the kite takeoff and landing support device provided on the floating body unit according to the embodiment, together with its main parts. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view (part 2) showing the configuration of the kite takeoff and landing support device provided on the floating body unit according to the embodiment, together with its main parts. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view (part 3) showing the configuration of the kite takeoff and landing support device provided on the floating body unit according to the embodiment, together with its main parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 to 3, a kite takeoff and landing support device provided on a floating body unit for hoisting a kite according to an embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a floating body unit such as a yacht or an offshore unit, together with a kite unit including a kite to be hoisted from the floating body unit, constitutes a tethered wind power generation system.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the floating body unit 100 according to this embodiment floats on the water surface 110 and includes a takeoff and landing support device 1 for a kite 101, a winch 5 for unwinding and reeling in a tether 102 of the kite 101, a mast 10, and a sail 11. A movable pulley 2 is provided on the deck at the rear of the floating body unit 100 to determine the position at which the tether 102 is unwound and reeled in from the floating body unit 100 in response to the unwinding and reeling of the winch 5. The movable pulley 2 may be configured to be movable or rotatable in a horizontal or vertical direction on the deck of the floating body unit 100. Alternatively, the movable pulley may not be movable and may be fixed to the stern of the floating body unit 100.

[0012] The mast 10 and sail 11 are configured to enable the floating unit 100 to sail as a yacht. The floating unit 100 is preferably constructed as a catamaran or multi-hull vessel with excellent sailing performance and stability. Such a floating unit 100 may be floated on the water surface 110, such as on the sea or ocean, or on any water surface such as a lake or river.

[0013] The takeoff and landing support device 1 is configured to include a float 7, which constitutes an example of a "float for takeoff and landing" and has a cavity support part that secures a cavity 7a inside, a wire 8 whose tip is connected to the float 7, and an auxiliary winch 9, which constitutes an example of a "drive part" that can wind up and unwind the base side of the wire 8. In the state of Figure 1, the auxiliary winch 9 has completely wound up the wire 8, and the float 7 is pulled toward the float side unit 100 and is connected to or fixed to the float side unit 100.

[0014] 1 shows the tether 102 being let out, and the kite 101 being lifted high into the sky by the wind 101a indicated by the arrow, where a strong wind suitable for tethered wind power generation is blowing. In this state, the winch 5 on the floating body unit 100 functions as a generator for tethered wind power generation, generating electricity. The generated electricity may be stored in a storage battery (not shown) or the like provided on the floating body unit 100, converted into hydrogen and stored as hydrogen energy, or output via wire or wireless as electricity, electromagnetic waves, laser, or the like. In this way, the tethered power generation system consisting of the floating body unit 100 and the kite unit is used to generate electricity.

[0015] In this embodiment, the floating body 7 has a hollow support portion that defines or secures the hollow 7a, and when the kite 101 takes off, the wind near the water surface 110 passes through the hollow 7a, so that the wind can be blown onto the wind-receiving surface of the kite 101 through the floating body 7. As a result, the kite 101 can be smoothly taken off from the floating body 7 by the wind including the wind 101a that hits the kite 101 through the hollow 7a.

[0016] In order to effectively utilize the wind 101a, the hollow support part of the floating body 7 has an abutment surface that abuts against the wind-receiving surface of the kite 101 at a predetermined angle for takeoff when the kite 101 takes off, and the angle of the abutment surface may be set so that the cavity 7a becomes a flow path for the wind 101a that lifts the kite 101 when the kite takes off. That is, by setting the angle of the abutment surface to a predetermined angle, the kite 101 can be easily taken off. Such an angle may be set experimentally, empirically, mathematically, or by simulation as the angle at which the kite 101 is most easily lifted. On the other hand, in order to enable a smooth landing, the angle of the abutment surface may be set so that the cavity 7a becomes a flow path for the wind that lowers the kite 101 or a flow path that turns the wind into a breeze. Alternatively, the angle of the contact surface or the shape of the cavity 7a may be set to an angle or a shape of the cavity 7a that makes it easy to take off the kite 101 when taking off and easy to land the kite 101 when landing.

[0017] Such cavity 7a does not have to be one, and may be configured to include multiple or many communicating holes as long as it allows wind 101a to pass through meaningfully, and the cavity support part of the floating body 7 may be configured from a frame with openings, or from a material with punched holes or a mesh-like material. In addition, as long as the wind 101a passing through the cavity 7a is configured to hit the kite 101 appropriately, the tether 102 may be configured to pass through the cavity 7a differently from the configuration in Figure 1, or may be configured not to pass through the cavity 7a as in the configuration in Figure 1.

[0018] Furthermore, the float 7 may be configured to integrally include a hollow support portion and a floating portion that floats on water. For example, the float 7 can be integrally configured from components that provide buoyancy, a hollow portion, and strength. In other words, the takeoff and landing assistance device 1 can be constructed relatively easily or inexpensively as a highly functional device. However, the float 7 may be configured from multiple parts or members, such as components that contribute to buoyancy, components that contribute to securing the hollow portion 7a, and components that contribute to paying out and retracting the tether 102 via the takeoff and landing assistance device 1.

[0019] 2, when the power generation operation in the state shown in FIG. 1 is completed, in order to land the kite or to make an emergency landing, the winch 5 winds up, and accordingly the tether 102 is reeled in via the movable pulley 2. In parallel with this, or before or after this, the auxiliary winch 9 winds up the wire 8, and the float 7 is pulled towards the float side unit 100.

[0020] As a result, the kite 101 is fixed to the takeoff and landing support device 1 by the tension applied from the winch 5 via the tether 102, and the takeoff and landing support device 1 is fixed to the floating body unit 100. That is, the kite 101 is fixed by a part of the wind-receiving surface of the kite 101 abutting against the abutting surface of the floating body 7. As already mentioned, the tether 102 may be configured to pass through the cavity 7a, different from the configuration in Figures 1 and 2, and in that case, the surface bordering the cavity 7a will abut against the wind-receiving surface of the kite 101 as the abutting surface.

[0021] The float 7 may not be simply connected to the float-side unit 100, but may be stored in a storage position, storage space, or hangar provided in the float-side unit 100, or may be configured to be pulled up onto the deck of the float-side unit 100. In this case, the storage and pulling up operations may be performed by the driving force of the winch 5 or the auxiliary winch 9, or by the driving force of both.

[0022] Next, as shown in Fig. 3, when the floating body unit 100 has completed the moving operation to the destination and the navigation operation in the state shown in Fig. 2, the winch 5 unwinds the kite 101 to take off for the next tether-type wind power generation, and accordingly the tether 102 is paid out via the movable pulley 2. In parallel with this, the auxiliary winch 9 unwinds the wire 8, and the floating body 7 is separated from the floating body unit 100.

[0023] As a result, the kite 101 is spaced apart to a position where it does not interfere with the floating body unit 100, particularly its mast 10 and sail 11. At this position, the wind 101b blowing through the cavity 7a is received by the wind receiving surface, allowing the kite 101 to take off smoothly. As already mentioned, the tether 102 may be configured to pass through the cavity 7a, different from the configuration shown in Figures 1 to 3, and in that case, the edge of the cavity 7a will determine the position where the tether 102 is let out from the takeoff and landing support device 1 or the floating body 7 of the kite 101.

[0024] Once the takeoff shown in Figure 3 is complete, the kite 101 shown in Figure 1 is again raised high in the sky for tethered power generation.

[0025] As explained in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 3, the floating body 7 is separated from the floating body unit 100 mainly by the auxiliary winch 9 for takeoff and landing of the kites (i.e., for landing or recovery, storage or fixation, and takeoff), and floats on the water surface 110 at a position separated from the floating body unit 100. Here, the hollow support part included in the floating body 7 has a cavity 7a which serves as an air flow path in a direction intersecting with the wind-receiving surface of the kite 101, so that takeoff and landing can be performed in a state where the wind-receiving surface of the kite 101 receives wind 101b through the cavity 7a. In particular, at the time of landing, the kite 101 can land while remaining in a floating state in the air by the wind or air flowing through the cavity 7a (see Figure 2). On the other hand, at the time of takeoff, the state where the kite 101 can easily float in the air by the wind 101b is quickly secured by the air flowing through the cavity 7a, and the kite 101 can take off (see Figure 3).

[0026] Furthermore, since the kites 101 can take off and land using the floats 7 floating on the water surface 110 at a position away from the float unit 100, it is possible to avoid interference between the tethers 102 and kites 101 and the float unit 100 (especially its sail 11 and mast 10) during takeoff and landing. At the same time, it is not necessary to secure a large space above the float unit 100 for takeoff and landing, so the float unit 100 can be made smaller.

[0027] In addition, if the float 7 is left floating swaying at a position above the water surface 110 away from the float side unit 100, it may cause problems with the float side unit 100, such as towing operations, navigation operations, standby operations, and even tethered power generation operations. However, after landing as shown in Figure 2 or before takeoff thereafter (i.e., after retrieving the kite 101, when storing or fixing the kite 101, or when moving the floating body unit 100 to a destination or base, etc.), or after takeoff when the kite 101 is flying high in the sky as shown in Figure 1 (i.e., when using the kite for tethered power generation, observation, transportation, communication, etc.), the float 7 is towed or connected to the floating body unit 100 mainly by the auxiliary winch 9, so that the floating body unit 100 and the takeoff and landing support device 1 are fixed to each other and become one whole or integrated, thereby preventing the above-mentioned problems from occurring.

[0028] Additional notes The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiment.

[0029] [Appendix 1] The kite takeoff and landing support device described in Appendix 1 of the present invention is a kite takeoff and landing support device that supports the takeoff and landing of a kite attached to the tip of a tether in a float side unit equipped with a winch that unwinds and reels in the tether, and is characterized in that when the tether is reeled in by the winch, the kite is detachably fixed by the tension of the tether from the winch, and includes a hollow support part in which a cavity is secured that serves as an air flow path in a direction intersecting the wind-receiving surface of the kite, and is equipped with a takeoff and landing float that can be separated or detached from the float side unit and floats, and a drive unit that separates the takeoff and landing float to a position where the tether or the kite does not interfere with the float side unit prior to the kite taking off and landing, and tows or connects it to the float side unit after the kite has landed.

[0030] According to the kite takeoff and landing support device described in Appendix 1 of the present invention, the takeoff and landing float is separated from the float unit by the drive unit for takeoff and landing of the kite, and floats on the water or ocean at a position separated from the float unit. Here, the hollow support part included in the takeoff and landing float has a cavity that serves as an air flow path in a direction intersecting with the wind-receiving surface of the kite, so takeoff and landing can be performed with the wind-receiving surface of the kite receiving the wind through the cavity. In particular, at takeoff, the air flowing through the cavity quickly ensures that the kite is easily floated in the air by the wind, allowing the kite to take off.

[0031] Furthermore, since the kite can take off and land using a float for takeoff and landing that is floating on the water at a position separate from the float unit, it is possible to avoid interference between the tether or kite and the float unit during takeoff and landing. At the same time, it is not necessary to secure a large space on the float unit for takeoff and landing, which also makes it possible to make the float unit smaller.

[0032] In addition, if the takeoff and landing float remains floating at a position separated from the floating body unit on the water, it may cause problems with the floating body unit, for example, towing operations or navigation operations, etc. However, after landing or before takeoff thereafter, or after takeoff when the kite is flying high in the sky, the takeoff and landing float is towed or connected to the floating body unit by the drive unit, so that the floating body unit and the takeoff and landing float become one unit or integrated, thereby preventing the above-mentioned problems from occurring.

[0033] [Appendix 2] The kite takeoff and landing assistance device described in Appendix 2 of the present invention is a kite takeoff and landing assistance device described in Appendix 1, characterized in that the hollow support portion has a contact surface that abuts against the wind-receiving surface at a predetermined takeoff angle when the kite takes off.

[0034] According to the kite takeoff and landing assistance device described in Appendix 2 of the present invention, the angle of the contact surface is set so that the cavity becomes a flow path for the wind that lifts the kite during takeoff, i.e., the contact surface is set at a predetermined takeoff angle, making it easier to take off the kite.

[0035] [Appendix 3] The kite takeoff and landing assistance device described in Appendix 3 of the present invention is a kite takeoff and landing assistance device described in Appendix 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive unit is configured to be able to drive the takeoff and landing float toward the float side unit until it is stored in the storage position of the float side unit.

[0036] According to the capsize prevention device of the present invention described in Appendix 3, if the takeoff and landing float remains separated from the float-side unit on the water, it may cause problems in the power generation operation, towing operation, standby operation, etc. However, according to the device described in Appendix 3, such problems can be prevented by storing the takeoff and landing float in a storage position or storage space provided at the rear of the float-side unit by the drive unit.

[0037] [Appendix 4] The kite takeoff and landing assistance device described in Appendix 4 of the present invention is a kite takeoff and landing assistance device described in any one of Appendixes 1 to 3, characterized in that the takeoff and landing float has the hollow support portion and a float portion that floats on water as an integral part.

[0038] According to the anti-capsize device of the present invention described in Appendix 4, the takeoff and landing float can be integrally constructed from parts or members having buoyancy function, hollow function, strength function, etc. In other words, the takeoff and landing support device can be constructed relatively easily or inexpensively as one with high functionality.

[0039] [Appendix 5] The floating body unit according to the present invention as described in Supplementary Note 5 includes the kite takeoff and landing support device as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4.

[0040] According to the floating body side unit of the present invention described in Appendix 5, since it has a kite takeoff and landing assistance device described in any one of Appendixes 1 to 4 above, the kite can take off and land smoothly without interfering with the floating body side unit, and the floating body side unit can also be made smaller.

[0041] The present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not contradict the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and the kite takeoff and landing assistance device base or floating body unit that involves such modifications are also included in the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] Takeoff and landing support equipment...1 Mobile pulley...2 Winch...5 Floating body...7 Hollow……7a Floating body wire...8 Floating winch...9 Must: 10 Sail...11 Floating unit: 100 Kite...101 Wind...101a, 101b Tether...102 Water surface...110

Claims

1. A kite take-off and landing assistance device that assists the take-off and landing of a kite attached to the tip of the tether in a floating body unit equipped with a winch that unwinds and reels a tether, When the tether is wound by the winch, the kite is detachably fixed by the tension of the tether from the winch, and the kite includes a hollow support part in which a cavity is secured to serve as an air flow path in a direction intersecting with the wind-receiving surface of the kite, and the takeoff and landing float can be separated or detached from the float-side unit and float; a driving unit that moves the takeoff and landing float to a position where the tether or the kite does not interfere with the float unit before the kite takes off and lands, and tows or connects the takeoff and landing float to the float unit after the kite lands; A kite takeoff and landing assistance device comprising:

2. The hollow support portion has an abutment surface that abuts against the wind-receiving surface at a predetermined takeoff angle when the kite takes off.

2. The kite take-off and landing assistance device according to claim 1.

3. A kite takeoff and landing assistance device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive unit is configured to be able to drive the takeoff and landing float toward the float side unit until it is stored in the storage position of the float side unit.

4. 4. The kite takeoff and landing support device according to claim 1, wherein the takeoff and landing float has the hollow support portion and a float portion that floats on water as an integral unit.

5. A floating body unit comprising the kite takeoff and landing support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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