Kite Launching and Landing Guide for Sail-Safe Tether Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for launching and landing kites from floating units, such as yachts, face difficulties in controlling the kite's position and trajectory during emergencies, leading to entanglement or collision with sails due to high wind speeds.
Innovation Solution
A kite launching and landing guide device with a winch, movable pulley, and pair of arms that set the tether's position to avoid interference with the sail, allowing the kite to be fixed and guided smoothly, even in high winds, using a drive device for active movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the tether is wound at high speed by the winch during kite landing, then the landing speed is improved, but the tether or kite may get tangled with or hit the sails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide device as an intermediary component between the winch and the kite/tether system. This guide device includes a guide unit with a guide hole that directs the tether's path, and a guide member that actively guides the tether away from the sail area. The intermediary guide structure enables high-speed winding while preventing the tether or kite from contacting the sails, thus resolving the contradiction between landing speed and collision prevention.
2Ease of operation
If the kite is allowed to move freely during launching and landing, then the ease of operation is improved, but the position and trajectory control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device employs dynamic elements including a movable guide member that can adjust its position, and a flexible tether that naturally adapts to the kite's flight path. The guide hole and guide member work together to dynamically constrain the tether within safe boundaries while allowing the kite freedom of movement in the air. This dynamic approach maintains ease of operation while improving position and trajectory control compared to completely free movement.
3Reliability
If the tether is kept taut to fix the kite quickly, then the reliability of fixing is improved, but the risk of the tether hitting the sail increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device serves as an intermediary that allows the tether to be kept taut for reliable fixing while preventing contact with the sail. The guide member actively directs the taut tether away from the sail area, and the guide hole provides a controlled passage that maintains tension without creating collision risk. This resolves the contradiction by decoupling the tensioning function from the potential harm function.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide device extracts the harmful interaction between the taut tether and the sail by introducing a separate guidance pathway. The tether is taken out of the direct line that would lead to sail contact, while maintaining its taut state for reliable fixing. The guide member creates a distinct trajectory for the tether that separates the tensioning function from the collision risk.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures quick and safe landing of the kite without entanglement or collision, stabilizing it for easy re-launching, and protecting the sail from interference.
Implementation Method 1
a winch 5 configured to unwind and wind the tether 102 with the kite 101 attached to the tether 102
Implementation Method 2
fix the kite by contacting the kite at the contact portion by a tension received from the winch via the tether
Data Source
AI summary
A launching and landing guide device is arranged in a floating side unit having a winch and a sail for unwinding and winding the tether. The launching and landing guide device includes a position setting unit that sets a position at which the tether is unwound or unwound, and a launching and landing guide unit that is capable of fixing the kite when the tether is wound and guides the kite and the tether when the tether is unwound or unwound.