Sail Leading-Edge Pressure Sensing for Stagnation Point Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining airflow speed and orientation characteristics on a sailing ship's sail lack precision, as they do not provide detailed information about airflow direction and speed at various points on the leading edge, hindering performance analysis and automatic piloting accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising pressure sensors arranged in polygonal patterns on the sail's aerodynamic profile, connected to a computer that determines stagnation-point positions and pressures, allowing for precise calculation of airflow speed and direction, and optionally using a reference-pressure sensor and anemometer for further accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional wind indicators and anemometers are used to determine airflow characteristics, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision is insufficient as they only provide overarching information without detailed airflow direction and speed at various points on the leading edge
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the measurement task into multiple segments by placing several pressure sensors at different locations on the sail's surface. Each sensor measures pressure at its specific location, and the computer processes these segmented measurements to determine comprehensive airflow characteristics including direction and speed at various points on the leading edge.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces conventional mechanical wind indicators and anemometers with a pressure-based measurement system. Pressure sensors detect airflow characteristics through pressure differential measurements, and a computer processes these measurements to calculate airflow properties, substituting mechanical measurement devices with a sensor-computer system.
2Measurement precision
If pressure sensors are arranged in polygonal patterns on the sail surface to determine stagnation-point positions, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases due to multiple sensors and computer processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by placing pressure sensors at specific locations on the sail surface where they can detect local pressure variations. The polygonal pattern arrangement ensures that sensors are positioned to capture pressure information characteristic of their local regions, enabling precise determination of stagnation-point positions through localized measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from one-dimensional linear sensor arrangements to two-dimensional polygonal patterns on the sail surface. This dimensional change allows sensors to capture pressure variations across a broader area, providing more comprehensive spatial information for determining stagnation-point positions with higher precision.
3Productivity
If detailed airflow information at various points on the leading edge is obtained through pressure sensor arrays, then the productivity of performance analysis improves, but the loss of information is reduced as comprehensive data becomes available
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously measuring pressure at multiple sensor locations and using this information to determine airflow characteristics. The computer processes the pressure data to calculate stagnation-point positions and airflow properties, providing detailed feedback information that enhances performance analysis productivity and eliminates information gaps about airflow behavior at different points on the leading edge.
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
Enables precise determination of airflow speed and direction along the sail's leading edge, enhancing performance analysis and automatic piloting capabilities by providing detailed data on airflow characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
a series of pressure sensors, which pressure sensors are arranged on a surface of the aerodynamic profile, the pressure sensors of each series being distributed on either side of the leading edge of the aerodynamic profile
Implementation Method 2
a computer connected to the pressure sensors so as to receive local pressure values respectively originating from the pressure sensors. The computer is configured to determine, along each of the patterns, a respective stagnation-point position defined by a curvilinear abscissa defined along the pattern in question and for which a pressure P* interpolated from pressure measurements delivered by the pressure sensors of the corresponding series is maximal along the pattern in question
Implementation Method 3
Knowledge of the position of the stagnation point is particularly advantageous in that it may allow the modulus of the speed of the incident flow and its direction at various points along the leading edge to be determined
Data Source
AI summary
In order to be able to determine with precision the location of the stagnation point at different zones along the leading edge of an aerodynamic profile, a system comprises rows of pressure sensors distributed on either side of the leading edge and forming, virtually, patterns that are spaced apart from one another in the form of simple polygonal lines, and a computer connected to the pressure sensors. The computer determines, along each of the patterns, a respective stagnation point position that is defined by a curved abscissa for which a pressure interpolated on the basis of pressure measurements provided by the pressure sensors of the corresponding row is at a maximum, and by an altitude evaluated on the basis of respective altitude data from the pressure sensors of the corresponding row.