Sail Propulsion Element with Forward Mast for Manual Backup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inflatable sails lack consistent inflation levels during hoisting and dropping phases, and are vulnerable to electronic breakdowns, leading to safety issues and inefficient aerodynamic performance.
Innovation Solution
A sail propulsion element with a mast positioned forward of the center of aerodynamic thrust, allowing 360° rotation and maintaining slight pressure through passive air inlets, enabling manual operation and reducing aerodynamic lift during electronic failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sail is made inflatable with automatic handling device, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability to electronic breakdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The sail handling system is segmented into two independent subsystems: an automatic electronic handling device and a manual mechanical backup system. The automatic device includes motors and controllers for automated sail adjustment, while the manual system includes mechanical linkages and control lines that can operate independently if the electronic system fails. This segmentation ensures that failure of one subsystem does not compromise the entire system's reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates a backup manual operation system that is pre-prepared and ready to activate immediately upon electronic system failure. This cushioning measure ensures continuous operational capability by having an alternative system in place before the failure occurs, preventing complete system shutdown and maintaining safety.
2Productivity
If the sail profile remains permanently symmetrical during operation, then aerodynamic performance is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates during hoisting and dropping phases
Solution Approach 1:
The sail system employs dynamic profile adjustment capability through the automatic handling device, which can modify the sail's camber and shape in response to varying wind conditions and operational phases. During hoisting and dropping, the system can temporarily alter the profile for easier handling, then transition to the optimal symmetrical performance profile during sailing. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction between operational ease and aerodynamic performance.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the mast is positioned forward of the center of aerodynamic thrust, then stability is improved during electronic breakdowns, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent deliberately positions the mast asymmetrically forward of the sail's center of aerodynamic thrust, creating an intentional asymmetric configuration. This asymmetric placement generates a stabilizing moment that automatically helps orient the sail correctly into the wind during electronic breakdowns, improving stability without requiring complex active control systems. The asymmetric geometry itself provides the stability function.
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 the sail remains stable and secure, minimizing forces on the rigging and boat, while allowing safe manual operation in case of electronic breakdowns, by positioning the sail to face into the wind and maintaining its profile.
Implementation Method 1
at least one means maintaining a slight pressure in the sail
Implementation Method 2
Aerodynamic lift: a component of the force experienced by a body moving through a fluid and that is exerted perpendicular to the direction of the movement. According to the invention, the sail generates aerodynamic lift.
Implementation Method 3
Aerodynamic drag: a component of the force experienced by a body moving through a fluid and that is exerted in the opposite direction to the direction of the movement. According to the invention, the sail generates aerodynamic drag.
Data Source
AI summary
A sail propulsion element comprises a mast (3), an inflatable or non-inflatable sail (1) consisting essentially of two substantially fluidtight adjacent surfaces (5) joined together along their periphery, thus forming at least one closed cavity between them, an air conduit positioned between the inside and the outside of the cavity, at least one means for injecting air into the cavity, the sail once inflated having a profile that remains permanently symmetrical, irrespective of the movement of the propulsion element, or of the direction or strength of the wind, a headboard (10), and a sail receptacle (11). The mast is located forward of the center of aerodynamic thrust of the sail, the mast is or is not free to rotate by 360°, and the sail comprises at least one means maintaining a slight pressure in the sail.