Automatic Sail Surface Adjustment via Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual adjustment of sail surfaces in boats is laborious and risky, especially in strong winds, requiring crew intervention and compromising safety, while existing automatic systems are not effective in optimizing trim and on-board comfort.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with detectors for boat oscillations and accelerations, coupled with motorized drive means and a control unit that automatically adjusts sail surfaces based on wind conditions and comfort levels, allowing for feedback control and manual override.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustment of sail surfaces is performed by the crew, then the sail surface can be adjusted to match wind conditions, but the operation becomes laborious and safety risks increase in strong winds
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service adjustment by using sensors to detect wind conditions and automatically controlling the sail surface area through motorized winches, eliminating the need for manual crew intervention while continuously adapting to changing wind conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical adjustment system with an automated system that uses electronic sensors to detect wind parameters and motorized winches to control the sail area, substituting human physical operation with automated mechanical control
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual adjustment of sail surfaces is performed by the crew, then the sail surface can be adjusted to match wind conditions, but safety risks increase in strong winds requiring crew intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service adjustment by automatically detecting wind conditions through sensors and controlling the sail area without crew intervention, eliminating safety risks associated with manual operation in strong winds while maintaining continuous adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to continuously detect wind conditions and feeds this information back to the control unit, which automatically adjusts the sail surface area in real-time, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to changing conditions without risking crew safety
3Extent of automation
If existing automatic systems are used for sail adjustment, then crew intervention is reduced, but the systems are not effective in optimizing trim and on-board comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multiple sensors to detect wind direction, wind speed, and boat oscillations, feeding this data back to the control unit which automatically adjusts the sail area to optimize both trim performance and on-board comfort while maintaining high automation
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes operational parameters including sail surface area, winch tension, and motorized control settings based on real-time sensor data, enabling effective optimization of trim and comfort through automated parameter adjustment
4Adaptability or versatility
If complete winding and unwinding of sails is performed, then the sails can be fully deployed or stowed, but the operation takes time and requires cutting out or minimizing thrust in strong winds
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the sail surface area in real-time based on wind conditions, using motorized winches to partially or fully deploy/stow sails as needed, enabling rapid adaptation without time-consuming manual operations and maintaining optimal thrust levels
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual sail adjustment operations with motorized winches controlled by an automated system, enabling complete or partial winding/unwinding of sails rapidly without requiring crew intervention and minimizing thrust adjustment time
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention concerns an apparatus for adjusting the surface of at least one sail (2, 3) exposed to the wind in a boat (1). The apparatus comprises one or more detectors (R) of at least one quantity from the direction of the wind, its speed, the degree of the rolling of the boat, the frequency of the oscillations, the rolling, pitching and yawing angles and the accelerations with respect to a reference system; motorized drive means for hoisting and lowering, or else winding and unwinding at least in part the sail; a control unit (CU) programmed to automatically control the drive means of the sail in feedback based upon the detected quantity, or else following a command imparted by the skipper. The invention concerns, in a second aspect thereof, a method for adjusting the surface of the sails in feedback based upon the detected quantity.