AUXILIARY CONTROL DEVICE FOR FREELY FLYING WIND ENGAGEMENT ELEMENTS HAVING A WING AREA GREATER THAN 20 M²

摘要

In commercial shipping, a new age began with the use of wind force to drive ships by means of controlled, kite-like wind engagement elements. As a result of the connection by means of a pulling rope, the wind engagement element operates at heights, at which conventional sails are unusable, at said heights greater wind speed and wind steadiness prevail. Said technology can also be used in wind power plants having a controllable kite. The present auxiliary control device is characterized by an improvement in regard to the operational reliability, service life, and energy yield of known systems by means of the skillful arrangement of proven components. The problem solutions shown are based on the principle of a central roller for reversing the direction of control lines having two movably fastened ends. Said function, in combination with the block-and-tackle principle, permits a more flexible design of gear reduction ratios. Differentiated control strokes of the wing segments can thereby be realized. The use of control strokes is thus technically independent of the actuating strokes acting on the rear edge of wing segments by means of a mechanical addition of said motions. Accordingly, several different advantages can be achieved, which nevertheless can be simply combined with each other: The reduction according to the invention of the load jumps between the wing segments, which are caused by the conventional gear reduction ratios resulting from the block and tackle, lowers the material load of the wing and reduces the susceptibility to tearing. The use of separate control lines for the rear wing edge enables both an asymmetrical adjustment of the angle of incidence of the segments in order to improve the flight dynamics and a symmetrical adjustment which realizes both the adaptation to the wind speed and a load limiting function. This reduces the risk of damage in the event of gusts of wind and expands the possibility of usage to higher wind strengths. The combination with the control device having a rope store applied for at the same time results in the option of a front profile adjustment in order to optimize the tensile force yields for broad-reach winds or close-to-the-wind courses. Thus, one and the same wing module can cover a large range of use.