EP1302398A2 - Assemblage de commande pour cerf-volant à quatre lignes - Google Patents

Assemblage de commande pour cerf-volant à quatre lignes Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1302398A2
EP1302398A2 EP02256352A EP02256352A EP1302398A2 EP 1302398 A2 EP1302398 A2 EP 1302398A2 EP 02256352 A EP02256352 A EP 02256352A EP 02256352 A EP02256352 A EP 02256352A EP 1302398 A2 EP1302398 A2 EP 1302398A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
tether
elongate member
control assembly
individual
pair
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP02256352A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
designation of the inventor has not yet been filed The
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Andy Preston t/a AP
Original Assignee
Andy Preston t/a AP
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Andy Preston t/a AP filed Critical Andy Preston t/a AP
Publication of EP1302398A2 publication Critical patent/EP1302398A2/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H8/00—Sail or rigging arrangements specially adapted for water sports boards, e.g. for windsurfing or kitesurfing
    • B63H8/10—Kite-sails; Kite-wings; Control thereof; Safety means therefor
    • B63H8/16—Control arrangements, e.g. control bars or control lines
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H8/00—Sail or rigging arrangements specially adapted for water sports boards, e.g. for windsurfing or kitesurfing
    • B63H8/10—Kite-sails; Kite-wings; Control thereof; Safety means therefor
    • B63H8/18—Arrangements for connecting the user to a kite-sail; Kite-safety means, e.g. chicken loops, safety leashes or quick release mechanisms
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
    • B63H8/00—Sail or rigging arrangements specially adapted for water sports boards, e.g. for windsurfing or kitesurfing
    • B63H8/50—Accessories, e.g. repair kits or kite launching aids
    • B63H8/56—Devices to distribute the user's load, e.g. harnesses

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to kites, particularly but not exclusively so-called power kites which are used to provide a means of propulsion.
  • FIG 1 illustrates schematically the use of a power kite (10) in kite-boarding.
  • An individual (12) standing on a board (14) floating on water (16) is controlling kite (10) through control bar (18).
  • the kite (10) has four control lines (20A,B,C,D) extending from four corners (22A,B,C,D) of the kite.
  • the two lines (20A,B) extending from the rear corners of the kite are attached to opposed ends (24) of the control bar (18), whilst the two lines (20C,D) extending from the front corners (22C,D) of the kite are joined at point 25 to a single tether (26) which is coupled to a harness worn by the individual (12).
  • the control bar (18) is slidably mounted on the tether (26) such that the individual (12) can de-power or power the kite (10) by sliding the control bar (18) towards or away from point (25).
  • the tether (26) passes through an aperture in a block strapped to one lateral side of the control bar (18).
  • a safety line is sometimes used by an individual which allows the kite to de-power entirely whilst remaining anchored to the individual.
  • One end of the safety line is coupled to the individual e.g. using a wrist strap, and the other is attached to one of the front lines.
  • the length of the safety line is chosen so that, in use, one front line is longer than the other to enable the normally arcuate profile of the kite to flatten out completely. Once flat, substantially all power is lost from the kite.
  • a control assembly for a four-line power kite comprising: a tether for tethering an individual to a pair of front lines of the power kite; an elongate member having a pair of opposed ends, each for attachment to one of a pair of rear lines of the power kite; and a guide member mounted on or in the elongate member between the opposed ends and defining an aperture for slidably receiving the tether when varying position of the elongate member along the tether, characterised in that the tether has a profile which provides a plurality of discrete positions for interengagement with a corresponding profile of the guide when position of the elongate member relative to the tether has been set.
  • the interengaging profiles provide an anti-slip mechanism which prevents unintentional movement of the elongate member along the tether.
  • the bias may be provided by configuring the rear lines to provide a torque to the elongate member, urging the profiled surface of the tether against the corresponding profile of the guide.
  • a resilient member might even be provided as an alternative source of bias.
  • the tether may comprise a belt, and in one embodiment the tether is a toothed belt.
  • the corresponding profile of the guide may be such that recesses between adjacent pairs of teeth on the toothed belt provide the plurality of discrete positions for interengagement.
  • the corresponding profile of the guide may be defined, at least in part by a surface of the aperture.
  • the pair of opposed ends may define an axis therebetween, with the aperture in the guide being radially offset relative to the axis.
  • the elongate member may have a central portion which is laterally offset relative to the opposed ends.
  • the guide may be mounted on the central portion in such a way as to maximise spacing of the aperture from the axis.
  • Radially offsetting the guide paves the way for using torque applied to the elongate member to provide the requisite bias to bring the corresponding profiles into engagement.
  • the radial offset is greatly enhanced by laterally offsetting the central portion relative to the opposed ends.
  • it is mechanically easier to counteract the torque in order to disengage the profiles; simply pulling back on the opposed ends against the tension in the pair of rear lines causes pivotal movement of the elongate member about the point of engagement with the tether. The pivotal movement continues until the profiles disengage, with the elongate member being in the require orientation for movement along the tether.
  • a control assembly for a four-line power kite comprising: a tether for tethering an individual to a pair of front lines of the power kite; an elongate member having a pair of opposed ends, each for attachment to one of a pair of rear lines of the power kite, the opposed ends defining an axis therebetween; and a guide member mounted on or in the elongate member between the opposed ends and defining an aperture for slidably receiving the tether when varying position of the elongate member along the tether, characterised in that the elongate member has a central portion which is laterally offset relative to the axis between the opposed ends.
  • the guide may be mounted on the central portion, perhaps with the aperture disposed as far as possible from the axis.
  • the assembly may be used in combination with the first aspect of the invention, and thus the tether may comprise a toothed belt which interengages a corresponding profile associated with the guide.
  • safety apparatus for de-powering a four-line power kite in an emergency, comprising:
  • the coupling may comprise a shackle, perhaps a snap shackle in which the loop of the shackle is held closed by a resiliently biased bolt.
  • a pull cord or the like may be provided for decoupling the coupling, e.g. by urging the bolt against the bias in order to spring open the loop.
  • the part of the tether which in use remains with the individual when the coupling is decoupled may include a swivel connection.
  • the swivel connection enables one end of the tether to rotate freely relative to the other end.
  • the swivel connection may be disposed in use between the individual and the connection between the safety line and the associated part of the tether. In this way, the safety line will rotate with the power kite, preventing entanglement around the rear lines.
  • the other part of the tether may have a non-circular cross-section.
  • the cross section may be square or may be substantially rectangular (e.g. a belt-like tether).
  • a non-circular cross-section enables torque to be applied to the tether, for example as a result of engagement with an elongate member having a pair of opposed ends (e.g. for attachment to the rear lines of the power kite). Applying torque to the tether may be useful during complex manoeuvres.
  • the non-circular section of the tether may even be provided by a toothed belt (as previously described) or any other suitable tether according to the first aspect of the present invention.
  • the safety line may comprise a resilient member (e.g. a bungee cord) configured to reduce slack. Since the length of the safety line is at least in part determined by the span of the kite, it is often necessary to have a safety line with a length in active use which exceeds the spacing between the individual and the point of attachment to the front line. Accordingly, to avoid undesirable slack, the safety line may be configured to be in tension when not deployed.
  • a resilient member e.g. a bungee cord
  • FIGS. 2a and 2b show schematically a control assembly (50) embodying the present invention, in maximum power and minimum power settings respectively.
  • the assembly (50) comprises: a tether (52) for tethering an individual to a pair of front lines 20C,D of a power kite; an elongate member or control bar (54) having a pair of opposed ends (56A,B) each attached to one of a pair of rear lines (20A,B) of the power kite; and a guide (58) mounted on the elongate member (54) and defining an aperture (60) for slidably receiving the tether (52) when varying the position of the elongate member (54) along the tether (52).
  • the tether (52) comprises a toothed belt profile (62) which provides a plurality of discrete positions for interengagement with a corresponding profile of the guide (58) when the position of the elongate member (54) relative to the tether (52) has been set.
  • elongate member (54) has a non-linear shape, with a central portion (70) which is laterally offset relative to axis AA which extends from one end (56A) to the other (56B).
  • the guide (58) is formed by a "["-shaped bar (72) welded onto member (54), defining a slot shaped aperture (60).
  • the aperture (60) is large enough for the toothed belt (62) to slide therethrough, with the bar (72) having a profile which fits in any one of the recesses between adjacent pairs of teeth on the belt (62).
  • Figure 4a shows schematically a side view of the toothed belt (52) engaged the elongate element (54) in such a way that the latter cannot slide along the former.
  • bar (72) and a recess between a pair of teeth on the belt (62) are interengaged.
  • the ends (56A,B) are pulled towards the individual, causing the relative rotation of the member (54) to the position shown in Figure 4b.
  • Rotation of the member (54) is achieved without twisting the bar with the wrists.
  • the elongate member can be moved freely along the toothed belt as shown in Figure 5 to the desired position.
  • FIGS 2a and 2b also show safety apparatus (80) comprising a safety line (82), one end (82A) of which is attached to one of the front lines (20D) and the other end (82B) of which is attached to the tether (52).
  • tether (52) is formed in two parts, with an upper part (84) including the toothed belt (62) and with a lower part (86) including a harness linkage.
  • the upper and lower parts (84,86) are releasably coupled by a snap shackle (88) which engages D ring (89).
  • Figures 6a and 6b show schematically the snap shackle (88) in closed and open configurations.
  • pivotal gate (90) is held in place by a resiliently-biased bolt (91) which engages aperture (92).
  • the body (94) of shackle (88) includes a closed loop (96) to which safety line (82) is attached.
  • release tag (98) When the safety apparatus (80) is to be activated, the individual simply pulls on release tag (98), withdrawing bolt (91) from aperture (92). Once freed, pivotal gate (90) opens, releasing D ring (89) and allowing the control assembly (50) to be pulled away from the individual. However, safety line (82) remains attached to body (94) of shackle (88), enabling the kite to de-power whilst remaining attached to the individual.
  • the shackle (88) includes a swivel connection (100) at its base.
  • the swivel connection enables the shackle (88) and safety line (82) to rotate with kite.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)
  • Wind Motors (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)
EP02256352A 2001-09-19 2002-09-12 Assemblage de commande pour cerf-volant à quatre lignes Withdrawn EP1302398A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0122588 2001-09-19
GBGB0122588.7A GB0122588D0 (en) 2001-09-19 2001-09-19 Power kites

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1302398A2 true EP1302398A2 (fr) 2003-04-16

Family

ID=9922339

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP02256352A Withdrawn EP1302398A2 (fr) 2001-09-19 2002-09-12 Assemblage de commande pour cerf-volant à quatre lignes

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1302398A2 (fr)
GB (1) GB0122588D0 (fr)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2004067381A2 (fr) * 2003-01-31 2004-08-12 Dirk Schiffmann Appareil de sport comportant deux cordes de guidage et un dispositif de securite
FR2858596A1 (fr) * 2003-08-08 2005-02-11 Christian Richard Largueur en charge pour aile de traction
FR2858968A1 (fr) * 2003-08-19 2005-02-25 Donatien Joseph Louis Roger Dispositif de larguage automatique des lignes avants d'une aile de traction ou de kitesurf equipee en 4 lignes ou plus, afin de liberer le pilote attache aux lignes avants
FR2876080A1 (fr) * 2004-10-05 2006-04-07 Serge Fechino Systeme de controle d'une aile volante
WO2006113988A1 (fr) * 2005-04-25 2006-11-02 Liquid Sky Kiteboarding, Inc. Dispositif de maniement de ligne amovible pour voiles de traction
DE10242457B4 (de) * 2002-07-26 2007-07-19 Ralph Bulau Verbinder eines lenkbaren Drachens
DE10392594B4 (de) * 2002-05-14 2009-07-02 Nalu Kai Incorporated, Haiku Durch Drücken lösbare Schlaufe
ITTO20120059A1 (it) * 2012-01-24 2012-04-24 Engimec S R L Dispositivo di sgancio rapido, in particolare per kite-surf.
WO2013111169A1 (fr) * 2012-01-24 2013-08-01 Engimec S.R.L. Dispositif à déconnexion rapide, en particulier pour planche volante
US8814098B2 (en) 2010-06-17 2014-08-26 Neil Pryde Limited Control system for a traction wing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
None

Cited By (18)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE10392594B4 (de) * 2002-05-14 2009-07-02 Nalu Kai Incorporated, Haiku Durch Drücken lösbare Schlaufe
DE10242457B4 (de) * 2002-07-26 2007-07-19 Ralph Bulau Verbinder eines lenkbaren Drachens
DE10242454B4 (de) * 2002-07-26 2008-12-11 Ralph Bulau Sicherheitselement eines lenkbaren Drachens
DE10242455B4 (de) * 2002-07-26 2008-11-27 Ralph Bulau Verbindungselement eines lenkbaren Drachens
WO2004067381A3 (fr) * 2003-01-31 2004-10-14 Dirk Schiffmann Appareil de sport comportant deux cordes de guidage et un dispositif de securite
WO2004067381A2 (fr) * 2003-01-31 2004-08-12 Dirk Schiffmann Appareil de sport comportant deux cordes de guidage et un dispositif de securite
FR2858596A1 (fr) * 2003-08-08 2005-02-11 Christian Richard Largueur en charge pour aile de traction
WO2005018768A1 (fr) * 2003-08-19 2005-03-03 Donatien Roger Larguage automatique kitesurf
FR2858968A1 (fr) * 2003-08-19 2005-02-25 Donatien Joseph Louis Roger Dispositif de larguage automatique des lignes avants d'une aile de traction ou de kitesurf equipee en 4 lignes ou plus, afin de liberer le pilote attache aux lignes avants
AU2004266091B2 (en) * 2003-08-19 2009-07-23 Kite Attitude Automatic kitesurf release system
US7762497B2 (en) 2003-08-19 2010-07-27 Donatien Roger Automatic kitesurf release system
FR2876080A1 (fr) * 2004-10-05 2006-04-07 Serge Fechino Systeme de controle d'une aile volante
WO2006113988A1 (fr) * 2005-04-25 2006-11-02 Liquid Sky Kiteboarding, Inc. Dispositif de maniement de ligne amovible pour voiles de traction
US7549608B2 (en) 2005-04-25 2009-06-23 Liquid Sky Kiteboarding Inc. Detachable line management device for traction kites
US7793889B2 (en) 2005-04-25 2010-09-14 Liquid Sky Kiteboarding, Inc. Detachable line management device for traction kites
US8814098B2 (en) 2010-06-17 2014-08-26 Neil Pryde Limited Control system for a traction wing
ITTO20120059A1 (it) * 2012-01-24 2012-04-24 Engimec S R L Dispositivo di sgancio rapido, in particolare per kite-surf.
WO2013111169A1 (fr) * 2012-01-24 2013-08-01 Engimec S.R.L. Dispositif à déconnexion rapide, en particulier pour planche volante

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0122588D0 (en) 2001-11-07

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Inventor name: ANDY PRESTON T/A AP

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Effective date: 20050401