EP4323271A1

EP4323271A1 - Self-contained traction wing

Info

Publication number: EP4323271A1
Application number: EP22722222.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Raphaël SALLES
Original assignee: FOne
Current assignee: FOne
Priority date: 2021-04-12
Filing date: 2022-04-11
Publication date: 2024-02-21
Also published as: US20240124112A1; WO2022218921A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a self-contained traction wing which is intended to be used in combination with a gliding device capable of interacting with the feet of a user, is controlled by the user via manual gripping means placed on the wing, and has a structure having a sail defined by a leading edge formed by an inflatable tube, and a trailing edge, said structure being symmetrical in relation to a central batten (1). The half wings located on either side of the central batten (1) each comprise at least one additional transverse batten (2) between the central batten (1) and the end of the wing, said additional transverse batten (2): - being closer to the end of the wing than to the central batten (1); - comprising an inflatable tube structure; - having a length provided to create a positive trailing edge.

Description

Title of the invention: Autonomous traction wing

The present invention is in the field of sliding sports equipment

(both maritime and terrestrial), and more specifically in that of water sports. More precisely still, it is a traction wing intended to be used in combination with a support board for the user so that he can propel himself using the wind, for example on a body of water. .

[0002] There are multiple configurations of aquatic gliding devices driven by the wind, therefore comprising a fabric surface arranged in the form of a wing or sail which, by interacting with the wind, allows a user whose feet rest on a board to move thanks to the force of the wind. Some have soli darised sails on the support, like windsurfing boards, others create the connection between the user and the tractor wing via flexible lines often connected to a harness fixed to the bust, as in the practices associating a deer - steering wheel to a gliding board to form a gliding device usually called kitesurfing.

The invention stands out in that the wing or sail which is the subject of it does not include a mechanical connection, in the sense of a connection having a form of connection requiring a fixing operation, such as c is for example the case for a windsurfing sail which comprises a mast mechanically secured to the board, or for a kitesurfing wing which is secured to the practitioner's torso using a harness harnessed to the body and to which the lines which make the connection with the wing are fixed. In these hypotheses, in normal operation, the user does not have to worry about the state of the link, which remains operational until he decides to "deactivate" it by undoing it.

The wing of the invention has none of these characteristics resulting from a mechanical connection, it is in practice simply held by the user, via manual gripping means, generally handles, and the realization of the connection therefore requires a constant maintenance of physical effort necessary for gripping the sail on the one hand, and controlling it in space on the other hand. The wing, in a nutshell, is self-contained in that it is not structurally attached to the rest of the hitch. It is nevertheless possible to use a harness with an end connecting the practitioner to the wing, to relieve the efforts of the arms. This option is not considered a mechanical linkage in the sense of the one described above because it is temporary and the pilot does not have to let go of the control handles to continue steering his wing.

[0005] This mode of operation of a wing autonomously associated with a gliding device is already known, for example described in the patent document DE 102019 101 656 which proposes water sports equipment comprising a board supporting a user and a sail held by the latter. It also comprises gripping means of the rigid handle type, thanks to which it is possible to manipulate it in order to give it a favorable orientation to capture the wind necessary for the propulsion of the user.

[0006] The first types of autonomous wings that appeared in the 1980s were built with rigid, metallic or composite frames, and were more widely used on snow or ice. This type of wing is for example described in patent FR2501618. This activity has not been widely developed. After this brief appearance in the 1980s, this means of self-propelled wing traction reappeared recently with the practice of hydro-foiling because it allows better management of power and safety. Indeed the implementation and control of the power of an autonomous wing is easier than that of a kitesurf wing.

[0007] This new practice of traction by "autonomous wing carried by the pilot" has been developing for 2 years under the name of "wing surfing" or "wing foiling" depending on the support and the place of use. It is mainly practiced today on water, but can be used on land or snow with the appropriate support.

[0008] Current versions of these wings have a predominantly inflatable structure. This saves weight, buoyancy and makes it easier to store, especially compared to a windsurf rig.

[0009] The object of the patent is to improve the performance of these new-generation autonomous wings with a solely inflatable leading edge. These wings give rise to a certain number of specific problems, in particular due to all the deformations resulting from the lack of rigidity of the leading edge, which is not supported or stiffened by struts, bridles, or rigid spars. When navigating, the pilot only holds the two handles and the rest of the wing tends to deform.

The challenge is to control these deformations and in particular the tension of the trailing edge which is one of the essential characteristics of the performance of a wing because as soon as we lose the tension of the trailing edge, this results in a loss of angle of incidence of part of the profile and therefore by a reduction in lift and more generally in performance.

[0010] Since the appearance of these autonomous wings with an inflatable leading edge, the design used to date comprises an extension of the leading edge at the wing tip to transform it into two more or less long slats, after a angle that differentiates their orientation from that of the leading edge proper. The advantage is that the leading edge associated with the two slats of the wing tips form only one and the same structure, easy to build and to inflate. These wings also have a central batten which can be inflatable or of a rigid type, like a boom or spar, for the placement of the handles or the hands, which allows the control of the wing, but also the profile control in this area.

[0011] The disadvantage of this known configuration is that the wingtip slat does not have enough stiffness or hold, and therefore quickly bends towards the center of the wing under the pressure and lift that exerts the wind into the fabric of the wing body. This results in a loss of tension at the trailing edge and consequently a deterioration in performance. This also results in a loss of power. It is of course possible to increase the diameter of the leading edge and of this S3 strut to improve its rigidity, but this adds weight and drag. The angular or angled shape that separates the leading edge from the wingtip strut particularly aggravates deformation, especially with an inflatable structure.

[0012] There are also the limits of this type of design as soon as one tries to make wings with large surfaces because the problem is amplified by the surface of the fabric and the forces undergone on the structure which increase as a corollary. The problem is that the more the surface is increased, the more the efficiency is degraded, which makes the additional square meters of the surface of the wing useless and even harmful.

[0013] The object of the invention is to perfectly control the tension of the trailing edge and at the same time the distribution of the surface of the wing.

[0014] In this perspective, the autonomous traction wing of the invention, intended as mentioned above to be used in addition to a gliding device capable of cooperating with the feet of a user and controlled by said user via manual gripping means placed on said wing, with a structure having an airfoil delimited by an inflatable sausage leading edge and a trailing edge, said structure being symmetrical with respect to a central slat. It is such, according to the invention, that the half-wings located on either side of the central slat each comprise at least one additional transverse slat placed between the central slat and the end of the wing, said transverse slat additional :

- being closer to the end of the wing than to the central strut;

- comprising an inflatable tube structure;

- having a length intended to create a positive trailing edge.

[0015] In other words, to control the tension of the trailing edge, the approach was to add, in each half-wing on either side of the central batten, a transverse batten in the body of the wing to connect it to a part of the leading edge which is more rigid because of larger diameter and not bent at the place of the junction. Thus the entire structure located outside this batten, that is to say towards the end of the wing, including the leading edge and the fabric of the sail, now serves as a stay and blocks its rotation towards the center of the wing. A better maintenance of the tension of the entire trailing edge is thus obtained.

[0016]According to one possibility, towards the end of the wing, the inflatable tube of the leading edge is extended by wingtip slats forming an angle with the leading edge.

[0017] The wingtip batten is less stressed because the majority of the tension now passes through this additional transverse batten and is diverted towards the leading edge. In addition, this additional batten creates a positive trailing edge, which adds surface area. The increase in surface area at this point makes it possible to decrease the wingtip surface area, and thus to shorten the wingtip strut to reduce weight, drag and flex.

[0018] The definition of a positive trailing edge is: when an imaginary straight line is drawn between the rear end of the central batten and the rear end of the end of the wing or the tip batten of the wing, if there is fabric outside this line, the trailing edge is positive.

[0019] The additional transverse slat being closer to the end of the wing or the wingtip slat than to the central slat, this makes it possible in particular to better play on the possibilities of increasing the surface by the adding such an extra batten. By placing it beyond half of the wing half in the direction of the wing tip, and by making sure that the length of the additional transverse slats is provided to create a positive trailing edge, we indeed allow add sail area.

This is a major advantage of this invention, since it also allows better control of the wing span and the optimal distribution of the surface. Indeed, the need for power is essential for practice, particularly in light winds, so you have to be able to offer wings with fairly large surfaces. The main problem with the design of these wings is the control of the wingspan. It is indeed difficult to hold a large surface wing at arm's length without it touching the ground or the sea during practice.

[0021] The wingspan must therefore have a length dictated by the size of the user and cannot be extended as desired. Up to surfaces of about 5m ² , it is possible to control the wingspan, but beyond that the wing tip tends to touch the water and can cause the user to fall or the whole less perpetual discomfort during use. To increase the surface of the wing, it is certainly possible to extend the length of the central chord, i.e. that of the central strut, but this has limits for the performance, the comfort, the deformations of the profile and the maneuverability of the kite. 'wing.

[0022] The solution of the invention, based on the additional transverse batten per half-wing, makes it possible to gain surface area ideally thanks to the positive of the trailing edge, without increasing the wingspan or the width of the wing tip. It is therefore particularly interesting for wings with a large surface area, for which the problem of tension at the trailing edge is particularly amplified due to their size. Indeed the inflatable leading edges beyond a certain length have limits of re- resistance to bending, because you cannot increase their diameter indefinitely without adding weight and drag.

[0023] The additional transverse batten of each half-wing also makes it possible to effectively add profile depth, to further improve power. This additional lift also allows the wingtip to be lifted away from the surface of the water, which allows the user to navigate more comfortably without having to raise their arms. Indeed, without this additional lift, the wing tends to stick to the water. This strut also allows the designer to better control the twist of the wing tip and thus the performance, control and stability of the wing.

The characteristics of the invention therefore allow an increase in surface area by adding an additional batten, which is therefore preferably located beyond half of the half-wing in the direction of the wing tip. .

[0025] The additional transverse slats are built with an inflatable coil structure, which is very advantageous in terms of weight, buoyancy and size when folding the wing. It is also easier to manage the shape of an inflatable batten and therefore to better control the profile of the wing at the location of the additional batten.

[0026] According to one possibility, the central slat and the wing tip slats can also be made of an inflatable tube. In this case, preferably, the inflatable bladder of the leading edge, the inflatable bladder of the central strut, the inflatable bladders of the transverse slats and the inflatable bladders of the wing tip slats are connected by a common inflation system. This system involves air passages between the tubes, resulting in simplifying deployment by inflating the wing, and this makes it possible to remain consistent with what is mentioned above with regard to weight, buoyancy and reduced bulk when folding the wing.

[0027]According to another preferred feature, the central slat is fixed in direct contact with the wing in the vicinity of its rear end. 'offensive. In fact, the central slat comprises, more preferably, a portion located between its rear end and its junction with the inflatable bladder of the leading edge which is not in direct contact with the wing and is connected thereto by a section of material fabric-like soft. This section prevents the blade from moving away from the batten in an uncontrolled way, and on the contrary allows the profile of the blade to be adjusted in its central part.

[0028] In addition, the leading edge flange has a slightly V-shaped conformation (that is to say in positive dihedral) from the center towards its ends, which results in raising said ends.

[0029] An additional characteristic, still with the idea of maintaining a tension of the trailing edge, lies in the choice of the material of the wing: according to one possibility, the wing is also in fabric and the direction of the straight grain of the fabric is oriented, in each half-wing, at least in the vicinity of the edge BF, parallel to an imaginary straight line drawn between the rear end of the central batten and the rear end of the additional batten. Thus, the yarns of the fabric canopy are preferably pre-oriented in a determined manner during manufacture. Concretely, most wings on the market are made of fabric, but there are also non-woven films (commonly called monofilm) which are often used for making transparent windows.

[0030] For the record, a fabric is made up of vertical yarns and horizontal yarns. The vertical thread, called warp thread, or even straight thread, is the thread of the length of the fabric. The horizontal thread, called weft thread, or even interlocked thread, is the thread woven across the width of the fabric. The fabric taken in the axis of the straight grain is often less elastic than the interlocked grain. The diagonal between the straight grain and the interlocked grain is called the bias, the fabric in the direction of the bias is much less rigid than in the axis of the warp or weft.

[0031] In other words, if a straight line is drawn which goes from the central batten to the additional batten, the fabric panels in the area of the trailing edge are oriented with the straight grain parallel to this straight line. The threads are then oriented in the same direction as the tensile forces (from the end of the central batten to the end of the additional batten), which allows the fabric not to deform.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear during the more detailed description which will follow, relating to an embodiment which is given only by way of indicative and non-limiting example of the invention.

[0033] The understanding of this description will be facilitated in particular by referring to the figure attached in the appendix, for which:

[0034] [Fig.l] [Fig.l] shows a bottom view of an embodiment of an autonomous traction wing according to the invention;

[0035] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] shows a side view of the embodiment of [Fig.l];

[0036] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] represents a perspective view from a low angle of an autonomous traction wing conforming to the embodiment of the preceding figures.

[0037] With reference to these figures, the self-contained traction wing comprises an inflatable sausage leading edge B A and a trailing edge BF at one edge of the wing 6. The wing is symmetrical with respect to a central slat 1 in inflatable sausage provided with gripping means 4 of the handle type which are fixed on said central slat 1 opposite the wing V. Another gripping handle 5 can also be fitted to the leading edge sausage B HAS.

[0038] The leading edge flange BA is extended, in the configuration shown (this is only one possibility), at its ends, by wing tip slats 3 forming a angle with the leading edge BA flange. These wing tip slats 3 are preferably and as already mentioned also made of an inflatable tube.

According to the invention, in the two half-wings located on either side of the central slat 1, an additional transverse slat 2 placed between the central slat 1 and the wing tip slat 3 has been added . Each transverse slat 2 also consists of an inflatable tube.

[0040] The inflatable bladder of the leading edge B A is curved in the plane of [Fig.l], but it also has a slightly V-shaped profile (that is to say with positive dihedral), as is visible in [Fig.3], resulting in raising its ends and in particular the wing tip slats 3 with respect to its center. Between two contact zones located on the one hand at the rear end of the central strut 1 and on the other hand on the inflatable tube of the leading edge B A, the wing V is connected to the central strut by a piece of fabric 6, which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the airfoil V when the latter is taut.

[0041] All the inflatable tubes can be connected, that is to say that pipes connect them, allowing the wing to be "deployed" by a common inflation system during a single inflation operation, from a deflated initial state that is easily foldable and takes up only minimal space.

[0042] In any event, the example of the figure should not be considered as exhaustive of the invention, which on the contrary encompasses all the variants and versions which fall within the field of ordinary knowledge of those skilled in the art. , for example on the shape of the slats, their number, the shapes of the leading edge and the trailing edge etc.

Claims

[Claim 1] Autonomous traction wing intended to be used in addition to a gliding device capable of cooperating with the feet of a user and controlled by said user via manual gripping means placed on said wing, of structure having a airfoil delimited by a leading edge B A in inflatable sausage and a trailing edge BF, said structure being symmetrical with respect to a central slat 1, characterized in that the half-wings located on either side of the central slat 1 each comprise at least one additional transverse slat 2 placed between the central slat 1 and the end of the wing, said additional transverse slat 2:

- being closer to the end of the wing than to the central batten 1;

- comprising an inflatable tube structure;

- having a length designed to create a positive BF trailing edge.

[Claim 2] Autonomous traction wing according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the leading edge B A is extended by wing tip slats 3 forming an angle with the leading edge B A.

[Claim 3] Autonomous traction wing according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the central slat 1 and the wing tip slats 3 consist of an inflatable tube.

[Claim 4] Autonomous traction wing according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the inflatable tube of the leading edge B A, the inflatable tube of the central slat 1, the inflatable tubes of the transverse slats 2 and the inflatable tubes of the 3 wingtip slats are connected by a common inflation system.

[Claim 5] Autonomous traction wing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central slat 1 is fixed in direct contact with the wing 6 in the vicinity of its rear end.

[Claim 6] Autonomous traction wing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the central slat 1 comprises a portion located between its rear end and its junction with the inflatable bladder of the leading edge BA which is not at the contact with the wing V and is connected to it by a section 6 of flexible material of the fabric type. [Claim 7] Autonomous traction wing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wing V is made of fabric and the direction of the straight grain of the fabric is oriented, in each half-wing, at least in the vicinity of the edge of leak BF, parallel to an imaginary straight line drawn between the rear end of the central batten 1 and the rear end of the additional batten 2.