NZ761366A - Roller furler assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A roller furler assembly (3) for furling or unfurling a sail comprises a driving unit (4) which is configured to be installed on a sailing yacht. The driving unit (4) comprises a deck passage (5) sized and arranged such that a furled sail which is stored under deck of the sailing yacht may be pulled through the deck passage (5) in order to be set. The roller furler assembly (3) further comprises an end piece configured to be connected to a stay and/or tack of the sail and further configured to be pulled together with the sail towards the deck passage (5). The deck passage (5) comprises a receiving portion (8) for receiving the end piece such that torque may be applied from the driving unit (4) to the end piece thereby rotating the end piece and furling the sail. The receiving portion (8) has guidance members (14). The end piece has alignment members. The guidance members (14) are configured such that upon receipt of the end piece in the receiving portion (8) by pulling the end piece towards the deck passage (5), the alignment members engage with the guidance members (14) thereby forming a torque transmitting connection between the driving unit (4) and the end piece. through the deck passage (5) in order to be set. The roller furler assembly (3) further comprises an end piece configured to be connected to a stay and/or tack of the sail and further configured to be pulled together with the sail towards the deck passage (5). The deck passage (5) comprises a receiving portion (8) for receiving the end piece such that torque may be applied from the driving unit (4) to the end piece thereby rotating the end piece and furling the sail. The receiving portion (8) has guidance members (14). The end piece has alignment members. The guidance members (14) are configured such that upon receipt of the end piece in the receiving portion (8) by pulling the end piece towards the deck passage (5), the alignment members engage with the guidance members (14) thereby forming a torque transmitting connection between the driving unit (4) and the end piece.

Description

ROLLER FURLER ASSEMBLY The present invention relates to a roller furler assembly for furling and unfurling a sail as well as to a system for handling a sail to be set or .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Roller furler assemblies in l are used to manage sails, in particular foresails. Foresails are mostly triangular shaped sails whose leading edge is supported by a flexible cable or rod under tension, in particular by a stay such as a forestay. Foresails are known by various names such as , gennakers, code 0s. A roller furler assembly is a mechanical device which winds up the foresail onto the tensioned edge cable, in particular a torque cable. Roller furler assemblies are also e of furling cable free code sails which have recently be unveiled and will be on the market soon.

The general concept of a roller furler assembly is to provide two functions. The first function, known as “furling”, provides storage of the sail when not diploid. The second function, known as “reefing”, is seen as an additional benefit. g is the common term for an operation which lly stores a sail and thereby reduces the amount of a sail exposed to an air stream.

As the size of the sailing yacht in particular the length of the sailing yacht ses the sail area and thus the weight of the sails increases as well. For example sailing yachts with a length of or above 30m may be equipped with a Code 0 with a sailing area from several 100 m2 up to 1500 m2 and more. The Code 0 may weigh several 100 kg. This makes the handling of the sails, in particular the attachment of the sails to the stay as well as the setting of the sails more difficult. – 2 – In order to fy the handling of the sails, automation such as automatic winches or onal driving units are used to automatically set, furl or reef the sails.

Moreover, systems have been developed in order to automatically transport sails from their storage position under deck onto the deck and to easily set the sails thereafter. These systems are in particular suitable for the handling of a code 0 as a code 0 is made of thinner material s/sail cloth) compared to other sails such as a genoa. This allows the furling of a code 0 to smaller ers and thus allows bending of the furled code 0 around r radiuses when being stored compared to a genoa.

Such systems for handling of a sail, in ular a foresail, to be set or stored under deck comprise a drum which is installed under deck of a sailing yacht and onto which a furled sail being furled around a stay is wound. The stay may be a forestay or an inner stay, in particular a removable stay such as a torque cable. Such systems further comprise a roller furler assembly having a deck passage through which the stay together with the furled sail is pulled by a halyard towards a mast of the sailing yacht. As the sail is fully pulled towards the mast an end piece which is connected to a tack of the sail is positioned within the deck passage of the roller furler ly. The roller furler assembly comprises a driving unit having multiple segments. Upon positioning the end piece within the deck passage the segments are driven radially inward in order to form a form fitting connection with a multi-edge-profile of the end piece. The segments together with the end piece can then be rotated in order to furl or unfurl the sail. The arrangement and movement of the segments can be compared to a shutter of a camera being closed, wherein the end piece is positioned in the center of the r.

The driving unit comprising the segments is very complicated from a constructive point of view as it contains a lot of moving – 3 – parts which are susceptible for , especially under survivor weather ions. Moreover, the functioning of the segments when being engaged with the end piece has to be supervised and thus an additional crew member is needed on the forecastle of the sailing yacht.

SUMMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a roller furler assembly for furling and/or unfurling a sail comprising a driving unit configured to be installed on a sailing yacht, wherein the driving unit ses a deck passage sized and ed such that a furled sail which is stored under deck of the sailing yacht may be pulled through the deck passage in order to be set, and an end piece configured to be connected to a stay and/or a tack of the sail and further configured to be pulled together with the sail towards the deck passage, wherein the deck passage comprises a receiving portion for receiving the end piece such that torque may be applied from the driving unit to the end piece thereby rotating the end piece and furling the sail, wherein the ing portion has guidance members, and that the end piece has alignment members, wherein the guidance members are configured such that upon receipt of the end piece in the receiving portion by pulling the end piece towards the deck passage, the alignment members engage with the guidance members y forming a torque transmitting tion between the driving unit and the end piece.

Further ed is a system for handling a sail to be set or stored under deck of a sailing yacht, the system comprising a drum for storing the sail in such a way that the furled sail is wound up onto the drum, wherein the drum is configured to be – 4 – bly installed under deck of the sailing yacht and a roller furler assembly as described above.

It has been found that the t invention provides a roller furler assembly that shows a fied connection between a driving unit and an end piece attached to a sail and/or a stay of a sailing yacht. It is also found that the present invention provides a system for simplified handling of a sail to be set or stored under deck of a g yacht.

According to the present invention the deck e comprises a receiving portion which has guidance members and the end piece being configured to be connected to a stay and/or the tack of the sail has alignment s. The guidance members are configured such that upon receipt of the end piece in the receiving portion by pulling the end piece towards the deck passage the alignment members engage with the guidance members thereby forming a torque transmitting connection between the driving unit and the end piece.

As the torque transmitting tion between the driving unit and the end piece is established by pulling the end piece towards the deck passage and thus by pulling the end piece into the ing portion the process of establishing the torque transmitting connection is simplified. The degree of automation with regard to the handling of the sail is increased. No additional crew member is needed to supervise the engagement process.

As mentioned above, the present invention is in particular suitable for furling or unfurling a code 0 as a code 0 is made of thinner material (canvas) compared to other sails such as a genoa. This allows a furling of the code 0 to smaller diameters and thus allows a bending of the furled code 0 around smaller radiuses compared to a genoa. However, the present invention may also be used for other sails, e.g. staysails, which are furled – 5 – around an inner stay, preferably a removable stay, such as a torque cable.

In connection with the t invention the receiving portion of the deck passage is preferably a first ing portion, whereas the receiving portion of the drum which will be bed in more detail below is a second receiving portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention the torque transmitting connection between the driving unit and the end piece is formed by a form fitting connection ured to fix the end piece relative to the driving unit in an axial direction along a luff of a sail but allowing a swiveling motion of the end piece caused by lateral movement of the stay and/or the luff.

A form fitting connection n the end piece and the driving unit is from a constructive point of view a very simple solution to allow transmittance of torque. As the end piece is fixed in an axial direction along a luff of the sail relative to the g unit the stay around which the sail is furled can be tensioned and thus the sail can be set properly. Moreover, as the end piece allows a swiveling motion the roller furler assembly can cope with lateral forces caused by movement of the stay and/or the luff which increases the lifetime of the roller furler assembly.

In connection with the present invention the term “lateral” is used to describe nt of the stay and/or the luff transversely to the axial direction along the luff of the sail. ing to another embodiment of the present invention the end piece is formed by a truncated cone having a base area to which a spherical head is attached, wherein the spherical head is configured to be connected to the stay and/or the tack of the sail and, wherein the alignment members are positioned in a transition area between the truncated cone and the spherical – 6 – head and extend readily outward. Due to its geometrical form the spherical head in particular allows the end piece to swivel relatively to the driving unit. Preferably, the end piece ses a connection device on top of the cal head for connecting the end piece to the stay and/or the tack of the sail. er, as the end piece is pulled towards the first receiving portion when setting the sail the spherical head allows an easy alignment of the end piece relative to the first receiving portion.

Preferably, the ent members are located on an area at which the diameter of the spherical head reaches its maximum.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the alignment members are formed as opposing rod shaped projections.

Preferably, the rod shaped tions extend radially outward such that the projections extend transversely to the axial direction along the luff of the sail when the end piece is pulled towards the receiving portion. The rod shaped protections allow easy engagement with the guidance members of the ing portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention the alignment members have a longitudinal axis and are configured to slide along the longitudinal axis in a radially inward direction relative to the end piece from an extended position to a retracted position upon engagement of the guidance members and the alignment members. Preferably, the alignment members are configured to slide from the extended on to a retracted on counter to a spring force. Consequently, when the guidance members and the alignment members are aged the alignment members are automatically slid from the retracted position to the extended on.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the end piece comprises sensors for sensing the retracted position of – 7 – the ent members. In order to increase security while handling the sails it is important to know when the guidance members and the alignment members are engaged such that the stay may be tensioned in order to properly set and to subsequently unfurl the sail. The sensors are thus used to indicate proper engagement between the guidance members and the ent members. Preferably , the proper engagement of the guidance members and the alignment members is indicated to a control system such as a programmable logical controller system (PLC-system) of the yacht based on the signal of the sensors.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the deck passage has a tubular portion comprising the guidance members.

Preferably, the tubular portion has a er which is larger than the diameter of a furled sail. The tubular portion provides guidance for the sail being pulled towards the mast of the sailing yacht and thus omits buckling of the furled sail when being pulled through the deck passage.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the guidance members are formed as grooves, wherein the tubular portion further comprises lead-in chamfers sized and positioned to direct the alignment s towards the grooves. The lead-in chamfers and the grooves are easy to manufacture. Moreover, as the alignment members are preferably rod shaped projections and the guidance members are preferably s a reliable engagement of the rod shaped tions and the s is ensured.

As the tubular portion further comprises lead-in chamfers it is ensured that the alignment members, no matter of the rotational position of the end piece about the axial direction along the luff of the sail, will always be guided towards the guidance members when being pulled towards the receiving n. ing to another ment of the present invention the driving unit comprises a casing ve to which the tubular – 8 – portion of the deck passage is rotatably arranged, wherein the driving unit comprises a motor and a gearing mechanism for driving the tubular portion in a rotational manner in order to furl the sail. Preferably, the motor is a hydraulic motor and the gearing mechanism is a worm shaft which is driven by the motor and engages with a worm wheel that is ted to the tubular portion. Upon rotating the tubular n relative to the casing a torque is itted from the driving unit to the end piece via the torque itting connection thereby g the sail.

The above objects are further achieved by a system for handling a sail to be set or stored under deck of a sailing yacht. The system comprises a drum for storing the sail in such a way that the furled sail is wound onto the drum. The drum is configured to be rotatably installed under deck of the sailing yacht. The system further comprises a roller furler assembly as described above.

The system according to the present invention es improved handling of a sail to be set or stored under deck of a sailing yacht over known systems. In particular the system is easy to use and es a reliable solution for engaging the end piece with the driving unit. Preferably, the system allows the setting and dropping of the sail as well as the furling and furling of the sail almost fully automatically by use of a l system such as a PLC-system. The PLC-system is part of the system according to the present invention and may be ed by use of knobs and/or a joystick. The only action which has to be taken manually is to connect or disconnect the sheets to or from the sail while the sail is being set or dropped.

According to an embodiment of the present invention the systems further comprises a pulling mechanism which is configured to pull the sail from the drum through the deck passage of the roller furler assembly in order to set the sail. Preferably, the – 9 – pulling mechanism ses a halyard by use of which the sail is pulled from the deck passage towards a mast of the g yacht.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the system further comprises a motor to rotate the drum in order to support unwinding the sail from the drum or for winding the sail onto the drum. When pulling the sail through the deck passage and thus when unwinding the sail from the drum the motor may also be used to apply a g torque to the drum counter to an unwinding direction in which the drum is rotated in order to unwind the sail. This braking torque may be used to provide a certain degree of tension within the sail in order to properly guide the sail through the deck e toward the mast of the sailing yacht.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the drum comprises a second receiving portion for receiving the end piece of the roller furler assembly. Prior to winding up the sail onto the drum in order to store the sail under deck the end piece is received in the second ing portion of the drum in order to be properly stored.

According to an ment of the present invention the alignment members of the end piece of the roller furler ly have a longitudinal axis and are configured to slide along the longitudinal axis in a radially inward direction relative to the end piece from an extended position to a retracted on upon engagement of the guidance members and the alignment members, wherein the alignment members are further configured to slide into the retraced position when the end piece is received in the second receiving portion of the drum and, wherein the end piece comprises sensors for sensing the retracted position of the alignment members. g the receipt of the end piece in the – 10 – second receiving portion of the drum increases security regarding the winding of the sail onto the drum and thus regarding proper storage of the sail under deck. The sensors may provide a sensor signal when the ent members are slit into their ted position. The signal may be indicated to the captain of the sailing yacht.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the drum ses a first drum winding section for winding up the furled sail and a second drum winding section for winding up a connecting strap, in particular a belt strap, which is configured to connect the drum with the end piece of the roller furler ly, wherein the first drum winding section and the second drum winding section both circumferentially extend about a on axis of the drum, wherein the first drum winding section has a first diameter and the second drum winding section has a second diameter, which is smaller than the first diameter, and, wherein the first drum winding section and the second drum winding section are arranged to rotate relative to each other and/or to rotate together. In order to automatically allow storage of the sail the end piece of the roller furler assembly is permanently connected to a second drum winding section. In order to store the sail under deck the drum is driven in order to wind up the belt strap onto the second drum winding section thereby pulling the end piece together with the sail through the deck passage under deck and towards the drum. While ng the second drum winding n in order to pull the end piece towards the second receiving portion the first drum winding section stands still. Upon receipt of the end piece in the second receiving portion of the drum the first drum g section and the second drum winding section are connected such that the first and second drum winding sections rotate together at the same speed. Subsequently the sail is wound up onto the second drum winding section in order to be properly stored. – 11 – DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The ion will now be described in connection with exemplary embodiments shown in the Figures in which: Figure 1 shows a side view of a system according to the present invention, Figure 2 shows a cal view of a drum, Figure 3 shows a spherical view of a driving unit, Figure 4 shows a spherical view of an end piece and Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the end piece along the line A-A in Figure 4.

Figure 1 shows a system 1 for handling a sail, in ular a foresail such as a Code 0 (not shown), to be set or stored under deck of a sailing yacht (not shown). However, the system may also be used for other sails, e.g. staysails, which are furled around a removable stay, such as a torque cable. The system comprises a drum 2 for storing the sail. In ular the furled sail is wound up onto the drum 2. The drum 2 is configured to be bly installed under deck of the sailing yacht. The system comprises a motor (not shown) to rotate the drum 2 about a rotation axis 12 in order to support unwinding the sail from the drum or for winding the sail onto the drum 2.

The system further comprises a roller furler assembly 3 for furling or unfurling the sail. The roller furler assembly 3 comprises a driving unit 4 configured to be installed on the sailing yacht, wherein the driving unit comprises a deck passage The system 1 further comprises an end piece 6 which is connectable to a stay formed as a forestay 7 about which the sail is furled. A tack of the sail may be either connected to the forestay 7 or the end piece 6. As can be seen in Figure 1 the end – 12 – piece 6 is received in a first receiving portion 8 of the deck passage 4 such that torque can be applied from the driving unit 4 to the end piece 6 thereby rotating the end piece 6 and furling the sail.

The system 1 further comprises a pulling mechanism comprising a halyard (not shown). The d is preferably connected to a mast of the sailing yacht via a pulley and is configured to pull the sail from the drum 2 through the deck passage 5 of the roller furler assembly 3 in order to set the sail. Accordingly, the deck passage 5 is sized and arranged such that a furled sail which is stored under deck of the g yacht may be pulled through the deck passage in order to be set.

Figure 2 shows the drum 2 in detail. The drum 2 comprises a second receiving portion 9 for receiving the end piece 6 of the roller furler assembly 3 when the sail is stored on the drum 2 and/or in order to wind up the sail onto the drum 2.

The drum 2 comprises a first drum winding section which is a reel 10 for winding up the furled sail. The drum 2 further comprises a second drum winding section which is a shaft (not shown) for winding up a connecting strap formed as a belt strap (not shown). The shaft is coupled to the motor and is located within a hub 11 of the drum 2. The belt strap is configured to connect the drum 2 with the end piece 6 of the roller furler assembly. The reel 10 and the shaft both circumferentially extend about the rotation axis 12 of the drum 2, wherein the reel 10 has a first diameter D1 and the shaft has a second diameter D2, which is r than the first diameter D1. In other words: The reel 10 and the shaft are ed concentric to the on axis 12 of the drum 2, wherein the shaft has a r diameter than the reel 10. – 13 – The reel 10 and the shaft are ed to rotate vely to each other and/or to rotate together. Preferably, the drum 2 comprises a clutch mechanism (not shown) to mechanically connect or nect the reel 10 and the shaft. If the reel 10 and the shaft are mechanically connected they are configured to rotate at the same speed. If the reel 10 and the shaft are mechanically disconnected they are configured to rotate independently from each other. Optionally the drum 2 further comprise a locking mechanism for locking the reel 10 in position while the shaft is driven by the motor.

The roller furler assembly 3 will now be described in detail with regard to Figures 3 to 5.

The first receiving portion 8 of the deck passage 5 has a tubular portion 13 comprising guidance members which are formed as grooves 14. The tubular portion 13 further comprises lead-in chamfers 15 which are positioned nt to the grooves 14.

Although Figure 3 only shows one groove 14 there is at least a second groove positioned opposite to the first groove 14 on the tubular portion 13.

The driving unit 4 comprises a casing 16 relative to which the r portion 13 of the deck passage 5 is rotatably arranged.

The driving unit 4 further comprises a hydraulic motor 17 and a g mechanism (not shown) for driving the tubular portion 13 in a rotational manner in order to furl the sail.

On top of the driving unit 4 multiple rollers 27 are installed in a circular manner. The s 27 are rotatable relative to the casing 16 and are configured to support the sail when being pulled through the deck passage 4. In particular the s 27 are configured to abut the sail and avoid the sail to be damaged by the casing 16. – 14 – The end piece 6 as in particular shown in Figures 4 and 5 is formed by a truncated cone 18 having a base area (not shown) to which a cal head 19 is ed. On top of the spherical head 19 a connecting device 20 is installed which is configured to be connected to the forestay 7 (Figure 1) and/or the tack of the sail. The end piece 6 further comprises alignment members which are formed as opposing rod-shaped projections 21. The tions 21 are position in a transition area 22 between the truncated cone 18 and the spherical head 19 and extend radially outward.

The aped projections 21 have a longitudinal axis 23 and are configured to slide along their longitudinal axis 23 in a radially inward direction relative to the end piece 6 from an extended position to a retracted position upon engagement of the grooves 14 of the first ing portion 8 (Figure 3) and the rod-shaped tions 21. The grooves 14 are configured such that upon receipt of the end piece 6 in the first receiving portion 8 by pulling the end piece 6 towards the deck passage 5 the rod-shaped projections 21 engage with the grooves 14 thereby forming a torque transmitting connection between the driving unit 4 and the end piece 6. The lead-in chamfers 15 which are oned adjacent to the grooves 14 are sized and positioned to direct the rod-shaped projections 21 towards the grooves 14 in order to ensure a proper engagement.

The torque itting connection between the grooves 14 and the rod-shaped projections 21 is thus formed by a form fitting connection configured to fix the end piece 6 ve to the driving unit 4 in an axial direction along a luff of a sail i.e. along the forestay 7 (Figure 1), but allowing a swiveling motion of the end piece 6 caused by lateral movement of the forestay 7 and/or the luff. – 15 – As can be seen in particular in Figure 5, the end piece 6 comprises sensors 24 for sensing the retracted position of the rodshaped projections 21. The rod-shaped projections 21 are slit from the extended position into the retracted position counter to a spring force, caused by coil springs 25 which are d along the longitudinal axis 23 of the rod shaped projections 21.

The rod-shaped projections 21 are further configured to slide into the retracted position when the end piece 6 is received in the second receiving portion 9 of the drum 2. Contrary to the first receiving portion 8 of the deck passage 5 (see Figure 3) the second receiving portion 9 of the drum 2 (see Figure 2) is configured to receive the end piece 6 with the truncated cone 18 of the end piece 6 in front.

The function of the system 1 ing to the present invention will now be described in the following with regard to Figure 1 to 5: In an initial state the sail which is furled around the forestay 7 is wound onto the drum 2 and a top end portion 25 which is ted to the ay 7 lies on top of the first receiving portion 8 thereby closing the deck e 5. The end piece 6 which is connected to the lower most end of the forestay 7 is received in the second receiving portion 9 of the drum 2 and is further connected by a belt strap with the drum 2.

In order to set the sail a halyard is attached to the top end portion 25 ted to the ay 7 and is pulled thereby pulling the forestay 7 together with the furled sail from the drum 2 through the deck passage 5 of the roller furler assembly 3 s the mast of the sailing yacht. In order to provide a proper guidance of the furled sail the roller furler assembly 3 comprises guiding rolls 26 which guide the sail from the drum 2 towards the deck passage 5. – 16 – Upon the sail being pulled h the deck passage 5 the motor being connected to the drum 2 may turn the drum 2 in a first direction in order to support unwinding the sail from the drum 2. Alternatively, the motor may provide a brake torque into a second direction counter the first direction in order to provide tension to the sail being pulled through the deck passage 5.

While turning or breaking the drum 2 the clutch mechanism is engaged such that the shaft and the reel 10 of the drum 2 are mechanically connected to each other and rotate at the same speed.

When the clew of the sail has passed the deck passage 5 of the roller furler ly 3 the sheets are manually connected thereto.

The end piece 6 which is initially stored in the second receiving portion 9 of the drum 2 is pulled er with the sail towards the deck passages 5 until the rod shaped projections 21 contact the lead-in rs 15 by which the rod shaped projections 21 are directed to the grooves 14 d on the tubular portion 13 of the deck passage 5. Upon engagement of the grooves 14 and the rod shaped projections 21 the end piece 6 is ed in the first receiving portion 8 of the roller furler assembly 3 and a torque transmitting connection between the driving unit 4 and the end piece 6 is formed. In this position the end piece 6 is fixed relative to the driving unit 4 in an axial direction along the luff of the sail such that the forestay 7 may be tensioned.

The end piece 6 remains connected to the drum 2 via the belt strap (not shown). However, the belt strap must be sized such that the end piece 6 may freely move from the second receiving portion 9 of the drum 2 s the first receiving portion 8 of the roller furler assembly 3. – 17 – The hydraulic motor 17 is in an active state driving the tubular portion 13 together with the end piece 6 via the torque transmitting connection in order to support unfurling the sail.

If the sail shall be stored under deck again, the hydraulic motor 17 of the roller furler assembly 3 drives the tubular portion 13 and thus the end piece 6 in order to furl the sail around the ay 7.

In order to wind up the sail onto the drum 2 the motor connected to the drum 2 drives the shaft for winding up the connection belt strap which connects the shaft with the end piece 6 thereby disengaging the rod shaped projections 21 from the s 14 and thereby removing the end piece 6 from the first receiving portion 8 from the roller furler assembly 3. At the same time the d by use of which the sail has been pulled towards the mast has to be loosened in order to allow the sail to be pulled by the drum 2 through the deck passage 5 under deck of the sailing yacht. Before the clew of the sail reaches the deck passage 5 of the roller furler assembly 3 the sheets are manually detached from the clew.

While g up the belt strap onto the shaft the reel 10 is disconnected from the shaft and thus stands still. Preferably, the locking ism of the drum 2 is engaged and the reel 10 is locked in position. However, when the belt strap is wound up onto the shaft the end piece 6 is received into the second receiving portion 9 of the drum 2 with the truncated cone 18 of the end piece 6 in front. In this position the rod shaped projections 21 engage with corresponding members of the second receiving portion 9 and thus are slit radially inward into the retracted position. Subsequently, the clutch ism of the drum 2reel 10 is engaged thereby connecting the shaft and the reel 10 to each other. The shaft and the reel 10 are then driven together at the same speed by the motor in order to wind up the – 18 – sail furled around the forestay (7) onto the reel 10 thereby further pulling the sail through the deck passage 5 under deck of the sailing yacht. Upon receipt of the top end portion 25 by the deck passage 5 the motor which drives the drum 2 is d as the sail has been fully pulled under deck of the sailing yacht. The halyard is detached from the top end portion 25 and may be fastened on the mast or in proximity to the deck of the sailing yacht.

Most steps of the s of setting the sail and g it under deck is done automatically. The automatic process is controlled by the PLC-system which may be operated by use of knobs and/or a joystick. The only manual actions which have to be taken by hand are the attachment and detachment of the halyard to or from the top end portion 25 connected to the forestay 7 as well as the attachment and detachment of the sheets to or from the clew of the sail. – 19 – NCE NUMERALS 1 system 2 drum 3 roller furler assembly 4 driving unit deck passage 6 end piece 7 forestay 8 first receiving portion (deck passage) 9 second receiving portion (drum) reel (first drum winding n) 11 hub 12 rotating axis D1 first diameter D2 second diameter 13 tubular portion 14 grooves lead-in rs 16 casing 17 hydraulic motor 18 truncated cone 19 spherical head connecting device 21 rod shaped projections 22 transition area 23 longitudinal axis 24 sensor top end portion 26 guiding rolls 27 rollers 28 spring – 20 –

Claims (17)

Claims 1.

1. Roller furler assembly for furling and/or unfurling a sail comprising: a driving unit configured to be installed on a sailing yacht, wherein the driving unit comprises a deck passage sized and arranged such that a furled sail which is stored under deck of the sailing yacht may be pulled h the deck passage in order to be set, and an end piece configured to be connected to a stay and/or a tack of the sail and further configured to be pulled together with the sail towards the deck passage, wherein the deck passage comprises a receiving portion for receiving the end piece such that torque may be d from the driving unit to the end piece thereby rotating the end piece and furling the sail, wherein the receiving portion has guidance members, and the end piece has alignment members, wherein the guidance members are configured such that upon receipt of the end piece in the receiving portion by g the end piece towards the deck passage, the alignment members engage with the guidance s thereby g a torque transmitting connection between the driving unit and the end piece.

2. Roller furler assembly according to claim 1, wherein the torque transmitting connection is formed by a form fitting connection ured to fix the end piece relative to the driving unit in an axial direction along a luff of the sail but allowing a ing motion of the end piece caused by lateral movement of the stay and/or the luff. – 21 –

3. Roller furler assembly according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the end piece is formed by a truncated cone having a base area to which a spherical head is attached, wherein the spherical head is configured to be connected to the stay and/or the tack of the sail and, wherein the alignment members are positioned in a transition area between the truncated cone and the spherical head and extend radially outward.

4. Roller furler assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the alignment members are formed as opposing rod shaped projections.

5. Roller furler ly according to any one of the preceding claims, n the alignment members have a longitudinal axis and are configured to slide along their longitudinal axes in a radially inward direction relative to the end piece from an extended position to a retracted position upon engagement of the guidance s and the alignment members.

6. Roller furler assembly according to claim 5, wherein the end piece comprises sensors for sensing the retracted on of the alignment members.

7. Roller furler assembly according to any of the ing claims, wherein the deck passage has a tubular portion comprising the guidance members.

8. Roller furler assembly according to claim 7, wherein the guidance members are formed as grooves, wherein the tubular n further ses lead-in chamfers sized and positioned to direct the ent members towards the grooves.

9. Roller furler assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the driving unit ses a casing relative to which the r portion of the deck passage is rotatably – 22 – ed, wherein the driving unit ses a motor and a gearing mechanism for driving the tubular portion in a rotational manner in order to furl the sail.

10. System for handling a sail to be set or stored under deck of a sailing yacht, the system comprising: a drum for storing the sail in such a way that the furled sail is wound up onto the drum, n the drum is configured to be rotatably installed under deck of the sailing yacht and a roller furler assembly according to any of claims 1 to 9.

11. System according to claim 10, further comprising a pulling ism which is ured to pull the sail from the drum through the deck passage of the roller furler assembly in order to set the sail.

12. System according to claim 10 or 11 further comprising a motor to rotate the drum in order to support unwinding the sail from the drum or for winding the sail onto the drum.

13. System according to any of the claims 10 to 12, wherein the drum comprises a second receiving portion for receiving the end piece of the roller furler assembly.

14. System according to claim 13, wherein the alignment members of the end piece of the roller furler assembly have a longitudinal axis and are configured to slide along their longitudinal axes in a radially inward direction relative to the end piece from an extended position to a retracted position upon engagement of the guidance members and the alignment members, wherein the ent members are further configured to slide into to the retracted on when the end piece is received in the second receiving portion of the drum and, wherein the end piece comprises sensors for sensing the ted position of the alignment members. – 23 –

15. System according to any of the claims 10 to 14, wherein the drum comprises a first drum winding section for winding up the furled sail and a second drum winding section for winding up a connecting strap, which is ured to connect the drum with the end piece of the roller furler assembly, wherein the first drum winding section and the second drum winding section both circumferentially extend about a on axis of the drum, wherein the first drum winding section has a first diameter and the second drum winding section has a second diameter, which is smaller than the first diameter, and, wherein the first drum g section and the second drum winding section are arranged to rotate relative to each other and/or to rotate together.

16. A roller furler assembly according to claim 1, ntially as herein described or exemplified.

17. A system according to claim 10, substantially as herein described or exemplified. 7 5