WO2002038440A1 - Sangle servant a lancer un cerf-volant de glisse sur l'eau - Google Patents

Sangle servant a lancer un cerf-volant de glisse sur l'eau Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002038440A1
WO2002038440A1 PCT/EP2001/004483 EP0104483W WO0238440A1 WO 2002038440 A1 WO2002038440 A1 WO 2002038440A1 EP 0104483 W EP0104483 W EP 0104483W WO 0238440 A1 WO0238440 A1 WO 0238440A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
line
wing
pulley means
lines
kite
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2001/004483
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Bruno Legaignoux
Original Assignee
Diamond White Servicos De Consultaria Lda
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 Diamond White Servicos De Consultaria Lda filed Critical Diamond White Servicos De Consultaria Lda
Priority to AU2001267360A priority Critical patent/AU2001267360A1/en
Priority to US10/169,268 priority patent/US6659031B2/en
Publication of WO2002038440A1 publication Critical patent/WO2002038440A1/fr

Links

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
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B64—AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS
    • B64C—AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
    • B64C31/00—Aircraft intended to be sustained without power plant; Powered hang-glider-type aircraft; Microlight-type aircraft
    • B64C31/06—Kites
    • B64C2031/065—Kites of inflatable wing type

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to power kites of the type controlled by at least two forward and two rear lines on each side.
  • the present invention relates to an arrangement of the lines in the form of a bridle, allowing for easy launching of the kite.
  • Power kites are a new breed of kites which are designed primarily toward the sport of kiteboarding, in which a person is pulled along, preferably on the surface of a body of water, by the force of the kite. It is necessary for such a kite to be simple to use, yet have sufficient strength and controllability.
  • a preferred kite is taught by the inventors in U.S. Patent No. 4,708,078, which is incorporated herein by reference, and which relates to a kite in the form of a spherical gore, with a crescent shaped leading edge, and which is characterized by an inflatable armature.
  • kites which also rely on a light, flexible structure, but which may, for example, have additional support in the center of the wing to provide a flatter profile at that point.
  • Other kites may have retain the shape of a wing, but may not employ the spherical gore shape. Nevertheless, all of these kites, in order to be workable for kiteboarding, must have a degree of flexibility and should have some curvature at least toward the wing tips.
  • kites are generally characterized by an inflatable structure made of longitudinal and transversal tubes. Some kites have a "ram air " type structure as in a paraglider, or a combination of the two.
  • these propulsive wing kites can be generally classified as 'curved ⁇ kites' . While it is preferred to use the present invention with the kite shaped as a spherical gore, it should be clear that the bridle of the invention can be employed with other curved kites .
  • a 4-line kite generally has two lines arriving at each of its two ends (or wing tips) , a front line forward of the optimum center of lift of the kite, that can be called the "center point", and the rear line behind the center point.
  • the front lines are preferably fixed to the body of the rider, for example by way of a belt.
  • the rear lines are used for controlling the kite, turning and braking, and are preferably attached to a control bar.
  • the rider can rock the kite to its side by way of the control lines, in order to position it for relaunch, by directing the leading edge to catch the wind.
  • the aspect ratio of the kite increases with a larger kite, it becomes more difficult to launch the kite when it has fallen on its leading edge.
  • the bridle according to the present invention solves this problem. It makes it possible to re-launch a kite with only the basic 4 lines reaching the rider, while also allowing continued flight, turning and control of the power of the kite. Indeed, during normal flight, the rear lines of the inventive bridle work as in traditional 4-line mode, exerting tension on the wing tips; while during launching, this tension is entirely transmitted to the trailing edge to allow for easy lift in "reverse gear” .
  • FIG. 1 is a top perspective schematic view of a standard
  • Fig. 2 is a front perspective schematic view of a standard 4-line kite of the prior art.
  • Fig. 3 is a top perspective schematic view of a first embodiment of the invention having re-launch lines affixed between the trailing edge of the kite and the rear lines.
  • Fig. 4 is a side schematic view of the first embodiment, in a position wherein the pilot has pulled strongly down on the rear lines during flight.
  • Fig. 5 is a view of Fig. 4, in a position of normal flight, wherein medium downward pressure is being exerted on the rear lines by the pilot.
  • Fig. 6 is a view of Fig. 4, in a position of normal flight, wherein only light pressure is being applied by the pilot.
  • Fig. 7 is a side schematic view of the first embodiment of the invention, with the kite along the water surface prior to re-launch.
  • Fig. 8 is a view of Fig. 7, wherein the rear lines have been pulled during the re-launch effort.
  • Fig. 9 is a view of Fig. 8, wherein full tension is applied to the re-launch lines to achieve re-launch.
  • Fig. 10 is a side schematic view of a second embodiment of the invention with bypass device, shown with front line slack in re-launch mode.
  • Fig. 11 is a view of Fig. 10, shown in flight mode with bypass device locked against first pulley means, and relaunch line slack.
  • Fig. 12A shows a schematic close-up of the bypass device interacting with a ring as first pulley means, with the bypass device caught against the ring.
  • Figs. 12B-D show the view of Fig. 12A with the bypass device and accompanying portion of the rear line being passed through the ring upon slackening of the front line.
  • Fig. 13 shows a side schematic view of the second embodiment during re-launch.
  • FIG. 1 and 2 A prior art kite of the 4-line type is shown in Fig. 1 and 2.
  • the front line 2 is fixed forward of the center point 4, as in a known 4-lines kite.
  • the rear line 6 instead of being attached to the wingtip 8 rearward of the center, passes through a pulley means 10 fixed at this same location, and then is fixed to the front line 2 at a location 32 between the connection point of the front line to the kite 14 and the free end 15 of the front line 2 connected to the rider 16.
  • the wing tip from front to back portion, to have a means for rendering the tip relatively rigid.
  • An additional line which can be referred to as a re-launch line 18, is attached at one end 20 to the rear line 6 at a location between the normal contact point of the rear line with the pulley means and the free end 22 of the rear line 6 connected to the control bar 17.
  • the other end 24 of the re-launch line 18 is connected to the trailing edge 26, preferably at a location toward the center thereof .
  • the re-launch line 18 is slack (Fig. 6) . It has no effect on the flight, and does not slow down the kite even when the pilot makes turns the kite. The length and location of attachment of this re-launch line should be provided so as to achieve this effect.
  • the pilot pulls on the two rear lines 6 until the re-launch lines tighten and draw on the trailing edge (Figs. 8, 9) .
  • a pull on the rear lines draws the lines through the pulley means, thus transferring the pulling force to the trailing edge by way of the re-launch lines (Figs. 8, 9) .
  • the kite starts to fly in reverse fashion, trailing edge first, then turns to the leading edge for normal flight after the re-launch is effected. At this time, the pilot slackens a back line and the kite starts to fly ahead and turns .
  • a re-launch can also be achieved by drawing on a rear line only.
  • the kite turns then on itself, then, by controlling the tension on a back line, the pilot keeps it on his tip then takes it off. Or, the pilot can draw on the two front lines and the kite takes off directly once posed on its trailing edge.
  • the system as described "gears down” or reduces the amount of required exertion on the control bar by the pilot, because of the presence of the pulley means. This also means that the control bar should be moved approximately twice the distance as compared to a standard 4-line kite, in order to obtain the same effect on the kite . If for example the pilot pulls the bar 20cm down, this will result in an approximate 10cm lowering of the rear wing tip.
  • a power kite In strong wind, a power kite is generally very fast, even dangerous. The fact of gearing down the action on the bar makes the kite less sensitive to the pressures exerted intentionally or accidentally by the pilot. The result is that the kite is slower to react, but less prone to sudden changes in direction, and thereby safer. In fact, when a kite (such as a small kite) does not suffer from inherent difficult in launching, the rider may not need the re-launch lines at all. In this case, a particular embodiment of the bridle employs the pulley means, and the rear line attached to the front line as set forth above, but without the re-launch lines. The bridle according to this embodiment is useful in dampening the reactions of the kite, and providing a safer ride.
  • a second pulley means 38 is located towards the front of the wing tip, preferably adjacent the location where the front line is connected to the kite.
  • the rear line first passes through this second pulley means 38.
  • the second pulley means 38 can be a pulley, or any low friction device which maintains the position of the line while allowing the line to move through that position.
  • the second pulley means may be simply an eye hook or ring, attached to the wing tip to maintain a relatively rigid position, with the ring oriented generally perpendicular to the plane of the wing tip so that the line is maintained generally parallel to the plane of the wing tip, and preferably generally perpendicular to the direction of the lines running toward the pilot.
  • this second pulley means merely redirects the path of the rear line, and the effect of the slackening of the front line on the ability of the pilot to re-launch by pulling on the rear lines, is the same as above.
  • a further structure is provided to allow the pilot to bypass the gear down effect of the pulley system during flight .
  • the bypass device 40 is formed as a structure residing on the rear line 6.
  • the bypass device is symmetrical about its longitudinal axis.
  • the leading end 42 of the bypass device is characterized by a slightly sloped shoulder portion 44, radiating outward from the center axis aligned with the rear line in almost perpendicular fashion.
  • the radius and degree of slope of the leading end should be sized such that, when the rear line is drawn in the direction of the leading end of the bypass device (that is, when the rear line is pulled downward by the pilot) the shoulder portion catches against the first pulley means, preventing the bypass device from being drawn through or around the first pulley means, and therefore holds the rear line against further movement relative to the first pulley means (Figs. 11, 12A) .
  • the radius of the bypass device should be preferably slightly greater than thickness of the rod forming the ring, but the diameter of the bypass device should be less than the inside diameter of the ring, for reasons which will be explained below. Therefore, during normal flight, when the rear line is taut (Fig. 11) , once the bypass means catches on the first pulley means, a further controlling action by the pilot on the rear lines results in a direct (i.e. not geared down) force on the rear portion wing tip, allowing control by the pilot as in a standard 4- line kite.
  • the pilot When it is required to go to re-launch mode, the pilot, drawing as previously explained on the back lines, slackens the front lines (Figs. 10, 13) .
  • the bypass device is sized to allow passage through or around the first pulley means with relative ease when the line is slack. With the line slack, the shoulder does not catch on the ring (first pulley means) when the rear line is pulled. As the bypass device is pulled through the ring, this allows the downward force exerted on the rear line by the pilot to be transferred to the trailing edge by way of the re-launch line.
  • the bypass device should have some degree of slope at its shoulder, leading to a rounded shoulder edge, to allow for the bypass device to pass through the first pulley means .
  • bypass device While this particular shape of the bypass device is particularly effective, other bypass means are also envisioned. Such device needs only to be of a structure which will catch when pressure is exerted, but which will release the catch when pressure is released.
  • a ratchet, or mechanical latch therefore may be possible.
  • first pulley means having an internal ratchet may be employed. Such a ratchet may allow passage of the line when slack, but may grasp the line when the line is tight, which may avoid the necessity of the separate bypass means .
  • the second pulley means As for the second pulley means, its main purpose is to keep the rear line, and hence the longitudinally shaped bypass means attached thereto, in a position generally parallel to wing tip (to the direction of flight) to allow for the bypass device to pass through the ring when the line is slack.
  • the second pulley means acts to lift the rear line slightly higher (Fig. 10) toward the front portion of the wing tip, so as to allow the bypass means to pass through the first pulley means upon slackening of the line (Figs. 12A-D) .
  • the rear line coming up at an angle, directly from the point of attachment to the front line presents too severe an angle for this particular shape of bypass device.
  • alternative bypass means structures such as an internal ratchet, which would not be affected by the angle of approach to the first pulley means, would not need the second pulley means .
  • connection points 32 of the rear line to the front line, and the rear line to re-launch line 50 may be made by any means which will result in a strong, fixed connection.
  • a knot may be sufficient.
  • a ring or Y-shaped connector may be provided, to which the ends of the lines may travel or be tied.
  • bridle lines can be slightly different to reduce the line lengths or to avoid tangles, this not changing the principle of the invention.
  • the lengths of lines and adjustments can vary greatly depending on flying and take off characteristics desired by the designer.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)

Abstract

Aile souple propulsive comportant quatre ficelles et conçue particulièrement pour la glisse sur l'eau. Cette aile possède, au niveau de la partie arrière de son extrémité, une première poulie qui lui est fixée, la ficelle arrière étant accouplée à ladite partie arrière de l'extrémité de l'aile par l'intermédiaire de cette première poulie. Une paire de ficelles auxiliaires de relancement est située au niveau de chaque côté de l'aile, chaque ficelle étant accouplée fixe par une de ses extrémités à la ficelle arrière respective et, par l'autre extrémité, au bord arrière de l'aile.
PCT/EP2001/004483 2000-11-07 2001-04-19 Sangle servant a lancer un cerf-volant de glisse sur l'eau WO2002038440A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2001267360A AU2001267360A1 (en) 2000-11-07 2001-04-19 Bridle for power kite launching
US10/169,268 US6659031B2 (en) 2000-11-07 2001-04-19 Bridle for power kite launching

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US24635000P 2000-11-07 2000-11-07
US60/246,350 2000-11-07

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2002038440A1 true WO2002038440A1 (fr) 2002-05-16

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2001/004483 WO2002038440A1 (fr) 2000-11-07 2001-04-19 Sangle servant a lancer un cerf-volant de glisse sur l'eau

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AU (1) AU2001267360A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2002038440A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003101824A1 (fr) 2002-06-03 2003-12-11 Arnaud Ballu Dispositif de commande et de securite d’une voilure de cerf-volant
FR2847226A1 (fr) * 2002-11-14 2004-05-21 Pascal Pillon Systeme de bridage utilise pour faciliter le redecollage et permettre de deventer integralement les ailes de traction a structures gonflables

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2098946A (en) * 1981-05-21 1982-12-01 British Petroleum Co Plc A tethered sail assembly for marine or other uses
US4708078A (en) 1984-11-16 1987-11-24 Legaignoux Dominique M Propulsive wing with inflatable armature
US4892272A (en) * 1988-10-14 1990-01-09 Hadzicki Joseph R Kite-like flying device with dual handles and four point control
FR2797847A1 (fr) * 1999-07-20 2001-03-02 Ballu Arnaud Aile de traction nautique

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2098946A (en) * 1981-05-21 1982-12-01 British Petroleum Co Plc A tethered sail assembly for marine or other uses
US4708078A (en) 1984-11-16 1987-11-24 Legaignoux Dominique M Propulsive wing with inflatable armature
US4892272A (en) * 1988-10-14 1990-01-09 Hadzicki Joseph R Kite-like flying device with dual handles and four point control
FR2797847A1 (fr) * 1999-07-20 2001-03-02 Ballu Arnaud Aile de traction nautique

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003101824A1 (fr) 2002-06-03 2003-12-11 Arnaud Ballu Dispositif de commande et de securite d’une voilure de cerf-volant
US7017860B2 (en) 2002-06-03 2006-03-28 Arnaud Ballu Control and fixing device for the sail of a kite
FR2847226A1 (fr) * 2002-11-14 2004-05-21 Pascal Pillon Systeme de bridage utilise pour faciliter le redecollage et permettre de deventer integralement les ailes de traction a structures gonflables

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2001267360A1 (en) 2002-05-21

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