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US 10,870,472 B2Granted
Deployable wingsail for container ships
AssigneeWind + Wing Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJay Michael Gardner, George Reginald Seyfang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wingsail includes a wing body, a wing axle having an axis, and at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body, the trim plate to control a rotational movement of the wing body about an axis of the wing axle.
Claims23
A wingsail comprising:
- a wing body configured to be supported for rotation about a first axis;
- and
- at least one trim plate supported on at least one side of the wing body, the trim plate configured to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the first axis;
- wherein the at least one trim plate is configured to rotate or pivot about a second axis between at least a first position and a second position to adjust an amount of wind force applied to the trim plate, the second axis being transverse to the first axis.
1 more element
A wingsail comprising:
- a wing body;
- a wing axle having an axis;
- at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body, the trim plate configured to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the axis of the wing axle;
- and
- a shaft to support the trim plat on the side surface of the wing body;
- wherein the shaft extends the trim plate away from the side surface of the wing body;
- and
- wherein the shaft extends perpendicularly from the side surface of the wing body.
5 more elements
A wingsail comprising:
- a wing body;
- a wing axle having an axis;
- at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body, the trim plate configured to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the axis of the wing axle;
- and
- a shaft to support the trim plat on the side surface of the wing body;
- wherein the shaft is configured to telescopically extend to control a distance between the trim plate and the side surface of the wing body.
3 more elements
A wingsail comprising:
- a wing body;
- a wing axle having an axis;
- at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body, the trim plate configured to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the axis of the wing axle;
- and
- a shaft to support the trim plat on the side surface of the wing body;
- wherein the shaft includes a length, and the trim plate is configured to slide along the length of the shaft to control a distance between the trim plate and the side surface of the wing body.
3 more elements
A method of steering a wingsail, the method comprising:
- installing a wingsail on a surface of a container or vessel, the wingsail comprising:
- a wing body;
- a wing axle having a first axis;
- and
- at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body;
- extending the at least one trim plate into relative wind forces;
- and
- adjusting a position of the at least one trim plate by rotating or pivoting the at least one trim plate about a second axis to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the first axis of the wing axle;
- wherein the at least one trim plate is configured to rotate or pivot about a second axis between at least a first position and a second position to adjust an amount of wind forces applied to the trim plate, the second axis being transverse to the first axis.
6 more elements
A method of steering a wingsail, the method comprising:
- installing a wingsail on a surface of a container or vessel, the wingsail comprising:
- a wing body;
- a wing axle having an axis;
- and
- at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body;
- extending the at least one trim plate into relative wind forces;
- adjusting a position of the at least one trim plate to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the axis of the wing axle;
- providing a shaft on the side surface of the wing body;
- and
- attaching the trim plate to the shaft;
- wherein the extending of the at least one trim plate into relative wind forces comprises:
- attaching the at least one trim plate to an end of the shaft;
- and
- telescopically extending the shaft from the side surface of the wing body.
11 more elements
A method of steering a wingsail, the method comprising:
- installing a wingsail on a surface of a container or vessel, the wingsail comprising:
- a wing body;
- a wing axle having an axis;
- and
- at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body;
- extending the at least one trim plate into relative wind forces;
- adjusting a position of the at least one trim plate to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the axis of the wing axle;
- providing a shaft on the side surface of the wing body;
- and
- attaching the trim plate to the shaft;
- wherein the extending of the at least one trim plate into relative wind forces comprises:
- sliding the at least one trim plate along a length of the shaft.
9 more elements
A wingsail comprising:
- a wing body;
- a wing axle having an axis;
- and
- at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body, the trim plate configured to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the axis of the wing axle;
- wherein the at least one trim plate is secured to the support structure and movable to adjust its distance from the at least one side of the wing body.
2 more elements
A wingsail comprising:
- a wing body;
- a wing axle having an axis;
- and
- at least one trim plate supported on a side surface of the wing body, the trim plate configured to control a rotational movement of the wing body about the axis of the wing axle;
- wherein the wing body has a front end and a tail end that generally align with a wind direction when the wing body provides the lift force, and wherein the trim plate is located between the front end and the tail end of the wing body and laterally spaced from a side surface of the wing body.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.