US 12,473,062 B1Granted

Reversible camber wingsail

OwnerDaryl Timmermaninventor

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Abstract

Disclosed is a sailboat with a reversible camber wingsail and an air rudder assembly. The wingsail is capable of forming first and second high lift airfoil shapes of opposite cambers, and a third neutral, uncambered airfoil shape that allows zero lift (weathervane) docking and storage. The wingsail tacks by reversing the camber of the wingsail and alternating between the two high lift, low drag airfoil shapes. The wingsail employs an adjustable internal framework of spars and rotatable ribs to selectively configure a sailcloth to define the first and second high lift, low drag airfoil shapes and a third neutral airfoil shape. The wingsail incorporates camber linkages and tensioning mechanisms to address complexities of reversing the camber of the airfoil formed by the sailcloth stretched around the framework. The wingsail is detachable from the boat.

A reversible camber wingsail, the wingsail having a spanwise axis, a port side, and a starboard side, the wingsail comprising:

a spar extending along the spanwise axis;
a plurality of rib units connected to the spar at spaced apart locations along the spanwise axis, each rib unit having a respective rib plane and configured to define a high lift airfoil profile in the respective rib plane including an aerodynamic lower profile edge and an aerodynamic upper profile edge, each rib unit having a respective axis of rotation in the respective rib plane extending transverse to the spanwise axis, each rib unit being rotatable about the axis of rotation from a port wind position to a starboard wind position, wherein in the respective port wind position, each rib unit is oriented so the respective aerodynamic lower profile edge is on the port side of the wingsail and the respective aerodynamic upper profile edge is on the starboard side of the wingsail, and wherein in the respective starboard wind position, each rib unit is oriented so the respective aerodynamic lower profile edge is on the starboard side of the wingsail and the respective aerodynamic upper profile edge is on the port side of the wingsail;
and
a sailcloth comprising a port side sheet portion and a starboard side sheet portion, the sailcloth covering the plurality of rib units such that the rib units are received between the port side sheet portion and the starboard side sheet portion;
wherein when the rib units are oriented in port wind positions, the rib units adjust the sailcloth to form a port wind high lift airfoil by forming the port side sheet portion over the aerodynamic lower profile edges of the rib units to define an aerodynamic lower surface of the port wind high lift airfoil and by forming the starboard side sheet portion over the aerodynamic upper profile edges of the rib units to form an aerodynamic upper surface of the port wind high lift airfoil;
and
wherein when the rib units are oriented in starboard wind positions, the rib units adjust the sailcloth to form a starboard wind high lift airfoil by forming the port side sheet portion over the aerodynamic upper profile edges of the rib units to define an aerodynamic upper surface of the starboard wind high lift airfoil and by forming the starboard side sheet portion over the aerodynamic lower profile edges of the rib units to form an aerodynamic lower surface of the starboard wind high lift airfoil.

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Abstract

Claims26