Lift-generating system and boat fitted with such a system

A lift-generating system intended to be placed in moving air so as to produce a lift force, the lift-generating system comprising:

• a hollow body, referred to as a sail, the sail being elongate along an axis, a peripheral wall of the sail having at least one opening, referred to as suction opening, designed to cause an outside of the sail to communicate with an inside of the sail;
• and
• a suction device allowing air to be drawn in through the at least one suction opening;
• and
• a support which supports the sail and with respect to which the sail is mounted with ability to pivot about a pivot axis substantially parallel to the axis of the sail,
• wherein the suction device comprises a fan situated outside the sail and in communication with the inside of the sail so as to draw air through the at least one suction opening in the sail and discharge drawn-in air via an outlet of the fan,
• the fan comprising an impeller wheel, surrounded by a housing which defines, around the impeller wheel, a duct able to guide the air discharged by the impeller wheel, and a motor to drive a rotation of the impeller wheel about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the axis of the sail, a housing of the fan having an outlet, an axis of the housing outlet being substantially orthogonal to an axis of the impeller wheel of the fan,
• wherein the housing of the fan is extended by a variable-section discharge duct.

A lift-generating system intended to be placed in moving air so as to produce a lift force, the lift-generating system comprising:

• a hollow body, referred to as a sail, the sail being elongate along an axis, a peripheral wall of the sail having at least one opening, referred to as suction opening, designed to cause an outside of the sail to communicate with an inside of the sail;
• and
• a suction device allowing air to be drawn in through the at least one suction opening;
• and
• a support which supports the sail and with respect to which the sail is mounted with ability to pivot about a pivot axis substantially parallel to the axis of the sail,
• wherein the suction device comprises a fan situated outside the sail and in communication with the inside of the sail so as to draw air through the at least one suction opening in the sail and discharge drawn-in air via an outlet of the fan,
• the fan comprising an impeller wheel, surrounded by a housing which defines, around the impeller wheel, a duct able to guide the air discharged by the impeller wheel, and a motor to drive a rotation of the impeller wheel about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the axis of the sail, a housing of the fan having an outlet, an axis of the housing outlet being substantially orthogonal to an axis of the impeller wheel of the fan,
• wherein the lift-generating system comprises a tilting system to allow the sail to be tilted about an axis substantially orthogonal to the axis of the sail.