Acrobatic rotary kite
AssigneesHarold E. Schneider, Sigma Engineering AB, Gary Wood
InventorCoy F. Harris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The kite structure herein provides for inherent correction for changes in speed of rotation and direction of wind and has self-starting features and structures that minimize the effect of cord and stabilizer contact which, in the overall, provides for easier, more reliable, and more accurate operation then has heretofore been obtained by similar kites and turns usual frustrating failures into satisfying and enjoyable operations.
Claims10
A rotary kite system comprising, in operative combination,
- a. a three-edged core having three like radial surfaces joined at three parallel longitudinally extending edges and two end surfaces transverse to said edges, said edges being straight and located axially symmetrically and parallel to a central longitudinal core axis, each radial surface of said core between each two of said edges being smooth, continuous and composed of an outwardly convex surface and an outwardly concave portion in series,
- b. two circular thin stabilizer discs each co-axial with and extending transversely of said axis and having a radius greater than the distance between said parallel core edges, one of said discs firmly attached to one end surface of said core and the other disc attached to the other end surface of said core, the circular edge of each of said discs having a smooth exterior surface,
- c. a rigid shaft in said core extending through and laterally of said core, one end of said shaft extending laterally beyond one of said discs and the other end of said shaft extending laterally beyond the other of said discs, said discs having a flat outer surface,
- d. a rigid control stick having, adjacent to the ends thereof, the same cross-section transverse to its length,
- e. two spaced apart flexible control cords, one of said cords attached to one end of said control stick and, at the other end thereof, to one end of said shaft, the other cord attached at one end thereof to the other end of said control stick and, at the other end thereof, attached to the other end of said shaft,
- f. a small diameter hard surfaced rigid bearing shaft located at each end of said shaft extending from said core and coaxial with and extending laterally of and fixed to each end of said shaft, and having a smaller diameter than said shaft
- g. a connector rotatably attached to one of said smaller diameter shafts and to one said flexible control cords, and a like connector attached to the other of said small diameter shafts and to the other of said control cords,
- h. each said connector comprising a longitudinally extending resilient strip having a smooth surface and comprising a bearing surface on which one of said rigid bearing shafts is rotatably located, and a means for attachment of said connector to one of said control cords and to which means said control cord is attached, said smooth surface on said strip facing a smooth surfaced edge of one of said discs, and
- i. said strip extending transversely to said axis of said core from said small diameter hard surfaced bearing shaft a greater distance than the radius of said disc, and being resiliently flexible transversely to the length of said strip.
Process of control for an airborne rotary kite having a rotating core and end discs comprising steps of passing air stream in a first direction over said rotating core transverse to axis of rotation thereof while varying the transverse section of the core relative to the direction of said air stream no more than 11% of said transverse sectional area and supporting said rotating core against said air stream by a pair of spaced apart control cords rotatably connected to said kite at points spaced apart along said axis of rotation and varying the frictional force on supports for said core directly as its speed of rotation varies and resiliently dampening vertical variations in tension developed by said rotation before applying said vertical tension to said control cords and dampening longitudinal variations in tension developed by action of said wind on said rotating core before applying said longitudinal tension to said control cord.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.