System and process for automatically controlling the flight of power wing airfoils

A process for automatically controlling the flight of at least one power wing airfoil, through a system for automatically controlling a flight of at least one power wing airfoil, the at least one power wing airfoil being controlled by a driving unit equipped with two winches to which the power wing airfoil is connected by means of two respective driving cables, the system comprising:

• first detecting means on board of the power wing airfoil programmed to detect first pieces of information dealing with at least one position and one orientation in space of the power wing airfoil and accelerations to which the power wing airfoil is subjected;
• second detecting means on the ground programmed to detect second pieces of information dealing with at least one amount of a tension on the driving cables of the power wing airfoil and a position of a counterweight of the driving unit;
• processing and controlling means for the first and the second pieces of information, programmed to transform a contents of the pieces of information into a mechanical drive operating on the winches of the driving unit to drive the power wing airfoil along a flight trajectory TV1, TV2, TV3, . . . , TVn maximising a lift effect generated on the power wing airfoil by an Aeolian current W in which it is immersed and maximising an amount of kinetic energy subtracted to the Aeolian current W;
• and
• a system for transmitting the first pieces of information to the processing and controlling means, the process comprising the steps of:
• a) detecting the first pieces of information through the first detecting means related to a current instant of a flight trajectory of the wing airfoil;
• b) detecting the second pieces of information through the second detecting means related to a current instant of a flight trajectory of the wing airfoil;
• c) sending through the transmission system the first pieces of information to the processing and controlling means:
• d) sending the second pieces of information to the processing and controlling means:
• e) from the first and second pieces of information directly or indirectly obtaining values related at least to one current position XY and one current flight height of the wing airfoil, to a dynamics of the counterweight, and to a traction on the driving cables:
• f) defining flight and control parameters:
• g) defining a relative weight PQ, Pc, PM, PZ1, PT, for each one of the flight and control parameters:
• h) computing, for each one of the parameters, the best coordinates XY in following times T0, T1, T2 . . . Tn;
• i) computing a vectorial sum RX0Y0 of all coordinates at the time T0:
• j) computing the vectorial sums RX1Y1, RX2Y2, . . . , RXnYn for all future times T1, T2, . . . , Tn;
• k) defining and applying time weights PT0, PT1, PT2, . . . , PTn for the vectorial sums;
• l) choosing a best one among the vectorial sums RX1Y1, RX2Y2, . . . , RXnYn as ideal instantaneous coordinate or target to which a maneuver of the wing airfoil tends:
• m) choosing a best path of a flight trajectory TV1, TV2, TV3, . . . , TVn, to take the wing airfoil from the current position to the target:
• n) taking the wing airfoil from the coordinate of the current position to the target by acting on the driving unit through the numeric control:
• o) repeating the steps a) to n) at every time interval Δt.