Opening rigid wing

摘要

A rigid wing sail fitted to a water-borne vessel. The rigid wing sail includes a pair of elongate rigid panels, and a hinge element designated generally as coupled to the panels to permit pivotal movement of the panels relative to one another. Each of the pair of panels includes an adjoining edge and an opposing lateral edge. The hinge element is coupled to the panels at the respective adjoining edges to form either a closed configuration of the wing with lateral edges of respective panels positioned adjacent one another wherein the rigid wing sail is closed or an open configuration of the wing with the lateral edges of the respective panels separated from one another wherein the rigid wing sail is set at a variable camber.

主权项

1. A rigid wing sail comprising:
a pair of elongate rigid panels each having an adjoining edge opposing a lateral edge, the adjoining edges of the pair of elongate rigid panels together defining an elongate bore; a hinge element including a mast coupled to the pair of elongate rigid panels at their adjoining edges to permit pivotal movement of said rigid panels relative to one another and about the mast to form either: i) a closed configuration wherein the lateral edges of said rigid panels are adjacent one another wherein the rigid wing sail is substantially closed; or ii) various open configurations wherein the lateral edges of the elongate rigid panels are separated from one another wherein the rigid wing sail is set at a variable camber to effectively capture wind by shifting the relative disposition of the rigid panels to reshape and alter the camber of the rigid wing sail; wherein the mast is received within the elongate bore and located at the adjoining edges of the pair of rigid panels in both the closed and the various open configurations.