Airborne rigid kite with on-board power plant for ship propulsion

摘要

A vehicle-based airborne wind turbine system having an aerial wing, a plurality of rotors each having a plurality of rotatable blades positioned on the aerial wing, an electrically conductive tether secured to the aerial wing and secured to a ground station positioned on a vehicle, wherein the aerial wing is adapted to receive electrical power from the vehicle that is delivered to the aerial wing through the electrically conductive tether; wherein the aerial wing is adapted to operate in a flying mode to harness wind energy to provide a first pulling force through the tether to pull the vehicle; and wherein the aerial wing is also adapted to operate in a powered flying mode wherein the rotors may be powered so that the turbine blades serve as thrust-generating propellers to provide a second pulling force through the tether to pull the vehicle.

主权项

1. A vehicle-based airborne wind turbine system, comprising:
an aerial wing; a plurality of rotors each having a plurality of rotatable blades positioned on the aerial wing; an electrically conductive tether having a first end secured to the aerial wing and a second end secured to a ground station positioned on a vehicle; wherein the aerial wing is adapted to receive electrical power from the vehicle that is delivered to the aerial wing through the electrically conductive tether; wherein the aerial wing is adapted to (i) operate in a flying mode to harness wind energy to provide a first pulling force through the tether to pull the vehicle; and (ii) operate in a powered flying mode during cross-wind flight wherein the rotors may be powered so that the rotatable blades serve as thrust-generating propellers to provide a second pulling force through the tether to pull the vehicle, and wherein the ground station is attached to the vehicle such that the aerial wing is adapted to operate in the powered flying mode to steer or turn the vehicle.