| 摘要 |
A device for use in a sailing vehicle for automatically adjusting the angular position of a boom supporting a sail in response to varying wind pressures is disclosed. A pulley and an adjustment block are mounted for slidable movement inside an elongated tubular housing which is attached to the boom by a pair of brackets. A compression spring is also disposed inside the tubular housing between the pulley and the adjustment block for urging the pulley away from the adjustment block. An end block is fixedly mounted on the end of the housing nearest the adjustment block. An attachment line having a stop at one end extends into the housing through the end block around the pulley and back out through the end block. Structure is provided for selectively fixing the position of the adjustment block in the housing so as to set a predetermined initial pressure on the spring. In using the device, the other end of the line is secured to the body of the sailing vehicle and the adjustment block set to the desired position. Any increases in wind pressure on the sail, such as by sudden gusts of wind, will produce increased pulling on the line. This will cause the pulley to move toward the end block, compressing the spring and as a result producing more slack on the line which will relieve the pressure on the sail. Structure is also provided for locking the pulley in place if automatic compensation for changing wind pressure is not desired. |
