Wind harvesting systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10844839-B2
Application number	US-201916275820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Mar 19, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide wind harvesting systems and methods using crosswind power kites and methods for launching crosswind power kites into wing-borne flight, for generating electricity through such flights, and for landing or retrieving such crosswind power kites.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wind-harvesting system comprising:
a plurality of crosswind power kites operable at a shared electric power generation site, wherein all of said crosswind power kites are associated with the shared electric power generation site and configured to use:
a stationary shared runway configured for each of the crosswind power kites to launch from the stationary shared runway as a fixed wing aircraft and to land on the stationary shared runway as a fixed wing aircraft; and
a powered surface vehicle operable on the stationary shared runway and configured to: (a) facilitate launching each crosswind power kite from the stationary shared runway; and (b) transport a lower end of a tether associated with each recently-launched crosswind power kite to a ready ground anchor assembly to enable attachment of the tether to the ground anchor assembly;
wherein for each of the crosswind power kites, an upper end of the tether associated with that crosswind power kite is releasably attachable from that crosswind power kite, and that crosswind power kite is configured to release the upper end of that tether before that crosswind power kite lands on the stationary shared runway.

2. The wind-harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein for each crosswind power kite, the tether associated with the crosswind power kite is configured to be paid out from a payout winch supported by the powered surface vehicle.

3. The wind-harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein for each crosswind power kite, the tether associated with the crosswind power kite is configured to facilitate transmitting electric power through the tether.

4. The wind-harvesting system of claim 3 , wherein the powered surface vehicle is configured to transmit electric power through the tether associated with the crosswind power kite to the crosswind power kite during launching of the crosswind power kite from the shared runway and during the transport of the lower end of the tether associated with the recently-launched crosswind power kite to the ground anchor assembly.

5. The wind-harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein for each crosswind power kite, the tether associated with the crosswind power kite is configured to facilitate transmitting data through the tether.

6. The wind-harvesting system of claim 5 , wherein the powered surface vehicle is configured to transmit data through the tether associated with the crosswind power kite to the crosswind power kite during launching of the crosswind power kite from the shared runway and during the transport of the lower end of the tether associated with the recently-launched crosswind power kite to the ground anchor assembly.

7. The wind-harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein each crosswind power kite has one or more onboard motor/rotor assemblies configured to propel the crosswind power kite for: (i) launch, (ii) transition to and from a power generating orbit, and (iii) when a wind lull occurs.

8. The wind-harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein each crosswind power kite has an onboard generator or motor/rotor assembly configured to generate electricity.

9. The wind-harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein for each crosswind power kite, the ground anchor assembly associated with the crosswind power kite is configured to generate electrical power by lengthening and shortening the tether associated with crosswind power kite.

10. The wind-harvesting system of claim 1 , wherein the crosswind power kite is configured to release the upper end of the tether before the crosswind power kite begins travel toward the shared runway to land.

11. A self-contained wind harvesting system comprising:
a crosswind power kite configured to take-off from and land on a stationary shared runway as a fixed-wing aircraft;
a deployable tether, wherein an upper end of the tether is releasably attachable to the crosswind power kite; and
a powered surface vehicle releasably attachable to a lower end of the tether, wherein the powered surface vehicle is configured to move the lower end of the tether of the crosswind power kite, when airborne, to a ground anchor assembly to enable attachment of the lower end of the tether to the ground anchor assembly when the crosswind power kite is airborne.

12. The self-contained wind harvesting system of claim 11 , wherein the powered surface vehicle is configured to be suspended above a surface by the deployed tether from the crosswind power kite, when airborne.

13. The self-contained wind harvesting system of claim 11 , wherein the powered surface vehicle is a land vehicle.

14. The self-contained wind harvesting system of claim 11 , wherein the powered surface vehicle is releasably attachable to a body of the crosswind power kite.

15. The self-contained wind harvesting system of claim 11 , wherein the powered surface vehicle includes one or more jacks configured to facilitate stabilization and/or leveling of the powered surface vehicle on a surface when the powered surface vehicle is deployed from the crosswind power kite.

16. The self-contained wind harvesting system of claim 11 , wherein the powered surface vehicle includes one or more fins configured to facilitate stabilization of the powered surface vehicle when the powered surface vehicle is suspended by a tether from the airborne crosswind power kite.

17. The self-contained wind harvesting system of claim 11 , wherein the tether is configured to facilitate transmitting electric power through the tether.

18. The self-contained wind harvesting system of claim 17 , wherein the crosswind power kite is configured to facilitate transmitting electric power through the tether to the powered surface vehicle while the powered surface vehicle transports the tether to the ground anchor assembly.

19. A wind-harvesting system comprising:
a stationary shared runway;
a stationary shared electric power generation site;
a plurality of separate crosswind power kites, each crosswind power kite configured to launch from the stationary shared runway and to land on the stationary shared runway as a fixed-wing aircraft, each of the crosswind power kites operable at the stationary shared electric power generation site; and
a plurality of separate tethers, each separate tether associated with a separate use by one of the crosswind power kites, each tether associated with one of the crosswind power kites being releasably attachable from that crosswind power kite before that crosswind power kite lands on the stationary shared runway.

20. The wind-harvesting system of claim 19 , which includes a powered land surface vehicle operable at the stationary shared runway and configured to facilitate launching of each crosswind power kite from the stationary shared runway.

Assignees

• Hood Tech Corp

Inventors

• Von Flotow Andreas H
• Roeseler Corydon C

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• B64U2101/10

  for generating power to be supplied to a remote station, e.g. UAVs with solar panels · CPC title

• B64U10/60

  Tethered aircraft · CPC title

• B64U10/25

  Fixed-wing aircraft (VTOL aircraft B64U10/20) · CPC title

• B64C31/06

  Kites (toy aspects A63H27/08; airborne towed targets, e.g. kites F41J9/10) · CPC title