Active and passive sail for improved communication networking at sea

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11970260-B2
Application number	US-202117507031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2021
Priority date	Oct 22, 2020
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

Provided is a radar and communications enhanced sail for a sailboat, sail ship, or sail drone. The sail includes a first sail section comprising an active communication system, a second sail section comprising a passive communication system, or a combination thereof. The active communication system includes an antenna array (transceiver) and a software-defined radio (SDR), while the passive communication system comprises a reflective panel or sections and/or array of reflector panels or sections. The active system utilizes its SDR and transceiver to communicate back and forth with an onshore SDR and transceiver to provide information as necessary. The passive system receives a radar signal via the reflective material on the sail and reflects the signal back at the radar, which produces a radar cross section indicating that there is an object (in this case the sailboat) in the ocean.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radar and communications enhanced sail for a sailboat, sail ship, or sail drone comprising:
a first sail section comprising an active communication system;
a second sail section comprising a passive communication system;
a third sail section comprising of an combined active and passive communication system
wherein said active communication system comprises an antenna array and a software-defined radio; and
wherein said passive communication system comprises a reflective panel or sections and/or array of reflector panels or sections.

2. The radar and communications enhanced sail of claim 1 , wherein said active system further comprises an electric field radiator(s), conductor(s), substrate(s), software defined radio(s), control circuit(s), system circuit(s), and support system(s).

3. The radar and communications enhanced sail of claim 1 , wherein said passive system is constructed of fabrics selected from the group consisting of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, and reflective fabrics.

4. The radar and communications enhanced sail of claim 3 , wherein said passive system fabrics comprise sail cloth sewn onto a backside for structural support.

Assignees

• Us Navy

Inventors

• Bergsrud Corey
• Pfeiffer Katherine Grace
• Zipperle Edward
• Combs Michael

Classifications

• B63H9/067 Primary

  Sails characterised by their construction or manufacturing process · CPC title

• H01Q15/14

  Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures {(electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526)} · CPC title

• H04B1/0003 Primary

  Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain (digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00) · CPC title

• B63B2203/00

  Communication means · CPC title

• H01Q21/00

  Antenna arrays or systems (arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system H01Q3/00) · CPC title