A sail for the propulsion of elements of transport, which comprises a sheet-like body made of flexible material which is connected, along one of its edges, to a supporting mast, connected to an element of transport. At least one stiffening rib is associated with the sheet-like body and is accommodated in a respective pocket which is formed in the sheet-like body and extends for at least one portion of the sheet-like body comprised between the supporting mast and the edge of the sheet-like body that is opposite to the one connected to the supporting mast; the rib has, or can assume on command, a substantially arc-like shape adapted to generate lift. Elements are further provided for varying the orientation of a concave part of the rib with respect to the supporting mast.

The invention relates to a sailing rig system (SRS) for a sailing ship comprising one or more airfoil sails comprising one or more sail defining frames including at least three airfoil sail shape-defining edges and/or at least three airfoil sail shape-defining corners. The sail may be controllable, rotatable, pivotable, trimmable, reefable, stowable, slidable, windable, guidable, coaxial, weathervaning, wind/sun tracking, freestanding; it may provide cambering, reinforcing, sealing, boundary layer control, shielding means, sections and connections and it may be transparent. The frame may be a closable/deployable rotor sail frame. The frame may include rig components and the SRS may further comprise vertical/oblique/horizontal spars coupled with spar couplings. It may further comprise lateral, fore-and-aft, superposed sails, actuators, power generators, power sources, thermal management systems, defined rotor sails. It may provide sail twist. It may be coupled with a sailing ship with defined ship couplings. A sailing method is proposed.

A system for autonomous ocean data collection includes at least one sensor capable of collecting sensor data, at least one transmission device, and at least one computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors, the memory storing one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause the at least one computing device to generate data for transmission based on the sensor data collected by the at least one sensor, and cause the at least one transmission device to transmit the data.

A system for autonomous ocean data collection includes at least one sensor capable of collecting sensor data, at least one transmission device, and at least one computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors, the memory storing one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause the at least one computing device to generate data for transmission based on the sensor data collected by the at least one sensor, and cause the at least one transmission device to transmit the data.

The present invention provides a forward propulsion system for a wind driven vehicle which includes one or more of a mast or a mast sleeve having a pliant sheet coupler capable of orientation at a mast front with a pliant sheet extending from the pliant sheet coupler over either a mast first side or a mast second side to a connection behind the mast to achieve configurations which move the force vector of the airflow acting on the pliant sheet further toward the forward direction of the wind driven vehicle, as compared to conventional sail configurations, to increase forward thrust and forward velocity of the wind driven vehicle.

The present invention provides a forward propulsion system for a wind driven vehicle which includes one or more of a mast or a mast sleeve having a pliant sheet coupler capable of orientation at a mast front with a pliant sheet extending from the pliant sheet coupler over either a mast first side or a mast second side to a connection behind the mast to achieve configurations which move the force vector of the airflow acting on the pliant sheet further toward the forward direction of the wind driven vehicle, as compared to conventional sail configurations, to increase forward thrust and forward velocity of the wind driven vehicle.

A wind-propelled vessel is described herein. The vessel includes at least one hull and at least one set of paired masts. Each paired mast of the at least one set of paired masts has a first mast located to one side of the vessel and a second mast located on the opposite side of the vessel. Also, each mast of the at least one set of paired masts has a spar located at or near the top of the mast. Moreover, each one of the spar located at or near the top of the mast extends inwards towards a center plane of the vessel, and an inward end of the spar is connected by a connector to another inward end of another one of the each one of the spar located at or near the top of the mast. In accordance with the illustrative examples provided herein, the connector imparts a dynamic force upon connected spars that responsively pulls the connected ones of the inward ends of the spars to their nearest position when tops of the masts to which the spars are fixably attached move away from a relative nearest position to a paired one of one set of paired masts.

An apparatus (100) for actuating a locking mechanism (12) of a locking sail track car (10) comprises a latch formation (116) disposed in a fixed position with respect to the track (14), a control surface (112) spaced from the latch formation (116) in a hoisting direction, and an actuator assembly (120) for attachment to the car (10). The actuator assembly (120) comprises an actuator (124) for operating a control member (24) of the car locking mechanism, and a latch element (158) connected to the actuator (124) and moveable between a first detent position in which the latch element (158) is not engageable with the latch formation (116) and a second detent position. The latch element (158) is arranged to cooperate with the control surface (112) upon movement of the actuator assembly (120) in the hoisting direction to set the latch element (158) into the second detent position, and is engageable with the latch formation (116) upon subsequent movement of the actuator assembly (120) in a loading direction with the latch element (158) in the second detent position. Engagement of the latch element (158) with the latch formation (116) fixes the actuator (124) in position with respect to the track (14) for operating the control member (24) of the car locking mechanism (12) upon subsequent movement of the car (10) in the loading direction, and urges the latch element (158) out of the second detent position and towards the first detent position such that subsequent movement of the actuator assembly (120) in the hoisting direction to disengage the latch element (158) from the latch formation (116) sets the latch element (158) back into the first detent position.

An unmanned sailing vehicle comprising: a primary hull; a rigid wing rotationally coupled with said primary hull that freely rotates about a rotational axis of said rigid wing; a boom comprising a first end extending from a leading edge of said rigid wing and a second end extending from a trailing edge of said rigid wing, said first end of said boom comprising a counterweight configured to dynamically balance a wing system comprising said rigid wing, said boom, and said tail with respect to said rotational axis of said rigid wing; a tail coupled to said second end of said boom; a control surface element disposed on said tail and configured to aerodynamically control a wing angle of said rigid wing based on a position of said control surface element; and a controller configured to determine a control surface angle and generate a signal to position said control surface element.

An unmanned sailing vehicle comprising: a primary hull; a rigid wing rotationally coupled with said primary hull that freely rotates about a rotational axis of said rigid wing; a boom comprising a first end extending from a leading edge of said rigid wing and a second end extending from a trailing edge of said rigid wing, said first end of said boom comprising a counterweight configured to dynamically balance a wing system comprising said rigid wing, said boom, and said tail with respect to said rotational axis of said rigid wing; a tail coupled to said second end of said boom; a control surface element disposed on said tail and configured to aerodynamically control a wing angle of said rigid wing based on a position of said control surface element; and a controller configured to determine a control surface angle and generate a signal to position said control surface element.