Patent ID: 6691632
Filing Date: 2004-02-17
Classification: B62B,B63B,B63H,Y02T

Abstract:
A wind-propelled vehicle capable of travel on a support medium; said vehicle comprising:an airfoil assembly comprising a plurality of airfoils fixedly joined; said airfoil assembly having substantially a single particular usual upright attitude in relation to said support medium when said vehicle uses wind for propulsion; aerodynamic means for orientation of said airfoil assembly in pitch, in relation to a relative wind; aerodynamic means for orientation of said airfoil assembly in yaw, in relation to a relative wind; the aerodynamic yaw orientation means comprising one or more rotatable surfaces, each said rotatable surface having a neutral position and rotatable within a range of at least 150 degrees, from âˆ’75 degrees to 75 degrees in relation to its said neutral position; at least one traction means for controlling direction of movement of said vehicle relative to said support medium; each said traction means allowing motion of said vehicle in a particular direction and its opposite, hereinafter called respectively forward and reverse, and resisting motion of said vehicle in directions not substantially aligned with either said forward or said reverse direction; all said traction means being steerable in unison only, relative to said airfoil assembly, whereby all said traction means have substantially the same forward direction at any given time; said traction means being substantially coplanar, whereby all said traction means are capable of contact with said support medium at the same time; a vertical pivot axis passing through the centroid of all surfaces of said traction means in contact with said support medium when airfoil is in its usual upright attitude; said vertical pivot axis being perpendicular to said support medium; wherein both the aerodynamic yaw orientation means and the aerodynamic pitch orientation means rely only on the presence of said relative wind; whereby said vehicle may be effectively oriented both when in contact with, and when not in contact with, said support medium; wherein, when each said rotatable surface is in its said neutral position, the volume of the solid of revolution generated by revolving collectively said rotatable surfaces of the aerodynamic yaw orientation means completely about said vertical pivot axis, is greater than half the volume of the solid of revolution generated by revolving all fixed airfoil surfaces of said vehicle completely about said vertical pivot axis; wherein the combined surface area of said airfoils fixedly joined, of said airfoil assembly, comprises at least 70 percent of the combined surface area of all airfoils of the entire vehicle; wherein the combined surface area of all said traction means in contact with said support medium comprises at least 50 percent of the combined surface area of all surfaces of the entire vehicle in contact with said support medium when said airfoil assembly is in its usual upright attitude.