Patent Publication Number: US-2020300219-A1

Title: Hybrid Kite With Integrated Wind Turbine Generator

Description:
This application claims priority of Prov. Patent App. No. 62/646,359 filed on Mar. 21, 2018. The content of which is recited in part or whole and incorporated within the present non provisional document. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a means to generate electricity in a portable manner by using the force of the wind acting upon an airborne kite to keep it aloft for extended period of time, without the need to install a permanent wind turbine structure at a stationary location. 
     BACKGROUND 
     There are a handful of renewable energy technologies that are in use throughout the world, for the purpose of generating electricity by way of solar, hydro and wind. 
     With specific reference to wind turbine power source, very tall towers are required to generate electricity that require wind speed of around 10-15 mph minimum to operate. These wind generators are permanent fixtures at a given location, on and off shore and are often met with mixed reaction when installed in urban areas, as they can be seen as an “eye sore.” Moreover they are very costly to maintain and construct and require a large footprint on land or sea. They also have the disadvantage of not being able to utilize the direction of the wind force efficiently. At at very high wind speeds they may be rendered inoperable. 
     Nonetheless the tradeoffs have been affordable electricity from these giant wind turbines, within the communities where they are installed, providing a generous amount of renewable for many coastal locations like Atlantic city and Denmark. 
     Wind studies have revealed that at higher altitude, beyond the height of a traditional wind turbine of 350 feet, the wind speed is appreciably greater and therefore more forceful. 
     It would be impractical and costly to build a wind turbine higher than its conventional height of ˜335 feet, to take advantage of higher wind velocity. As such, a number of companies have embarked upon using dual kites with algorithms to harness the power of the wind, using the force derived from tension and slack of the two kites, to turn a generator located on the ground, coupled to hydraulic mechanism; a costly process and complex one relatively speaking when compared to the foregoing invention. 
     In another example, a helium balloon the size of a small truck is deployed with a relatively small wind turbine situated within. The apparatus will require ground harnesses in at least four corners to point the helium balloon in the direction of the wind. Further the balloon will have to be scaled up considerably to produce a similar amount of electricity as a wind turbine—a significant challenge. What is needed is a kite equipped with a generator to perform in a similar manner as a ground base wind turbine generator without the infrastructure requirement. Further a wind turbine that is portable will offer numerous advantages that is not practical with all other wind turbine generators To accomplish this feat, a generator—wind turbine must be attached to the kite, which until now was unheard of. 
     Since it&#39;s not practical to launch a kite with a non-aerodynamic component attached to it, the solution is to launch each component individually, starting with the kite first. 
     A large kite when subjected to the force of wind, can sustain forces/load exceeding 1,000 lbs across its surface area, with two factors being most important: wind speed and surface area of the kite. 
     The force exerted on a kite can be determined by the simple formula: F=P×A, whereby P is the pressure and A is the surface area. Henceforth, the larger the surface area of a kite the greater the force and the more weight it can uphold. 
     As such, 2 feet×4 feet kite will have a surface area of 8 square feet. Air has a density of 0.075 pounds per cubic foot. If a wind speed is 15 mph, the force on an 8 square feet kite can be determined as follow: 
         F= ½×0.075×15 2 ×8×1.0
 
     (67.5 lbs of force will be exerted on this relatively small kite). 
     A 4×8 feet kite will be able to support an added weight that is less than 25 lbs attached thereto, with a net pulling force that is &gt;70 lbs. When the kite is on the ground, the wind velocity and force acting on the kite is zero. Suffice to say, it will require more energy and technique to launch a kite with a large payload attached. 
     As demonstrated mathematically, the situation is quite different &amp; remarkable when the kite is in the air first, subjected to a modest wind speed of 15 mph or greater, which is very common at coastal region. The kite can then support a weight in the air for considerable period of time when an upward pulling force of over 100 lbs is acting upon it. This phenomenon would allow for an object other than the kite to hang from the sky in accordance with Newton&#39;s third law. Better yet, when the wind speed reaches 21 mph/sec., then an artificial G force effect can be exerted upon the kite. At such wind speed and beyond, an artificial gravitational point can be created in the sky, to anchor an object such as a generator thereto. 
     In the event of wind speed falling less than 10 mph, causing the kite and payload to be overcome by gravity, the kite is equipped with compartments, containing a gas that&#39;s lighter than air, helium or hydrogen. The air filled compartment will allow for a gradual descend of the kite and payload to be recovered on the ground. 
     The kite with wind turbine attached thereto has the advantage of maximizing the direction the wind and its velocity since the kite will naturally follow the direction of the wind. The turbine can be in the same plane as the kite thereby maximizing the confrontation with wind or made to turn at any angle when attached below the anchoring cable of the kite as will be illustrated in the forgoing. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view of a kite in the deployed position in the air, with two turbine generators attached to its cable. 
         FIG. 2 . Is a perspective view of the kite and generators attached below its main cable,  13 . 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a kite having a dimension of 8 feet×4 feet (may be larger or smaller) is shown deployed with a wind force  18  being exerted on the inner surface of the kite  1 . An upward buoyancy,  17   a  and  17   b  is provided by a gas filled compartments  2  &amp;  3 , having helium or hydrogen therein (or a combination of gases in sub compartments within  2  and  3 ). In the unlikely event the wind velocity falls below a threshold to keep the generators airborne, the helium/hydrogen inflated compartment will permit gradual fall of the wind turbines, limiting or minimizing damage. 
     A four-point cable  4 ,  5 ,  6  &amp;  7  secure the kite to the handler on the ground via a common main cable  13 . 
     A focal anchoring harness  8 , forms a receiving (mating member) which is secured over the four cables  4 - 7 . A pulley harness  9  is attached to the anchoring member  8  to draw up the turbine towards the kite after its deployed. A pulley cable  12  is shown which is made to pass through the core of the wind turbine to facilitate its upward or downward movement, operated from the ground level. 
     Lights  19 A &amp;  19 B may be attached to provide illumination, warning or decoration, using power derived directly or indirectly from a generator tethered to the kite. A pair of weights  16 A and  16 B may be added for stabilization of the kite. 
     Once the kite is in its full deployed position with optimum wind speed to support a weight that is less than the pulling force of the kite, a generator is then attached over the common cable  13  and advanced upward by way of a loop-pulley system  8  and  12 . 
     A cable  12  traverse through the generator and parallel to main cable  13 ; it then loops around a stationary receiving pulley member  12  and return via the opening of the generator  15 . 
     An anchoring latch associated with securing member  8  is provided to receive the generator at its opening  15  when pulled upward by the pulley-anchoring pair. 
     The generator  11  and  14  are then fastened individually or consecutively over graduating anchoring harnesses so as to fix the generator firmly in place there upon. 
     The generator has a set of fan blades  10 A,  10 B,  10 C and  10 D, oriented in such a way to rotate at maximum speed when subjected to the velocity of the wind, directed by the movement of the kite, facing the direction of the wind. 
     An electric current is produced when the fan blades of the generator rotates which is then directed to the ground via conducting wire  14 , that traverses via the opening  15  of the generator. 
     In summary the generator is pulled up towards the kite along main cable  13  via the which may also serve as an electrical conducting cord/cable to a load or battery suited on the ground. The electrical connection to the ground from the generator may be engineered in a manner well known in the art. 
     The invention is described in the simplest of manner and may be engineered in such as way to maintain extended time in the air and equipped with any number of sensors to monitor its performance. These advancements have been considered and provide a platform for further innovation to be improved upon the kite with generators attached thereto after deployment. It is contemplated that the generators can also be deployed with the kite at the same time when lifted off the ground by a drone/s for example, to a height where the kite can be acted upon by the wind. 
     Also multiple generators may be added to the cable  13  (two are shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 ) and are designed to spin in opposite direction in order to prevent “drift” which may occur by the momentum of the turning blades of the generators. With at least  2  generators spaced apart evenly, stability of the cable  13  will be realized as the opposite drift phenomenon of the two generators, spinning in opposite direction, will neutralize the relative force of each other. 
     As in  FIG. 2 , the generators can be placed below the main cable  13  as shown and made to swivel with the direction of the wind or remain fixed. 
     For surveillance purposes, camera or video cameras can be attached to the kite and obtain its electricity from the generators attached thereto. 
     The height of the kite and cable may also function as antenna for communication means to a satellite or radio or cell phone tower. 
     In nautical applications and disaster relief, the invention can provide emergency power, lighting, surveillance and communications using renewable energy (wind) in a portable manner. The aforementioned are a brief summary of the numerous applications and purpose the invention will serve for every day use and in extreme circumstances.