1. A sailboat comprising:
a plurality of hulls arranged parallel to each other and coupled together by a truss arrangement,
a wingsail structure that is rotatable about a first axis of rotation that is orthogonal to a plane of the hulls, and a second axis of rotation that is parallel to the hulls, and
an auto-righting system that is configured to rotate the wingsail structure about the second axis of rotation when a capsize of the sailboat is detected.
2. The sailboat of claim 1, wherein the wingsail structure includes a buoyancy element that serves to facilitate righting of the sailboat when the auto-righting system rotates the wingsail structure.
3. The sailboat of claim 2, wherein the buoyancy element includes a wingsail.
4. The sailboat of claim 3, wherein the buoyancy element includes a flotation bulb above the wingsail.
5. The sailboat of claim 1, including a keel that is rotatable about a keel axis of rotation that is parallel to the hulls.
6. The sailboat of claim 5, wherein the keel is fixedly attached to the wingsail structure, and the keel axis of rotation corresponds to the second axis of rotation.
7. The sailboat of claim 1, including a control system that detects whether a capsize has occurred, and activates the auto-righting system when the capsize is detected.
8. The sailboat of claim 7, wherein the control system detects a heeling angle and activates the auto-righting system before the capsize is detected, based on the detected heeling angle.
9. The sailboat of claim 1, including one or more solar panels that provide the energy required to enable the auto-righting system.
10. The sailboat of claim 1, including a rudder, and a navigation control system that controls an orientation of the rudder to create a direction of travel of the sailboat toward a target area.
11. The sailboat of claim 1, wherein the wingsail structure includes a wingsail that provides lift to propel the sailboat forward.
12. The sailboat of claim 11, wherein the wingsail structure includes a wind vane that pivots on the wingsail structure so as to consistently be aligned with a current wind direction.
13. The sailboat of claim 12, wherein the wingsail structure includes a balance element that facilitates the rotation of the wingsail structure about the first axis of rotation.
14. The sailboat of claim 12, including a coupling rod that controls a difference between an orientation of the wingsail structure and an orientation of the wind vane.
15. The sailboat of claim 14, wherein the truss structure includes a cam coupled to the coupling rod to control the difference between the orientation of the wingsail structure and the orientation of the wind vane based on an orientation of the truss structure.
16. The sailboat of claim 15, wherein the cam includes a cam slot that is shaped to provide a desired angle of attack of the wingsail based on the orientation of the truss structure.
17. The sailboat of claim 1, including one or more watertight compartments for installation of monitoring equipment.
18. The sailboat of claim 17, including one or more communication systems for communicating information from the monitoring equipment to a remote monitoring station.
19. The sailboat of claim 18, wherein the one or more communication systems include a satellite transceiver.
20. The sailboat of claim 19, wherein the one or more communication systems include a SENS transmitter.
21. The sailboat of claim 1, including a motor that controls rotation of the wingsail structure about the first axis of rotation.
22. The sailboat of claim 21, wherein the motor may be configured as a generator that generates energy as the wingsail structure fluctuates about the first axis of rotation.
23. A sailboat comprising:
a plurality of hulls arranged parallel to each other and coupled together by a truss arrangement,
a wingsail structure that is rotatable about a first axis of rotation that is orthogonal to a plane of the hulls, and
an autotrim system that controls rotation of the wingsail structure about the first axis of rotation;
wherein:
the wingsail structure includes:
a wingsail that provides lift to propel the sailboat forward,
a wind vane that pivots on the wingsail structure so as to consistently be aligned with a current wind direction, and
a coupling rod that controls a difference between an orientation of the wingsail structure and an orientation of the wind vane; and
the autotrim system includes a cam attached to the truss arrangement and coupled to the coupling rod to control the difference between the orientation of the wingsail structure and the orientation of the wind vane based on an orientation of the truss structure.
24. The sailboat of claim 23, wherein the wingsail structure includes a balance element that facilitates the rotation of the wingsail structure about the first axis of rotation.
25. The sailboat of claim 23, wherein the cam includes a cam slot that is shaped to provide a desired angle of attack of the wingsail based on the orientation of the truss structure.
26. The sailboat of claim 23, including a motor that controls rotation of the wingsail structure about the first axis of rotation.
27. The sailboat of claim 24, wherein the motor may be configured as a generator that generates energy as the wingsail structure fluctuates about the first axis of rotation.
28. A method of righting a capsized sailboat in a body of water comprising rotating a buoyant mast structure about an axis that is parallel to a surface of the body of water, so as to move a center of buoyancy of the capsized sailboat away from a center of gravity of the capsized sailboat, thereby introducing a righting torque.
29. A method of self-trimming a sailboat comprising:
providing a wingsail structure that provides lift to the sailboat at a given angle of attack;
providing a windvane structure the indicates a direction of wind relative to the sailboat;
coupling the wingsail structure and the windvane structure via a cam that controls the angle of attack of the wingsail based on the direction of wind indicated by the windvane structure.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the cam is rigidly affixed to the sailboat, such that its relative orientation is consistent with an orientation of the sailboat, and is coupled to the windvane structure such that a rotation of the windvane structure causes the wingsail structure to rotate relative to the orientation of the sailboat.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A heating flange, in particular for preheating air in an intake line leading to an internal combustion engine, said heating flange comprising
at least one heating element for heating the air flowing past said heating element, and
a body for mechanically holding and electrically contacting said heating element,
wherein said body comprises a fastening bow having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, and the heating element comprises at least one substantially U-shaped meander loop which is fixedly connected to the base of said fastening bow.
2. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the heating element is electrically insulated from the fastening bow at the base of said bow.
3. The heating flange according to claim 2, wherein a substantially rectangular board consisting of an electrically insulating material, preferably mica, micanite or ceramics, is arranged between the heating element and the base of the fastening bow.
4. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the heating element is riveted to the fastening bow at the base of said bow.
5. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the heating element is welded to the fastening bow at the base of said bow.
6. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the heating element is adapted to be produced from a ferritic iron-chromium-aluminium alloy, preferably Kanthal D.
7. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the body of the heating flange additionally comprises a cover through which the heating flange can be connected to the intake line.
8. The heating flange according to claim 7, wherein the fastening bow is connected to the cover in an electrically conductive manner.
9. The heating flange according to claim 7, wherein the fastening bow is electrically insulated from the cover.
10. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the legs of the U-shaped meander loop of the heating element are angled at least once in the freestanding area encompassed by the air current.
11. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the heating flange comprises a first and a second heating element, said heating elements being arranged such that they are displaced relative to one another in a direction transversely to the U-shaped cross-section of the fastening bow.
12. The heating flange according to claim 11, wherein the legs of the meander loop of the first heating element are angled in the freestanding, air current-encompassed areas thereof in a direction opposite to the direction in which the legs of the meander loop of the second heating element are angled.
13. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the fastening bow is provided with openings formed in the flanks thereof and used for allowing the air to be heated to flow in transversely to the opening of the U-shaped cross-section.
14. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein a switching means is provided for switching the electric power at the heating element on and off.
15. The heating flange according to claim 14, wherein the electric switching means comprises at least one semiconductor device.
16. The heating flange according to claim 15, further comprising at least two separately controllable heating elements which are each connected to a respective switching means for switching the electric power supply on and off.
17. The heating flange according to claim 16, wherein the heating elements have power supplied thereto in a time-shifted manner.
18. The heating flange according to claim 1, wherein the power supply of the heating element is controlled by means of a micro controller.
19. The heating flange according to claim 1, further comprising at least one temperature sensor for detecting respective temperature values occurring, preferably temperature values of the air to be heated.