Offshore wind kite with seafloor mooring

• US 10,518,876 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Makani Technologies LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Makani Technologies LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hachtmann, Brian, Felker, Fort, Nordstrom, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US15/387,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20180170537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 21/50 Anchoring arrangements or methods for special vessels, e.g. for floating drilling platforms or dredgers
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 35/50 Vessels or floating structures for aircraft aircraft carriers B63G11/00; flying-boat hulls, other flotation means for aircraft B64
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/022 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 3/00 Ground installations specially adapted for captive aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 3/02 with means for supplying electricity to aircraft during flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 13/25 specially adapted for offshore installation
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 5/00 Other wind motors controlling thereof F03D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/25 the apparatus being an electrical generator F03D9/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 9/32 on moving objects, e.g. vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/921 kept aloft due to aerodynamic effects
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/923 which is a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/93 on a structure floating on a liquid surface
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0684 on a moving platform, e.g. aircraft carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

Systems and methods for operating aerial vehicles in water-based locations. The systems and methods include a plurality of landing stations. Each landing station of the plurality of landing stations is coupled to at least one of: another landing station or an underwater mooring point. The systems and methods also include an aerial vehicle coupled to a tether mooring point by a tether. The aerial vehicle is configured to land on at least one landing station of the plurality of landing stations.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of landing stations, wherein each landing station of the plurality of landing stations is coupled to at least one of;

another landing station or an underwater mooring point; and

an aerial vehicle coupled to a tether mooring point by a tether, wherein at least three landing stations of the plurality of landing stations are arranged about the tether mooring point with a 120 degree azimuth spacing between adjacent landing stations, wherein the aerial vehicle is configured to land on at least one landing station of the at least three landing stations arranged about the tether mooring point.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each landing station of the at least three landing stations arranged about the tether mooring point comprises a landing perch, wherein the aerial vehicle is configured to couple to the landing perch.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one landing station of the plurality of landing stations comprises a buoy or a floating landing platform.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising N aerial vehicles, wherein the plurality of landing stations comprises at least N+2 landing stations, wherein N>

=1.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of aerial vehicles coupled to respective tether mooring points by respective tethers, wherein the plurality of landing stations comprises a landing station array, wherein the respective tether mooring points are each located within a group of three possible landing stations in the landing station array, wherein at least two landing stations of the group are shared with another aerial vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of landing stations are arranged about the respective tether mooring points at a given distance based on a length of the tether and a depth of the tether mooring point.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the tether mooring point comprises a direct coupling between the tether and a seafloor surface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the aerial vehicle comprises at least one hybrid electric motor configured to generate electricity while the aerial vehicle is operating in a crosswind flight mode.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the aerial vehicle is electrically coupled to an electrical storage device by the tether.

10. A system comprising:

an aerial vehicle, wherein the aerial vehicle is coupled to a tether mooring point by a tether, wherein the tether mooring point is underwater; and

a controller that;

selects a landing station from a plurality of landing stations, wherein each landing station of the plurality of landing stations is coupled to at least one of;

another landing station or an underwater mooring point; and

causes the aerial vehicle to land at the selected landing station.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one landing station of the plurality of landing stations comprises a buoy or a floating landing platform.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of landing stations are arranged about the tether mooring point at a given distance based on a length of the tether and a depth of the tether mooring point.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of landing stations comprises three landing stations, wherein the three landing stations are arranged about the tether mooring point with a 120 degree azimuth spacing between adjacent landing stations.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the tether mooring point comprises a direct coupling between the tether and a seafloor surface.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the aerial vehicle comprises at least one hybrid electric motor, wherein the aerial vehicle, while operating in a crosswind flight mode, generates electricity using the at least one hybrid electric motor.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein selecting the landing station comprises receiving at least one of:

wind direction data or position data, and wherein selecting the landing station is based on the wind direction data or the position data.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein selecting the landing station comprises receiving information indicative of a position of at least one landing station, wherein causing the airframe to land at the selected landing station is based on the received information.

18. A method comprising:

receiving information about at least one of;

one or more landing stations within a plurality of landing stations as a possible landing location for an aerial vehicle or a flight condition of the aerial vehicle, wherein the aerial vehicle is coupled to an underwater tether mooring point by a tether;

based on the received information, selecting a landing station from the plurality of landing stations as a target landing location; and

causing the aerial vehicle to land at the target landing location.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the information about the possible landing location comprises at least one of:

position data of the possible landing location, a wind speed at the possible landing location, a wind direction at the possible landing location, or a water condition at the possible landing location.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the information about the flight condition of the aerial vehicle comprises at least one of:

position data of the aerial vehicle, an airspeed of the aerial vehicle, a wind speed at the aerial vehicle, a groundspeed of the aerial vehicle, a heading of the aerial vehicle, a severe weather indication, or a maintenance indication.