Oceanwings® is a fully automated wingsail, enabling hybrid propulsion featuring a mix of wind power and conventional propulsion. To enable automation, the mast embeds a lot of technologies such as strain gauges, thermocouples to monitor the structure and environment but also servomotors to perform sail maneuvers. The wind propulsion concept created by VPLP allows the wing to be automatically positioned depending on the wind direction in order to benefits from the maximum performance of the system, all the time.
Thus, this means the mast can rotate continuously depending on wind and boat directions. This has been made possible through the use of a slip ring that is installed in the mast that allows the transfer of servomotors power and feedback, monitoring sensors signals but also Fieldbus communication between the rotating equipment on the mast and the controller. This way Oceanwings® can perform smooth and reliable operations enhancing the energy efficiency of the boat and comfort of sailing operation.
Moreover, an absolute encoder was also needed in order to retrieve the mast position in real-time which is very important information for the automation algorithm. PES S.A. has adapted the slip ring design and provided a mounting interface for direct encoder integration allowing easy integration of the slip ring/encoder assembly into the mast.