There is a simple and efficient sketch for a way of classification in the document linked by Rod :
VFinal-kW九ｉMW fin.pdf (500.6 KB, rough translation of some passages from Japanese language) :
(1) woW-Ground-Gen: Without Windmill Ground Generator
(2) W-Fly-Gen: With Windmill Fly Generator
(3) W-Ground-Gen: With Windmill Ground Generator
In fact this would lead to two major categories for AWES:
- Without windmill (yo-yo, Payne’s patent US3987987 figure 5, and some others)
- With windmill (flygen, rope-drive + rotor, and some rotating devices)
In a practical point of view the “with windmill” category would be closer to current wind turbines. But is this a valuable criterion?