Wind turbine having a measuring device

Abstract

The invention relates to a wind turbine having at least one measuring device for measuring deformations of an elongated component of the wind turbine, such as a tower or a rotor blade. The measuring device is part of a transmitting/receiving device with a remotely arranged reflector device, is mounted in a bracket, and has adjusting devices for precise adjustment and alignment of the measuring device relative to the bracket. The adjusting device has a cam rotation device at the bearing point of the adjusting device. The cam rotation device has, at every bearing point, a cam disc with an adjusting wheel, at least one ball disc with an associated ball socket and a clamping screw. The invention also relates to a method for adjusting and aligning a measuring device of the wind turbine, wherein the measuring device is aligned in the horizontal and vertical direction by rotating the cam rotation device.

Claims

1. A wind turbine with a rotor, comprising at least one rotor blade extending perpendicularly to a rotor axis, a nacelle that is stationary relative to the rotor, supported by a tower, and with at least one measuring arrangement for measuring deformations of one or more elongated components of the wind turbine, wherein the at least one measuring arrangement comprising: a camera enclosed in a housing, a reflector arranged remotely from said camera, wherein the camera and reflector are arranged in a cavity within the one or more elongated components of the wind turbine, wherein the camera and housing are mounted in a bracket and the reflector is secured on an opposite side of the cavity, and the at least one measuring arrangement further comprising: adjusting devices for precise adjustment and alignment of an alignment face of the housing relative to the bracket; and each of the adjusting devices has a cam rotation device at its bearing point which supports the camera and housing to the bracket, and by rotating each said cam rotation device the alignment face is aligned and adjusted relative to the bracket, wherein each said cam rotation device has, at its associated bearing point, a cam disc with an adjusting wheel, at least one ball disc with an associated ball socket and a clamping screw, and the housing is mounted in the longitudinal direction on a pair of parallel facing mounting flanges of the bracket.

2. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein the bracket is arranged in a stationary manner at an installation point of the at least one elongated component of wind turbine and the camera and housing can be set and adjusted relative to the bracket in the horizontal and/or vertical direction.

3. The wind turbine according to claim 1, further comprising an adjusting screw with a lock nut.

4. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein the bracket has a cutout, opposite the alignment face, and which the alignment face can penetrate into the cutout in full or in part.

5. The wind turbine according to claim 1, wherein the elongated component of the wind turbine is the at least one rotor blade and/or the tower.

6. A method for forming a wind turbine, comprising: providing the wind turbine having a rotor including at least one rotor blade extending perpendicularly to a rotor axis; providing the wind turbine with a nacelle that is stationary relative to the rotor, supporting the nacelle with a tower; placing within one of the elongated components of the wind turbine a transmitting/receiving device including a camera and a reflector arranged in a cavity of the one or more elongated components of the wind turbine, wherein the placing of the transmitting/receiving device further comprises; arranging the reflector remotely from said camera, mounting the camera in a housing using a bracket secured on opposite sides of the housing; using adjusting devices for precise adjustment and alignment of an alignment face of the housing relative to the bracket; and configuring each of the adjusting devices to include a cam rotation device at a bearing point thereof, which supports the housing to the bracket, and such that rotating at least one of the cam rotation devices causes the alignment face to be moved to facilitate alignment and adjustment of the camera; further configuring the cam rotation devices such that each has, at its associated bearing point, a cam disc with an adjusting wheel, at least one ball disc with an associated ball socket and a clamping screw, and mounting the housing longitudinally on a pair of parallel facing mounting flanges of the bracket.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein following alignment the cam discs are secured against rotation by means of the clamping screws.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein by rotating the two adjusting screws on the adjusting devices the measuring arrangement is set in the vertical direction and is secured by lock nuts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in more detail in the following by means of an embodiment.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a wind turbine.

(3) FIG. 2 is a general schematic and partial representation of a rotor of the wind turbine from FIG. 1 with a measuring device arranged in a rotor blade.

(4) FIG. 3 shows the measuring device according to FIG. 2 in perspective view.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a front view of the arrangement according to FIG. 2.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a top view of the arrangement according to FIG. 2.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a sectional view from FIG. 4 along the line A-A.

(8) FIG. 7 shows a side view of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows a wind turbine 1, wherein a tower 3 standing on a foundation 2 at its end turned away from the foundation 2 is connected with a nacelle 4. In the nacelle 4 a machine support 5 is arranged, on which a rotor 6 is supported so that it can rotate about a rotor axis 7, and which has a rotor hub 8 and rotor blades 9 and 10 connected to this, and which in each case can be rotated about their blade axes 11, 12 relative to the rotor hub 8. Each rotor blade 9, 10 is mechanically coupled to an adjusting drive 13, 14, by means of which the respective rotor blade 9, 10 is rotated about the associated blade axis 11, 12 and mechanically coupled to an electric generator 16, arranged in the nacelle 4 and secured to the machine support 5, and which converts the wind power 15 acting on the individual rotor blades mostly into electrical energy. For the controlled operation of the wind turbine 1 a higher-level turbine controller 17 is provided, by means of which, inter alia, the adjusting drives 13, and 14 are controlled.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a schematic and partial representation of the rotor 6 in the line of sight of FIG. 1, wherein on the rotor hub 8 a third rotor blade 18 is supported by a blade bearing 19 so that it can rotate. The rotor blades 9 and 10 similarly have blade bearings 21 and 22, as can be seen from FIG. 2. In FIG. 1 the rotor blade 18 is concealed by the rotor hub 8. Like the rotor blades 9 and 10 the rotor blade 18 is also mechanically coupled to a schematically suggested blade angle adjusting drive 27, and by means of this is able to rotate about the blade axis 20.

(11) FIG. 2 further shows a measuring arrangement 31 for measuring the deformation of a rotor blade of the wind turbine 1, which is integrated in full or in part in the rotor 6. By means of the arrangement 31 an aerodynamic loading of the rotor blade 18 is measured. The end of the rotor blade 18 secured to the blade bearing 19 is referred to as the blade root 23.

(12) The measuring arrangement 31 works on the basis of an optical system and comprises a measuring device 28 in the form of a camera, which as a combined transmitting/receiving device sends light signals 29, 30 to a reflector 25 arranged in a cavity 24 of the rotor blade 18 which, at a distance from the blade root 23, receives the incoming signals from the camera 28, reflects them to its surface 26 turned towards the incoming signal and then sends them back to the camera 28. The beams 29 (signals) generated by the light source generate on the reflector 25 a light marking, which through the blade deformation displaces spatially on the reflector surface 26. The displaced marking is recorded in the camera 28 via the reflected light beam 30. The data on the deformation are transmitted to a computing and signal processing device 32 connected with the camera 28 and converted into measured variables which are used as control variables for the adjusting drive 27 and via a link (not shown) with the wind turbine controller 17 for other operating parameters.

(13) The camera 28 is arranged in the area of the blade bearing 19 and has a fixed point of reference to the blade root 23. This prevents possible camera movements during the measurement process impacting on the result. The signal impinging on the reflector 25 generates a marking on the surface 26 of this. As a result of the aerodynamic load the blade 18 is deformed, wherein the deformation results in a displacement of the marking on the reflector surface 26. This displacement is recorded in the measuring device 28.

(14) Details of the measuring device or camera 28 are described in the following using FIG. 3 onwards. For greater protection, the camera 28 is arranged in a housing 33 with an alignment face 34 aligned in the direction of the reflector 25. The housing 33 further has a bracket 35, which by means, for example, of fixing screws 36 or otherwise, is rigidly connected in the cavity 24 of the rotor blade 18 with the blade root 23.

(15) The camera 28 is supported in the longitudinal direction in the two opposing mounting flanges 37 arranged on the bracket 35, protruding on both faces of the bracket 35 in the direction of the reflector 25. Transversal to the bearing direction and also opposing each other two additional adjusting devices 38 are arranged with adjusting screws 39 and lock nuts 40. By means of this arrangement, the alignment face of the camera 28 can be roughly pre-set in its vertical position.

(16) Prior to the actual measurement of the deformation of the rotor blade 18, caused by aerodynamic influences, a precise alignment and adjustment of the camera 28 relative to the bracket 35 is required. The bracket needs to be adjustable to allow for adjustments of the camera 28 during installation. Once alignment and adjustment are complete it remains fixed relative to the alignment face of the associated reflector. All subsequent movements of the reflector 25 are thus a consequence of the deformations due to the aerodynamic loads on the component of the turbine, which are to be measured.

(17) According to the invention the camera 28 can be aligned and adjusted by means of a cam rotation device 41 at both bearing points of the camera housing 33 with the bracket. By rotating the cam rotation device 41, therefore, the alignment face 34 of the camera 28 can be adjusted relative to the stationary bracket 35 in all directions, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Following adjustment and alignment by the cam rotation device 41 at the bearing points the definitive position is then secured and protected from vibration by tightening the lock nuts.

(18) The bracket 35 is not designed as a plate, but has a cutout 42, opposing the alignment face 34. The dimensions of the cutout 42 are designed to ensure that the rear of the housing 33 can penetrate the cutout 42 in full or in part. As a result of the frame-like arrangement of the housing, the electrical supply and control lines arranged on the rear of the camera 28 can be connected without interfering with the alignment face 34.

(19) FIG. 4 shows a front view of the arrangement from FIG. 2, comprising camera 28, housing 33 and bracket 35 with the two laterally arranged cam rotation devices 41 at the bearing points and the opposing adjusting devices 38 arranged transversally with the adjusting screws 39 and the lock nuts 40.

(20) The cam device adjusting mechanism and the structure of the device 41 can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows a top view of the arrangement according to FIG. 2. This representation shows the possibility for adjustment by means of the cam rotation device 41 in the vertical plane.

(21) FIG. 6 shows in a sectional view A-A of FIG. 4 the possibility for adjustment of the camera 28 in the horizontal. FIG. 7 shows a side view of FIG. 2. At each bearing point, the cam rotation device 41 has a cam disc 46 designed as an adjusting wheel, which is connected by means of a clamping screw 43 with the lateral mounting flanges 37 of the bracket 35. In front of and behind each bearing point a ball disc and ball socket pairing is provided, wherein a ball disc with reference 44 and the associated ball socket with reference 45 is provided. The position set by rotation of the cam discs 46, of the ball disc 44 relative to the ball socket 45, is secured by a locking screw 47 designed as a threaded pin, arranged transversally to the clamping screw 43.

(22) As a result of the arrangement of the cam rotation device, by rotating the two cam discs 46 in the same or opposite direction, the camera 28 is aligned both horizontally and vertically. Following horizontal and vertical alignment of the camera 28, both cam discs 46 are secured against rotation by the two locking screws 47. On the two opposing adjusting devices 38, by rotating the two adjusting screws, the camera 28 is set in the horizontal direction and by means of the lock nuts 40 secured against rotation. If the camera 28 is correctly set, both clamping screws 43 on the cam rotation device are tightened. In addition, the two cam discs 46 can further be secured against rotation by two locking screws 47.

KEY

(23) 1 Wind turbine 2 Foundation 3 Tower 4 Nacelle 5 Machine support 6 Rotor 7 Rotor axis 8 Rotor hub 9 Rotor blade 10 Rotor blade 11 Blade axis 12 Blade axis 13 Blade angle adjusting drive 14 Blade angle adjusting drive 15 Wind power 16 Generator 17 Wind turbine controller 18 Rotor blade 19 Blade bearing 20 Blade axis 21 Blade bearing 22 Blade bearing 23 Blade root 24 Cavity 25 Reflector 26 Surface 27 Blade axle adjusting drive 28 Measuring device, camera 29 Signal path 30 Signal path 31 Measuring arrangement 32 Signal processing unit 33 Housing 34 Locating face 35 Bracket 36 Fixing screw 37 Mounting flange 38 Adjustment device 39 Adjusting screw 40 Lock nut 41 Cam rotation device 42 Cutout 43 Clamping screw 44 Ball disc 45 Ball socket 46 Cam disc 47 Locking screw