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US 11,378,066 B2Granted
Method and apparatus to clean wind turbine blades
AssigneesInnovBot, LLC, Research Foundation of the City University of New York
InventorsJizhong Xiao, Guoyong Yang, Yifeng Song
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A robot for cleaning and inspecting wind turbine blades. The robot has a module that adheres to the blade using a vacuum force. The robot also has a cleaning compartment is divided into two sections that are connected by a flexible section. The cleaning compartment is flexible such that it adapts to convex and concave curvatures on the blade.
Claims17
A robot for cleaning wind turbine blades, the robot comprising:
- a suction module comprising a suction chamber with an open bottom and a compliant seal assembly that circumscribes the open bottom, wherein the compliant seal assembly contacts a surface;
- a vacuum motor assembly for expelling air from the suction chamber, thereby adhering the open bottom to the surface;
- a means for moving the robot along the surface;
- a flexible cleaning ring circumscribing an opening on a bottom side of the robot;
- a cleaning compartment comprising a cover with a first cleaning section flexibly joined to a second cleaning section by a flexible section, wherein the cover defines a bottom opening such that flexion of the flexible section bends the bottom opening in both a convex shape and a concave shape;
- at least one spray nozzle disposed inside the cleaning compartment for spraying pressurized water at the bottom opening to clean the surface.
3 more elements
A robot for cleaning wind turbine blades, the robot comprising:
- a first suction module and a second suction module, each comprising a suction chamber with an open bottom and a flexible cleaning ring that circumscribes the open bottom, wherein the flexible cleaning ring contacts a surface;
- vacuum motor assembly for expelling air from the suction chamber, thereby adhering the open bottom to the surface;
- a means for moving the robot along the surface;
- a hinge that flexibly connects the first suction module to the second suction module such that the robot adjusts to non-planar areas on the surface;
- a cleaning compartment comprising a cover with a first cleaning section flexibly joined to a second cleaning section by a flexible section, wherein the cover defines a bottom opening such that flexion of the flexible section bends the bottom opening in both a convex shape and a concave shape, the first cleaning section being connected to the first suction module by a first support and the second cleaning section being rigidly connected the second suction module by a second support, such that the cleaning compartment can flex to conform to non-planar areas on the surface;
- at least one spray nozzle disposed inside the cleaning compartment for spraying pressurized water at the bottom opening to clean the surface.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.