Adjustment and/or drive unit, wind power plant having such an adjustment and/or drive unit, and method for controlling such an adjustment and/or drive unit

An adjustment and/or drive unit for adjusting an azimuth angle of a wind power plant turbine house, the adjustment and/or drive unit comprising:

• a first assembly and a second assembly,
• adjusting drives for rotating the second assembly relative to the first assembly, and
• a controller,
• wherein drive torques of the adjusting drives are variably adjustable via the controller, such that, when the second assembly is rotated in a target direction of rotation, and/or at standstill, at least a first adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in one direction of rotation and at least a second adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in a direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation in order to establish a bracing of the adjusting drives, wherein a variable external load on the adjustment and/or drive unit and/or the adjusting drives is determinable via the controller, and wherein a strength of the bracing of the adjusting drives according to the variable external load on the adjusting drives is variably adjustable via the controller, and wherein the controller is designed to adjust the strength of the bracing of the adjusting drives as a function of pitch angle of at least one rotor blade to implement a stronger bracing of the adjusting drives for pitch angles which are used at higher wind speeds and/or higher system outputs than for pitch angles used at lower wind speeds and/or lower system outputs.

An adjustment and/or drive unit for adjusting an azimuth angle of a wind power plant turbine house, the adjustment and/or drive unit comprising:

• a first assembly and a second assembly,
• adjusting drives for rotating the second assembly relative to the first assembly, and
• a controller,
• wherein drive torques of the adjusting drives are variably adjustable via the controller, such that, when the second assembly is rotated in a target direction of rotation, and/or at standstill, at least a first adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in one direction of rotation and at least a second adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in a direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation in order to establish a bracing of the adjusting drives, wherein a variable external load on the adjustment and/or drive unit and/or the adjusting drives is determinable via the controller, and wherein a strength of the bracing of the adjusting drives according to the variable external load on the adjusting drives is variably adjustable via the controller,
• wherein the controller is designed to receive load signals associated with each of the adjusting drives and to modify a distribution of drive torques of the adjusting drives upon receipt of a load signal indicating that an adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is reaching overload so the adjusting drive reaching overload is relieved of drive torque or at least not loaded with drive torque any further, and at least one further adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is loaded with drive torque or is relieved of drive torque,
• wherein each adjusting drive comprises an output shaft, wherein the adjustment and/or drive unit comprises sensor elements for measuring loads acting on the output shafts of the adjusting drives,
• wherein the sensor elements comprise a force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element,
• wherein at least one adjusting drive of the adjusting drives comprises the force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element for determining the torque in the one direction of rotation or the torque in the direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation induced on the at least one adjusting drive of the adjusting drives at standstill of the adjustment and/or drive unit, and
• wherein the force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element comprises a measuring flange between a brake housing and a motor housing, and/or a measuring flange between the motor housing and a connecting flange of the at least one adjusting drive.

An adjustment and/or drive unit for adjusting an azimuth angle of a wind power plant turbine house, the adjustment and/or drive unit comprising:

• a first assembly and a second assembly,
• adjusting drives for rotating the second assembly relative to the first assembly, and
• a controller,
• wherein drive torques of the adjusting drives are variably adjustable via the controller, such that, when the second assembly is rotated in a target direction of rotation, and/or at standstill, at least a first adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in one direction of rotation and at least a second adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in a direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation in order to establish a bracing of the adjusting drives, wherein a variable external load on the adjustment and/or drive unit and/or the adjusting drives is determinable via the controller, and wherein a strength of the bracing of the adjusting drives according to the variable external load on the adjusting drives is variably adjustable via the controller,
• wherein the controller is designed to receive load signals associated with each of the adjusting drives and to modify a distribution of drive torques of the adjusting drives upon receipt of a load signal indicating that an adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is reaching overload so the adjusting drive reaching overload is relieved of drive torque or at least not loaded with drive torque any further, and at least one further adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is loaded with drive torque or is relieved of drive torque,
• wherein each adjusting drive comprises an output shaft, wherein the adjustment and/or drive unit comprises sensor elements for measuring loads acting on the output shafts of the adjusting drives,
• wherein the sensor elements comprise a force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element,
• wherein at least one adjusting drive of the adjusting drives comprises the force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element for determining the torque in the one direction of rotation or the torque in the direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation induced on the at least one adjusting drive of the adjusting drives at standstill of the adjustment and/or drive unit, and
• wherein the force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element comprises a rotation angle sensor for determining a rotation of an output gear comprising an output pinion, when the at least one adjusting drive is at standstill.

An adjustment and/or drive unit for adjusting an azimuth angle of a wind power plant turbine house, the adjustment and/or drive unit comprising:

• a first assembly and a second assembly,
• adjusting drives for rotating the second assembly relative to the first assembly, and
• a controller,
• wherein drive torques of the adjusting drives are variably adjustable via the controller, such that, when the second assembly is rotated in a target direction of rotation, and/or at standstill, at least a first adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in one direction of rotation and at least a second adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in a direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation in order to establish a bracing of the adjusting drives, wherein a variable external load on the adjustment and/or drive unit and/or the adjusting drives is determinable via the controller, and wherein a strength of the bracing of the adjusting drives according to the variable external load on the adjusting drives is variably adjustable via the controller,
• wherein a load torque acting on the adjusting drives at standstill, including the torque in the one direction of rotation of the at least a first adjusting drive and/or the torque in the direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation of the at least a second adjusting drive, is determinable via the controller, and
• wherein the adjustment and/or drive unit comprises a torque measuring flange which is between a stator of an electric motor of one of the adjusting drives of the adjusting drives and a brake of the one of the adjusting drives of the adjusting drives, or between the stator and a connecting flange of the one of the adjusting drives of the adjusting drives.

A method for controlling an adjustment and/or drive unit for adjusting an azimuth angle of a wind power plant turbine house,

• wherein the adjustment and/or drive unit comprises:
• a first assembly and a second assembly,
• adjusting drives for rotating the second assembly relative to the first assembly, and
• a controller,
• wherein drive torques of the adjusting drives are variably adjustable via the controller, such that, when the second assembly is rotated in a target direction of rotation, and/or at standstill, at least a first adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in one direction of rotation and at least a second adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in a direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation in order to establish a bracing of the adjusting drives, wherein a variable external load on the adjustment and/or drive unit and/or the adjusting drives is determinable via the controller, and wherein a strength of the bracing of the adjusting drives according to the variable external load on the adjusting drives is variably adjustable via the controller, and
• wherein the method for controlling the adjustment and/or drive unit comprises:
• individually monitoring the variable external load on each adjusting drive of the adjusting drives and/or a drive load of each adjusting drive of the adjusting drives via the controller, including the torque in the one direction of rotation of the at least a first adjusting drive and the torque in the direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation of the at least a second adjusting drive;
• modifying control of the adjusting drives via the controller so a distribution of drive torques, including the torque in the one direction of rotation of the at least a first adjusting drive and the torque in the direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation of the at least a second adjusting drive, is modified when a load signal appears which indicates that one of the adjusting drives is reaching overload;
• relieving of drive torque or at least not further loading with drive torque the adjusting drive which is reaching overload;
• and
• loading with drive torque or relieving of drive torque at least one further adjusting drive of the adjusting drives.

An adjustment and/or drive unit for adjusting an azimuth angle of a wind power plant turbine house, the adjustment and/or drive unit comprising:

• a first assembly and a second assembly,
• adjusting drives for rotating the second assembly relative to the first assembly, and
• a controller,
• wherein drive torques of the adjusting drives are variably adjustable via the controller, such that, when the second assembly is rotated in a target direction of rotation, and/or at standstill, at least a first adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in one direction of rotation and at least a second adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is operated with a torque in a direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation in order to establish a bracing of the adjusting drives, wherein a variable external load on the adjustment and/or drive unit and/or the adjusting drives is determinable via the controller, and wherein a strength of the bracing of the adjusting drives according to the variable external load on the adjusting drives is variably adjustable via the controller,
• wherein the controller is designed to receive load signals associated with each of the adjusting drives and to modify a distribution of drive torques of the adjusting drives upon receipt of a load signal indicating that an adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is reaching overload so the adjusting drive reaching overload is relieved of drive torque or at least not loaded with drive torque any further, and at least one further adjusting drive of the adjusting drives is loaded with drive torque or is relieved of drive torque,
• wherein each adjusting drive comprises an output shaft, wherein the adjustment and/or drive unit comprises sensor elements for measuring loads acting on the output shafts of the adjusting drives,
• wherein the sensor elements comprise a force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element,
• wherein at least one adjusting drive of the adjusting drives comprises the force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element for determining the torque in the one direction of rotation or the torque in the direction of rotation opposite to the one direction of rotation induced on the at least one adjusting drive of the adjusting drives at standstill of the adjustment and/or drive unit,
• wherein the force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element comprises a measuring flange or a rotation angle sensor,
• wherein when the force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element comprises the measuring flange, the measuring flange is between a brake housing and a motor housing, or is between the motor housing and a connecting flange, or is between a stator of an electric motor and a brake, or is between the stator and the connecting flange of the at least one adjusting drive, and
• wherein when the force and/or torque and/or strain and/or torsion measuring element comprises the rotation angle sensor, a rotation of an output gear comprising an output pinion is determinable via the rotation angle sensor when the at least one adjusting drive is at standstill.