Wind turbine blade inspection system
AssigneeBladebug Limited
InventorChristopher Robert Cieslak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A robotic device includes four or more legs and is configured to crawl over a surface of a wind turbine blade for inspection of and/or maintenance of the wind turbine blade. The robotic device may be programmed to crawl along a leading edge of the wind turbine blade to conduct inspection and/or maintenance of the leading edge of the wind turbine blade. The device may include a body defining a longitudinal axis, a row of legs arranged on opposite sides of the body. The legs may each include two or more articulated limb segments and a foot. The foot may include a suction cup for securing the robotic device to the wind turbine blade.
Claims17
A robotic device comprising four or more legs which is configured to crawl over a surface of a wind turbine blade for inspection of and maintenance of the wind turbine blade, wherein the robotic device is programmed to recognize automatically a leading edge of the wind turbine blade and then control a movement of the four or more legs autonomously such that the robot device crawls along the leading edge of the wind turbine blade to conduct inspection and maintenance of the leading edge of the wind turbine blade,
- wherein the robotic device comprises a body defining a longitudinal axis, the four or more legs comprising a row of legs arranged on opposite sides of the body, the legs each comprising two or more articulated limb segments and a foot, and the articulated limb segments comprising an upper limb segment and a lower limb segment,
- wherein the upper limb segment is joined to the body by a first articulated joint, the lower limb segment is joined to the upper limb segment by a second articulated joint, and the foot is joined to the lower limb segment by a third articulated joint,
- wherein the limb segments are articulated in a way that enables the robotic device to straddle over a leading edge of the wind turbine blade with the feet of opposing legs positioned on opposite sides of the leading edge, and
- wherein the robotic device comprises a chamber of resin with a device for applying the resin as a coating to a damaged region of the wind turbine.
A method of inspecting and maintaining a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:
- securing a robotic device to a surface of a wind turbine blade, the robotic device comprising a body defining a longitudinal axis that is provided with a row of legs arranged on opposite sides of the body, the legs each comprising two or more articulated limb segments and a foot, the articulated limb segments comprising an upper limb segment and a lower limb segment, wherein the upper limb segment is joined to the body by a first articulated joint, the lower limb segment is joined to the upper limb segment by a second articulated joint, and the foot is joined to the lower limb segment by a third articulated joint, and the robotic device being configured to crawl over the surface of the wind turbine blade, wherein the limb segments are articulated in a way that enables the robotic device to straddle over a leading edge of the wind turbine blade with the feet of opposing legs positioned on opposite sides of the leading edge, and wherein the robotic device comprises a chamber of resin with a device for applying the resin as a coating to a damaged region of the wind turbine blade, wherein the robotic device is programmed to recognize automatically a leading edge of the wind turbine blade and then control a movement of the four or more legs autonomously such that the robot device crawls along the leading edge of the wind turbine blade to conduct inspection and maintenance of the leading edge of the wind turbine blade;
- manoeuvring the robotic device on the wind turbine blade, the manoeuvring comprising operating one or more of the legs of the robotic device independently of other legs so that the robotic device crawls along and/or over the surface of the wind turbine blade;
- and
- performing an inspection action and a maintenance action on the wind turbine blade.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.