System and method for preventing rotor blade tower strike

A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, the rotor blade assembly configured to prevent a rotor blade from striking a tower of the wind turbine, the assembly comprising:

• a rotor blade extending from a blade root to a blade tip, the rotor blade comprising a pressure side surface and a suction side surface, the pressure side surface and the suction side surface each extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge;
• a pitch bearing configured between the rotor blade and a hub of the wind turbine, the pitch bearing configured to rotate the rotor blade about a pitch axis;
• a pitch adjustment mechanism configured to rotate the pitch bearing about the pitch axis, the pitch adjustment mechanism comprising a motor and a brake;
• at least one electrical switch configured with one of the motor or the brake;
• a mechanically-actuated positional switch fixed within a hub of the wind turbine, the positional switch configured with the electrical switch such that if the rotor blade rotates to an unsafe region, the positional switch is configured to trigger the electrical switch to implement one of tripping power to the motor of the pitch adjustment mechanism or actuating the brake of the pitch adjustment mechanism.

A method for preventing a rotor blade from striking a tower of the wind turbine, the method comprising:

• determining an unsafe region for the rotor blade, the unsafe region defined by at least two different pitch angles of the rotor blade;
• monitoring, via a mechanically-actuated positional switch, a pitch angle of the rotor blade to determine if the rotor blade enters the unsafe region;
• and,
• implementing, via an electrical switch, one of tripping power to a motor of a pitch adjustment mechanism or actuating a brake of the pitch adjustment mechanism if the positional switch determines that the pitch angle is in the unsafe region.