Turbine alignment by use of light polarising compass
AssigneeVestas Wind Systems A/S
InventorGustavo Oliveira Violato
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method of estimating an orientation of a wind turbine. The method comprises determining, using a polarising light compass of the wind turbine, a sun polarisation value, and determining a yaw angle of the wind turbine associated with the sun polarisation value. A sun direction vector is determined based on the sun polarisation value and the associated yaw angle; and an orientation of the wind turbine is estimated relative to a fixed direction using the sun direction vector.
Claims17
A method of estimating an orientation of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- determining, using a polarising light compass of the wind turbine, a sun polarisation value;
- determining a yaw angle of the wind turbine associated with the sun polarisation value;
- determining a sun direction vector based on the sun polarisation value and the associated yaw angle;
- and
- estimating an orientation of the wind turbine relative to a fixed direction using the sun direction vector.
A method of calibrating a yaw angle of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- determining, using a polarising light compass of the wind turbine, a sun polarisation value at a measurement time;
- determining an expected polarisation value based on an expected position of the sun at the measurement time;
- comparing the measured sun polarisation value to the expected polarisation value;
- determining a yaw angle of the wind turbine based on the comparison of the measured sun polarisation vector and expected polarisation value;
- and
- comparing the determined yaw angle to a yaw angle generated by a yaw encoder of the wind turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.