Collision warning system for a wind energy installation
OwnerChristoph Lucksinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a device for monitoring a wind energy installation (1) comprising a tower (2) and a rotor provided with rotor blades (5) and arranged on the tower, in terms of a possible collision of a rotor blade (5) with the tower (2). Said device comprises at least one distance sensor (7a, 7b) which is arranged on the wind energy installation (1) and used for the non-contact measurement of the distance between the rotor blades (5) and a pre-determined point on the wind energy installation (1). The device also comprises an electronic evaluation system in which the distance data measured by the at least one distance sensor (7a, 7b) is evaluated, said system emitting a collision warning in the event of a critical distance not being reached.
Claims14
A method of monitoring a wind energy installation which comprises:
- a tower;
- a gondola provided on the tower and being rotatable around a longitudinal axis of the tower;
- a rotor attached to the gondola, said rotor being provided with at least one rotor blade, and wherein the rotor is rotatable about a horizontal axis of the gondola;
- a distance sensor positioned on the gondola, wherein the distance sensor is oriented toward a point at which a distal end of the rotor blade passes through a vertical axis;
- and wherein the method of monitoring is with respect to a possible collision of the rotor blade with the tower, wherein during operation, a deflection of the rotor blade is measured by means of a contactless distance measurement taken by the distance sensor and, if the deflection exceeds a predetermined critical measurement, a collision warning is emitted, wherein the position of the sensor on the gondola is chosen such that the deflection of the rotor blade is determinable at every possible rotational position of the gondola during rotation of the gondola around the longitudinal axis of the tower.
A device for monitoring a wind energy installation, which comprises:
- a tower;
- a gondola arranged on the tower such that it is rotatable around a longitudinal axis of the tower;
- a rotor supported by the gondola, said rotor being provided with at least one rotor blade;
- at least one distance sensor arranged on the gondola and oriented toward a point at which a distal end of the rotor blade passes through a vertical axis;
- said distance sensor being configured to take a contactless measurement of the distance between the rotor blade and a predetermined point on the wind energy installation;
- and
- an electronic evaluation system operationally engaged with the wind energy installation and in which the distance data measured by the at least one distance sensor are evaluated, and which, if a predetermined minimum critical distance is not reached, emits a collision warning, and wherein the at least one distance sensor is devised and arranged such that with it, deflection can be determined at every possible rotational position of the gondola during operation as a result of rotation of the gondola around the longitudinal axis of the tower.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.