US 9,753,050 B2Granted

Wind turbine component having an optical fibre wind sensor

AssigneeVestas Wind Systems A/S

InventorsChee Kang Lim, Jia Liang Ang

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Abstract

The application relates to a wind turbine component having an optical fiber sensor arranged to detect wind speed over the surface of the component. In one embodiment, the optical fiber sensor has a light loss portion that allows some of the light transmitted through the optical fiber to escape. The amount that the optical fiber bends in the air flow across the surface causes the effective surface area of the light loss portion to increase or decrease. With increased or decreased surface area of the light loss portion, more or less light is lost from the fiber. The intensity of the light transmitted in the fiber can therefore be used as a measure of the amount of bending, and therefore as a measure of the air flow's speed. In other embodiments, the optical fiber includes optical gratings, such as Fiber Bragg Gratings.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A wind turbine component comprising:

an optical fibre extending from the wind turbine component surface into an air flow region adjacent the wind turbine component surface, that includes a first sensing portion extending from the surface of the wind turbine component, a terminating loop section connected to the first sensing portion, and a second portion connected to the terminating loop section and returning to the surface of the wind turbine component, wherein the optical fibre doubles back on itself via the terminating loop section, such that the optical fibre first and second sensing portions bend as a result of a force exerted by the air flow;
a light source for inputting a light signal into at least one end of the optical fibre, the light signal having an optical characteristic that is changed by its transmission through the optical fibre and by the amount the optical fibre is bending;
a photo detector for receiving a light signal from the sensing portion of the optical fibre;
and
a controller coupled to the photo detector to determine the wind speed from the optical characteristic of the received light signal.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/763,374Filed 15 Feb 2013
Published: US 2015/0362517 A117 Dec 2015
Granted: 5 Sep 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G01P 5/02
Measuring speed of fluids, e.g. of air stream; Measuring speed of bodies relative to fluids, e.g. of ship, of aircraft: by measuring forces…
G01D 5/268
Characterised by optical transfer means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light: using optical fibres
G01P
Measuring linear or angular speed, acceleration, deceleration, or shock
G01D
Measuring not specially adapted for a specific variable

Family

US 2015/0362517 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 Dec 2015
US 9,753,050 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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