Assembly equipment and method for wind turbine yaw system

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of wind turbine processing equipment, and in particular to an assembly device and method for a wind turbine yaw system. The assembly device for the wind turbine yaw system includes: a transport device for transporting a yaw slewing bearing, a yaw chassis, and a friction disc; a machine vision system for determining the coordinates of a target position; a manipulator for grasping the yaw slewing bearing or the friction disc and capable of driving the displacement of the yaw slewing bearing or the friction disc; an installation robot for installing connectors; and a control system electrically connected to the machine vision system, the manipulator, and the installation robot, the control system being configured to control the manipulator and the installation robot based on feedback information from the machine vision system. The present invention provides an assembly device and method for a wind turbine yaw system, which can effectively improve the assembly efficiency of large wind turbines.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wind turbine processing equipment, and in particular to an assembly device and method for a wind turbine yaw system. Background Art

[0002] With the development of wind power generation technology, wind turbines are constantly developing towards high power and high hub, and the size and mass of yaw slewing bearings and friction discs are also getting larger and larger.

[0003] During the assembly of a wind turbine's yaw system, the yaw slewing bearing and friction disc must be mounted on the yaw chassis. Conventional technology requires the use of heavy lifting equipment, such as a crane, to position and place the materials, resulting in low efficiency. Furthermore, assembly of the yaw slewing bearing is a manual process, resulting in low efficiency, high risk, and difficulty ensuring accuracy.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the assembly efficiency of a wind turbine yaw system has become an important technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides an assembly device and method for a wind turbine yaw system, which can effectively improve the assembly efficiency of a high-wind-power motor.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides an assembly device for a wind turbine yaw system, comprising:

[0007] A transport device for transporting the yaw slewing bearing, the yaw chassis and the friction disc;

[0008] A machine vision system to determine the coordinates of the target location;

[0009] A manipulator, used to grab the yaw slewing bearing or the friction disc and drive the yaw slewing bearing or the friction disc to move;

[0010] Installation robot, used to install connectors;

[0011] A control system is electrically connected to the machine vision system, the manipulator and the installation robot, and the control system is used to control the manipulator and the installation robot according to feedback information from the machine vision system.

[0012] The assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention further includes:

[0013] A truss device is provided with a guide rail on the top of the truss device, and the manipulator is provided with a walking mechanism capable of moving along the guide rail.

[0014] According to the assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention, the transport device is configured as an automatically guided transport vehicle.

[0015] According to the assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention, the manipulator includes:

[0016] Bracket;

[0017] There are multiple claws, and the claws are distributed around the bracket. Each claw is slidably engaged with the bracket, and each claw can move closer to or away from the center of the bracket;

[0018] The driving mechanism is used to drive each of the clamping claws to move toward or away from the center of the bracket.

[0019] According to the assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention, the manipulator further includes a vertical drive mechanism for driving the bracket to move up and down.

[0020] According to the assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention, the installation robot is a six-axis robot.

[0021] According to the assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention, the installation robot is provided with a zinc spraying device, and the zinc spraying device is used to spray a zinc layer onto the installed connecting parts.

[0022] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system, comprising the steps of:

[0023] Transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first workstation and the yaw chassis to the second workstation;

[0024] Determining the coordinates of a position to be grasped of the yaw slewing bearing;

[0025] Controlling the manipulator to grasp the yaw slewing bearing according to the coordinates of the position to be grasped of the yaw slewing bearing;

[0026] Determining a first installation position coordinate of the yaw chassis to be installed with a yaw slewing bearing;

[0027] controlling the movement of the manipulator according to the coordinates of the first installation position to transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position;

[0028] Determining a first connection position coordinate of the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing for installing a connecting member;

[0029] According to the first connection position coordinates, the installation robot is controlled to install the connector at the first connection position, so as to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing.

[0030] According to the assembly method of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention, after controlling the movement of the manipulator according to the first installation position coordinates to transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position, the method further includes:

[0031] transporting the friction disc to the first workstation;

[0032] Determining the coordinates of the position of the friction disc to be grasped;

[0033] After controlling the installation robot to install the connector at the first connection position according to the first connection position coordinates to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing, the method further includes:

[0034] Controlling the manipulator to grasp the friction disc according to the coordinates of the position to be grasped of the friction disc;

[0035] Determining the coordinates of a second installation position of the friction disc to be installed on the yaw chassis;

[0036] According to the coordinates of the second installation position, controlling the movement of the manipulator to transport the friction disk to the second installation position;

[0037] Determining coordinates of a second connection position between the yaw chassis and the friction disc for mounting a connecting member;

[0038] According to the coordinates of the second connection position, the installation robot is controlled to install the connecting member at the second connection position to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the friction disk.

[0039] According to the assembly method of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention, after controlling the installation robot to install the connector at the first connection position, the method further includes:

[0040] Controlling the installation robot to spray a zinc layer onto the connecting piece at the first connection position;

[0041] After controlling the installation robot to install the connector at the second connection position, the method further includes:

[0042] The installation robot is controlled to spray a zinc layer onto the connecting piece at the second connection position.

[0043] The assembly equipment for the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention has a control system capable of automatically controlling a manipulator to grasp the yaw slewing bearing based on the coordinates of the position to be grasped of the yaw slewing bearing determined by a machine vision system. Furthermore, based on the coordinates of the first installation position of the yaw chassis where the yaw slewing bearing is to be installed, the manipulator is controlled to move and automatically transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position. The machine vision system then determines the coordinates of the first connection position for installing the connector between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing. Based on the coordinates of the first connection position, the control system controls the installation robot to automatically install the connector at the first connection position, thereby automatically connecting the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing. This effectively improves the assembly efficiency of the wind turbine yaw system.

[0044] The assembly method of the wind turbine yaw system provided by the present invention can also effectively improve the assembly efficiency of the wind turbine yaw system. The derivation process of this beneficial effect is generally similar to the derivation process of the beneficial effect of the above-mentioned assembly method of the wind turbine yaw system, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0046] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an assembly method of a wind turbine yaw system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an assembly device for a wind turbine yaw system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Reference numerals:

[0049] 11: Manipulator; 12: Installation robot; 13: Truss device; 14: Vertical drive mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0051] The following combination Figures 1 to 2 The following describes an assembly method and device for a wind turbine yaw system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] The assembling method of a wind turbine yaw system provided by an embodiment of the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0053] S11, transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first workstation, and transport the yaw chassis to the second workstation; in some embodiments, the yaw slewing bearing can be transported to the first workstation by an AGV (automatic guided vehicle). In order to facilitate transportation and facilitate the loading and unloading of the yaw slewing bearing by the AGV, the yaw slewing bearing can be placed on a pallet provided with multiple support legs. Before transporting the yaw slewing bearing, the AGV can walk to the position under the pallet, and then the AGV can lift the pallet through the lifting mechanism. After that, after the AGV transports the pallet to the first workstation, the lifting mechanism of the AGV descends to place the pallet on the first workstation.

[0054] S12, determining the coordinates of the position to be grasped of the yaw slewing bearing; after the yaw slewing bearing is placed at the first workstation, in some embodiments, the yaw slewing bearing can be automatically scanned by a machine vision system to identify the grasping position of the yaw slewing bearing and determine the coordinates of the position to be grasped.

[0055] S13, controlling the manipulator 11 to grasp the yaw slewing bearing according to the coordinates of the position to be grasped of the yaw slewing bearing; in some embodiments, the control system of the manipulator 11 is electrically connected to the machine vision system, and after the machine vision system obtains the coordinates of the position to be grasped, the control system of the manipulator 11 controls the movement of the manipulator 11 according to the obtained coordinates of the position to be grasped, so as to grasp the yaw slewing bearing.

[0056] S14, determining the first installation position coordinates of the yaw chassis for installing the yaw slewing bearing. In some embodiments, the yaw chassis is scanned by a machine vision system to determine the first installation position coordinates of the yaw chassis for installing the yaw slewing bearing.

[0057] S15, controlling the manipulator 11 to move according to the coordinates of the first installation position to transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position. In some embodiments, the manipulator 11 is controlled to move by a control system of the manipulator 11 to transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position.

[0058] S16, determining the first connection position coordinates of the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing for installing the connecting member; the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing are connected via the connecting member. In some embodiments, the first connection position coordinates for installing the connecting member can be determined by a machine vision system.

[0059] S17: Control the installation robot 12 to install the connector at the first connection position based on the first connection position coordinates to achieve connection between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing. In some embodiments, the installation robot 12 can automatically install the connector at the first connection position based on the first connection position coordinates.

[0060] With this arrangement, the wind turbine yaw system assembly method provided in this embodiment automatically controls the manipulator 11 to grasp the yaw slewing bearing by determining the coordinates of the position where the yaw slewing bearing is to be grasped. Furthermore, based on the coordinates of the first installation position where the yaw slewing bearing is to be installed on the yaw chassis, the manipulator 11 is controlled to move and automatically transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position. The coordinates of the first connection position for installing the connector between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing are then determined. Based on the first connection position coordinates, the installation robot 12 is controlled to automatically install the connector at the first connection position, thereby automatically connecting the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing. This effectively improves the assembly efficiency of the wind turbine yaw system.

[0061] In a further embodiment, in step S15, after controlling the manipulator 11 to move according to the first installation position coordinates and transporting the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position, the following steps are further included:

[0062] S21, transporting the friction disc to the first workstation; similarly, the friction disc can also be placed on a pallet and transported to the first workstation via an AGV.

[0063] S22, determining the coordinates of the position of the friction disc to be grasped. Similarly, in this embodiment, the position of the friction disc to be grasped can be automatically identified by a machine vision system and the coordinates of the position to be grasped can be determined.

[0064] In step S17, after controlling the installation robot 12 to install the connector at the first connection position according to the first connection position coordinates to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing, the following steps are further included:

[0065] S23, controlling the manipulator 11 to grab the friction disk according to the coordinates of the position to be grabbed of the friction disk;

[0066] S24, determining the coordinates of a second installation position of the friction disc to be installed on the yaw chassis;

[0067] S25, controlling the manipulator 11 to move according to the coordinates of the second installation position to transport the friction disk to the second installation position;

[0068] S26, determining a second connection position coordinate of the yaw chassis and the friction disc for installing the connecting member;

[0069] S27 , controlling the installation robot 12 to install the connector at the second connection position according to the coordinates of the second connection position, so as to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the friction disc.

[0070] In this way, the assembly method of the wind turbine yaw system provided by this embodiment can effectively improve the installation efficiency of the friction disk.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided an assembly device for a wind turbine yaw system, comprising a transport device, a machine vision system, a manipulator 11, an installation robot 12, and a control system.

[0072] Among them, the transport device is used to transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first workstation, and the transport device is used to transport the yaw chassis to the second workstation. In some embodiments, the transport device adopts AGV, and the AGV can realize the automatic transportation of the yaw slewing bearing. In addition, it should be noted that the AGV in this embodiment can be provided with a jacking mechanism, and the jacking mechanism can be a hydraulic cylinder. The yaw slewing bearing can be placed on a pallet provided with a plurality of support legs. Before transporting the yaw slewing bearing, the AGV can walk to the position under the pallet, and then the AGV can lift the pallet through the jacking mechanism. After that, after the AGV transports the pallet to the first workstation, the AGV's jacking mechanism descends to place the pallet on the first workstation. The specific structure and working principle of the AGV can refer to the AGV in the prior art, which will not be repeated here.

[0073] The machine vision system is used to determine the coordinates of the position at which the yaw slewing bearing is to be grasped, the coordinates of the first installation position of the yaw chassis at which the yaw slewing bearing is to be mounted, and the coordinates of the first connection position for mounting a connector between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing. The specific structure and operating principle of the machine vision system can be referenced to existing machine vision systems and will not be further described here.

[0074] Manipulator 11 is used to grasp the yaw slewing bearing and drive its displacement. In some embodiments, manipulator 11 may include a bracket, a gripper, and a drive mechanism. The bracket may be configured as a disc-shaped frame structure, with multiple grippers distributed around the bracket's center. The bracket is provided with guide rails corresponding to the grippers, and the grippers are slidably mounted on each guide rail. Guided by the guide rails, each gripper can move toward or away from the center of the bracket.

[0075] The driving mechanism is used to drive each claw to move closer to or away from the center of the support. In some embodiments, the driving mechanism can be a hydraulic cylinder, a linear motor, etc.

[0076] When the yaw slewing bearing needs to be grasped, the driving mechanism drives each claw to move simultaneously toward the center of the bracket, thereby clamping the yaw slewing bearing through the claws to achieve grasping of the yaw slewing bearing. When the yaw slewing bearing needs to be released, the driving mechanism drives each claw to slide away from the center of the bracket, causing the claws to disengage from the yaw slewing bearing.

[0077] The installation robot 12 is configured to install the connector at the first connection location. In some embodiments, the connector is a bolt, and the installation robot 12 is a six-axis robot capable of automatically grasping the bolt and tightening it at the first connection location to connect the yaw slewing bearing to the yaw chassis.

[0078] The control system is electrically connected to the machine vision system, the manipulator 11 and the installation robot 12. The control system is used to control the manipulator 11 to grasp the yaw slewing bearing according to the coordinates of the position to be grasped of the yaw slewing bearing, and is used to control the manipulator 11 to move and transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position according to the first installation position coordinates. The control system is used to control the installation robot 12 to install the connecting piece at the first connection position according to the first connection position coordinates to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing.

[0079] The working process of the assembly equipment provided in this embodiment can refer to the assembly method of the wind turbine yaw system in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0080] With such an arrangement, the assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system provided in this embodiment can realize automatic transportation of the yaw slewing bearing and automatic assembly thereof on the yaw chassis, thereby effectively improving assembly efficiency.

[0081] In a further embodiment, the transport device is further configured to transport the friction disc to the first workstation; the machine vision system is further configured to determine the coordinates of a position at which the friction disc is to be grasped, the coordinates of a second installation position of the yaw chassis at which the friction disc is to be installed, and the coordinates of a second connection position between the yaw chassis and the friction disc for installing a connecting member; the manipulator 11 is further configured to grasp the friction disc and drive the friction disc to move; and the installation robot 12 is further configured to install the connecting member at the second connection position.

[0082] The control system is also used to control the manipulator 11 to grab the friction disc according to the coordinates of the position to be grabbed of the friction disc, and is also used to control the movement of the manipulator 11 to transport the friction disc to the second installation position according to the coordinates of the second installation position, and is also used to control the installation robot 12 to install the connecting part at the second connection position according to the coordinates of the second connection position to realize the connection between the yaw chassis and the friction disc.

[0083] With such an arrangement, the assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system provided in this embodiment can automatically assemble the friction disc onto the yaw chassis after automatically assembling the yaw slewing bearing onto the yaw chassis, thereby further improving assembly efficiency.

[0084] In a further embodiment, the assembly equipment of the wind turbine yaw system further includes a truss device 13, a guide rail is provided on the top of the truss device 13, the manipulator 11 is provided with a walking mechanism capable of moving along the guide rail, and the first workstation and the second workstation are located at the lower part of the truss device 13.

[0085] In some embodiments, the guide rails may include mutually perpendicular X-guide rails and Y-guide rails, the Y-guide rails being able to slide along the X-guide rails, and the walking mechanism of the manipulator 11 being able to slide in conjunction with the Y-guide rails. With this arrangement, under the guidance of the guide rails, the manipulator 11 can be accurately guided, ensuring the operating accuracy of the manipulator 11.

[0086] In addition, the manipulator 11 also includes a vertical drive mechanism for driving the bracket up and down. In some embodiments, the vertical drive mechanism can be a hydraulic cylinder. After the manipulator 11 grasps the yaw slewing bearing or friction disc, the vertical drive mechanism drives the manipulator 11 upward to lift the yaw slewing bearing or friction disc, and then drives the manipulator 11 to move along the guide rail to a preset position.

[0087] In a further embodiment, the installation robot 12 is provided with a zinc spraying device for spraying a zinc layer onto the installed connector. In this way, after the installation robot 12 completes the installation of the connector, the zinc spraying device can spray a zinc layer onto the connector to avoid rusting.

[0088] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system, characterized in that: A wind turbine yaw system assembly device is used, the assembly device comprising: A transport device for transporting the yaw slewing bearing, the yaw chassis and the friction disc; a machine vision system for determining the coordinates of a target position and for identifying a position to be grasped, an installation position, and a connection position of the yaw slewing bearing or the friction disc; A manipulator, used to grab the yaw slewing bearing or the friction disc and drive the yaw slewing bearing or the friction disc to move; Installation robot, used to install connectors; a control system electrically connected to the machine vision system, the manipulator, and the installation robot, the control system being configured to control the manipulator and the installation robot based on feedback information from the machine vision system; It also includes: a truss device, a guide rail is provided on the top of the truss device, and the manipulator is provided with a walking mechanism capable of moving along the guide rail; The assembly method comprises the steps of: Transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first workstation and the yaw chassis to the second workstation; Determining the coordinates of a position to be grasped of the yaw slewing bearing; Controlling the manipulator to grasp the yaw slewing bearing according to the coordinates of the position to be grasped of the yaw slewing bearing; Determining a first installation position coordinate of the yaw chassis to be installed with a yaw slewing bearing; controlling the movement of the manipulator according to the coordinates of the first installation position to transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position; Determining a first connection position coordinate of the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing for installing a connecting member; According to the first connection position coordinates, the installation robot is controlled to install the connector at the first connection position to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing.

2. The method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transport device is configured as an automatically guided transport vehicle.

3. The method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The manipulator comprises: Bracket; There are multiple claws, and the claws are distributed around the bracket. Each claw is slidably engaged with the bracket, and each claw can move closer to or away from the center of the bracket; The driving mechanism is used to drive each of the clamping claws to move toward or away from the center of the bracket.

4. The method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The manipulator further includes a vertical driving mechanism for driving the bracket to move up and down.

5. The method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The installation robot is a six-axis robot.

6. The method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The installation robot is provided with a zinc spraying device, and the zinc spraying device is used to spray a zinc layer onto the installed connecting piece.

7. The method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: After controlling the movement of the manipulator according to the first installation position coordinates to transport the yaw slewing bearing to the first installation position, the method further includes: transporting the friction disc to the first workstation; Determining the coordinates of the position of the friction disc to be grasped; After controlling the installation robot to install the connector at the first connection position according to the first connection position coordinates to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the yaw slewing bearing, the method further includes: Controlling the manipulator to grasp the friction disc according to the coordinates of the position to be grasped of the friction disc; Determining the coordinates of a second installation position of the friction disc to be installed on the yaw chassis; According to the coordinates of the second installation position, controlling the movement of the manipulator to transport the friction disk to the second installation position; Determining coordinates of a second connection position between the yaw chassis and the friction disc for mounting a connecting member; According to the coordinates of the second connection position, the installation robot is controlled to install the connecting member at the second connection position to achieve the connection between the yaw chassis and the friction disk.

8. The method for assembling a wind turbine yaw system according to claim 7, characterized in that: After controlling the installation robot to install the connector at the first connection position, the method further includes: Controlling the installation robot to spray a zinc layer onto the connecting piece at the first connection position; After controlling the installation robot to install the connector at the second connection position, the method further includes: The installation robot is controlled to spray a zinc layer onto the connecting piece at the second connection position.

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