Windmill device, windmill control device, driving method, and recording medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a windmill device, a windmill control device, a driving method, and a recording medium. The windmill device includes: a ring gear; a drive unit having a pinion gear meshing with the ring gear, the drive unit rotating the pinion gear; a brake unit generating a braking force to suppress the rotation of the ring gear; a load information acquisition unit acquiring an external load applied to the ring gear; and a control unit that, when the ring gear is transitioned from a stationary state to a rotating state, releases the braking force of the brake unit when the rotational torque generated by the drive unit on the ring gear becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a windmill device, a windmill control device, a driving method, and a recording medium recording a program for causing a computer of the windmill device to execute. Background Art

[0002] A wind turbine generator system includes a nacelle mounted on a tower that rotates according to wind direction. This wind turbine system includes a ring gear fixed to the tower and a drive unit that generates rotational force in the ring gear within the nacelle. The wind turbine system generates rotational force in the ring gear using the drive unit, causing the nacelle to rotate.

[0003] When the nacelle of the wind turbine device is to be stopped at a certain stop position, a braking force is applied to the ring gear to control the ring gear to a stationary state.

[0004] Then, when the wind turbine device attempts to rotate the nacelle, the braking force is released and the ring gear is rotated by the driving unit (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-13085).

[0005] However, since the braking force is released when the ring gear is rotated by the driving unit, when an external load acts on the ring gear due to wind torque or the like, the nacelle may rotate in a direction opposite to the turning direction.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances and provides a wind turbine device, a wind turbine control device, a driving method, and a recording medium recording a program executed by a computer of the wind turbine device that prevents the nacelle from rotating in a direction opposite to the rotation direction when the nacelle is rotated. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Solutions for solving problems

[0008] (1) One embodiment of the present invention is a windmill device comprising: a ring gear; a drive unit having a pinion meshing with the ring gear, the drive unit rotating the pinion; a brake unit generating a braking force for suppressing the rotation of the ring gear; a load information acquisition unit acquiring an external load applied to the ring gear; and a control unit releasing the braking force of the brake unit when the rotational torque generated by the drive unit for the ring gear becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit when the ring gear is transitioned from a stationary state to a rotating state.

[0009] (2) According to the windmill device of (1) above, the braking unit may have a first brake for generating a braking force on the ring gear and a second brake for generating a braking force on the driving unit, the braking force being a force obtained by adding a first braking force generated by the first brake and a second braking force generated by the second brake, and the control unit maintains the first braking force after releasing the second braking force until the rotational torque is greater than the external load.

[0010] (3) In the wind turbine device according to (1) or (2) above, the load information acquisition unit may estimate the external load based on wind direction and wind speed.

[0011] (4) In the wind turbine device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, the load information acquisition unit may acquire the external load from a sensor provided in the drive unit.

[0012] (5) According to the wind turbine device described in (3) or (4), the control unit may drive the drive unit when the external load is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value.

[0013] (6) According to the windmill device of (2) above, the first brake may generate a constant braking force, and the windmill device may include a rotation torque estimation unit, which estimates the maximum rotation torque value that the current drive unit can generate based on the operating information of the drive unit, and the control unit drives the drive unit when the maximum rotation torque value is greater than the sum of the external load and the first braking force.

[0014] (7) One embodiment of the present invention is a control device for a windmill, comprising: a drive unit having a pinion meshing with a ring gear provided on the windmill, the drive unit causing the pinion to rotate; a load information acquisition unit for acquiring an external load applied to the ring gear; and a control unit for releasing the braking force of a brake unit when the rotational torque generated by the drive unit for the ring gear becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit when the ring gear is changed from a stationary state to a rotating state.

[0015] (8) One embodiment of the present invention is a driving method performed by a windmill device, comprising the following steps: generating a braking force for suppressing the rotation of a ring gear meshing with a pinion gear; obtaining an external load applied to the ring gear; and releasing the braking force when the rotational torque generated by a driving unit for rotating the pinion gear for the ring gear becomes greater than the external load when the ring gear is changed from a stationary state to a rotating state.

[0016] (9) One embodiment of the present invention is a recording medium recording a program for causing a computer of a windmill device to execute the following steps: generating a braking force for suppressing the rotation of a ring gear meshing with a pinion gear; obtaining an external load applied to the ring gear; and releasing the braking force when the rotational torque generated by a drive unit for rotating the pinion gear for the ring gear becomes greater than the external load when the ring gear is changed from a stationary state to a rotating state.

[0017] Effects of the Invention

[0018] As described above, according to one or more aspects of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the nacelle from rotating in the direction opposite to the turning direction when the nacelle is turned. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the wind turbine device according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a drive device unit according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the operation of the wind turbine device when the nacelle starts turning in the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a timing chart of the operation of the wind turbine device when the nacelle starts turning in the first embodiment.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a drive device unit included in a wind turbine device according to the second embodiment.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the operation of the wind turbine device when the nacelle starts turning in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Hereinafter, a wind turbine device, a wind turbine control device, a driving method, and a program executed by a computer of the wind turbine device according to the present embodiment will be described using the drawings.

[0026] <First embodiment>

[0027] Figure 1 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the wind turbine device 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 1As shown, wind turbine 1 includes, for example, a nacelle 10, a tower 20, blades 30, and a hub 40. Wind turbine 1 transmits power generated by the rotation of blades 30 from hub 40 to a generator (not shown) within nacelle 10, where the generator converts the power into electricity. Thus, wind turbine 1 generates wind power.

[0028] The nacelle 10 is rotatably mounted on the upper portion of the tower 20. The blades 30 are mounted to the nacelle 10 via a hub 40. The nacelle 10 is driven to rotate in order to adjust the orientation of the blades 30 and the hub 40 in the yaw direction. The wind turbine 1 includes a drive unit 100 that rotates the nacelle 10 in the yaw direction. The drive unit 100 is an example of a wind turbine control device.

[0029] The tower 20 is installed on the ground or on the sea, for example. The tower 20 has a shape extending vertically upward from the ground or the sea, for example.

[0030] The blades 30 are wings that receive wind power and generate rotational force. Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the wind turbine device 1 includes three blades 30 , but the number is not particularly limited.

[0031] The hub 40 is mounted on the nacelle 10, and a plurality of blades 30 are mounted on the hub 40. The hub 40 transmits power generated by wind power received by the blades 30 to the rotating shaft. The hub transmits the power based on the wind power to the nacelle 10 via the rotating shaft.

[0032] A pitch drive mechanism is built into the hub 40. This pitch drive mechanism generates a pitch drive force for rotating each blade 30 in the pitch direction. The drive mechanism that generates the pitch drive force is provided for each blade 30. The pitch drive mechanism controls the angle of each blade 30 by rotating each blade 30 in the pitch direction according to the wind speed.

[0033] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a drive device unit 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0034] The driving device unit 100 includes, for example, a ring gear 110, a driving unit 120, a first brake 130, a second brake 140, a wind sensor 150, and a control device 160. Here, either or both of the first brake 130 and the second brake 140 are examples of a "braking unit."

[0035] The ring gear 110 is disposed on the upper portion of the tower 20. The ring gear 110 is a gear for driving the nacelle 10 to rotate in the yaw direction.

[0036] The drive unit 120 is built into the nacelle 10. The drive unit 120 generates a rotational torque for the ring gear 110 to rotate the nacelle 10. The drive unit 100 may include a plurality of drive units 120. The drive unit 120 is fixed to the nacelle 10 by, for example, N bolts.

[0037] The driving unit 120 includes, for example, a motor 200 , a speed reducer 210 , an output shaft 220 , and a pinion gear 230 .

[0038] The motor 200 generates a driving force for the output shaft 220 with the longitudinal direction of the output shaft 220 as the rotation axis based on the voltage supplied from the control device 160 .

[0039] The speed reducer 210 determines the rotation speed of the output shaft 220 using the gears included in the speed reducer 210 .

[0040] The output shaft 220 is driven by the motor 200 to rotate at a rotational speed reduced by the speed reducer 210. The output shaft 220 is driven by the motor 200 to rotate at a predetermined torque (shaft torque).

[0041] Pinion gear 230 is provided at the end of output shaft 220 so as to mesh with ring gear 110. Pinion gear 230 rotates while meshing with ring gear 110 in response to the rotation of output shaft 220. This imparts a rotational force to ring gear 110. When this rotational force becomes greater than the external load applied to ring gear 110, nacelle 10 rotates in the yaw direction relative to tower 20. Here, the external load applied to the ring gear refers to the load on ring gear 110 caused by external factors such as torque generated by wind.

[0042] The first brake 130 generates a braking force (hereinafter referred to as "first braking force") on the ring gear 110. For example, the first brake 130 generates a constant first braking force on the ring gear 110. Figure 2 In the example shown, the first brake 130 is a hydraulic brake, but it may also be a mechanical brake or other brake. The first brake 130 generates a first braking force in response to a control signal from the control device 160. For example, the first brake 130 includes a hydraulic brake driver 131 and a friction body 132. The hydraulic brake driver 131 moves the friction body 132 along the direction of the brake in response to a control signal from the control device 160. Figure 1 The hydraulic brake driving unit 131 generates a first braking force on the ring gear 110 by pressing the friction body 132 against the ring gear 110 .

[0043] Second brake 140 is, for example, built into nacelle 10. Second brake 140 generates a braking force (hereinafter referred to as "second braking force") on drive unit 120. For example, second brake 140 is an electromagnetic brake that generates the second braking force on output shaft 220. Second brake 140 generates the second braking force based on a control signal from control device 160.

[0044] Wind sensor 150 is provided, for example, on the upper surface of nacelle 10. Wind sensor 150 detects wind speed and wind direction, and outputs the detection results to control device 160. Wind sensor 150 may also be composed of a wind speed sensor and a wind direction sensor.

[0045] The control device 160 is, for example, built into the nacelle 10. The control device 160 includes, for example, a yaw control command unit 300, a load information acquisition unit 310, and a control unit 320. These components are implemented by a hardware processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be implemented using hardware (circuitry; including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or through a combination of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored on a storage device (including a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory, or stored on a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM and installed in the storage device by attaching the storage medium to a drive. The storage device is constituted by, for example, an HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0046] The yaw control command unit 300 calculates a wind direction deviation based on the wind direction detected by the wind sensor 150. Based on the calculated wind direction deviation, the yaw control command unit 300 outputs a turning command to the control unit 320 for turning the nacelle 10. The wind direction deviation refers to the angular difference between the wind direction detected by the wind sensor 150 and the surface of the blade 30.

[0047] The load information acquisition unit 310 acquires the external load applied to the ring gear 110. Here, acquisition of the external load applied to the ring gear 110 also includes estimating the external load. For example, the load information acquisition unit 310 estimates the external load based on the wind direction and wind speed detected by the wind sensor 150. However, this is not limited to this, and the load information acquisition unit 310 may also acquire the external load from a sensor (hereinafter referred to as a "load sensor") provided in the drive unit 120. For example, the load sensor is a deformation sensor that outputs a signal corresponding to the deformation caused by tightening the bolt. However, the load sensor is not limited to this, and may be any sensor that can directly or indirectly detect the above-mentioned external load.

[0048] The control unit 320 transitions the ring gear 110 from a stationary state to a rotating state upon receiving a slewing command from the yaw control command unit 300. When transitioning the ring gear 110 from a stationary state to a rotating state, the control unit 320 releases the braking force of the brake unit when the rotational torque generated by the drive unit 120 on the ring gear 110 becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310.

[0049] Here, the braking force of the braking unit can be either the first braking force, the second braking force, or the force obtained by adding the first braking force and the second braking force. In this embodiment, the case where the braking force of the braking unit is the force obtained by adding the first braking force and the second braking force is described. In addition, releasing the braking force of the braking unit refers to releasing both or one of the first braking force and the second braking force. When releasing both the first braking force and the second braking force, the timing of releasing the first braking force and the timing of releasing the second braking force can be either simultaneous or different.

[0050] For example, when the control unit 320 causes the ring gear 110 to transition from a stationary state to a rotating state, the control unit 320 may first release the second braking force and then release the first braking force when the external load becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310. In other words, after releasing the second braking force, the control unit 320 may maintain the first braking force until the rotational torque becomes greater than the external load.

[0051] Next, use Figure 3 The flow of the operation of the wind turbine device 1 when the nacelle 10 is turned from a state where the turning of the nacelle 10 is stopped will be described. Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the operation of the wind turbine device 1 when the nacelle 10 starts turning in the first embodiment.

[0052] The nacelle 10's slewing stop state refers to a state in which the ring gear 110 is stationary due to the braking force of the brake unit (hereinafter referred to as the "stationary state"). In this state, when a slewing command is generated by the yaw control command unit 300 (step S101), the control device 160 executes a process to transition the ring gear 110 from the stationary state to the rotating state.

[0053] For example, when a swing command is generated, the control unit 320 applies a voltage to the motor 200 of the drive unit 120, thereby generating a rotational torque on the ring gear 110 (step S102). While generating the rotational torque, the external load caused by external factors such as wind torque may sometimes be greater than the rotational torque. However, even in such cases, the braking force of the brake unit is continuously applied to the ring gear 110, thereby preventing the nacelle 10 from rotating in a direction opposite to the swing direction.

[0054] The load information acquisition unit 310 acquires the external load applied to the ring gear 110 at a fixed period (step S103). Figure 3 In the illustrated example, the load information acquisition unit 310 starts acquiring the external load after step S102 , but may start before step S102 .

[0055] The control unit 320 gradually increases the voltage applied to the motor 200 to increase the rotational torque. The control unit 320 then determines whether the rotational torque generated by the drive unit 120 on the ring gear 110 is greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310 (step S104). If the control unit 320 determines that the rotational torque is less than the external load, the process proceeds to step S103, for example.

[0056] On the other hand, if the control unit 320 determines that the rotational torque is greater than the external load, it releases the braking force of the brake unit (step S105). Thus, when the braking force of the brake unit is released, the rotational torque is greater than the external load, thereby preventing the nacelle 10 from rotating in the direction opposite to the swing direction.

[0057] In this manner, the wind turbine device 1 can prevent the nacelle 10 from rotating in the direction opposite to the turning direction when the nacelle 10 starts turning.

[0058] Figure 4 This is a timing chart of the operation of the wind turbine device 1 when the nacelle 10 starts to rotate in the first embodiment. Figure 4, an example of a case where the timing of releasing the first braking force is different from the timing of releasing the second braking force is shown.

[0059] At time t1, the wind turbine device 1 stops the rotation of the nacelle 10 by generating a braking force on the ring gear 110. The braking force is a sum of the first braking force Thb generated by the first brake and the second braking force Tb generated by the second brake. Figure 4 In the example shown, a moment due to wind in a direction opposite to the swirl direction is generated, and since the first braking force Thb is less than the external load TL, a torque Tp is applied to the output shaft 220 .

[0060] When the control unit 320 causes the ring gear 110 to transition from a stationary state to a rotating state after time t1, it first controls the second brake 140 at time t2 to release the second braking force. When the second braking force is released, the torsion of the output shaft 220 is released, and the torque Tp of the output shaft 220 becomes zero or a value close to zero.

[0061] At time t3, after the second braking force is released, the control unit 320 applies a voltage to the motor 200 to generate a rotational torque. The control unit 320 gradually increases the rotational torque while maintaining the first braking force until the rotational torque exceeds the external load obtained by the load information acquisition unit 310. The control unit 320 releases the first braking force at time t4, when the rotational torque exceeds the external load obtained by the load information acquisition unit 310.

[0062] Here, between time t3 and time t4, if the relationship of rotational torque ≥ external load - first braking force is maintained, the nacelle 10 will not rotate in the direction opposite to the slewing direction. Furthermore, when the first braking force is released, the relationship of rotational torque (Tr) > external load (TL) holds, so the nacelle 10 will not rotate in the direction opposite to the slewing direction after time t4.

[0063] In addition, Figure 4 In the example shown, the second braking force is released while the first braking force is still being generated before generating a rotational torque. This is to prevent the ring gear 110 from suddenly rotating in the direction opposite to the swiveling direction due to torque corresponding to the torsion of the output shaft 220 if the second braking force is released after generating a rotational force while the first braking force is released.

[0064] As described above, the wind turbine device 1 according to the first embodiment includes the ring gear 110, the drive unit 120, a braking unit (e.g., the first brake 130 and the second brake 140), the load information acquisition unit 310, and the control unit 320. The ring gear 110 is fixed to the tower 20 of the wind turbine device 1. The drive unit 120 includes a pinion gear that meshes with the ring gear 110. The drive unit 120 rotates the pinion gear 230.

[0065] The braking unit generates a braking force to suppress the rotation of the ring gear 110. The load information acquisition unit 310 acquires the external load applied to the ring gear 110. When the control unit 320 transitions the ring gear 110 from a stationary state to a rotating state, if the rotational torque generated by the drive unit 120 on the ring gear 110 becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310, the control unit releases the braking force.

[0066] With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the nacelle 10 from rotating in a direction opposite to the turning direction when the nacelle 10 is turned.

[0067] In the first embodiment, the braking unit may include a first brake 130 that generates a braking force on the ring gear 110 and a second brake 140 that generates a braking force on the drive unit 120. The braking force of the braking unit may be a sum of a first braking force generated by the first brake 130 and a second braking force generated by the second brake 140.

[0068] In this case, the controller 320 may maintain the first braking force after releasing the second braking force until the estimated rotational torque exceeds the external load. This releases the torsion of the output shaft 220 before rotating the motor 200, thereby more reliably preventing the nacelle 10 from rotating in the direction opposite to the swing direction.

[0069] In the first embodiment, the load information acquisition unit 310 may estimate the external load applied to the ring gear 110 based on the wind direction and wind speed. Thus, the wind turbine device 1 can acquire the external load without having a dedicated sensor for estimating the external load.

[0070] In the first embodiment, the load information acquisition unit 310 may acquire the external load applied to the ring gear 110 from a sensor provided in the drive unit 120. In this way, the wind turbine device 1 can acquire accurate external load.

[0071] In the first embodiment, the control unit 320 may also drive the drive unit 120 when the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined threshold value is set to a value that can be considered as no external load being applied. Thus, the wind turbine device 1 can drive the drive unit 120 after confirming that no external load is being applied.

[0072] <Second embodiment>

[0073] Next, a wind turbine device 1A according to a second embodiment will be described. In the following description, parts having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment are given the same names and symbols, and detailed descriptions of the functions are omitted.

[0074] Figure 5 1A is a diagram showing a configuration example of a drive unit 100A included in a wind turbine apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment. Figure 1 The wind turbine apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a rotation torque estimation unit 400 , and the description will focus on this difference.

[0075] like Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a drive unit 100A according to Embodiment 2. The drive unit 100A includes, for example, a ring gear 110, a drive unit 120, a first brake 130, a second brake 140, a wind sensor 150, and a control device 160A.

[0076] Control device 160A is, for example, built into nacelle 10. Control device 160A includes, for example, yaw control command unit 300, load information acquisition unit 310, rotation torque estimation unit 400, and control unit 320A. These components are implemented by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software).

[0077] Furthermore, part or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (circuit portion; including circuit system (circuitry)) such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU, or the like, or may be implemented by the collaboration of software and hardware.

[0078] The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transitory storage medium) and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive. The storage device may be composed of, for example, an HDD, flash memory, EEPROM, ROM, or RAM.

[0079] The rotation torque estimation unit 400 estimates the maximum rotation torque (hereinafter referred to as “maximum rotation torque”) that the current drive unit 120 can generate based on the operation information of the drive unit 120 .

[0080] The control unit 320A drives the driving unit 120 when the maximum rotational torque estimated by the rotational torque estimation unit 400 is greater than the sum of the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310 and the first braking force, which is a constant braking force, generated by the first brake 130 .

[0081] For example, after the second brake is released, when the estimated maximum rotational torque is greater than the sum of the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310 and the first braking force generated by the first brake 130 , the control unit 320A drives the motor 200 to generate the maximum rotational torque.

[0082] This allows the ring gear 110 to be switched to a rotating state while maintaining the first braking force. Therefore, the wind turbine apparatus 1A can prevent the nacelle 10 from rotating in a direction opposite to the turning direction when the nacelle 10 is turned.

[0083] Next, use Figure 6 The flow of the operation of the wind turbine apparatus 1A when the nacelle 10 is turned from the state where the turning of the nacelle 10 is stopped in the second embodiment will be described. Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the operation of the wind turbine apparatus 1A when the nacelle 10 starts turning in the second embodiment.

[0084] When a yaw control command unit 300 generates a yaw command while the nacelle 10 is stopped (step S201), the control device 160A executes a process to transition the ring gear 110 from a stationary state to a rotating state. For example, when a yaw command is generated, the control unit 320A controls the second brake 140 to release the second braking force (step S202).

[0085] When the second braking force is released by the control unit 320A, the load information acquisition unit 310 acquires the external load applied to the ring gear 110 at a fixed period (step S203). Figure 6 In the illustrated example, the load information acquisition unit 310 starts acquiring the external load after step S202 , but may start before step S202 .

[0086] The rotation torque estimation unit 400 estimates the maximum rotation torque that the current drive unit 120 can generate based on the operation information of the drive unit 120 (step S204). Figure 6In the example shown, the timing at which the rotation torque estimation unit 400 estimates the maximum rotation torque is after step S203 , but it may be simultaneously with step S203 or before step S203 .

[0087] After releasing the second braking force, the control unit 320A determines whether the maximum rotational torque estimated by the rotational torque estimation unit 400 is greater than the sum of the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310 and the first braking force that generates the constant braking force (step S205). If the control unit 320A determines that the estimated maximum rotational torque is greater than the sum, it drives the motor 200 to generate the maximum rotational torque (step S206).

[0088] On the other hand, if the estimated maximum rotational torque is less than the above-mentioned total value, the control unit 320A proceeds to step S203. Alternatively, after step S206, if the maximum rotational torque becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310, the control unit 320A may release the first braking force.

[0089] As described above, the wind turbine apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment further includes a rotational torque estimation unit 400, as compared to the first embodiment. The first brake 130 in the wind turbine apparatus 1A generates a constant braking force. The rotational torque estimation unit 400 estimates the current maximum rotational torque that the drive unit 120 can generate based on the operating information of the drive unit 120. If the estimated maximum rotational torque is greater than the sum of the external load and the first braking force, the control unit 320A drives the drive unit 120.

[0090] This configuration allows the ring gear 110 to be rotated while maintaining the first braking force. This prevents the nacelle 10 from rotating in a direction opposite to the rotation direction when the nacelle 10 is turned. Furthermore, by starting to drive the drive unit 120 when the maximum rotational torque is determined to be greater than the sum of the external load and the first braking force, the generation of unnecessary first braking force and rotational force can be suppressed, thereby reducing degradation of the first brake 130 and motor 200.

[0091] According to at least one embodiment described above, when the ring gear 110 is transitioned from a stationary state to a rotating state, the braking force of the braking unit is released when the rotational torque generated by the driving unit 120 on the ring gear 110 becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit 310. This prevents the nacelle 10 from rotating in a direction opposite to the rotation direction when the nacelle 10 is being rotated.

[0092] Alternatively, a program for implementing the functions of the control devices 160 and 160A according to the above-described embodiments may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and processing may be performed by causing a computer system to read and execute the program recorded on the recording medium. Furthermore, the "computer system" referred to herein may be an operating system (OS) or a system including hardware such as peripheral devices.

[0093] The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a storage device such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a writable nonvolatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, a removable medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a hard disk built into a computer system.

[0094] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" also includes a volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) within a computer system that stores programs for a certain period of time, and the computer system is an information processing device or client that sends programs via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line.

[0095] Furthermore, the above-mentioned program can also be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or a carrier wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" for transmitting the program refers to a medium having the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.

[0096] In addition, the above program may be a program for realizing a part of the above functions. Furthermore, the above program may be a program that can be combined with a program already recorded in the computer system to realize the above functions, a so-called differential file (differential program).

[0097] While the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiment and includes design changes within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0098] Description of Reference Numerals

[0099] 1. 1A: Wind turbine device; 10: Nacelle; 20: Tower; 30: Blades; 40: Hub; 100, 100A: Drive unit; 110: Ring gear; 120, 120A: Drive unit; 130: First brake; 140: Second brake; 150: Wind sensor; 160, 160A: Control unit; 300: Yaw control command unit; 310: Load information acquisition unit; 320, 320A: Control unit; 400: Rotational torque estimation unit.

Claims

1. A windmill device comprising: A ring gear that drives the nacelle in rotation to adjust the orientation of the blades and hub in the yaw direction; a driving portion having a pinion gear meshing with the ring gear, the driving portion rotating the pinion gear; a braking portion that generates a braking force for suppressing rotation of the ring gear; a load information acquiring unit configured to acquire an external load applied to the ring gear; as well as The control unit releases the braking force of the braking unit when the rotational torque generated by the driving unit on the ring gear becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit when the ring gear is shifted from a stationary state to a rotating state.

2. The windmill device according to claim 1, wherein: The braking unit includes a first brake for generating a braking force on the ring gear and a second brake for generating a braking force on the driving unit. The braking force is a force obtained by adding a first braking force generated by the first brake and a second braking force generated by the second brake. After releasing the second braking force, the control unit maintains the first braking force until the rotational torque becomes greater than the external load.

3. The windmill device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The load information acquisition unit estimates the external load based on wind direction and wind speed.

4. The windmill device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The load information acquisition unit acquires the external load from a sensor provided on the driving unit.

5. The windmill device according to claim 3, wherein: The control unit drives the driving unit when the external load is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

6. The windmill device according to claim 4, wherein: The control unit drives the driving unit when the external load is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

7. The windmill device according to claim 2, wherein: The first brake generates a constant braking force, The wind turbine device includes a rotation torque estimation unit that estimates a maximum rotation torque that can be generated by the current drive unit based on operation information of the drive unit. The control unit drives the drive unit when the maximum rotational torque is greater than the sum of the external load and the first braking force.

8. A windmill control device comprising: a drive unit having a pinion gear meshing with a ring gear, the ring gear driving the nacelle to rotate in order to adjust the orientation of the blades and the hub in a yaw direction, the drive unit rotating the pinion gear; a load information acquiring unit configured to acquire an external load applied to the ring gear; as well as The control unit releases the braking force of the braking unit when the rotational torque generated by the driving unit on the ring gear becomes greater than the external load acquired by the load information acquisition unit when the ring gear is shifted from a stationary state to a rotating state.

9. A driving method, performed by a windmill device, comprising the following steps: generating a braking force for suppressing rotation of a ring gear that meshes with the pinion gear and drives the nacelle to rotate in order to adjust the orientation of the blades and the hub in the yaw direction; obtaining an external load applied to the ring gear; as well as When the ring gear is shifted from a stationary state to a rotating state, the braking force is released when a rotational torque generated on the ring gear by a driving unit for rotating the pinion gear becomes greater than the external load.

10. A recording medium recording a program for causing a computer of a wind turbine device to execute the following steps: generating a braking force for suppressing rotation of a ring gear that meshes with the pinion gear and drives the nacelle to rotate in order to adjust the orientation of the blades and the hub in the yaw direction; obtaining an external load applied to the ring gear; as well as When the ring gear is shifted from a stationary state to a rotating state, the braking force is released when a rotational torque generated on the ring gear by a driving unit for rotating the pinion gear becomes greater than the external load.

11. A computer program product comprising a program for causing a computer of a windmill device to execute the following steps: generating a braking force for suppressing rotation of a ring gear that meshes with the pinion gear and drives the nacelle to rotate in order to adjust the orientation of the blades and the hub in the yaw direction; obtaining an external load applied to the ring gear; as well as When the ring gear is shifted from a stationary state to a rotating state, the braking force is released when a rotational torque generated on the ring gear by a driving unit for rotating the pinion gear becomes greater than the external load.

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