A wind turbine blade shape monitoring system

Abstract

The application provides a wind turbine blade shape monitoring system, and relates to the technical field of wind turbines. A first image capturing device is installed on the outside of a hub cover, and the shooting end of the first image capturing device faces the ground. The first image capturing device is used for collecting image information of the wind turbine from the blade root to the blade tip and image information of the blade and the tower tube during the operation of the wind turbine. A second image capturing device is installed on the outside of the hub cover and is arranged close to the root of the blade. The shooting end of the second image capturing device faces the horizontal end. The second image capturing device is used for collecting image information of the root of the blade. A third image capturing device is installed on the hub at the root of the blade, and the third image capturing device is used for collecting hub image information. The wind turbine blade shape, the hub rotating speed and the blade pitch angle parameters during the operation of the wind turbine can be obtained through image recognition, and the wind wheel load, the blade and the tower tube clearance can be monitored, so that the operation safety of the unit is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wind turbine technology, and in particular to a wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system. Background Technology

[0002] Wind power is a mature renewable energy source. Large wind turbines have complex structures and operate in harsh environments, often located in remote areas with complex terrain and challenging conditions. They are subject to adverse factors such as turbulence, wind shear, tower shadow effects, and wake effects. The turbines experience variable loads and operating conditions, resulting in high failure rates, difficult maintenance, and high costs. The generator in a wind turbine converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, and its proper operation is crucial to the turbine's power generation. Timely understanding and monitoring of the generator's operating status is essential for routine maintenance and repair, preventing and reducing unnecessary economic losses caused by the generator. Therefore, online status monitoring, fault diagnosis, and early warning for wind turbine generators are highly necessary.

[0003] To capture more wind energy, blades are often made longer and impeller diameters are made larger, which results in greater deformation of the blades during operation. Therefore, it is particularly important to monitor the blade morphology to ensure the safe operation of the unit.

[0004] Conventional blade monitoring technology uses methods such as lasers and radar, installing monitoring devices on the outer wall of the tower or below the nacelle. Because the rotor is rotating rapidly, this method cannot effectively identify the real-time changes in the blade. Moreover, if the image acquisition device is not installed in a suitable position, it is easy to make errors or misjudgments when identifying the acquired images, which in turn affects the effective monitoring of the wind turbine. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system. The system installs an image capture device in a reasonable position to collect images, meeting the requirements for monitoring the blade morphology of wind turbines and ensuring the stable operation of wind turbines.

[0006] The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system includes: a first image capture device, a second image capture device, and a third image capture device;

[0007] The first image capture device is installed on the outside of the hub cover and close to the blade root, with the imaging end of the first image capture device facing the ground; the first image capture device is used to collect image information from the blade root to the blade tip and the image information of the blade and the tower during the operation of the wind turbine generator.

[0008] The second image capture device is installed on the outside of the hub cover and is positioned close to the root of the blade; the shooting end of the second image capture device faces the horizontal end; the second image capture device acquires image information of the root of the blade;

[0009] The third image capture device is installed on the hub at the root of the blade, and is used to acquire hub image information.

[0010] It should be further noted that this also includes: a data processing terminal;

[0011] The first image capture device is communicatively connected to the data processing terminal. The data processing terminal receives the blade image information and the image information of the blade and the tower sent by the first image capture device, calculates the distance between the blade tip running at the lowest point and the tower, and identifies the deformation state of the blade based on the blade image information.

[0012] It should be further explained that the data processing terminal is connected to the second image capture device. The data processing terminal obtains the image information of the blade root, parses the blade pitch angle information, and determines whether the blade pitch angle information exceeds the preset blade pitch angle threshold when the blade is rotating.

[0013] It should be further explained that the data processing terminal is connected to the third image capture device. The data processing terminal acquires the image information of the wheel hub and analyzes the rotational speed of the wheel hub and the spatial angle of the blades.

[0014] The data processing terminal is also used to determine whether the distance between the blade tip at its lowest point and the tower exceeds a preset distance threshold.

[0015] It should be further explained that markings are made at the bottom of the nacelle and hub. When the blades are rotated to the lowest position, the third image capture device recognizes the markings and triggers the first image capture device to sample the image.

[0016] It should also be noted that this includes: monitoring servers;

[0017] The monitoring server communicates with the data processing terminal to obtain blade image information, blade and tower image information, blade pitch angle information, hub rotation speed and blade spatial angle information sent by the data processing terminal. The monitoring server stores the above information and displays it based on the control commands of the monitoring personnel.

[0018] It should be further noted that the data processing terminal includes: a wireless communication module, a user input module, a display module, a memory, an interface module, a controller, and a power supply module for providing power to the internal electronic components of the data processing terminal;

[0019] The user input module, display module, alarm module, memory, and interface module are connected to the controller. The controller communicates with the monitoring server through the wireless communication module. The controller stores the received blade image information, blade and tower image information, blade pitch angle information, hub speed, and spatial angle information of the blade in the memory. The controller displays the above information on the display module according to the control instructions of the monitoring personnel.

[0020] It should be further noted that the data processing terminal also includes: a time module;

[0021] The controller is connected to the time module. Based on a preset acquisition time period, the controller periodically controls the operation of the first image capture device, the second image capture device, and the third image capture device to collect relevant information and send it to the controller. After each preset time period, the controller uploads the information stored in its memory to the monitoring server.

[0022] It should be further noted that the data processing terminal also includes: an alarm module;

[0023] When the controller determines that any information collected by the first image capture device, the second image capture device, and the third image capture device exceeds the corresponding threshold, it issues an alarm through the alarm module and simultaneously uploads the alarm information to the monitoring server.

[0024] It should be further noted that this also includes: environmental sensors and sedimentation sensors;

[0025] The environmental sensors and settlement sensors are connected to the controller for communication. The controller obtains information on temperature, humidity, illuminance, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and rainfall in the environment where the wind turbine is located through the environmental sensors.

[0026] The controller obtains settlement information of the fixed foundation of the wind turbine generator through settlement sensors. When the settlement information exceeds the settlement threshold, an alarm is issued.

[0027] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0028] The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system of the present invention includes an image capture device that rotates with the wind turbine while remaining relatively stationary with the blade. It can acquire the blade morphology, hub speed and blade pitch angle parameters during the operation of the wind turbine through image recognition, thereby monitoring the wind turbine load, blade and tower clearance to ensure the safe operation of the unit.

[0029] This invention places a mark at the 6 o'clock position, the lowest point of the nacelle and hub. When the blade rotates to the lowest position, the third image acquisition device recognizes the mark and simultaneously triggers the first image acquisition device to sample the image. This utilizes image recognition technology to locate the aviation warning color ring at the blade tip and the outer wall of the tower, thereby estimating the distance between the blade tip and the tower, i.e., the blade-to-tower clearance, achieving clearance distance monitoring. This improves monitoring accuracy, meets the requirements for monitoring the blade morphology of wind turbine generators, and ensures the stable operation of wind turbine generators. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the blade tip clearance distance of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the blade morphology identified by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another blade morphology identified by the present invention.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another blade morphology identified by the present invention.

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system architecture provided by this invention may include a first image capture device 101, a second image capture device 102, a third image capture device 103, a data processing terminal 104, a communication network, and a monitoring server 105. The communication network is a medium used to provide a communication link between the data processing terminal 104 and the server. The network may include various connection types, including but not limited to the Internet, wide area network, metropolitan area network, local area network, and virtual private network (VPN).

[0038] It should be understood that the number of the first image capture device 101, the second image capture device 102, the third image capture device 103, the data processing terminal 104, and the monitoring server 105 shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative. Depending on the implementation requirements, there can be any number of data processing terminals 104, networks, and monitoring servers 105. For example, the monitoring server 105 can be a server cluster composed of multiple servers.

[0039] The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system can be used to analyze the operating status of wind turbine blades and hubs, analyze the changing trends of the operating status of blades and hubs, evaluate whether the operation of the wind turbine meets the requirements, and identify any risks. This plays a positive role in improving the operational stability of wind turbines.

[0040] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] The system of this invention is based on the fact that the blade 201 is a long and flexible structure, which will deform to varying degrees during operation under wind load. The greater the wind load, the more obvious the blade deformation posture. The figure shows the different deformation states of the blade under load from small to large. This invention installs an image capture device on the outside of the hub cover near the blade root. It rotates with the hub but remains stationary relative to the blade. It is used to record images of the blade, blade pitch angle, and hub speed information during the rotation of the wind turbine.

[0042] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system of the present invention includes: a first image capture device 101, a second image capture device 102, and a third image capture device 103; the first image capture device 101 is installed on the outside of the hub 203 cover and close to the root of the blade 201, with the imaging end of the first image capture device 101 facing the ground; the first image capture device 101 is used to collect image information from the blade root to the blade tip and the image information of the blade and the tower 202 during the operation of the wind turbine.

[0043] The second image capture device 102 is installed on the outside of the hub cover and is positioned close to the root of the blade; the shooting end of the second image capture device 102 faces the horizontal end; the second image capture device 102 acquires image information of the root of the blade.

[0044] The third image capture device 103 is installed on the hub at the root of the blade, and is used to acquire hub image information.

[0045] To enable information analysis and processing, the first image capture device 101 is communicatively connected to the data processing terminal 104. The data processing terminal 104 receives blade image information and image information of the blade and tower sent by the first image capture device 101, calculates the distance d between the blade tip 301 at its lowest point and the tower 202, and identifies the deformation state of the blade based on the blade image information. The data processing terminal 104 is also used to determine whether the distance between the blade tip at its lowest point and the tower exceeds a preset distance threshold.

[0046] The data processing terminal 104 is communicatively connected to the second image capture device 102. The data processing terminal 104 obtains image information from the root of the blade, parses the blade pitch angle information, and determines whether the blade pitch angle information exceeds the preset blade pitch angle threshold when the blade is rotating.

[0047] The data processing terminal 104 is communicatively connected to the third image capture device 103. The data processing terminal 104 acquires hub image information and analyzes the hub's rotational speed and the spatial angle of the blades.

[0048] The monitoring server 105 is connected to the data processing terminal 104 to obtain blade image information, blade and tower image information, blade pitch angle information, hub rotation speed and blade spatial angle information sent by the data processing terminal 104. The monitoring server 105 stores the above information and displays it based on the control commands of the monitoring personnel.

[0049] This enables the monitoring of the operating status of wind turbine generators, allowing for timely detection of any abnormalities.

[0050] Furthermore, as a refinement and extension of the specific implementation of the above embodiments, in order to fully explain the specific implementation process in this embodiment, the first image capture device 101 in the system can be a camera to acquire images or videos of the entire blade's shape from the blade root to the blade tip. In this way, monitoring personnel can intuitively see images of the blade at different angles and positions during the rotation of the wind turbine through the monitoring server 105.

[0051] The second image capture device 102 uses a blade pitch angle recognition sensor. A pitch angle scale mark is set at the root of the blade. The second image capture device 102 uses image recognition technology to obtain the position of the current blade pitch angle scale mark, thereby determining the current pitch angle opening of the blade.

[0052] The third image capture device 103 uses a hub rotation speed recognition sensor. The third image capture device 103 has a position mark on the side where the engine compartment connects to the hub. The third image capture device 103 records the number of times the hub rotates by recognizing the position mark on the engine compartment, thereby calculating the hub rotation speed.

[0053] In order to determine the image of the blade in a vertically downward position, i.e., the blade is parallel to the tower, a mark is made at the 6 o'clock position at the bottom of the nacelle and hub. When the blade rotates to the bottom position, the third image capture device 103 recognizes the mark and triggers the first image capture device 101 to perform image sampling.

[0054] The embodiment of the blade-to-tower clearance distance proposed in this invention includes, by capturing an image of a blade positioned perpendicularly downwards, using image recognition technology to locate the aviation warning color ring 301 at the blade tip and the outer wall 202 of the tower, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the distance between the blade tip and the tower is estimated, i.e., the clearance between the blade and the tower, thus realizing clearance distance monitoring.

[0055] The information from the first image capture device 101, the second image capture device 102, and the third image capture device 103 is transmitted to the data processing terminal 104. The data processing terminal 104 can obtain the operating speed and pitch angle of the wind turbine through the information from the second image capture device 102 and the third image capture device 103. Combined with the blade state captured by the first image capture device 101, the load condition of the blade can be determined.

[0056] This invention can obtain the real-time blade pitch angle. By using an image of the pitch angle at the blade root, a camera can identify the current blade pitch angle. Thus, by combining the pitch angle with hub rotation speed information, this invention can be used to determine the magnitude of the load on the blade, such as... Figure 3 The image shown depicts a blade under no load or a small load, such as... Figure 4 The image shown depicts a blade under moderate load, such as... Figure 5 The image shown illustrates a blade under significant load; in this case, the clearance between the blade tip and the tower should be considered.

[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, based on a wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system, the following will provide a possible embodiment and describe its specific implementation in a non-limiting manner.

[0058] The data processing terminal 104 includes: a wireless communication module, a user input module, an alarm module, a time module, a display module, a memory, an interface module, a controller, and a power supply module for providing power to the internal electronic components of the data processing terminal 104. However, it should be understood that it is not required to implement all the modules shown. More or fewer modules may be implemented alternatively. The data processing terminal 104 will be described in detail below.

[0059] The controller can be implemented using at least one of the following: application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), digital signal processing device (DSPD), programmable logic device (PLD), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), processor, controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, or electronic unit designed to perform the functions described herein. In some cases, such implementations can be implemented within a controller.

[0060] The user input module, display module, alarm module, memory, and interface module are connected to the controller. The controller communicates with the monitoring server 105 via a wireless communication module. The controller stores the received blade image information, blade and tower image information, blade pitch angle information, hub speed, and spatial angle information of the blade in the memory. The controller displays the above information on the display module according to the control commands of the monitoring personnel. The user input module can be an operation panel or a keyboard.

[0061] To enable the periodic acquisition of status information from wind turbine generators, a controller is connected to a time module. Based on a preset acquisition time period, the controller periodically controls the operation of the first image capture device 101, the second image capture device 102, and the third image capture device 103 to collect relevant information and send it to the controller. Every preset time period, the controller uploads the information stored in its memory to the monitoring server 105. In this way, the monitoring server 105 can periodically obtain the status information of each wind turbine generator. This eliminates the need to send the status information of each wind turbine generator to the monitoring server 105 in real time, reducing the system's data communication and processing load and improving system communication efficiency.

[0062] When the controller determines that any one of the information collected by the first image capture device 101, the second image capture device 102, and the third image capture device 103 exceeds the corresponding threshold, it issues an alarm through the alarm module and uploads the alarm information to the monitoring server 105.

[0063] In order to enable monitoring personnel to obtain on-site climate information, environmental information, and other relevant information, this invention also includes: an environmental sensor and a settlement sensor; the environmental sensor and the settlement sensor are respectively connected to the controller for communication; the controller obtains information on temperature, humidity, illuminance, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and rainfall of the environment where the wind turbine is located through the environmental sensor; the controller obtains settlement information of the fixed foundation of the wind turbine through the settlement sensor, and issues an alarm when the settlement information exceeds the settlement threshold.

[0064] Based on the above system, a monitoring device is installed on the outer side of the hub cover near the blade root. This device remains stationary relative to the blade while the hub rotates, allowing for effective tracking and monitoring of the blade deformation process. This invention utilizes image technology to acquire a true image of the blade, enabling simple and intuitive recording and monitoring of its morphology.

[0065] The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention, are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0066] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system, characterized in that, include: A first image capture device (101), a second image capture device (102), a third image capture device (103), and a data processing terminal; The first image capture device (101) is installed on the outside of the hub cover and close to the root of the blade. The shooting end of the first image capture device (101) faces the ground. The first image capture device (101) is used to collect image information from the root to the tip of the blade and the image information of the blade and the tower during the operation of the wind turbine. The second image capturing device (102) is installed on the outside of the hub cover and is set close to the root of the blade; the shooting end of the second image capturing device (102) faces the horizontal end; the second image capturing device (102) acquires image information of the root of the blade; The third image capture device (103) is installed on the hub at the root of the blade. The third image capture device (103) is used to acquire hub image information. The first image capture device (101) is connected to the data processing terminal. The data processing terminal receives the blade image information and the image information of the blade and the tower sent by the first image capture device (101), calculates the distance between the blade tip running at the lowest point and the tower, and identifies the deformation state of the blade based on the blade image information. The data processing terminal is connected to the second image capture device (102). The data processing terminal obtains the image information of the blade root, parses the blade pitch angle information, and determines whether the blade pitch angle information exceeds the preset blade pitch angle threshold when the blade is rotating. The data processing terminal is connected to the third image capture device (103) for communication. The data processing terminal acquires the hub image information and analyzes the hub rotation speed and the spatial angle of the blades. The data processing terminal is also used to determine whether the distance between the blade tip at its lowest point and the tower exceeds a preset distance threshold. Markings are made at the bottom of the nacelle and hub. When the blades are rotated to the lowest position, the third image capture device (103) recognizes the markings and triggers the first image capture device (101) to sample the image.

2. The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: monitoring servers; The monitoring server communicates with the data processing terminal to obtain blade image information, blade and tower image information, blade pitch angle information, hub rotation speed and blade spatial angle information sent by the data processing terminal. The monitoring server stores the above information and displays it based on the control commands of the monitoring personnel.

3. The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The data processing terminal includes: a wireless communication module, a user input module, a display module, a memory, an interface module, a controller, an alarm module, and a power supply module for providing power to the internal electronic components of the data processing terminal; The user input module, display module, alarm module, memory, and interface module are connected to the controller. The controller communicates with the monitoring server through the wireless communication module. The controller stores the received blade image information, blade and tower image information, blade pitch angle information, hub speed, and spatial angle information of the blade in the memory. The controller displays the above information on the display module according to the control instructions of the monitoring personnel.

4. The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The data processing terminal also includes: a time module; The controller is connected to the time module. Based on the preset acquisition time period, the controller periodically controls the operation of the first image capture device (101), the second image capture device (102) and the third image capture device (103) to collect relevant information and send it to the controller. After each preset time period, the controller uploads the information stored in the memory to the monitoring server.

5. The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the controller determines that any information collected by the first image capture device (101), the second image capture device (102), and the third image capture device (103) exceeds the corresponding threshold, it issues an alarm through the alarm module and uploads the alarm information to the monitoring server.

6. The wind turbine blade morphology monitoring system according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes: environmental sensors and sedimentation sensors; The environmental sensors and settlement sensors are connected to the controller for communication. The controller obtains information on temperature, humidity, illuminance, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and rainfall in the environment where the wind turbine is located through the environmental sensors. The controller obtains settlement information of the fixed foundation of the wind turbine generator through settlement sensors. When the settlement information exceeds the settlement threshold, an alarm is issued.

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