Inspection equipment and inspection system for blades of wind turbine generator

Abstract

The invention provides inspection equipment and an inspection system for blades of a wind turbine generator. The inspection equipment comprises a first driving unit, a second driving unit and an image acquisition unit, the first driving unit and the second driving unit are arranged in the to-be-detected blade, the first driving unit and the second driving unit are both connected with the image acquisition unit, the first driving unit is used for driving the image acquisition unit to move in the first direction, and the second driving unit is used for driving the image acquisition unit to move in the second direction; the image acquisition unit is used for acquiring the image data of the to-be-detected blade, the image data is used for determining the detection result of the to-be-detected blade, the to-be-detected blade is detected through the inspection equipment arranged in the to-be-detected blade, in the daily maintenance process of the wind turbine generator, special boarding detection by workers is not needed, and the maintenance efficiency is improved. And manpower and material resources are saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of wind power, and in particular to an inspection device and system for wind turbine blades. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of a sustainable energy economy, wind power technology has also developed rapidly due to its low-carbon, environmentally friendly, and economically sustainable characteristics. Currently, wind power generation is mainly onshore, while the deployment and development of offshore wind power are being accelerated.

[0003] While wind power technology has developed, it has also brought many challenges. For wind turbines, due to the structure, materials, loads, and harsh operating conditions of their blades, it is necessary to monitor blade damage during operation to avoid safety hazards. However, current methods for monitoring blade damage all require shutting down the wind turbine and having personnel board the turbine for inspection, increasing the cost of blade damage monitoring. Furthermore, there are often narrow areas inside the blades, such as the leading edge, trailing edge, and web seams, which are difficult for personnel to inspect without auxiliary equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that the existing technology has the drawbacks of increasing the cost of blade damage monitoring by having staff board the aircraft to inspect the blades to be inspected, and making it difficult to obtain inspection results in narrow areas without auxiliary equipment. The present invention provides a blade inspection device and inspection system for wind turbines.

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution:

[0006] In one aspect, this disclosure provides an inspection device, including a first drive unit, a second drive unit, and an image acquisition unit;

[0007] The first driving unit and the second driving unit are disposed inside the blade to be detected. Both the first driving unit and the second driving unit are connected to the image acquisition unit. The first driving unit is used to drive the image acquisition unit to move along the first direction, and the second driving unit is used to drive the image acquisition unit to move along the second direction.

[0008] The image acquisition unit is used to acquire image data of the leaf to be inspected, and the image data is used to determine the inspection result of the leaf to be inspected.

[0009] Optionally, the first drive unit includes a slide rail and a pulley, and the second drive unit includes a winch, with the winch cable passing around the pulley and connected to the image acquisition unit;

[0010] The slide rail is arranged along the first direction, and the pulley drives the image acquisition unit to move along the first direction by sliding along the slide rail;

[0011] The winch extends and retracts along the second direction via a control cable, thereby driving the image acquisition unit to move along the second direction.

[0012] Optionally, one end of the slide rail is hinged to the blade to be tested, and the other end of the slide rail is movably mounted to a limiting block fixed inside the blade to be tested through a through hole.

[0013] Optionally, the winch cable is made of carbon fiber;

[0014] Optionally, the winch motor is a servo motor with a holding brake function;

[0015] Optionally, an electromagnetic lock is also provided on the pulley, which is used to lock the position of the image acquisition unit.

[0016] Optionally, a support frame is also provided around the image acquisition unit, and both the first drive unit and the second drive unit are connected to the support frame.

[0017] Optionally, the support frame is provided with a plurality of rollers, including at least a roller facing a first direction and a roller facing a second direction;

[0018] Optionally, the maximum outer dimension of the support frame along a cross section orthogonal to the first direction is smaller than the minimum channel dimension of the blade to be tested;

[0019] And / or, the maximum outer dimension of the support frame along a section orthogonal to the second direction is smaller than the minimum channel dimension of the blade to be tested;

[0020] Optionally, the maximum outer dimension of the image acquisition unit along a cross section orthogonal to the first direction is smaller than the minimum channel dimension of the blade to be detected;

[0021] Optionally, the maximum outer dimension of the image acquisition unit along a cross section orthogonal to the second direction is smaller than the minimum channel dimension of the blade to be detected;

[0022] Optionally, the total weight of the support frame and the image acquisition unit is positively correlated with the weight that the blade to be inspected can withstand.

[0023] Optionally, the first drive unit and the second drive unit are disposed on the blade root baffle inside the blade to be tested;

[0024] Optionally, the inspection equipment may also include a controller;

[0025] The controller is electrically connected to the image acquisition unit, the first drive unit, and the second drive unit respectively. The controller is used to control any one or more of the image acquisition unit, the first drive unit, and the second drive unit according to instructions.

[0026] Secondly, this disclosure provides an inspection system, which includes inspection equipment as described in any of the first aspects.

[0027] Optionally, the inspection system may also include a server;

[0028] The server communicates with the image acquisition unit in the inspection equipment. The server is loaded with a detection model, which is used to output the detection results of the blades based on the image data.

[0029] Thirdly, this disclosure provides a wind turbine blade, wherein the wind turbine blade is equipped with an inspection device as described in any of the first aspects.

[0030] The positive and progressive effects of this disclosure are as follows:

[0031] This disclosure utilizes an inspection device installed inside the blade to inspect it. During routine maintenance of wind turbines, this eliminates the need for personnel to board the machine for inspection, saving manpower and resources. Simultaneously, by driving the image acquisition unit to move in both a first and second direction, comprehensive inspection and monitoring of the blade's interior is achieved. The inspection device allows the image acquisition unit to penetrate deep into the area to acquire images, enabling inspection and monitoring of the blade's interior. This reduces the physical limitations imposed by the blade's interior space on monitoring, ensuring effective internal monitoring and improving the operational safety of the wind turbine.

[0032] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a module for an inspection device provided as an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an inspection device provided as an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an inspection device after flexible deformation of the blade root baffle, provided as an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0036] Figure 4a A front view of a support frame provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0037] Figure 4bA side view of a support frame provided for an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 4c A top view of a support frame provided for an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 5a A front view of the blade to be tested provided for an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 5b A side view of the blade to be tested provided for an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0041] Figure 6a A schematic diagram of conventional annotation for an image data sample provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0042] Figure 6b A schematic diagram illustrating multi-size and multi-angle annotation of image data samples provided as an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a patrol system provided as an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0045] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this disclosure 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 the embodiments of this disclosure 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; for example, a process, method, system, product, or server that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0046] The following describes an inspection device 10 provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The inspection device 10 is usually installed inside the blade 20 to be inspected and is used to detect damage to the blade 20. The blade 20 to be inspected can be a blade of a wind turbine, or a blade of other large equipment, or other components that need to be monitored internally. In this embodiment, no special limitation is made. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a module of an inspection device 10 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the inspection device 10 includes a first driving unit 11, a second driving unit 12 and an image acquisition unit 13.

[0047] The first driving unit 11 and the second driving unit 12 are disposed within the blade 20 to be inspected. Both the first driving unit 11 and the second driving unit 12 are connected to the image acquisition unit 13. The first driving unit 11 is used to drive the image acquisition unit 13 to move along a first direction, and the second driving unit 12 is used to drive the image acquisition unit 13 to move along a second direction. The image acquisition unit 13 is used to acquire image data of the blade 20 to be inspected, and the image data is used to determine the inspection result of the blade 20.

[0048] Specifically, the first driving unit 11 and the second driving unit 12 can be disposed in the root region of the blade to be detected, for example... Figure 2 The blade root baffle 21 inside the blade 20 to be tested is shown. In fact, the positions of the first drive unit 11 and the second drive unit 12 are not limited to this, and can be set according to the actual situation, such as being set in the tip area or middle section inside the blade.

[0049] For example, the first direction is generally along the chord direction of the blade to be inspected, and the second direction is generally along the span direction of the blade to be inspected. Alternatively, the first direction can be along the span direction of the blade to be inspected, and the second direction can be along the chord direction of the blade to be inspected. The chord direction and the span direction can be perpendicular to each other or at a set angle. The setting of the set angle can generally be determined during the design process of the blade to be inspected, and is not particularly limited in this embodiment. By setting the two directions, the moving range of the image acquisition unit 13 is matched with the shape of the blade to be inspected. By controlling the movement of the image acquisition unit 13 in the above two directions, the image acquisition unit 13 can traverse all areas inside the blade to be inspected as much as possible, or the image acquisition unit 13 can acquire image data of all areas inside the blade. For example, driven by the first driving unit 11 and the second driving unit 12, the image acquisition device 13 passes through at least the leading edge, trailing edge, and web gap of the blade, realizing omnidirectional detection of the blade to be inspected 20. In addition, the setting of the first direction and the second direction in this embodiment is not limited to the above example, and can be set according to the actual situation.

[0050] In addition, the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 13 can be identified by setting the corresponding controller or the server 30 of the peripheral device to obtain the detection result of the blade 20 to be detected.

[0051] In this embodiment, the inspection device 10 installed inside the blade 20 to be inspected performs the inspection. During routine maintenance of the wind turbine, there is no need for staff to board the machine for inspection, saving manpower and material resources. At the same time, by driving the image acquisition unit 13 to move in the first and second directions, a full-range inspection of the blade 20 can be achieved. There are usually some narrow areas inside the blade, such as the leading edge 22, trailing edge 23, and the gap between the web 24. Under normal circumstances, it is difficult for staff to obtain inspection results in these areas without auxiliary equipment. However, the inspection device 10 set in this embodiment can control the image acquisition unit 13 to penetrate into these areas for inspection, avoiding the limitations of physical space on the inspection, ensuring the blade inspection, and thus improving the safety of wind turbine operation.

[0052] The following is based on Figure 2 For example, the first drive unit 11 and the second drive unit 12 of the inspection device 10 will be described through a specific embodiment, but it is not limited to the following embodiment. Those skilled in the art can select other corresponding first drive unit 11 and / or second drive unit 12 according to their needs.

[0053] The first drive unit 11 includes a slide rail 111 and a pulley 112. The second drive unit 12 includes a winch 121, and the cable 122 of the winch 121 passes around the pulley 112 and is connected to the image acquisition unit 13. The slide rail 111 is arranged along a first direction, and the pulley 112 drives the image acquisition unit 13 to move along the first direction by sliding along the slide rail 111. The winch 121 drives the image acquisition unit 13 to move along the second direction by extending and retracting the control cable 122 along the second direction.

[0054] For example, when the slide rail 111 moves one preset unit in the first direction, the image acquisition unit 13 moves one preset unit in the first direction accordingly; when the cable 122 of the winch 121 moves one preset unit in the second direction, the image acquisition unit 13 moves one preset unit in the second direction accordingly. The preset units can be set according to actual conditions.

[0055] The movement of pulley 112 and winch 121 can be controlled by a controller or the server 30 of an external device. For example, an operator can input a movement command into the controller, and the controller will control the corresponding pulley 112 or winch 121 to move according to the direction and unit of movement indicated by the command. Alternatively, movement can be performed according to a pre-set movement mode. For example, when installing the inspection equipment 10, the pulley 112 and winch 121 can be set to move at a speed of 10 cm per second in the first direction and at a speed of 50 cm per second in the second direction each time the blade 20 to be inspected is in a stationary vertical state. The above is only an example of a movement mode, and the specific settings should be based on the actual situation. Through the pre-set movement mode, the inspection equipment 10 can automatically inspect the blade 20 to be inspected at fixed times and locations without the need for real-time tracking by operators. It can also report damage to the blade 20 in a timely manner, ensuring the real-time nature of the inspection of the blade 20.

[0056] In an optional embodiment, since the inspection equipment 10 is installed inside the blade 20 to be inspected for a long time, the blade 20 is periodically inspected. However, considering that the blade may undergo a certain degree of flexible deformation during operation, taking the inspection equipment 10 installed on the blade root baffle 21 inside the blade 20 as an example, the blade root baffle 21 may undergo a certain degree of flexible deformation. In order to deal with the influence of the flexible deformation of the blade root baffle 21 on the slide rail 111, one end of the slide rail 111 can be installed inside the blade 20 to be inspected through a hinge 16, specifically on the blade root baffle 21, and the other end of the slide rail 111 can be movably installed on the limiting block 15 fixed inside the blade 20 to be inspected through a through hole 151, specifically on the limiting block 15 of the blade root baffle 21.

[0057] The length of the slide rail 111 can be less than or equal to the diameter of the blade root baffle 21. When the blade root baffle 21 does not undergo flexible deformation, the hinge 16 and the limiting block 15 are only used to fix the slide rail 111; when the blade root baffle 21 undergoes flexible deformation, for example... Figure 3 As shown, when the blade root baffle 21 bends, the horizontal distance between the two ends of the blade root baffle 21 becomes shorter. If the slide rail 111 is fixedly installed on the blade root baffle 21, the slide rail 111 is prone to breakage under the force of the curved surface because the length of the slide rail 111 cannot be adjusted. However, now, under the action of the hinge 16 and the through hole 151 of the limiting block 15, when bending occurs, the slide rail 111 moves through the through hole 151 towards the limiting block 15, and the length of the slide rail 111 between the hinge 16 and the limiting block 15 becomes shorter, thereby solving the problem of the slide rail 111 twisting due to the slide rail 111 being unable to move.

[0058] In addition, the limiting block 15 and the hinge 16 can be fixed to the leaf root baffle 21 by the first bracket 171 and the second bracket 172, respectively.

[0059] In an optional embodiment, since the inspection equipment 10 is installed inside the blade 20 to be inspected for a long time, if the image acquisition unit 13 is not secured during the normal operation of the blade 20, the image acquisition unit 13 may be thrown out due to centrifugal force, which could damage the inspection equipment 10 or the blade 20 to be inspected. Therefore, an electromagnetic lock is also provided on the pulley 112 to lock the position of the image acquisition unit 13. When the inspection equipment 10 is not in the inspection stage, the winch 121 retracts the image acquisition unit 13 through the cable 122, and then the electromagnetic lock locks it, thereby ensuring the stability of the image acquisition unit 13 during the normal operation of the blade 20 to be inspected.

[0060] In an optional implementation, in order to further address the above-mentioned problems and prevent the image acquisition unit 13 from being thrown out during the normal operation of the blade 20 to be inspected, the motor of the winch 121 is a servo motor with a brake function. When the winch 121 retracts the image acquisition unit 13, the servo motor of the winch 121 is locked.

[0061] In addition, the motor of the winch 121 is a servo motor with a brake function. When the inspection equipment 10 loses power and the electromagnetic lock fails, the servo motor can also ensure the stability of the image acquisition unit 13 under power failure.

[0062] In an alternative embodiment, the cable 122 of the winch 121 is preferably made of carbon fiber, but is not limited thereto, and other reliable cable materials can be used, such as steel wire, aramid fiber, etc.

[0063] In an alternative embodiment, the slide rail 111 is preferably made of aluminum alloy, but is not limited to this. Other lightweight and wear-resistant materials, such as carbon fiber, can be used.

[0064] The image acquisition unit 13 is described below through a specific embodiment, but is not limited to this embodiment. Those skilled in the art can select other corresponding image acquisition units 13 according to their needs. The image acquisition unit 13 can be any of a sensor, camera, or other similar device, and is not particularly limited in this embodiment.

[0065] like Figure 2 , Figures 4a-4c As shown, a support frame 14 is also arranged around the image acquisition unit 13, and the first drive unit 11 and the second drive unit 12 are both connected to the support frame 14.

[0066] The maximum outer dimension of the support frame along the cross section orthogonal to the first direction is greater than the maximum outer dimension of the image acquisition unit along the cross section orthogonal to the first direction, and the maximum outer dimension of the support frame along the cross section orthogonal to the second direction is less than or greater than the maximum outer dimension of the image acquisition unit along the cross section orthogonal to the second direction.

[0067] In this embodiment, the support frame 14 is designed to support and protect the image acquisition unit 13, so as to prevent the image acquisition unit 13 from colliding with other structures inside the blade 20 when it moves inside the blade 20 and being damaged, thereby improving the service life of the inspection equipment 10.

[0068] In an optional implementation, the focal length and acquisition angle of the image acquisition unit 13 can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0069] The focal length and acquisition angle of the image acquisition unit 13 can be adjusted via a controller or the peripheral server 30. For example, an operator can input an adjustment command into the controller, which will then adjust the corresponding image acquisition unit 13 according to the specified focal length and acquisition angle. Alternatively, adjustments can be made according to a pre-set adjustment mode. For instance, when installing the inspection equipment 10, an adjustment mode can be pre-set for the image acquisition unit 13. This mode might involve rotating the acquisition angle 15° clockwise every 1 second, acquiring image data at the initial focal length after each 15° rotation, and then adjusting the focal length to magnify to the target focal length for another image data acquisition. This is just one example of an adjustment mode; the specific settings should be adjusted according to the actual situation. By adjusting the focal length and acquisition angle of the image acquisition unit 13, it is possible to acquire more comprehensive image data of the interior of the blade 20 under inspection, avoiding the problem of missed damage due to unsuitable angle or focal length. Detecting the image data acquired in this embodiment yields more accurate detection results, improving the safety of the blade 20 under inspection.

[0070] In an optional embodiment, in order to facilitate moving the image acquisition unit 13 to the corresponding position, a plurality of rollers 141 are provided on the support frame 14, including at least a roller 141 facing a first direction and a roller 141 facing a second direction.

[0071] The diameter of the roller 141 can be greater than or equal to a preset diameter threshold. The preset diameter threshold can be selected according to the actual situation to reduce the friction between the image acquisition unit 13 and the blade to be tested 20 during the lowering process, so as to ensure that the image acquisition unit 13 can be smoothly lowered to the designated position.

[0072] In an optional implementation, in order to ensure the stability and obstacle-crossing ability of the image acquisition unit 13 during movement, if the weight of the image acquisition unit 13 and the support frame 14 is too light, the image acquisition unit 13 is prone to drifting or being unable to cross obstacles during movement. Therefore, the total weight of the support frame 14 and the image acquisition unit 13 is set to be positively correlated with the load-bearing capacity of the blade 20 to be tested. On the basis of ensuring that the design load-bearing capacity is met, the counterweight of the support frame 14 is designed to be as high as possible to ensure the obstacle-crossing ability of the image acquisition unit 13.

[0073] In an alternative implementation, such as Figure 5a and Figure 5b As shown, there are certain areas inside the blade 20 to be inspected, such as the leading edge 22, trailing edge 23, and the gap between the web and the blade. These areas are relatively small. To ensure that the image acquisition unit 13 can penetrate deep into these areas for inspection and to ensure that no blade 20 is missed during each inspection, the dimensions of the support frame 14 or the image acquisition unit 13 are limited. Here, "dimensionality" can refer to length, width, area, etc.

[0074] Specifically, the maximum outer dimension of the support frame 14 along a section orthogonal to the first direction is smaller than the minimum channel size of the blade to be inspected. For example, if the minimum channel in the blade to be inspected 20 is the narrowest point of the web 24 slot, with a width of 220mm, then the maximum outer dimension of the support frame 14 along a section orthogonal to the first direction (taking the maximum width as an example) should be less than 220mm. Alternatively, the maximum outer dimension of the support frame 14 along a section orthogonal to the second direction is smaller than the minimum channel size of the blade to be inspected. For example, if the minimum channel in the blade to be inspected 20 is the narrowest point of the blade edge slot, with a width of 180mm, then the maximum outer dimension of the support frame 14 along a section orthogonal to the second direction (taking the maximum width as an example) should be less than 180mm.

[0075] In addition, in order to ensure that the image acquisition unit 13 can smoothly extend into the minimum area of ​​the blade to be detected 20, the maximum outer dimension of the image acquisition unit 13 along the cross section orthogonal to the first direction is smaller than the minimum channel size of the blade to be detected, or the maximum outer dimension along the cross section orthogonal to the second direction is smaller than the minimum channel size of the blade to be detected. For details, please refer to the above example, which will not be repeated here.

[0076] As mentioned in the above embodiments, the movement of the image acquisition unit 13 can be performed according to a preset movement mode and / or adjusted according to a preset adjustment mode, or it can be controlled by a controller or the server 30 of the peripheral device. The following description uses a controller as an example, but is not limited to the following example:

[0077] The inspection device 10 also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the image acquisition unit 13, the first drive unit 11, and the second drive unit 12, respectively. Specifically, the connection can be wired or wireless. The controller is used to control one or more of the image acquisition unit 13, the first drive unit 11, and the second drive unit 12 according to instructions. These instructions can include movement instructions, adjustment instructions, shooting instructions, etc., and are input into the controller by the user.

[0078] The following is a further explanation of how the image data determines the detection result of the blade 20 to be inspected. The image acquisition unit 13 can be electrically connected to the controller or the peripheral server 30 to send the acquired image data to the controller or the peripheral server 30. The controller or the peripheral server 30 is used to determine the detection result of the blade 20 to be inspected based on the image data.

[0079] Specifically, the server 30 of the controller or peripheral device is loaded with a detection model. The detection model is used to output the detection results of the blade based on the image data. The detection results may include the identification results of the damaged area of ​​the blade 20 to be detected, the results of whether the blade 20 to be detected is damaged, etc., which can be selected according to the actual situation.

[0080] In an optional implementation, taking the detection results including the identification results of the damaged area of ​​the blade 20 to be detected as an example, the detection model is further explained as follows:

[0081] The detection model is obtained by training the base model using training samples.

[0082] The base model is the YOLOv5 (a target detection model), and the training samples include image data samples of the blade to be detected 20 after the damaged area has been annotated.

[0083] Regarding the annotation of image data samples, such as Figure 6a As shown, for a damaged area in the blade 20 to be inspected, the traditional annotation method usually annotates the entire damaged area with a large size. However, this embodiment uses a multi-size annotation method, such as... Figure 6b As shown, image data samples in the damaged area are labeled with multiple angles and sizes. On the one hand, considering that the image data samples of the damaged area of ​​the blade 20 to be detected are scarce, while the size and form of the damage are diverse, in order to avoid model overfitting, the image data samples of the damaged area of ​​the blade 20 to be detected are increased, while enhancing the robustness of the detection model. On the other hand, considering that most of the damage to the blade 20 to be detected is elongated, if a large-size labeling method is used, it will inevitably introduce a large amount of non-damaged area into the labeled area. Therefore, a multi-size labeling method with overlap is adopted to reduce the non-damaged area in the labeled area.

[0084] The following is a specific example to illustrate the inspection equipment 10 in this embodiment, but it is not limited to the following example: Assume that the diameter of the blade root baffle 21 of the wind turbine blade 20 to be inspected is 5m and the load-bearing capacity is 300kg. During the inspection of the blade 20 to be inspected, the wind turbine needs to rotate the blade 20 to be inspected to a vertically downward position while keeping the blade 20 to be inspected stationary. Generally, the blade 20 to be inspected is tilted about 11° relative to the horizontal.

[0085] Regarding the design of slide rail 111, through geometric calculations and verification using a 3D model of the blade, the length of slide rail 111 was designed to be 4m. Furthermore, considering the influence of centrifugal force during wind turbine operation, slide rail 111 needs to be wear-resistant and lightweight; therefore, it is made of aluminum alloy.

[0086] Regarding the setting of the support frame 14, considering that the narrowest area of ​​the blade 20 to be tested is approximately the narrowest part of the gap in the blade web 24, its cross-sectional width is 220mm, in order for the support frame 14 and the image acquisition unit 13 to be able to smoothly enter the gap in the web 24 and to suppress the shaking during the lowering of the camera, the cross-sectional width of the support frame 14 is designed to be 160mm.

[0087] Regarding the configuration of the image acquisition unit 13, this embodiment uses a TPLINK TL-IPC642 camera (an outdoor waterproof network camera), which has a Wi-Fi module and supports Wi-Fi transmission of image data back to the server 30 or controller. Its dimensions are 120mm (length) * 120mm (width) * 160mm (height).

[0088] Regarding the setup of the winch 121, the total weight of the support frame 14 counterweight (approximately 2 kg), the image acquisition unit 13 (including the power cord), and the winch 121 cable 122 is approximately 12 kg. Considering the increase in load arm caused by the winch 121 winding up the cable, the winch 121 in this embodiment uses a servo motor, and the cable 122 is made of carbon fiber, which is high in strength and lightweight, and is bound to the power cord of the image acquisition unit 13 with insulating tape.

[0089] Regarding the electromagnetic lock setting, to ensure the stability of the image acquisition unit 13 during the operation of the wind turbine, a waterproof and explosion-proof electromagnetic lock with a suction force greater than 245kg was selected.

[0090] Regarding the controller settings, the controller can be installed inside the hub of the wind turbine. The controller is electrically connected to the first drive unit 11, the second drive unit 12, and the image acquisition unit 13 respectively. The three signals are independent of each other to avoid mutual interference.

[0091] An exemplary embodiment of this disclosure provides an inspection system, which includes the inspection device 10 as described in the above embodiment.

[0092] In one embodiment, such as Figure 7 As shown, the inspection system also includes a server 30.

[0093] The server 30 is communicatively connected to the image acquisition unit 13 in the inspection equipment 10. The server 30 is loaded with a detection model, which is used to output the detection results of the blades based on the image data.

[0094] In one embodiment, the detection model is further described as follows:

[0095] The detection model is obtained by training the base model using training samples.

[0096] The base model is the YOLOv5 model, and the training samples include image data samples of the blade to be tested 20 after the damaged areas have been annotated.

[0097] Regarding the annotation of image data samples, such as Figure 6a As shown, for a damaged area in the blade 20 to be inspected, the traditional annotation method usually annotates the entire damaged area with a large size. However, this embodiment uses a multi-size annotation method, such as... Figure 6b As shown, image data samples in the damaged area are labeled with multiple angles and sizes. On the one hand, considering that the image data samples of the damaged area of ​​the blade 20 to be detected are scarce, while the size and form of the damage are diverse, in order to avoid model overfitting, the image data samples of the damaged area of ​​the blade 20 to be detected are increased, while enhancing the robustness of the detection model. On the other hand, considering that most of the damage to the blade 20 to be detected is elongated, if a large-size labeling method is used, it will inevitably introduce a large amount of non-damaged area into the labeled area. Therefore, a multi-size labeling method with overlap is adopted to reduce the non-damaged area in the labeled area.

[0098] An exemplary embodiment of this disclosure also provides a wind turbine blade, wherein an inspection device 10 as described in any of the first aspects is installed inside the wind turbine blade, and the inspection device 10 is installed on the blade root baffle 21 of the wind turbine blade.

[0099] While specific embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of this disclosure, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A patrol device characterized by comprising: The first driving unit, the second driving unit and the image acquisition unit are arranged in the blade to be detected. The first driving unit and the second driving unit are connected with the image acquisition unit, the first driving unit is used to drive the image acquisition unit to move in the first direction, and the second driving unit is used to drive the image acquisition unit to move in the second direction. The image acquisition unit is used to acquire image data of the blade to be detected, and the image data is used to determine a detection result of the blade to be detected.

2. The patrol apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The first driving unit comprises a sliding rail and a pulley, the second driving unit comprises a winch, and a cable of the winch is connected with the image acquisition unit through the pulley. The sliding rail is arranged in the first direction, the pulley drives the image acquisition unit to move in the first direction by sliding along the sliding rail, and the winch drives the image acquisition unit to move in the second direction by controlling the cable to stretch and contract in the second direction. One end of the sliding rail is hingedly arranged in the blade to be detected, and the other end of the sliding rail is movably arranged on a limiting block fixed in the blade to be detected through a through hole.

3. The patrol apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The cable of the winch is made of carbon fiber material.

4. The patrol apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The motor of the winch is a servo motor with a holding brake function. An electromagnetic lock is further arranged on the pulley, and the electromagnetic lock is used to lock the position of the image acquisition unit. A support frame is further arranged around the image acquisition unit, and the first driving unit and the second driving unit are connected with the support frame.

5. The patrol apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein A plurality of rollers are arranged on the support frame, and the plurality of rollers at least include rollers arranged in the first direction and rollers arranged in the second direction.

6. The patrol apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The maximum outer dimension of the support frame in a cross section perpendicular to the first direction is less than the minimum passage size of the blade to be detected. The maximum outer dimension of the support frame in a cross section perpendicular to the second direction is less than the minimum passage size of the blade to be detected. The maximum outer dimension of the image acquisition unit in a cross section perpendicular to the first direction is less than the minimum passage size of the blade to be detected. The maximum outer dimension of the image acquisition unit in a cross section perpendicular to the second direction is less than the minimum passage size of the blade to be detected. The total weight of the support frame and the image acquisition unit is in a positive correlation with the bearable weight of the blade to be detected. The first driving unit and the second driving unit are arranged on a blade root baffle in the blade to be detected.

7. The patrol apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The inspection device further comprises a controller. The controller is electrically connected with the image acquisition unit, the first driving unit and the second driving unit, and the controller is used to control any one or more of the image acquisition unit, the first driving unit and the second driving unit according to an instruction. The inspection system comprises the inspection device according to any one of claims 1-7.

8. A patrol system characterized by comprising: The inspection system further comprises a server.

9. The patrol system of claim 8, wherein, ​ The server is in communication connection with an image acquisition unit in the inspection device, and the server is loaded with a detection model, which is used to output a detection result of the blade according to the image data.

10. A blade for a wind turbine, characterized in that The blade of the wind turbine generator is internally provided with the inspection device according to any one of claims 1-7.

Images