Fan tower climbing assisting system and steel wire rope anti-swing device

Abstract

The invention discloses a fan tower climbing assisting system and a steel wire rope anti-swing device, and belongs to the technical field of wind power generation. The device comprises a mounting bracket, a left guide wheel arm, a right guide wheel arm, a V-shaped or U-shaped nylon guide wheel and an elastic reset mechanism, wherein the left guide wheel arm and the right guide wheel arm are symmetrically hinged on the bracket; the V-shaped or U-shaped nylon guide wheel is mounted at the front end of the guide wheel arm; the elastic reset mechanism is connected with the two guide wheel arms and provides inward elastic bias force. When the steel wire rope is static, the guide wheel actively clamps the steel wire rope under the action of elastic force, clearances are eliminated, and high-altitude swing is effectively restrained; when the steel wire rope moves, the steel wire rope overcomes elastic force to eject the guide wheel, the guide wheel rotates and releases clamping force, and smooth passing is guaranteed. According to the invention, the intelligent self-adaptive effect of smooth moving and anti-swing static moving is realized, the problems of large abrasion and poor anti-swing effect of a traditional fixed guide ring are solved, the safety of a climbing system is improved, and the service life of equipment is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of wind power generation, and in particular to a wind turbine tower climbing assistance system and a wire rope anti-sway device. Background Technology

[0002] In modern large-scale wind turbine generators, the tower is the core structure supporting the nacelle and rotor, typically reaching heights of tens or even hundreds of meters. To ensure the normal operation of the turbine, maintenance personnel need to periodically climb ladders inside the tower to access the nacelle for maintenance, repairs, and other tasks. To reduce physical exertion and improve safety, the tower is usually equipped with a climbing assistance system, such as a climb aid or a climbing device. This system primarily relies on steel wire ropes as a traction medium or auxiliary guiding device.

[0003] However, in practical applications, due to the enormous height of the tower, the long steel wire ropes suspended within it are highly susceptible to severe swaying caused by factors such as tower vibration due to external wind loads, mechanical vibration during unit operation, and swaying of the steel wire ropes caused by the up-and-down movement of the booster, without any constraints.

[0004] Existing solutions typically employ simple fixed guide rings or rigid brackets mounted on the tower platform or inner wall, with the wire rope passing through the ring holes. The anti-sway effect of existing technologies is limited. Furthermore, rigid friction exists between the wire rope and the metal or hard plastic guide rings, especially when the wire rope swings and contacts the edges. Prolonged "cutting" friction can severely damage the strands on the wire rope surface, shortening its service life and even leading to the risk of rope breakage. Moreover, large-scale swaying can cause the wire rope to become entangled in power cables, control cables, or lighting fixtures inside the tower, resulting in equipment damage or electrical short circuits.

[0005] In summary, there is an urgent need for a new type of wire rope anti-sway device to solve the technical problems of poor anti-sway effect and high wear of existing fixed guide devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, this application provides a wind turbine tower climbing assistance system and a wire rope anti-sway device. The main purpose is to solve the technical problems of poor anti-sway effect and high wear of existing fixed guide devices.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a wire rope anti-sway device is provided for a wind turbine tower climbing assistance system, comprising: a mounting bracket disposed on the internal structure of the wind turbine tower; a guide assembly including a left guide wheel arm and a right guide wheel arm symmetrically disposed on both sides of the mounting bracket, one end of the left guide wheel arm and the right guide wheel arm being rotatably connected to the mounting bracket by a pin; a clamping unit including a left guide wheel disposed at the free end of the left guide wheel arm and a right guide wheel disposed at the free end of the right guide wheel arm, the left guide wheel and the right guide wheel being disposed opposite to each other to form a guide channel for the wire rope to pass through; and an elastic reset mechanism connected between the left guide wheel arm and the right guide wheel arm, or connected between the guide wheel arm and the mounting bracket; an elastic biasing force is applied by the elastic reset mechanism, causing the left guide wheel and the right guide wheel to move inward to clamp the wire rope when the wire rope is stationary, and to open outward to release the wire rope when the wire rope undergoes axial movement or is subjected to external pressure.

[0008] Furthermore, the outer circumferential surfaces of the left guide wheel and the right guide wheel are both provided with grooves. The grooves of the left guide wheel and the right guide wheel together form a guide channel with a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section, so as to circumferentially limit the wire rope in the clamped state.

[0009] Furthermore, the elastic reset mechanism is a tension spring, with its two ends respectively hooked to the middle of the left guide wheel arm and the right guide wheel arm, driving the two guide wheel arms to rotate in opposite directions around the pin shaft through tension.

[0010] Furthermore, the elastic reset mechanism is a torsion spring, which is sleeved on the pin. One end of the torsion spring abuts against the mounting bracket, and the other end abuts against the corresponding guide wheel arm to drive the guide wheel arm to rotate inward.

[0011] Furthermore, the left guide wheel and the right guide wheel are made of nylon or polyurethane material, and the left guide wheel and the right guide wheel are rotatably mounted on the front end of the corresponding guide wheel arm via bearings.

[0012] Furthermore, the mounting bracket is provided with a limiting block located on the rotation path of the left guide wheel arm and the right guide wheel arm. The limiting block is used to limit the minimum distance between the left guide wheel and the right guide wheel as they move inward, preventing the guide wheels from colliding directly when they have not passed through the wire rope.

[0013] Furthermore, the mounting bracket includes a base and an adjustment plate. The base has a waist-shaped hole, and the device is fixed to the tower platform by bolts passing through the waist-shaped hole to adjust the horizontal position of the device relative to the wire rope.

[0014] Furthermore, the left guide wheel arm and the right guide wheel arm are in an L-shaped structure, the pin is located at the corner of the L-shaped structure, the left guide wheel and the right guide wheel are installed at one end of the L-shaped structure, and the elastic reset mechanism is connected to the other end of the L-shaped structure.

[0015] Furthermore, the preload of the elastic reset mechanism is set as follows: when the wire rope is stationary, the clamping force applied to the wire rope by the left and right guide wheels is greater than the lateral swaying force caused by the wire rope's own weight or external force; when the wire rope moves up and down with the external force, the interaction force between the wire rope and the two guide wheels can overcome the preload and cause the two guide wheel arms to expand outward.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a wind turbine tower climbing assistance system is disclosed, comprising a steel wire rope and a tower. The system further comprises several sets of steel wire rope anti-sway devices as described above. The steel wire rope adaptive anti-sway devices are distributed at intervals along the height direction of the tower and fixed to the inner wall or platform of the tower. The steel wire rope passes sequentially through the guide channel of each set of steel wire rope anti-sway devices.

[0017] This invention provides a wind turbine tower climbing assistance system and a wire rope anti-sway device. This application achieves three-phase synchronous grounding operation through modular design (separate combination of operating rod, connecting clamp and connecting plate) and T-shaped slot quick docking. It can solve the technical problems that existing grounding wires are mostly single-phase or fixed structures, which cannot be quickly adapted to three-phase equipment and have complicated installation steps; as well as the inability to achieve quick disassembly and assembly.

[0018] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of this application and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, the following are specific embodiments of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, as part of this invention, are provided to further illustrate the invention. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of the invention are used to explain the invention, but do not constitute an undue limitation thereof. Clearly, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0020] In the attached diagram: Figure 1 This is a front view structural schematic diagram of a wire rope anti-sway device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 The diagram shows a rear view of a wire rope anti-sway device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Icon labels: 1-Mounting bracket, 2-Left guide wheel arm, 3-Right guide wheel arm, 4-Pin, 5-Left guide wheel, 6-Right guide wheel, 7-Elastic reset mechanism, 9-Wire rope.

[0022] It should be noted that these accompanying drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0024] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0025] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0026] Example 1 like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a wire rope anti-sway device, which is applied to a wind turbine tower climbing assistance system. The device mainly consists of a mounting bracket 1, a left guide wheel arm 2, a right guide wheel arm 3, a pin shaft 4, a left guide wheel 5, a right guide wheel 6, and an elastic reset mechanism 7.

[0027] In one feasible implementation, the support structure of the device is a mounting bracket 1. The mounting bracket 1 serves as a base and is formed by bending high-strength steel plate. It has mounting holes (not shown in the figure) at its bottom and can be fixed to the internal structure of the wind turbine tower with bolts, such as the guardrail of the wind turbine tower's rest platform, the tower wall flange, or a special bracket.

[0028] In this embodiment, in order to adapt to different curvatures of the inner wall of the tower or deviations in the installation position, the bottom mounting hole of the mounting bracket 1 can be designed as an elongated waist-shaped hole to facilitate fine adjustment of the installation position left and right, ensuring that the wire rope 9 passes through naturally and vertically. Specifically, the mounting bracket 1 includes a base and an adjustment plate. The base is provided with a waist-shaped hole. The device is fixed to the tower platform by bolts passing through the waist-shaped hole to adjust the horizontal position of the device relative to the wire rope 9.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting bracket 1 in this application is provided with a limiting block. The limiting block is located on the rotation path of the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3, and is used to limit the minimum distance between the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 as they move inward, so as to prevent the guide wheels from colliding directly when the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3 have not passed through the wire rope 9.

[0030] In one feasible embodiment, the swing mechanism of the wire rope anti-sway device includes a left guide wheel arm 2 and a right guide wheel arm 3, wherein the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3 are symmetrically arranged relative to the mounting bracket 1, and the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3 are respectively hinged to the mounting bracket 1 by pins 4. Oil-impregnated bushings or bearings can be installed on the pins 4 to ensure flexible rotation of the swing arms. In this embodiment, the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3 are designed as straight arm structures. In actual applications, they can also be designed as L-shaped or curved arms depending on the space available, with one end being the hinge point and the other end being the guide wheel mounting point.

[0031] In one feasible embodiment, the guiding and clamping unit of the wire rope anti-sway device includes a left guide wheel 5 and a right guide wheel 6, wherein the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 are rotatably mounted on the front ends of the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3 respectively via bearings. Crucially, the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 in this application are both made of modified wear-resistant nylon or polyurethane material, such as MC nylon. This material has self-lubricating properties, wear resistance, and a lower hardness than the wire rope, effectively protecting the wire rope 9.

[0032] In this embodiment, both the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 have V-shaped grooves or deep U-shaped grooves machined on their outer circumferential surfaces. The grooves of the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 together form a guide channel with a V-shaped or U-shaped cross-section, which circumferentially limits the steel wire rope 9 when the two are clamped together. Specifically, when the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3 close inward, the V-shaped grooves of the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 align with each other to form a diamond-shaped or circular closed channel, enclosing the steel wire rope 9 within it. The V-shaped groove design has a self-centering function, ensuring that the steel wire rope can be guided to the center position regardless of which direction it deviates from.

[0033] In one feasible implementation, the elastic reset and adaptive logic of the wire rope anti-sway device is as follows: In this embodiment, the elastic reset mechanism 7 is a tension spring. The two ends of the spring are respectively hooked onto the middle hooks of the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3, driving the two guide wheel arms to rotate towards each other around the pin shaft 4 through tension. An elastic bias force is applied by the elastic reset mechanism 7, causing the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 to move inward to clamp the wire rope 9 when it is stationary, and to open outward to release the wire rope 9 when it undergoes axial movement or is subjected to external pressure. The preload of the elastic reset mechanism 7 is set as follows: when the wire rope 9 is stationary (anti-sway), the clamping force applied to the wire rope 9 by the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 is greater than the lateral swaying force caused by the wire rope 9's own weight or external force; when the wire rope 9 moves up and down with external force or is in a free-flowing state, the interaction force between the wire rope 9 and the two guide wheels can overcome the preload and cause the two guide wheel arms to expand outward. In another feasible implementation, the elastic reset mechanism 7 is a torsion spring, which is sleeved on the pin 4. One end of the torsion spring abuts against the mounting bracket 1, and the other end abuts against the corresponding guide wheel arm to drive the guide wheel arm to rotate inward.

[0034] In this embodiment, when the device is in a static anti-sway state: when the climbing assist system stops working and the wire rope 9 is in a static suspended state, the tension of the spring 7 pulls the two arms to rotate inward, causing the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 to tightly clamp the wire rope 9. At this time, the device provides a lateral constraint force, and the wire rope 9 has no free play gap. Even if the tower sways, the wire rope 9 will move with the tower as a whole, without relative swaying or impact.

[0035] When the device is in a free-moving state: when a person uses the climbing aid, the wire rope 9 will generate axial up-and-down movement and a certain degree of lateral vibration tension. At this time, the wire rope 9 generates a compressive force on the inclined surface of the V-groove of the guide wheel. This compressive force overcomes the preload of the spring 7, forcing the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3 to rotate outward around the pin 4. At this time, the static friction between the guide wheel and the wire rope 9 changes to rolling friction, and the clamping force decreases, ensuring that the wire rope passes smoothly without jamming.

[0036] Example 2 This embodiment is an optimization of Embodiment 1. To prevent damage caused by excessive tension in the spring 7 leading to a direct rigid collision between the left guide wheel 5 and the right guide wheel 6 when the wire rope 9 accidentally comes off or is not installed, a limit block is provided on the mounting bracket 1. The limit block is located on the inner rotation path of the left guide wheel arm 2 and the right guide wheel arm 3, and is used to set the minimum closing angle of the guide wheel arms to ensure that a small gap, such as 1mm-2mm, is maintained between the two guide wheels, which can both clamp the wire rope 9 and prevent the wheels from colliding with each other.

[0037] Example 3 This embodiment relates to the application of the aforementioned device in a wind turbine tower climbing assistance system. Due to the considerable height of wind turbine towers, such as 100 meters, single-point anti-sway measures are insufficient to control the entire length. This invention proposes installing a set of adaptive anti-sway devices, as described in Embodiments 1 and 2 above, every 10 to 15 meters along the tower's height. Multiple sets of devices work together to divide the long steel wire rope into several short segments, significantly increasing the system's natural frequency and thus completely eliminating large-amplitude resonant swaying.

[0038] In summary, this invention, through ingenious mechanical structure design and by utilizing the balance between spring force and friction, perfectly resolves the contradiction between anti-swaying and smooth movement of the wire rope inside the wind turbine tower, and has significant practical value and promotional significance.

[0039] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-described technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. The implementation schemes in the above embodiments can also be further combined or replaced. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wire rope anti-sway device, characterized in that, The device is used in a wind turbine tower climbing assistance system, comprising: Mounting bracket (1) is installed on the internal structure of the wind turbine tower; The guide assembly includes a left guide wheel arm (2) and a right guide wheel arm (3) symmetrically arranged on both sides of the mounting bracket (1). One end of the left guide wheel arm (2) and the right guide wheel arm (3) are rotatably connected to the mounting bracket (1) by a pin (4). The clamping unit includes a left guide wheel (5) located at the free end of the left guide wheel arm (2) and a right guide wheel (6) located at the free end of the right guide wheel arm (3). The left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) are arranged opposite to each other to form a guide channel for the wire rope (9) to pass through. An elastic reset mechanism (7) is connected between the left guide wheel arm (2) and the right guide wheel arm (3); The elastic resetting mechanism (7) applies an elastic bias force, causing the left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) to move inward to clamp the wire rope (9) when the wire rope (9) is stationary, and to open outward to release the wire rope (9) when the wire rope (9) undergoes axial movement or is squeezed by external force.

2. The anti-sway device for wire rope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer circumferential surfaces of the left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) are provided with grooves. The grooves of the left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) together form the guide channel with a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section, so as to circumferentially limit the steel wire rope (9) in the clamping state.

3. The anti-sway device for wire rope according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic reset mechanism (7) is a tension spring. The two ends of the tension spring are respectively attached to the middle of the left guide wheel arm (2) and the right guide wheel arm (3). The tension force drives the two guide wheel arms to rotate in opposite directions around the pin shaft (4).

4. The anti-sway device for wire rope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic reset mechanism (7) is a torsion spring. The torsion spring is sleeved on the pin (4). One end of the torsion spring abuts against the mounting bracket (1), and the other end abuts against the corresponding guide wheel arm to drive the guide wheel arm to rotate inward.

5. The anti-sway device for wire rope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) are made of nylon or polyurethane material, and the left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) are rotatably mounted on the front end of the corresponding guide wheel arm via bearings.

6. The anti-sway device for wire rope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting bracket (1) is provided with a limiting block, which is located on the rotation path of the left guide wheel arm (2) and the right guide wheel arm (3) to limit the minimum distance between the left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) when they move inward.

7. The anti-sway device for wire rope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting bracket (1) includes a base and an adjustment plate. The base has a waist-shaped hole. The device is fixed to the tower platform by passing a bolt assembly through the waist-shaped hole to adjust the horizontal position of the device relative to the wire rope (9).

8. The anti-sway device for wire rope according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left guide wheel arm (2) and the right guide wheel arm (3) are in an L-shaped structure. The pin (4) is located at the corner of the L-shaped structure. The left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) are installed at one end of the L-shaped structure. The elastic reset mechanism (7) is connected to the other end of the L-shaped structure.

9. The anti-sway device for wire rope according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The preload of the elastic reset mechanism (7) is set such that when the wire rope (9) is in a stationary state, the clamping force applied to the wire rope (9) by the left guide wheel (5) and the right guide wheel (6) is greater than the lateral swing force of the wire rope (9) caused by its own weight or external force. When the wire rope (9) moves up and down with the external force, the interaction force between the wire rope (9) and the two guide wheels can overcome the preload force and cause the two guide wheel arms to expand outward.

10. A wind turbine tower climbing assistance system, comprising a steel wire rope (9) and a tower, characterized in that, The system further includes several sets of wire rope anti-sway devices as described in any one of claims 1 to 9. The wire rope adaptive anti-sway devices are distributed at intervals along the height direction of the tower and fixed to the inner wall or platform of the tower. The wire rope (9) passes through the guide channel of each set of wire rope anti-sway devices in sequence.

Images