Remote monitoring device, method and program

Abstract

To provide a remote monitoring technology that automatically adds identification information to recording data recorded in a wind turbine, facilitates the analysis of accumulated enormous recording data, and easily grasp a state in the wind turbine at a remote place without directly dispatching an operator.SOLUTION: A remote monitoring device is equipped with a transmitting portion that transmits a designation signal 42 designating a work position and a work posture of a work tool 37 to a control portion 35a of a multi-joint arm 50a, an obtaining portion that obtains a control signal 45 outputted from the control portion 35a to the multi-joint arm 50a, an identifying portion that identifies a structure 32 that is a work object of the work tool 37 on the basis of the control signal 45, a collecting portion that collects recording data 46 outputted by the work tool 37, and an adding portion that adds the identification information 44 of the structure 32 to the recording data 46 to be stored as an additional file 48.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a technique for remotely monitoring a wind turbine for offshore wind power generation. [Background technology]

[0002] Offshore wind power plants, which generate electricity by installing wind turbines offshore, have the advantage of being able to generate electricity using stable winds offshore. However, frequent visits by workers to maintain and manage the equipment for wind turbines installed offshore can be costly due to the arrangement of ships and the number of days required for travel. There is a need to reduce the costs associated with the maintenance and management of such offshore wind power plants and prevent them from being passed on to electricity bills. Therefore, there is a need to remotely monitor wind power plant equipment and check the status of the equipment and facilities and detect faults without having to directly visit the offshore wind power plant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-112631 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To further strengthen the remote monitoring of offshore wind farms, it is conceivable to equip a work robot with a camera and allow it to move freely, taking and recording images of the equipment to be inspected in a focused manner. Data recorded inside the wind turbine using work tools such as cameras and temperature sensors can be wirelessly transmitted and stored in a database outside the turbine, and it is expected that this data will be used to analyze the condition of the equipment.

[0005] However, the recorded data stored in the database using work tools inside the wind turbine is nothing more than simple records such as images and temperatures. For this reason, it is difficult to understand the conditions inside the wind turbine from the huge amount of recorded data that has accumulated in a disorderly manner. Therefore, in order to effectively use such recorded data, it is desirable to add identification information to each piece of recorded data, such as "where and what information was recorded." However, if workers were to manually add identification information to various recorded data, the work would be extremely cumbersome, inefficient, and unrealistic.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention has been made taking these circumstances into consideration, and aims to provide a remote monitoring technology that automatically adds identification information to data recorded inside the wind turbine, making it easy to analyze the huge amount of accumulated recorded data, and making it easy to grasp the condition inside the wind turbine remotely without having to directly dispatch workers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In an embodiment, the remote monitoring device includes a work tool that works with a nacelle that houses at least a rotor shaft that transmits rotational energy converted from wind flow energy, and a generator that converts the rotational energy into electrical energy, a work robot that controls at least one of the work position and working posture of the work tool it supports, a transmission unit that transmits a designation signal that designates at least one of the work position and working posture to a control unit of the work robot, an acquisition unit that acquires from the control unit a control signal for the work robot that executes the designated work position and at least one of the work postures, an identification unit that identifies a structure that is to be worked on by the work tool based on the control signal, a collection unit that collects recorded data output by the work tool in which at least one of the work position and working posture is designated, and an addition unit that adds identification information of the structure to the recorded data and stores it. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, identification information is automatically added to the recorded data recorded inside the wind turbine, making it easy to analyze the huge amount of accumulated recorded data, and making it easy to grasp the condition inside the wind turbine remotely without having to directly dispatch workers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are overall views of a wind turbine to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the inside of a nacelle in which a mechanical portion of the remote monitoring device according to the first embodiment is installed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a data processing unit of the remote monitoring device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a multi-joint arm of a working robot. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a data processing unit of a remote monitoring device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a correlation table showing the correlation between structures in the nacelle and control signals for the work robot. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing the inside of a nacelle in which a mechanical portion of a remote monitoring device according to a third embodiment is installed. [Figure 8] A user interface screen of the operation section for specifying the working position and working posture of the work tool inside the nacelle. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps of a remote monitoring method and an algorithm of a remote monitoring program according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is an overall view of a wind turbine 20 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Fig. 1(A) shows an example of a bottom-fixed offshore installation method, and Fig. 2(B) shows an example of a floating offshore installation method. Although the wind turbine 20 shown in Figs. 1(A) and 1(B) shows an offshore installation method, this does not prevent the wind turbine to which each embodiment is applied from being a land-based installation method. As described above, the wind turbine 20 includes blades 25, a tower 26, a nacelle 30, and a hub 21.

[0011] The blades 25 are arranged radially so as to be connected to a rotor shaft 27 (FIG. 2) at the hub 21. The pitch angle of these blades 25 is adjusted with respect to the inflowing wind direction so that the wind flow energy can be efficiently converted into rotational energy. Drive mechanisms (not shown), such as a motor, brake, and emergency power supply, that adjust the pitch angle, are provided inside the hub 21.

[0012] The fixed-bottom tower 26 shown in Fig. 1(A) is constructed vertically on the top surface of a foundation 28 built on the seabed and exposed above the sea surface. The floating tower 26 shown in Fig. 1(B) is connected to a float 22, which is connected via mooring lines 23 to a foundation 24 built on the seabed, so as to be exposed above the sea surface.

[0013] 2 is a conceptual diagram of the inside of the nacelle 30 in which the mechanical unit 31a of the remote monitoring device according to the first embodiment is installed. As described above, the nacelle 30 is provided on the top of the tower 26 via a yaw drive unit (not shown) that automatically makes the rotor shaft 27 follow the wind direction.

[0014] Various structures 32 (32a, 32b) are housed in the nacelle 30. Examples of such structures 32 include a speed increaser 32a that is connected to the rotor shaft 27 supported by a main bearing (not shown) to increase the rotation speed, and a generator 32b that converts rotational energy into electrical energy. Note that the speed increaser 32a and the generator 32b are merely examples, and the structures 32 in the nacelle 30 are not limited to these.

[0015] The mechanical unit 31a of the remote monitoring device according to the first embodiment includes a work tool 37 that works inside the nacelle 30, and a work robot 50 (articulated arm 50a) that sets at least one of the work position and work posture of the work tool 37 supported inside the nacelle 30. The nacelle 30 is further provided with a control unit 35a (35) that receives a designation signal 42 from the data processing unit 10 and generates a control signal 45 for the work robot 50.

[0016] As the camera, which is the main work tool 37, an optical camera, an infrared camera, a thermo camera, a multispectral camera, a hyperspectral camera, or a 360-degree camera may be used. Other work tools 37 include distance measuring devices using millimeter wave radar or lasers, and sensors that measure state quantities such as vibration, acceleration, temperature, odor, and sound. Also, a plurality of different types of cameras and sensors may be supported as the work tool 37.

[0017] 3 is a block diagram showing a data processing unit 10A (10) of the remote monitoring device according to the first embodiment. As described above, the data processing unit 10A of the remote monitoring device includes a transmission unit 12 that transmits a designation signal 42 that designates the working position and working posture of the work tool 37 to the control unit 35a (35) of the work robot 50 (articulated arm 50a).

[0018] The data processing unit 10A further includes an acquisition unit 15 that acquires a control signal 45 for the work robot 50 (articulated arm 50a) that executes a specified work position and work posture from the control unit 35a, and an identification unit 17 that identifies the structure 32 that is to be worked on (photographed) by the work tool 37 (camera) based on this control signal 45.

[0019] The data processing unit 10A further includes a collection unit 16 that collects recorded data 46 (image data) output by a work tool 37 (camera) having a specified work position and work posture, and an addition unit that adds identification information 44 of the structure 32 to the recorded data 46 and saves it as an annotated file 48.

[0020] 4 is an enlarged view showing a multi-joint arm 50a which is a working robot 50. Thus, the multi-joint arm 50a is configured by connecting a plurality of links 51 (511, 512, 513) with joints 52 (521, 522, 523) which displace the angle θ (θ1, θ2, θ3).

[0021] The articulated arm 50a is configured such that a stage 55 moves on the rails 36 at its base end, allowing work to be done over a wide range inside the nacelle 30. The rails 36 can be configured to allow three-dimensional movement in combination with a horizontal movement and a vertical telescopic mechanism, in addition to running. The articulated arm 50a may also be provided on a mobile robot (not shown) instead of the rails 36.

[0022] Furthermore, the work robot 50 can use the work tool 37 to work not only inside the nacelle 30, but also inside the tower 26 and the hub 21. In this case, work can be performed on the fastening of bolts at the joints of the tower 26 and on the structure 32 arranged therein.

[0023] In the manual operation unit 43a shown in the first embodiment, the worker manually specifies the work position and work posture of the work tool 37 in the coordinate system within the nacelle 30. That is, an appropriate work position and work posture of the work tool 37 (camera) with respect to the structure 32 that is the work target (photograph target) is specified by operation.

[0024] A fixed camera 38 is provided inside the nacelle 30, which provides an overhead view of the inside of the nacelle 30 and allows monitoring of the movements of the work tool 37 and the work robot 50. The manual operation unit 43a can be operated while displaying on the display unit 47 video data 41 received by the receiver 11 from this fixed camera 38.

[0025] Furthermore, the manual operation unit 43a can operate and specify the designation signal 42 by using three-dimensional data constructed from laser scan data, 3D CAD data, etc. The designation signal 42 arbitrarily specified by such a manual operation is transmitted from the transmission unit 12 to the control unit 35a.

[0026] Based on the input designation signal 42, the control unit 35a (35) calculates control signals 45 (θ1, θ2, θ3, x) for the joints 52 and stage 55 of the work robot 50 so that the work tool 37 takes the desired work position and work posture. Based on the control signals 45 (θ1, θ2, θ3, x) calculated by the control unit 35a, the work robot 50 is open-loop controlled, and the work tool 37 takes the specified work position and work posture.

[0027] This allows the work tool 37 to approach the structure 32 that is the target of work. If the work tool 37 is a camera, it is possible to obtain recorded data 46 (image data) of the structure 32 from various positions and orientations, focusing only on the required area. Also, if there are multiple structures 32 that require attention, the position and orientation of the work tool 37 (camera) can be changed to approach each of them.

[0028] In addition, there is a case where an angular displacement sensor or a linear displacement sensor is attached to the joint 52 or the stage 55, and the control signal 45 (θ1, θ2, θ3, x) is fed back and recalculated. The control signal 45 (θ1, θ2, θ3, x) calculated in this manner is output to each of the joints 52 and the stage 55, and is also acquired by the acquisition unit 15 of the data processing unit 10.

[0029] Control unit 35a also plays a role in controlling the operation of work tool 37 supported by work robot 50, including turning it on and off, and in transmitting recorded data 46 output by work tool 37 to the outside. Recorded data 46 (image data) of work tool 37 (camera) transferred from control unit 35a in this manner is collected by collection unit 16 of data processing unit 10.

[0030] Incidentally, the control signal 45 (θ1, θ2, θ3, x) acquired by the acquisition unit 15 is uniquely associated with the work position and work posture of the work tool 37. For this reason, the identification unit 17 identifies the structure 32 that is the work target (image target) of the work tool 37 (camera) based on this control signal 45.

[0031] The adding unit 18 adds the identification information 44 of the structure 32 identified from the control signal 45 to the recorded data 46 of the work tool 37. The recorded data 46 with the identification information 44 added is saved as an annotated file 48, and is accumulated each time new recorded data 46 is collected. This annotated file 48 can be transferred to another server via a network (not shown).

[0032] As a result, the identification information 44 of the structure 32 that was the target of work is automatically added to the recorded data 46 recorded by the work tool 37 of the nacelle 30. This improves the visibility of the recorded data 46 and the convenience of using it for data analysis, and also reduces the human labor previously required for adding the identification information 44.

[0033] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a data processing unit 10B(10) of a remote monitoring device according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 5, parts having the same configuration or function as Fig. 3 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0034] The data processing unit 10B according to the second embodiment differs from the data processing unit 10A according to the first embodiment in the following respects. That is, an automatic operation unit 43b is provided instead of the manual operation unit 43a of the first embodiment. This automatic operation unit 43b has a plurality of designation signals 42 that designate the working position and working posture of the work tool 37 prepared in advance.

[0035] The control unit 35b then calculates each of the control signals 45 from the multiple designation signals 42 and executes the work robot 50 at the designated timing. This makes it possible to register multiple designation signals 42 that define the patrol route of the work tool 37 in advance, and have the work robot 50a automatically operate the work tool 37 along the defined patrol route and collect record data 46. In this case, the annotation file 48 has added thereto the identification information 44 of the different structures 32 that correspond to each designation signal 42.

[0036] Furthermore, the data processing unit 10B according to the second embodiment differs from the configuration of the data processing unit 10A according to the first embodiment in that the identification unit 17 uses a correlation table 40 to identify the structure 32.

[0037] 6 shows a correlation table 40 indicating the correlation between the structure 32 in the nacelle 30 and the control signal 45 of the work robot 50. That is, the data processing unit 10B is provided with a registration unit that registers such a correlation table 40. The identification unit 17 then refers to this correlation table 40 to identify the structure 32 corresponding to the control signal 45. The addition unit 18 then adds this identification information 44 to the recorded data 46 to associate it with the structure 32 that is the target of work.

[0038] The correlation table 40 can also be constructed based on information from a designation signal 42 that designates the working position and working posture of the work tool 37. In this case, the identification unit 17 calculates the working position and working posture of the work tool 37 based on information from the control signal 45, and identifies the corresponding structure 32 by checking against the correlation table 40.

[0039] As a means for relating the target structure 32 to the control signal 45 of the working robot 50, in addition to using the correlation table 40, machine learning may be used.

[0040] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a conceptual diagram of the inside of a nacelle 30 in which a mechanical unit 31b of a remote monitoring device according to the third embodiment is installed. In Fig. 7, parts having the same configuration or function as those in Fig. 2 are indicated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0041] The mechanical unit 31b according to the third embodiment differs from the mechanical unit 31a according to the first embodiment in the following respects. That is, the working robot 50 is configured with a drone 50b instead of the articulated arm 50a according to the first embodiment. The control unit 35b (35) according to the third embodiment calculates a control signal 45 for the working robot 50 (drone 50b) in accordance with the input designation signal 42 such that the working position and working posture of the work tool 37 are autonomously controlled.

[0042] In order to fly the drone 50b autonomously, information on the actual position and attitude of the work tool 37, which is necessary for the control unit 35b to calculate the control signal 45, is acquired by a known method. Specifically, possible methods include a method of photographing the drone 50b with the fixed camera 38 (for example, attaching an AR marker to the drone 50b and recognizing it with the fixed camera 38), a method of photographing a reference block (not shown) fixed to the nacelle 30 with a camera mounted on the drone 50b, a method of having the drone 50b transmit and receive positioning radio waves emitted from the control unit 35b, and a self-position estimation method such as VisualSLAM or LiDAR-SLAM.

[0043] The working robot 50 in the first and second embodiments is exemplified by either the multi-joint arm 50a or the drone 50b alone. In some cases, both the multi-joint arm 50a and the drone 50b are disposed as the working robot 50. In some cases, the working robot 50 is configured with a plurality of working robots 50 and is controlled in cooperation with each other.

[0044] The drone 50b is normally stationed at a heliport provided inside the nacelle 30 and is supplied with power, etc. Furthermore, the drone 50b can be grasped at the tip of the articulated arm 50a of the first embodiment and moved inside the nacelle 30, and the drone 50b can be released from the top end of the tower 26, allowing the drone 50b to inspect the inside of the tower 26 alone.

[0045] Figure 8 shows a user interface screen of the operation unit 43 for specifying the working position and working posture of the work tool 37 within the nacelle 30. That is, when a point is specified on the operation screen shown in Figure 8, a specification signal 42 is transmitted from the transmission unit 12 to the control unit 35 so that the work tool 37 takes the corresponding position and posture.

[0046] According to the third embodiment, by using a drone 50b for the work robot 50, the degree of freedom of movement within the nacelle 30 is improved compared to the articulated arm 50a. This increases the number of structures 3 that can be worked on, and the types of recorded data 46 that can be collected also increase. By automatically assigning the identification information 44 of the structures 32 to the recorded data 46, the visibility of the recorded data 46 and the convenience of using the recorded data 46 for data analysis are improved. Furthermore, the labor of humans who have previously been involved in assigning the identification information 44 can be reduced.

[0047] The steps of the remote monitoring method and the algorithm of the remote monitoring program according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 9 (see Figs. 2 and 3 as appropriate). A designation signal 42 that designates the work position and work posture of the work tool 37 inside the nacelle 30 is transmitted from transmitter 12 to control unit 35 of work robot 50 (S11).

[0048] Based on this designation signal 42, the work robot 50 is operated (S12), the work position and work posture are set (S13), and the work tool 37 (camera) supported by the work robot 50 is caused to work (take pictures) (S14). At the same time, a control signal 45 for the work robot 50 is acquired from the control unit 35 (15). Then, based on this control signal 45, the structure 32 to be worked on (taken pictures) by the work tool 37 is identified (S16).

[0049] At the same time, the system collects recorded data 46 (image data) output by the work tool 37 (camera) with the specified work position and work posture (S17). Then, the system adds identification information 44 of the structure 32 to the recorded data 46 and saves and accumulates it as an appended file 48 (S18, S19 No Yes, END).

[0050] According to at least one of the above-described embodiments of the remote monitoring device, the structure that is the target of the work tool's work can be identified based on the control signal of the work robot, and the identification information of the work target can be automatically added to the data recorded inside the wind turbine. This makes it easy to analyze the huge amount of accumulated recorded data, and makes it possible to easily grasp the condition inside the wind turbine remotely without having to directly dispatch a worker.

[0051] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0052] The remote monitoring device described above includes a control device with a highly integrated processor such as a dedicated chip, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), or a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a storage device such as a Read Only Memory (ROM) or a Random Access Memory (RAM), an external storage device such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or a Solid State Drive (SSD), a display device such as a display, an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and a communication I / F, and can be realized with a hardware configuration using a normal computer. Therefore, the components of the remote monitoring device can also be realized by a computer processor and can be operated by a remote monitoring program.

[0053] The remote monitoring program is provided by being pre-installed in a ROM etc. Alternatively, the program may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, memory card, DVD, or flexible disk (FD) in the form of an installable or executable file.

[0054] The remote monitoring program according to the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading it via the network. The remote monitoring device may also be configured by combining separate modules that independently perform the functions of the components and are connected to each other via a network or a dedicated line. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10 (10A, 10B)... data processing unit, 11... receiving unit, 12... transmitting unit, 15... acquiring unit, 16... collecting unit, 17... identifying unit, 18... adding unit, 20... wind turbine, 21... hub, 22... floating body, 23... mooring line, 24... foundation, 25... blade, 26... tower, 27... rotor shaft, 28... foundation, 30... nacelle, 31 (31a, 31b)... mechanism unit, 32 (32a, 32b)... structure, 32a... speed increaser (structure), 32b... generator (structure), 35 (35a, 35b)... control unit, 36... rail, 37... Work tool, 38...fixed camera, 40...correlation table, 41...video data, 42...designation signal, 43 (43a, 43b)...operation unit, 43a...manual operation unit (operation unit), 43b...automatic operation unit (operation unit), 44...identification information, 45...control signal, 46...recorded data, 47...display unit, 48...annotation file, 50 (50a, 50b)...work robot, 50a...articulated arm (work robot), 50b...drone (work robot), 51...link, 52...joint, 55...stage.

Claims

1. a rotor shaft that transmits rotational energy converted from wind flow energy, and a nacelle that accommodates at least a generator that converts the rotational energy into electrical energy; and a working robot that controls at least one of a working position and a working posture of the working tool that it supports; a transmission unit that transmits a designation signal that designates at least one of the working position and the working posture to a control unit of the working robot; an acquisition unit that acquires from the control unit a control signal for the working robot to execute at least one of the specified working position and the specified working posture; an identification unit that identifies a structure that is a work target of the work tool based on the control signal; a collection unit that collects record data output by the work tool in which at least one of the work position and the work posture is specified; An adding unit that adds identification information of the structure to the recorded data and stores the data.

2. 2. The remote monitoring device according to claim 1, The work robot is a remote monitoring device composed of a multi-joint arm in which multiple links are connected by joints that can be displaced in angle.

3. 3. The remote monitoring device according to claim 1, The work robot is a remote monitoring device composed of a drone.

4. The remote monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a registration unit that registers a correlation table indicating a correlation between the structure and the control signal; A remote monitoring device in which, in reference to the correlation table, the identification information of the structure corresponding to the received control signal is added to the recorded data.

5. The remote monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a remote monitoring device including an operation unit for transmitting the designation signal for manually designating the working position and the working posture of the work tool.

6. The remote monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a remote monitoring device including an operation unit that automatically executes calculations based on a plurality of designation signals that designate the working position and working posture of the work tool in advance.

7. The remote monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The work tool is a remote monitoring device that is at least one of a camera, a sensor, and a tool.

8. The remote monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, A remote monitoring device in which a fixed camera is provided on the nacelle for monitoring the work tool and the work robot.

9. A step of operating a work tool using a nacelle that houses at least a rotor shaft that transmits rotational energy converted from wind flow energy and a generator that converts the rotational energy into electrical energy; A step of controlling at least one of a working position and a working posture of the working tool supported by the working robot; transmitting a designation signal designating at least one of the working position and the working posture to a control unit of the working robot; acquiring from the control unit a control signal for the working robot to execute at least one of the designated working position and the designated working posture; identifying a structure to be worked on by the work tool based on the control signal; collecting record data output by the work tool in which at least one of the work position and the work posture is specified; and adding identification information of the structure to the recorded data and storing the same.

10. On the computer, A step of operating a work tool using a nacelle that houses at least a rotor shaft that transmits rotational energy converted from wind flow energy and a generator that converts the rotational energy into electrical energy; A step of controlling at least one of a working position and a working posture of the working tool supported by the working robot; transmitting a designation signal designating at least one of the working position and the working posture to a control unit of the working robot; acquiring from the control unit a control signal for the working robot that executes at least one of the designated working position and the designated working posture; identifying a structure to be worked on by the work tool based on the control signal; collecting record data output by the work tool in which at least one of the work position and the work posture is specified; A remote monitoring program that executes a step of adding identification information of the structure to the recorded data and storing the data.

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