Sensor Bolt Slot Access for Wind Turbine Blade Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor bolts for wind turbines face challenges in accessing and replacing sensor arrangements due to harsh environments and limited space, making installation and maintenance difficult.
Innovation Solution
A sensor bolt design featuring an axial channel that opens into a slot with arcuate ends and an elongated hole, allowing for improved access while minimizing structural weakening, with sensors arranged in the slot to protect them from mechanical influences and route cables through the axial channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sensor arrangement is provided in an axial channel in the shaft of the sensor bolt, then the sensor arrangement is protected and can be easily exchanged by replacing the sensor bolt, but only a limited space is available and it is difficult to access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transverse slot that opens to the outer circumference of the shaft, creating a new access dimension perpendicular to the axial channel. This allows sensors to be accessed and replaced from the side rather than requiring axial disassembly, effectively adding a lateral dimension to the access path while maintaining the protective axial channel structure.
2Ease of operation
If an elongated hole is created to improve access to the interior of the sensor bolt, then access options are improved, but the cross-sectional area of the sensor bolt is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a localized access feature (transverse slot) at a specific location on the shaft rather than a through-hole. This localized approach provides sufficient access for sensor installation and replacement while minimizing the removal of material from the overall bolt structure, thereby preserving structural integrity in critical load-bearing areas.
3Measurement precision
If sensors are attached directly to the rotor blade by gluing, then the desired parameters can be obtained, but installation and repair or replacement of such sensors is difficult due to harsh environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensor system into modular components: the sensor arrangement is housed in a protective axial channel within the sensor bolt, which itself is a replaceable fastening element. This segmentation allows the entire sensor assembly to be easily replaced by simply removing and replacing the sensor bolt, rather than attempting to access and replace individual glued sensors on the rotor blade.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6
AI summary
A sensor bolt (1), particularly for connecting a rotor blade of a wind turbine to a support, is described, comprising a shaft (2) to which a sensor arrangement (7) is attached and an axial channel (5) in the shaft (2). The aim is to provide a sensor bolt in which the sensor arrangement is easily accessible. For this purpose, the axial channel (5) is designed to open into an elongated hole (6) extending transversely to the axial channel (5).