Wind Turbine Blade Maintenance Robot with Adjustable Roller Frame
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current maintenance technologies for wind turbine blades and towers are inefficient, requiring manual labor, being seasonally limited, and lacking the ability to simultaneously clean and paint blades and towers effectively.
Innovation Solution
A wind turbine blade maintenance arrangement comprising a main frame, a roller frame, and adjustable cleaning and/or painting means, which can be positioned over a wind turbine blade from the ground using a winch and pulley system, allowing for secure and controlled cleaning and painting of both sides of the blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual maintenance by industrial climbers is used, then maintenance can be performed on wind turbine blades, but it is expensive, time-consuming, seasonal, and potentially dangerous
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic maintenance system performs cleaning and painting operations autonomously without requiring human climbers to manually service the blades. The robot equips itself with cleaning tools and painting equipment, executing maintenance tasks independently while eliminating safety risks associated with human workers at height
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical human climbing system with an automated robotic system that uses winch and pulley mechanisms for positioning. The robot substitutes human physical operations with automated mechanical arms, grippers, and integrated cleaning/painting equipment, eliminating the need for industrial climbers
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional painting equipment is added to the cleaning machine, then painting capability is provided, but the system size and weight increase making it difficult to transport and set up
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates cleaning and painting equipment into a single robotic maintenance system. The cleaning machine and painting equipment are merged into one unified platform that can perform both functions, eliminating the need for separate equipment and reducing overall system weight and complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic maintenance system is designed as a multi-functional platform that can perform both cleaning and painting operations. The same robotic platform with adjustable arms and tools provides universal maintenance capability, replacing the need for specialized separate equipment for each function
3Reliability
If the cleaning machine is designed with magnets and flexible rollers, then it can adhere to and clean the tower surface, but the washing speed is relatively slow due to technological limitation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic control of the robotic system's movement along the blade surface, adjusting speed and positioning in real-time. The robotic arm can vary its traversal speed and the cleaning contact pressure dynamically, optimizing both adhesion and cleaning efficiency throughout the maintenance process
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic maintenance system performs cleaning operations continuously along the blade surface without interruption. The automated positioning and cleaning mechanisms maintain constant productive action, eliminating the pauses and manual repositioning that limit the speed of traditional cleaning methods
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to wind turbine blade and tower maintenance devices, which can be used for semi- or fully-automated maintenance, including cleaning, de-icing, and painting of wind turbine blades and tower. The wind turbine blade maintenance arrangement, comprising a main frame; a roller frame; at least one cleaning and/or painting means supporting frame; a linear movement rail, comprising the longitudinally extending base surface, two longitudinally-extending walls, being perpendicular to the base surface; a joint, providing for at least one degree of freedom; at least two rollers mounted on the roller frame and configured to allow secure pushing of the arrangement of the cleaning robot against an edge of the wind turbine blade, and moving the maintenance arrangement along the edge of the blade; the cleaning and/or painting means, mounted on the cleaning and/or painting means supporting frame; the cleaning and/or painting means supporting frame or frames are adjustably connected to the roller frame so as to allow controllable adjustment of the distance between the cleaning and/or painting means, and the surfaces of the wind turbine; wherein the main frame and the roller frame are adjustably connected together via a linear movement rail and a joint; the linear movement rail is designed to allow movement of the roller frame in a substantially horizontal direction in respect to the main frame; the joint is designed to allow controllable rotational movement of the roller frame in respect to the linear movement rail, wherein the rotational axis of the revolute joint is substantially perpendicular to the base surface of the linear movement rail.