Wind Turbine Controller Configuration via Local Memory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern wind turbines face challenges in reusing electronic control units (ECUs) across different types of wind turbines and wind power plant sub-systems due to varying system configurations, leading to the need for customized programming and manufacturing for each configuration.
Innovation Solution
A control system with distributed controllers and data storage units, where each controller reads operational information from its corresponding data storage unit to determine its function and configuration, and a main controller ensures correct hardware and software configurations before allowing startup, preventing incorrect configurations from initiating the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ECUs are customized for different system configurations, then control functionality is optimized, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal ECU design where a single controller hardware platform can be deployed across multiple wind turbine types and configurations. The ECU determines its specific function by reading configuration data from locally coupled memory devices, eliminating the need for custom-programmed ECUs for each configuration while maintaining optimized control functionality.
2Productivity
If ECUs are reused across different configurations, then manufacturing efficiency improves, but configuration errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-stores configuration data in memory devices that are locally coupled to each ECU before deployment. The ECU reads this pre-configured data to determine its function, position, and operational parameters, ensuring correct configuration is established in advance rather than risking errors during runtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The main controller verifies configuration data by reading position information from memory devices and cross-checking it with expected configurations for each ECU position in the system. This feedback mechanism detects configuration errors and prevents startup when mismatches are found, ensuring configuration accuracy.
3Reliability
If configuration verification is performed, then system reliability improves, but startup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration verification process focuses on critical checks only - reading position information from memory devices and verifying ECU type matches the expected configuration for that position. This partial verification approach ensures system reliability by checking essential parameters while minimizing startup time by not performing exhaustive validation of all ECU functions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control system for a wind turbine is provided. The control system includes a plurality of controllers distributed in the wind turbine or the wind power plant; and a plurality of data storage units, each data storage unit being arranged at a respective predetermined position in the wind turbine or the wind power plant and being coupled to the controller arranged at the same position; wherein each data storage unit comprises operational information pertaining to the predetermined position in the wind turbine or the wind power plant; and wherein each controller is configured to read the operational information of the corresponding data storage unit and to determine its function from the operational information.