Wind Turbine Tower Internal Warning Light Housing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wind turbine towers face challenges in maintaining accessible and reliable warning lights for aviation safety, as they often require complex installations and are prone to failure due to external exposure.

Innovation Solution

A tower design with a light source positioned on the central axis of a through-hole within the outer wall, allowing for easy maintenance and using a housing with a reflective arrangement and optical elements to emit light directly into the environment, eliminating the need for fiber optics and enhancing reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If the light source is arranged outside the outer wall of the tower, then the light is clearly visible from the outside, but the maintenance and service accessibility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight visibilityVSAvoidmaintenance accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of placing the light source outside the tower wall as in conventional designs, the patent inverts the arrangement by positioning the light source inside the inner space of the outer wall, arranged on the central axis of a through-hole. This internal placement maintains external visibility through the through-hole while enabling easy maintenance access from inside the tower.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of repair

If the light source is arranged inside the inner space of the outer wall on the central axis of the through-hole, then the maintenance accessibility improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional housing and optical elements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance accessibilityVSAvoidlighting arrangement complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of repairVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated housing structure that contains the light source, optical elements, and mounting mechanisms. This unified housing is arranged on the central axis of the through-hole and can be installed or removed as a single unit, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying maintenance operations despite the presence of multiple functional elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it supports the light source, contains optical elements for light guidance, provides mounting interfaces for installation and maintenance, and protects the internal components. This multi-functional design reduces the need for separate specialized components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Illumination intensity

If conventional lighting arrangements are used with multiple through-holes and fiber optic cables, then the light distribution is adequate, but the reliability decreases due to more components and external exposure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight distributionVSAvoidfailure susceptibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary components from the lighting system by using a single central through-hole instead of multiple holes, and by directing light directly through this hole without requiring fiber optic cables. This reduction in components minimizes potential failure points and simplifies the system architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of bringing external light sources to the tower wall and using fiber optics to transmit light outward, the patent inverts the approach by placing the light source internally and directing light directly through the through-hole to the external environment, eliminating the need for external fiber optic connections and improving system reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This design improves serviceability and reduces failure susceptibility by allowing internal access to the light source, providing a compact and efficient lighting solution that is easily mountable and maintainable, while ensuring clear visibility from the outside.

Implementation Method 1

a light source configured to emit light through the through-hole into an environment surrounding the tower

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight emission: Light Emitting Diode

Implementation Method 2

using a housing with a reflective arrangement and optical elements to emit light directly into the environment

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight reflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentUS11434874B2Tower for a wind turbine and a wind turbine

Publication Date: 2022.09.06 SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY AS

AI summary

A tower for wind turbine is provided, including an outer wall encompassing an inner space and including a through-hole having a central axis, and a light source configured to emit light through the through-hole into an environment surrounding the tower, wherein the light source lies on the central axis of the through-hole and is arranged inside the inner space of the outer wall. The serviceability and maintenance of the light source is improved since the light source can be easily accessed by maintenance personnel operating inside the tower.