Wireless Bridge Access Point Wind Turbine Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Service technicians in wind farms face difficulties in communication due to the lack of cellular or wireless internet coverage during maintenance and repair of wind turbines.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communication system is established using a base station, wireless bridge, and access points to provide bi-directional data transmission, utilizing Cisco Aironet and Cisco 3500 Series devices to extend communication signals up to 20 miles, ensuring coverage within and around wind turbines, including service roads and adjacent turbines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If traditional cellular or wireless internet infrastructure is used, then communication coverage is available in populated areas, but coverage is absent in remote wind farm locations
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system is segmented into multiple distributed access points deployed across individual wind turbines throughout the wind farm. Each access point serves as an independent node that collectively provides comprehensive coverage across the entire wind farm area, resolving the contradiction between coverage area and reliability in remote locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extends communication coverage by utilizing the vertical dimension through mounting access points on tall wind turbine structures. This elevates the communication infrastructure above the ground level, enabling signal transmission across the wind farm landscape and overcoming the limitation of traditional ground-based cellular infrastructure in remote areas.
2Area of stationary object
If wireless communication infrastructure is deployed throughout the wind farm, then communication coverage is improved, but system complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The access points are designed as universal, multi-functional units that can be deployed on any wind turbine in the farm. Each unit serves multiple purposes: providing wireless connectivity to technicians, enabling remote monitoring, and supporting maintenance operations. This standardization reduces system complexity despite the distributed deployment across multiple locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless communication system is integrated into the existing wind turbine infrastructure, utilizing the turbine's structural components for mounting and power supply. The system leverages available resources at each turbine location, reducing the need for separate infrastructure and simplifying installation and maintenance operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system (200) for providing wireless communication to a user computing device (204) at a wind turbine (214) including a tower (106), a nacelle (102), and a plurality of rotor blades (110) defining a sweep area (114). The system (200) that includes a communications network source (207) for providing a wireless signal (208) from a communications network, a wireless bridge (212) coupled to an exterior of a parent wind turbine (214) configured to receive the wireless communication signal, and a wireless access point (216) coupled to the wind turbine near a location of the wind turbine including at least one of a roof (104), at the base, and the tower, the wireless access point communicatively coupled to the wireless bridge and configured to transmit the wireless signal to at least one user computing device within an access area of the wind turbine, the access area including an interior of the tower and the nacelle, and the sweep area.