Method and a device for adjusting the pitch and stopping the rotation of the blades of a wind turbine

• US 6,609,889 B1
• Filed: 04/16/2001
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEG Micon A/S (Vestas Wind Systems A/S)
• Original Assignee: NEG Micon A/S (Vestas Wind Systems A/S)
• Inventors: Vilsboll, Niels
• Primary Examiner(s): Look, Edward K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edgar, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US09/762,814
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 416/1, 416/155, 416/157.R, 416/153, 416/169.R, 415/4.3, 415/4.5, 415/908
• US Class Current: 416/1
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0224 Adjusting blade pitch
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0248 by mechanical means acting on the power train
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0268 Parking or storm protection
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/72 by turning around an axis parallel to the rotor centre line
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/76 the adjusting mechanism using auxiliary power sources
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2260/902 using frictional mechanical forces
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/328 Blade pitch angle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 415/908 Axial flow runner

Abstract

A method and mechanism for adjusting/controlling the pitch of at least one blade of a wind turbine relative to a wind direction parallel to a longitudinal main shaft of the wind turbine use a mechanism with a motor for rotating drive wheels in the angle gear around a longitudinal blade shaft via drive wheels of an angle gear. The method and mechanism can stop the complete turning of a main shaft of a wind turbine having a motor to rotate a drive pinion in an angle gear via a drive wheel, the angle gear being meant to pitch at least one blade around a longitudinal axis.

Claims

1. A device for controlling the pitch angle of a wind turbine blade of a wind turbine comprising:

a main shaft rotatably connected to a base part of the wind turbine, and at least one blade connected to the main shaft, the connection enables rotation of the blade about a longitudinal axis of the blade; and

pitch angle altering means connected to the at least one blade for altering the pitch angle of said blade, and said pitch altering means comprising a bevel gear with a drive wheel being rotated by at least one synchronizing shaft and drive pinions for turning the at least one blade at an angle;

the at least one synchronizing shaft connecting activatable driving means with the pitch angle altering means, at least a part of the synchronizing shaft being aligned with and extends along or parallel with a central axis of the rotatably connected main shaft, so that upon activation of the driving means a difference in angular rotation between the synchronizing shaft and the rotatably connected main shaft is introduced, as the pitch angle altering means is adapted to convert the angular rotation difference into a rotation of the at least one blade along its longitudinal axis, whereby the pitch angle of the at least one blade is altered by activating the driving means, said pitch controlling device further having the entire activatable driving means mounted on the rotatably connected main shaft.

2. The pitch controlling device according to claim 1, wherein the pitch altering means comprises a bevel gear with a drive wheel being rotated by the synchronizing shaft and drive pinions for turning the at least one blade at an angle.

3. The pitch controlling device according to claim 1, wherein the entire activatable driving means is mounted on a rear part of the main shaft, the pitch altering means being located at a front end of the main shaft and the at least one synchronizing shaft extends from the rear end to the front end of the main shaft, the synchronizing shaft extends through the interior of the main shaft.

4. The pitch controlling device according to claim 1, wherein the entire activatable driving means is mounted on a front part of the main shaft, the pitch altering means being located at the front end of the main shaft and the at least one synchronizing shaft extends from the rear end to the front end of the main shaft, the synchronizing shaft extends through the interior of the main shaft.

5. The pitch controlling device according to claim 1, wherein the wind turbine comprises a multi-pole generator having a rotor constituting the main shaft of the wind turbine.

6. The pitch controlling device according to claim 1, wherein the wind turbine comprises a multi-pole generator being connected aligned with at the rear end of the wind turbine.

7. The pitch controlling device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one synchronizing shaft is provided with a part of a brake rotatable directly together with the synchronizing shaft and a part of the brake being non-rotatable with the synchronizing shaft being mounted on a stationary part of the chassis of the wind turbine.

8. The pitch controlling device according to claim 7, wherein the rotatable part of the brake is a brake caliper having a brake shoe mounted on the synchronizing shaft and the non-rotatable part of the brake is a brake ring mounted on the chassis.

9. The pitch controlling device according to claim 1, wherein the activatable driving means is a motor, and wherein the pitch altering means comprises preventing means for preventing the pitch altering means from converting the angular rotation difference into a rotation of one or more of the at least one blade when the torque needed to rotate the one or more blade(s) along its longitudinal axis exceed a predetermined torque.

10. The pitch controlling device according to claim 9, wherein electrical current to the activatable driving means is supplied by at least one slipring mounted concentrically with the main shaft and connected to a power supply.

11. The pitch controlling device according to claim 9, wherein the electrical current to the activatable driving means is supplied by power source contained in the main shaft or the main shaft being a part of the power source.

12. The pitch controlling device according to claim 9, wherein the motor is one of an electrical motor, a hydraulic driven motor and a pneumatic driven motor.

13. The pitch controlling device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one synchronizing shaft is provided with a part of a brake being mounted on and rotatable with the synchronizing shaft and a part of the brake being mounted on the main shaft and being non-rotatable with the synchronizing shaft.

14. The pitch controlling device according to claim 13, wherein the rotatable part of the brake is a brake disc and the non-rotatable part of the brake is a brake caliper having a brake shoe.

15. The patch controlling device according to claim 13, wherein the rotatable part of the brake is a brake caliper having a brake shoe mounted on the synchronizing shaft and the non-rotatable part of the brake is a brake ring mounted on the main shaft.

16. The pitch controlling device according to claim 13, wherein braking force is released by means of electric, hydraulic, mechanic or any other kind of applied dynamic force.

17. The pitch controlling device according to claim 13, wherein braking force is applied by springs or similar mechanically applied static force.

18. A method of controlling the pitch angle of a wind turbine, which method applies a device according to claim 1, and where the at least one synchronizing shaft and the activatable driving means are permanently connected, said method comprising the steps of:

activating the driving means and thereby instantly rotating the synchronizing shaft;

when activating the driving means introducing a difference in angular rotation between the synchronizing shaft and the main shaft;

transferring the difference in angular rotation between the synchronizing shaft and the main shaft to the pitch angle altering means; and

de-activating the driving means and thereby instantly stopping the rotation of the synchronizing shaft.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of retaining the angular position of the synchronizing shaft relative to the angular position of the main shaft.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the pitch angle is controlled so that the pitching of the blades is between +2°

to −

10°

.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the pitch angle is controlled so that the pinching of the blades are between +1°

to −

5°

.

22. The method for stopping the rotation of the blades of a wind turbine by applying the method according to claim 18 and where the at least one synchronizing shaft is provided with a rotatable part of a brake and a non-rotatable part of the brake being mounted on a stationary part of the chassis of the wind turbine, said stopping is provided by retaining the synchronizing shaft to a stationary part of the wind turbine.

23. The method of stopping the rotation of the blades of a wind turbine according to claim 22, wherein the angle which the main shaft is allowed to turn in either positive or negative direction when the synchronizing shaft is being retained to a stationary part of the wind turbine is given by pitching the blades between 0°

to −

20°

.

24. The method of stopping the rotation of the blades of a wind turbine according to claim 22, wherein the angle which the main shaft is allowed to turn in either positive or negative direction when the synchronizing shaft is being retained to a stationary part of the wind turbine is given by pitching the blades between −

10°

to −

15°

.

25. The method of stopping the rotation of the blades of a wind turbine according to claim 22, wherein the main shaft is allowed to turn in either positive or negative direction when the synchronizing shaft is being retained to a stationary part of the wind turbine.

26. The method of stopping the rotation of the blades of a wind turbine by braking the main shaft of the wind turbine, according to claim 25, wherein the angle which the main shaft is allowed to turn in either positive or negative direction when the synchronizing shaft is being stopped is given by pitching the blades between −

1°

to +90°

C.

27. The method of stopping the rotation of the blades of a wind turbine by braking the main shaft of the wind turbine according to claim 25, wherein the angle which the main shaft is allowed to turn in either positive or negative direction when the synchronizing shaft is being stopped is given by pitching the blades between 0°

to 65°

.

28. The method of stopping the rotation of the blades of a wind turbine by braking the main shaft of the wind turbine according to claim 25, wherein the angle which the main shaft is allowed to turn in either positive or negative direction when the synchronizing shaft is being stopped is given by pitching the blades between 0°

to 40°

.