Determining a yaw direction of a wind turbine

• US 9,958,528 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hawkins, Samuel H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull, Fred H
• Application Number:
  US14/705,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20160032897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 342418
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 17/00 Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/0204 for orientation in relation to wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/321 Wind directions
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/802 Calibration thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/52 using a receiving antenna moving, or appearing to move, in a cyclic path to produce a Doppler variation of frequency of the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/54 the apparent movement of the antenna being produced by coupling the receiver cyclically and sequentially to each of several fixed spaced antennas
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A method for determining a yaw direction of a wind turbine includes the following steps, receiving at a component of the wind turbine a signal broadcasted from a source, determining a direction from the component towards the source based on the received signal, determining the yaw direction of the wind turbine in relation to the determined direction towards the source is provided. Further, a wind turbine and a device as well as a computer program product and a computer readable medium are disclosed for performing the method.

Claims

1. A method for determining a yaw direction of a wind turbine comprising:

activating, by a processor of a computing system, a receiver coupled to the wind turbine to receive a signal broadcasted from a source, wherein the receiver is synchronized with a transmitter associated with the source, such that the receiver is activated at a same time interval as the transmitter when the transmitter transmits the signal;

applying, by the processor, a Pseudo-Doppler Radio Direction Finding based on the signal received by the receiver;

acquiring, by the processor, as a function of applying the Pseudo-Doppler Radio Direction Finding, a direction from the receiver towards the source, and an offset angle;

determining, by the processor, the yaw direction of the wind turbine, using the offset angle and the direction from the receiver towards the source.

2. The method according claim 1, wherein:

the receiver has a calibrated 0°

-direction in relation to a direction of the receiver; and

the offset angle is determined based on the calibrated 0°

-direction in relation to the determined direction.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein:

the signal is broadcasted from the source located at a source-specific geographic position;

the broadcasted signal is received at a component-specific geographic position;

a relative compass heading is derived by processing the component-specific geographic position and the source-specific geographic position; and

a yaw angle of the wind turbine is derived based on the offset angle, and on the relative compass heading.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the yaw angle is determined in relation towards a defined cardinal direction.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the broadcasted signal is received at a nacelle or rotor of the wind turbine.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the yaw direction is determined:

continuously, periodically, within at least one defined time interval, or one-time.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a geographic position is defined according to:

a Geographic Latitude and Longitude coordinate system,

an Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system, or

an Universal Polar Stereographic coordinate system.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the processor, a sector management control function, using the yaw direction of the wind turbine.

9. A wind turbine, comprising:

a receiver for receiving a signal broadcasted from a source, the receiver being synchronized with a transmitter associated with the source;

a processor for;

activating, by the processor, the receiver coupled to the wind turbine to receive the signal, wherein the receiver is activated at a same time interval as the transmitter when the transmitter transmits the signal;

applying, by the processor, a Pseudo-Doppler Radio Direction Finding based on the signal received by the receiver;

acquiring, by the processor, as a function of applying the Pseudo-Doppler Radio Direction Finding, a direction from the receiver towards the source, and an offset angle; and

determining, by the processor, the yaw direction of the wind turbine, using the offset angle and the direction from the receiver towards the source.

10. A device comprising a processor for implementing the steps of a method, the method comprising:

activating, by the processor, a receiver coupled to the wind turbine to receive a signal broadcasted from a source, wherein the receiver is synchronized with a transmitter associated with the source, such that the receiver is activated at a same time interval as the transmitter when the transmitter transmits the signal;

applying, by the processor, a Pseudo-Doppler Radio Direction Finding based on the signal received by the receiver;

acquiring, by the processor, as a function of applying the Pseudo-Doppler Radio Direction Finding, a direction from the receiver towards the source, and an offset angle;

determining, by the processor, the yaw direction of the wind turbine, using the offset angle and the direction from the receiver towards the source.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the device is a yaw encoder.

12. The device according to claim 10, further comprising:

performing, by the processor, a sector management control function, using the yaw direction of the wind turbine.

13. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, the computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a computer processor of a computing system implements a method, the method comprising:

activating, by the processor, a receiver coupled to the wind turbine to receive a signal broadcasted from a source, wherein the receiver is synchronized with a transmitter associated with the source, such that the receiver is activated at a same time interval as the transmitter when the transmitter transmits the signal;

applying, by the processor, a Pseudo-Doppler Radio Direction Finding based on the signal received by the receiver;

acquiring, by the processor, as a function of applying the Pseudo-Doppler Radio Direction Finding, a direction from the receiver towards the source, and an offset angle;

determining, by the processor, the yaw direction of the wind turbine, using the offset angle and the direction from the receiver towards the source.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, further comprising:

performing, by the processor, a sector management control function, using the yaw direction of the wind turbine.