Aviation beacon device for a wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10132298-B2
Application number	US-201515512812-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2015
Priority date	Sep 23, 2014
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

An aircraft beacon device of a wind power installation, to be arranged on a gondola of the wind power installation, comprising at least three omnidirectional emission sections arranged concentrically in a ring around a common mid-axis, each omnidirectional emission section comprising a lens section arranged concentrically in a ring around the mid-axis, with a beam plane defined perpendicularly to the mid-axis, and at least one lighting ring having lighting means arranged concentrically in a ring around the mid-axis in order to emit light through the lens section, wherein each lighting ring is configured in order to emit light with a central emission direction which makes an emission angle with the beam plane, and wherein the emission direction depends on an axial position of the lighting ring with respect to the lens section, wherein at least one omnidirectional emission section comprises at least two lighting rings offset axially with respect to one another for emission with different emission angles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft beacon device of a wind power installation, configured to be arranged on a nacelle of the wind power installation, the aircraft beacon device comprising:
at least three omnidirectional emission sections arranged concentrically in a ring around a common mid-axis,
each omnidirectional emission section comprising:
a lens section arranged concentrically in a ring around the mid-axis, with a beam plane defined perpendicularly to the mid-axis, and
at least one lighting ring having lights arranged concentrically in a ring around the mid-axis in order to emit light through the lens section,

wherein each lighting ring is configured to emit light with a central emission direction that makes an emission angle with the beam plane, and wherein the emission direction depends on an axial position of the lighting ring with respect to the lens section,
wherein at least one omnidirectional emission section comprises at least two lighting rings offset axially with respect to one another for emission with different emission angles.

2. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 , wherein the omnidirectional emission sections are arranged in the axial direction with respect to one another.

3. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 , wherein the lights are LEDs.

4. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the lights are configured to output light with a first color, and at least one further light is configured in order to output light with a second color.

5. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the lights are red LEDs and have a minimum intensity with a value from the following list:
10 cd, 20 cd, 25 cd, 30 cd, 32 cd, 50 cd, 70 cd, 100 cd or 200 cd.

6. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the lights are white LEDs and have a minimum intensity with a value from the following list:
3.4 cd, 34 cd or 175 cd.

7. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 , comprising a control unit configured to vary emission characteristic of the aircraft beacon device by selective driving of individual lights or lighting rings.

8. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 , comprising a control unit configured to adjust or vary an intensity of the lights or lighting rings.

9. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit has emission characteristics that are programmed in a fixed manner.

10. The aircraft beacon device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit is configured to modify the emission characteristic during operation of the installation.

11. A wind power installation comprising:
a nacelle; and
at least one aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 arranged on the nacelle.

12. A method for operating an aircraft beacon device according to claim 1 comprising driving the lights in such a way that a predetermined emission characteristic is generated and/or is switched on and/or off in a predetermined sector.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein properties of the emission of the aircraft beacon device are adjusted or modified during continuous operation by corresponding driving of the lights and/or the lighting rings.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein at least one of:
a vertical emission characteristic,
a horizontal sector for emission, and
an emission intensity
is adjusted or modified during continuous operation as a function of a period of time or point in time.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein an emission characteristic is specified by establishing the driving of the lights and the lighting rings, before the aircraft beacon device is put into operation.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the aircraft beacon device, when installed on a nacelle of a wind power installation, is readjusted as a function of the azimuthal position of the nacelle, and an emission characteristic varying in the horizontal direction is adapted according to the azimuthal position of the nacelle during continuous operation.

Assignees

• Wobben Properties Gmbh

Inventors

• Schultz Olaf

Classifications

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F05B2240/14

  Casings, housings, nacelles, gondels or the like, protecting or supporting assemblies there within · CPC title

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title

• F21W2111/00

  Use or application of lighting devices or systems for signalling, marking or indicating, not provided for in codes F21W2102/00 – F21W2107/00 · CPC title

• F21Y2103/33

  annular · CPC title