Electrical connector for a wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10519937-B2
Application number	US-201415029554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2014
Priority date	Oct 14, 2013
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

An electrical connector for providing power between a nacelle and a hub of a wind turbine. The electrical connector includes a first electrical connector part for connection to one of the nacelle or the hub, and a second electrical connector part for connection to the other of the nacelle or the hub. The electrical connector further includes an actuator for moving the first or second electrical connector parts in a first direction between an extended position in which the first and second connector parts are in contact and form an electrical connection between the nacelle and the hub, and a retracted position in which the first and second electrical connector parts are spaced apart and do not form an electrical connection. The first and/or second electrical connector parts include one or more magnets arranged to secure the first and second parts together when the respective parts are in contact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector for providing power between a nacelle and a hub of a wind turbine, the electrical connector comprising:
a first electrical connector part for connection to one of the nacelle or the hub;
a second electrical connector part for connection to the other of the nacelle or the hub; and
an actuator for moving the first or second electrical connector parts in a first direction between an extended position in which the first and second connector parts are in contact and form an electrical connection between the nacelle and the hub, and a retracted position in which the first and second electrical connector parts are spaced apart and do not form an electrical connection;
wherein at least one of the first and second electrical connector parts comprise one or more magnets arranged to secure the first and second connector parts together when the respective parts are in contact.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured to move the first connector part into and out of contact with the second connector part.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the second connector part defines a landing zone for the first connector part.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the second connector part is in the form of a table having the shape of a segment of an annulus.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the second connector part comprises one or more conductive plates arranged to provide a substantially continuous electrical contact area between the first and second connector parts.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5 , wherein the one or more conductive plates comprises three conductive plates for carrying three respective phases of a 3-phase electrical supply.

7. The electrical connector of claim 5 , wherein the one or more conductive plates are curved and define a substantially continuous circumferential electrical contact area between the first and second connector parts.

8. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the second connector part comprises one or more magnetic plates arranged to provide a substantially continuous magnetic contact area between the first and second connector parts.

9. The electrical connector of claim 8 , wherein the one or more each magnetic plates are curved and define a respective substantially continuous circumferential magnetic contact area between the first and second connector parts.

10. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the first connector part includes one or more permanent magnets arranged to contact one or more magnetic contact areas of the second connector part.

11. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical connector part comprises one or more electrical contact pins configured to engage an electrical contact area defined on the second connector part.

12. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the one or more electrical contact pins comprises three electrical contact pins for carrying three respective phases of a 3-phase electrical supply.

13. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the one or more contact pins are biased into engagement with the electrical contact area when the first and second connector parts are in contact.

14. The electrical connector of claim 13 , wherein the one or more contact pins are biased into engagement with the electrical contact area by means of a respective spring associated with the pin.

15. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second connector parts include at least one sensor arranged to sense a relative position of the parts when the parts are in contact.

16. The electrical connector of claim 15 , wherein the at least one sensor is an inductive sensor and is arranged to sense the position of at least one of the one or more magnets provided on another of the connector parts.

17. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the second connector part is slidably mounted to the hub or the nacelle.

18. The electrical connector of claim 17 , wherein the second connector part is mounted on one or more rails that extend in a direction substantially tangential to a circular main bearing provided between the hub and the nacelle of the wind turbine to which the electrical connector is connected in use.

19. The electrical connector of claim 18 , further comprising a biasing means for biasing the second connector part into a neutral position along the one or more rails.

20. The electrical connector of claim 1 , further comprising a swivel joint configured to enable the first and second connector parts to turn relative to one another about a swivel axis substantially parallel to the first direction.

21. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical connector part is mounted at a first end of a sliding frame configured to slide in the first direction to move the first electrical connector part into and out of contact with the second electrical connector part.

22. The electrical connector of claim 21 , wherein the first electrical connector part is mounted to the sliding frame via a swivel joint.

23. The electrical connector of claim 21 , wherein the first electrical connector part is moveable relative to the sliding frame in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

24. The electrical connector of claim 21 , wherein the electrical connector further comprises a plurality of independent biasing devices between the sliding frame and the first connector part for biasing the first connector part into engagement with the second connector part.

25. The electrical connector of claim 21 , wherein the actuator is arranged to releasably couple to the sliding frame and to drive the sliding frame in the first direction.

26. The electrical connector of claim 25 , wherein the actuator is arranged to couple to the sliding frame by means of magnetic attraction.

27. The electrical connector of claim 26 , wherein an electromagnet is mounted at a second end of the sliding frame and the actuator is arranged to couple to the electromagnet when the electromagnet is activated.

28. The electrical connector of claim 1 , further comprising a fail safe device arranged to move the first and second connector parts out of contact in the event of a loss in power.

29. The electrical connector of claim 28 , wherein the fail safe device is a biasing device which is moveable between a first position when the first and second connector parts are in contact and a second position when the first and second connector parts are spaced apart, and wherein the biasing device is biased towards the second position.

30. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a linear actuator and comprises a piston configured to extend and retract in the first direction.

31. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the first connector part is enclosed within an electromagnetic compatibility box when the first and second connector parts are not in contact.

32. The electrical connector of claim 31 , wherein the first connector part is arranged to slide out of the electromagnetic compatibility box when the connector parts are in contact.

33. The electrical connector of claim 32 , wherein the electromagnetic compatibilit

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Nielsen Christian Krogh

Classifications

• H01R39/44

  Devices for shifting brushes · CPC title

• H01R39/385

  Means for mechanical fixation of the brush holder · CPC title

• F03D80/00

  Details, components or accessories not provided for in groups F03D1/00 - F03D17/00 · CPC title

• F05B2240/14

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

• F03D80/82 Primary

  of electrical components · CPC title