Adjustment unit for azimuth adjustment and/or pitch adjustment of a wind turbine, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11092134-B2
Application number	US-201816489675-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2018
Priority date	Mar 3, 2017
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A adjustment unit for an azimuth adjustment and/or for a pitch adjustment of a wind turbine, to an adjustment apparatus, to a pitch adjustment apparatus, to an azimuth adjustment apparatus, to a wind turbine, and to methods for the rotor blade adjustment and wind direction tracking, and to the use of an adjustment unit and/or adjustment apparatus. The adjustment unit for an azimuth adjustment and/or for a pitch adjustment of a wind turbine comprises a drive unit which can be arranged on a first annular flange and has an eccentric shaft, a first engagement element which can be arranged on a circumference of a second annular flange which is arranged such that it can be rotated with respect to the first annular flange, a multiplicity of concavely and convexly configured first cam sections being arranged on a circumferential face of the first engagement element, and a second engagement element, with concave and convex second cam sections which are arranged on a circumferential face and correspond to the first cam sections.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adjustment unit for at least one of: an azimuth adjustment or for a pitch adjustment of a wind turbine, comprising:
a drive unit configured to be arranged on a first annular flange, the drive unit having an eccentric shaft;
a plurality of first engagement elements arranged adjacently with respect to one another and at a circumference of a second annular flange, the second annular flange being rotatable with respect to the first annular flange;
a plurality of concave and convex first cam sections arranged on circumferential faces of the plurality of first engagement elements; and
a plurality of second engagement elements adjacently with respect to one another and having concave and convex second cam sections arranged on circumferential faces of the plurality of second engagement elements and corresponding to the first cam sections,
wherein the eccentric shaft is arranged rotatably relative to the plurality of second engagement elements and is at an eccentric point of the plurality of second engagement elements, and
wherein the plurality of first and second engagement elements are arranged and configured to carry out rolling movements between the first cam sections and the second cam sections, and
wherein the plurality of first engagement elements and the plurality of second engagement elements have passage axes arranged in parallel, wherein said passage axes are oriented parallel to a rotational axis of the eccentric shaft.

2. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the adjustment unit is configured as a pitch adjustment unit, and wherein:
the first annular flange is configured as a hub flange, and the second annular flange is configured as a rotor blade flange, or
the first annular flange is configured as the rotor blade flange, and the second annular flange is configured as the hub flange, or

the adjustment unit is configured as an azimuth adjustment unit, and wherein:
the first annular flange is configured as a motor casing flange, and the second annular flange is configured as a tower flange, or
the first annular flange is configured as the tower flange, and the second annular flange is configured as the motor casing flange.

3. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the second cam sections are arranged on an outer circumferential face of the plurality of second engagement elements,
the first cam sections are arranged on an inner circumferential face of the plurality of first engagement elements, and
a quantity of convex first cam sections of the plurality of first engagement elements exceeds a quantity of concave second cam sections of the plurality of second engagement elements by at least one.

4. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , comprising two or more drive units.

5. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive unit comprises at least one of: a motor, a transmission, or a brake.

6. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the two or more drive units are coupled to a synchronizing element.

7. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of: the plurality of first engagement elements, the first cam sections, the plurality of second engagement elements, or the second cam sections comprises a fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite material.

8. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of: the plurality of first engagement elements or the plurality of second engagement elements have an annular geometry.

9. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of first engagement elements have internal diameters that are greater than external diameters of the plurality of second engagement elements, or
the plurality of first engagement elements have external diameters that are smaller than internal diameters of the plurality of second engagement elements.

10. The adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first engagement elements are configured as bolt rings, and the first cam sections are configured as bolts, the bolts being spaced apart from one another equidistantly in a circumferential direction, wherein the bolts have bolt longitudinal axes and are arranged in such a way that the bolt longitudinal axes are oriented substantially parallel to the rotational axis of the eccentric shaft.

11. An adjustment apparatus for at least one of: an azimuth adjustment or a pitch adjustment of a wind turbine, comprising a first annular flange and a second annular flange arranged rotatably on one another, and the adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the drive unit is arranged on the first annular flange;
the plurality of first engagement elements are arranged on the circumference of the second annular flange; and
the plurality of second engagement elements are arranged and configured to bring about a relative movement between the first annular flange and the second annular flange in the case of a rotation of the eccentric shaft.

12. A pitch adjustment apparatus for a rotor blade adjustment of a rotor blade of a rotor of a wind turbine, comprising:
a substantially annular hub adapter with an annular hub flange, the hub adapter being configured to be fastened to a hub of the wind turbine or forming a part of the hub;
a substantially annular rotor blade adapter with an annular rotor blade flange, the rotor blade adapter being configured to be fastened to the rotor blade of the wind turbine or forming a part of the rotor blade;
the annular hub flange being arranged and configured to be rotated relative to the annular rotor blade flange;
the adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 ;
the hub adapter being arranged substantially coaxially with respect to the rotor blade adapter;
the drive unit being arranged on the annular hub flange; and
the plurality of first engagement elements being arranged on the annular rotor blade flange.

13. The pitch adjustment apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the hub adapter is coupled to the rotor blade adapter by a pitch bearing, and wherein the plurality of first engagement elements are arranged on a circumferential face of the pitch bearing.

14. An azimuth adjustment apparatus for tracking a wind direction with a motor casing of a wind turbine, comprising:
a substantially annular motor casing adapter with an annular motor casing flange, the motor casing adapter being configured to be fastened to the motor casing of the wind turbine or to form a part of the motor casing;
a substantially annular tower adapter with an annular tower flange, the tower adapter being configured to be fastened to a tower of the wind turbine, or to form a part of the tower;
the motor casing flange being arranged to rotate relative to the tower flange;
the adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 ;
the tower adapter being arranged substantially coaxially with respect to the motor casing adapter;
the drive unit being arranged on the annular motor casing flange; and
the plurality of first engagement elements being arranged on the annular tower flange.

15. The azimuth adjustment apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the motor casing adapter is coupled to the tower adapter by an azimuth bearing, and wherein the plurality of first engagement elements are arranged on a circumferential face of the azimuth bearing.

16. A wind turbine, comprising:
a wind turbine tower,
a motor casing,
a rotor with a hub,
at least one rotor blade, and
the adjustment unit as claimed in claim 1 .

17. A method for adjusting a rotor blade of a rotor of a wind turbine,

Assignees

• Wobben Properties Gmbh

Inventors

• Gudewer Wilko
• Jepsen Torsten

Classifications

• Y02E10/72

  Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction · CPC title

• F05B2260/76

  the adjusting mechanism using auxiliary power sources · CPC title

• F03D1/0658 Primary

  Arrangements for fixing wind-engaging parts to a hub · CPC title

• F03D7/0224 Primary

  Adjusting blade pitch · CPC title

• F03D7/0204 Primary

  for orientation in relation to wind direction · CPC title