Blade gripping device with rectangular carrying structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9440821-B2
Application number	US-201414327587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2014
Priority date	Jul 29, 2013
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A blade gripping device for gripping a rotor blade of a wind turbine is provided. The device comprises a first frame which is essentially horizontally aligned in a designated operating position and a second frame which is essentially horizontally aligned in the designated operating position and a blade gripping assembly with a number of blade gripping tools. Thereby, the first frame and the second frame are connected to each other via a swivel or other similar type connection, the connection realized to permit a yawing movement of the second frame relative to the first frame. The first frame comprises a rectangular carrying structure with at least four connectors for connection to a lifting device, which connectors are positioned essentially at the corners of the rectangular structure. Further, the invention concerns a method of operating a blade gripping device for gripping a rotor blade of a wind turbine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A blade gripping device for gripping a rotor blade of a wind turbine, comprising:
a first frame which is essentially horizontally aligned in a designated operating position and
a second frame which is essentially horizontally aligned in the designated operating position and
a blade gripping assembly with a number of blade gripping tools, whereby
the first frame and the second frame are connected to each other via a swivel, the connection realized to permit a yawing movement of the second frame relative to the first frame,
the first frame comprises a rectangular carrying structure with at least four connectors for connection to a lifting device, which connectors are positioned essentially at the corners of the rectangular structure; and
a sensor arrangement to sense a specific feature of the rotor blade, whereby the specific feature is such that it can be used to orientate the blade holding device relative to the rotor blade in a blade gripping maneuver.

2. The device according to claim 1 , whereby the bearing comprises a yaw ring.

3. The device according to claim 1 , comprising a number of electric and/or hydraulic actuators to generate the yawing movement.

4. The device according to claim 3 whereby at least one electric actuator comprises a gear motor.

5. The device according to claim 1 , whereby the blade gripping assembly is a part of the second frame.

6. The device according to claim 1 , whereby the first frame comprises a rectangular carrying structure, an extension of which, corresponds with a rectangular carrying structure of the second frame.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one blade gripping tool comprises:
a sling; and
an automatic sling handover mechanism comprising a sling-conveying element and a sling-receiving element, whereby the sling-conveying element conveys a connection means of the sling along a two-dimensional predefined path of travel around a part of the rotor blade towards the sling-receiving element to connect to a receptor of the sling-receiving element.

8. An assembly comprising a rotor blade of a wind turbine, and the device according to claim 1 .

9. A method of operating a blade gripping device for gripping a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the method comprising: operating the blade gripping device, wherein the blade gripping device comprises
a first frame which is essentially horizontally aligned in a designated operating position and
a second frame which is essentially horizontally aligned in the designated operating position and
a blade gripping assembly with a number of blade gripping tools, wherein
the first frame and the second frame are connected to each other via a swivel, the connection realized to permit a yawing movement of the second frame relative to the first frame,
the first frame comprises a rectangular carrying structure with at least four connectors for connection to a lifting device, which connectors are positioned at the corners of the rectangular structure, and whereby
the second frame is yawed in such way that an axis of the blade gripping device is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the rotor blade in such way that the blade gripping tools can grip the rotor blade in a designated gripping position.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Hansen Steen Mattrup
• Moeller Jesper
• Svinth Kenneth Helligsoe

Classifications

• Y10T29/53991

  Work gripper, anvil, or element · CPC title

• Y10T29/49316

  Impeller making · CPC title

• B66C1/108 Primary

  for lifting parts of wind turbines · CPC title

• B66C1/42

  Gripping members engaging only the external or internal surfaces of the articles (for handling or stripping castings or ingots during manufacture B22D29/00) · CPC title