Blade maintenance device for wind turbine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9574549-B2
Application number	US-201214342364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2012
Priority date	Sep 2, 2011
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a blade maintenance device for a wind turbine. The blade maintenance device for the wind turbine includes: a body that travels along a leading edge of a blade; support units that extend from the body to both sides of the blade and support the sides of the blade; and a maintenance unit installed at at least one of the body and the support units so as to perform maintenance of an outer side of the blade.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A blade maintenance device for a wind turbine, the blade maintenance device comprising:
a body that travels along a leading edge of a blade;
support units comprising support members that extend from the body to both sides of the blade and support the sides of the blade; and
a maintenance unit installed at at least one of the body and the support units so as to perform maintenance of an outer side of the blade,
wherein the maintenance unit comprises a movement unit that moves along one of the support members, and
wherein the movement unit comprises:
a movement member that moves along one of the support members;
a movement motor installed at the movement member; and
a driving body coupled to a shaft of the movement motor in contact with an outer side of the support member.

2. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises:
a plurality of wheels installed to contact the blade leading edge;
a driving motor that drives at least one of the plurality of wheels;
a controller for controlling operations of the driving motor and the maintenance unit; and
a battery unit installed so as to supply voltages for an operation of the blade maintenance device.

3. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the maintenance unit comprises an inspection unit that is installed at the body so as to inspect defects of the blade leading edge and implemented as at least one of a camera and an ultrasonic inspection unit.

4. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises:
a first sensor that detects a position of a free end of the blade; and
a second sensor that detects a position of an end toward a hub of the blade.

5. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the support members each has a length that is larger than a maximum width of the blade, bent along each of curved surfaces of both sides of the blade, and formed of a material that is capable of being elastically deformed.

6. The blade maintenance device of claim 5 , wherein the maintenance unit comprises:
an inspection unit that is installed at the movement unit so as to inspect defects of the sides of the blade and implemented as at least one of a camera and an ultrasonic inspection unit.

7. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the driving body comprises an external gear, and
each of the support members comprises a straight gear part that is long disposed in a lengthwise direction of one of the support members so as to engage with the external gear.

8. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein each of the support members comprises a roller that contacts an outer side of the blade and makes a rolling movement.

9. The blade maintenance device of claim 8 , wherein the roller is disposed in a position in which the roller is inclined toward a maximum thickness of the blade or toward a trailing edge of the blade from the maximum thickness of the blade.

10. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor that detects a separation distance between each of the support members and the sides of the blade.

11. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the support members are rotatably coupled to the body, and
the body comprises a plurality of support member driving units that rotate the support members to be spaced apart from the sides of the blade or to be close to the sides of the blade.

12. The blade maintenance device of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of support member driving units comprises:
a gear part connected to each of the support members;
a worm wheel engaged with the gear part; and
a motor that rotates the worm wheel in forward and reverse directions.

13. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the maintenance unit comprises:
a cleaning brush that is rotatably installed at a lower part of the body so as to clean the blade leading edge;
a motor installed at the body so as to drive the cleaning brush;
a cleaning solution tank installed at at least one of the body and the support members; and
a cleaning solution supply unit that supplies a cleaning solution of the cleaning solution tank to the cleaning brush.

14. The blade maintenance device of claim 13 , wherein the maintenance unit further comprises:
a cleaning solution supply flow path provided on a rotation shaft of the motor to which the cleaning brush is coupled, so as to supply the cleaning solution to a center of the cleaning brush,
a cleaning solution guide member that is installed at an outer side of the rotation shaft and surrounds an inlet of the cleaning solution supply flow path so as to guide the cleaning solution toward the rotating cleaning solution supply flow path; and
a cleaning solution supply pipe that guides the cleaning solution of the cleaning solution tank toward the cleaning solution guide member.

15. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the maintenance unit comprises a deicing unit for removing ice formed on the blade leading edge, and
the deicing unit comprises:
a blower flow path provided on the body and having an outlet facing the blade leading edge;
a blower fan installed within the blower flow path so as to blow air toward the outlet of the blower flow path;
a motor that drives the blower fan; and
a heater installed within the blower flow path so as to heat air of the blower flow path.

16. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the maintenance unit comprises:
a cleaning brush that is installed at the movement unit,
a motor installed at the movement unit so as to drive the cleaning brush,
a cleaning solution tank installed at at least one of the body and the support members; and
a cleaning solution supply unit that supplies a cleaning solution of the cleaning solution tank to the cleaning brush.

17. The blade maintenance device of claim 16 , wherein the maintenance unit further comprises:
a cleaning solution supply flow path provided on a rotation shaft of the motor to which the cleaning brush is coupled, so as to supply the cleaning solution to a center of the cleaning brush;
a cleaning solution guide member that is installed at an outer side of the rotation shaft and surrounds an inlet of the cleaning solution supply flow path so as to guide the cleaning solution toward the rotating cleaning solution supply flow path; and
a cleaning solution supply pipe that guides the cleaning solution of the cleaning solution tank toward the cleaning solution guide member.

18. The blade maintenance device of claim 1 , wherein the movement unit further comprises a plurality of rollers installed at the movement member so that the movement member is capable of moving along one of the support members.

Assignees

• Lee Byung Kyu
• Kim Hong Gyeoum
• Lee Jong Hwan
• Cho Young Seok
• Ha Young Youl
• Ha In Chul
• Han Dong Ki
• Samsung Heavy Ind

Inventors

• Lee Byung Kyu
• Kim Hong Gyeoum
• Lee Jong Hwan
• Cho Young Seok
• Ha Young Youl
• Ha In Chul
• Han Dong Ki

Classifications

• B08B1/36

  rotating about an axis orthogonal to the surface · CPC title

• B08B1/04

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• Y02E10/722

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B08B7/04

  by a combination of operations · CPC title

• Y10S901/41

  Tool · CPC title