TW202242249A - Maintenance method for structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a maintenance method for a structure, whereby the maintenance of locations requiring maintenance in structures, such as leading edges of wind turbine blades and outer walls of bridges and buildings, can be efficiently performed using unmanned aircraft, without the need for workers to work directly at the maintenance sites. This maintenance method for a structure according to the present invention comprises a maintenance step for performing maintenance on the surface of the structure. The maintenance step includes at least one step among: a bonding step for attaching a protective member to the surface of the structure, wherein at least a portion of the bonding step is performed using the unmanned aircraft; and a removal step for removing the protective member attached to the surface of the structure, wherein at least a portion of the removal step is performed using the unmanned aircraft.

Description

Maintenance methods of structures

The invention relates to a method for maintaining structures.

In recent years, global warming has become a problem, and the importance of renewable energy that does not emit carbon dioxide that causes global warming has increased. Among them, wind power generation is also attracting attention among renewable energy sources because it can supply energy stably day and night.

Since wind energy obtained by wind turbine blades used for wind power generation is proportional to wind speed and wind receiving area, large and tall blades that can expand the wind receiving area are advantageous. Especially the wind turbine blades used for offshore wind power generation usually have a length of more than 60 m, and the peripheral speed of the front end of the wind turbine blades exceeds 250 km per hour.

Wind turbine blades, on the other hand, are formed from fiber reinforced resin (FRP). As mentioned above, since the peripheral speed increases with the height of the wind turbine blades, especially at the leading edge (leading edge) of the wind turbine blades, immersion (erosion) caused by raindrops, salt water splashes, sand dust, etc. occurs, The surface becomes rough and air resistance is generated, so there is a problem that power generation efficiency decreases.

Therefore, a maintenance method for protecting wind turbine blades from erosion is proposed.

A method is disclosed in Patent Document 1, which includes the following steps: applying a first paint layer to the above-mentioned surface portion of the above-mentioned blade; applying a fiber material layer to the above-mentioned first paint layer; applying a second paint layer to on said layer of fibrous material; and curing said applied leading edge protector. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese National Publication No. 2019-518161

In the method of Patent Document 1, a fiber material layer is arranged on a wind turbine blade, and the fiber material layer is impregnated with paint and hardened, and is carried out in a wet process. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to implement the above method on the wind turbine blade at a position high from the ground.

When performing maintenance work on wind turbine blades installed at sea, strong winds sometimes blow at sea, and workers may work at heights where wind turbine blades should be maintained, which may be dangerous. Maintenance methods for wind turbine blades where workers work at heights.

Also, structures such as bridges and outer walls of building structures, like wind turbine blades, also undergo maintenance work for repairing deterioration caused by wind, rain or sunlight. These maintenance sites are mostly located at high places, and for these structures, a maintenance method that does not require operators to work at high places is also expected.

The present invention provides a maintenance method for structures, which is for structures such as the front edge of wind turbine blades, bridges, and outer walls of building structures, without the need for operators to directly perform operations at the maintenance site, and can use unmanned aerial vehicles to efficiently Carry out maintenance on the parts of the structure that need maintenance.

The maintenance method of the structure of the present invention is characterized in that it includes a maintenance step of maintaining the surface of the structure; The above maintenance steps include at least one of the following steps, Attaching step: attaching the protective member to the surface of the structure, at least a part of which is carried out by using an unmanned aerial vehicle; and Removal step: remove the protective member attached to the surface of the structure, and at least part of it is carried out by using an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The maintenance method of a structure of the present invention has a maintenance step including at least one of a bonding step and a removing step. At least a portion of the maintenance steps are performed by the unmanned aerial vehicle. Since all or part of the maintenance steps are carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles, instead of operators directly performing maintenance operations on the maintenance site of the structure surface, there is no need to build construction frames for the operators to perform maintenance operations on the structure surface, so it can be smoothly Carry out maintenance work on structures.

The maintenance method of the structure of the present invention is to divide the steps constituting the maintenance step into multiple parts according to the needs, and use the unmanned aerial vehicle to complete the division step, which is carried out by the unmanned aerial vehicle instead of the operator on the maintenance site on the surface of the structure. Direct maintenance There is no need to build a construction frame for the operator to perform maintenance work on the surface of the structure, so the maintenance work of the structure can be carried out smoothly.

In the case of preparing an unmanned aerial vehicle for each step, the steps can be carried out continuously or simultaneously, and the maintenance work of the structure can be smoothly carried out in a short time. Furthermore, when each step is performed using an unmanned aerial vehicle, it is possible to reduce the number of components required for maintenance work to be mounted (mounted) on the unmanned aerial vehicle, thereby achieving weight reduction, and it is possible to perform maintenance work using a general-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle.

An example of the maintenance method of the structure of this invention is demonstrated referring drawings. A case where the structure is a wind turbine blade is taken as an example for description. In addition, in some drawings, some structures (for example, units, etc.) are omitted for easy understanding.

According to the maintenance method of the structure, it is possible to maintain the damaged parts on the surface of the wind turbine blade B caused by erosion, or the parts on the surface of the wind turbine blade B that are expected to be damaged by erosion.

The wind turbine blade B is prone to damage caused by erosion, especially at the leading edge C. Therefore, the maintenance method of the wind turbine blade is preferably applied to the part of the surface of the wind turbine blade B including the leading edge portion C.

Furthermore, the so-called leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B refers to the front end edge portion in the direction of rotation of the wind turbine blade (taking the direction of rotation as the forward direction), and refers to the front end edge of the wind turbine blade and its peripheral portion ( Refer to Figure 1).

In the following description, the case where the maintenance of the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B is taken as an example is described, but it can also be applied to maintenance other than the leading edge portion C.

The maintenance method of structures is to carry out the maintenance steps, and the maintenance steps include the following steps, Attaching step: attaching the protective member to the surface of the structure; and/or Removal step: remove the protective member attached to the surface of the structure. The maintenance method of the structure includes either or both of the attaching step and the removing step. At least a portion of the bonding step is performed using an unmanned aerial vehicle. At least a portion of the removing step is performed using an unmanned aerial vehicle.

In the maintenance method of a structure, each of the attaching step and the removing step includes a plurality of dividing steps, and at least one of the dividing steps is performed using an unmanned aerial vehicle. Preferably, all segmentation steps are performed using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The maintenance step includes a plurality of split steps, but since the respective maintenance operations of the split steps are different, it is preferable to use an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with equipment required for each split step. Therefore, it is preferable to prepare at least as many UAVs as the number of division steps, preferably each UAV is equipped with the equipment required in the division steps for which the UAV is responsible. Multiple UAVs can also be used to perform a segmentation step.

UAVs for steps performed consecutively or simultaneously with each other, requiring separate preparations, but for steps that are not consecutive to steps that have already completed the work (work completion steps) and are performed after the work completion step (subsequent steps) The unmanned aerial vehicle can also be used by reinstalling the equipment installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle used in the above-mentioned operation completion steps into the equipment required for the subsequent steps. In this way, by using the UAV used in the work completion step in the subsequent step, not only the total number of UAVs to be prepared can be reduced to suppress the cost of preparing the UAV, but also the cost of transporting the UAV to the maintenance site can be suppressed. transportation cost.

The attaching step and the removing step are divided into a plurality of divided steps. Below, each division step is described, but any division step can be combined to become a division step, and an unmanned aerial vehicle for performing the division step after the combination can be prepared, or the division step can be further subdivided into multiple There are a number of segmentation steps, each of which is used to prepare an unmanned aerial vehicle for performing the subdivided segmentation step. The UAV need not be prepared for all segmentation steps, but only for at least one.

Since the attaching step and the removing step are divided into a plurality of divided steps, it is possible to reduce the number of equipment (operation units, etc.) required in each divided step and achieve weight reduction. Therefore, as the UAV F, a general-purpose UAV having a usual maximum load capacity (payload) can be used.

The unmanned aerial vehicle F can use a general-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle (such as a multirotor (multicopter), etc.), which is composed of an aircraft body G and a plurality of rotors H integrally arranged on the aircraft body G, by rotating the rotor H to generate Buoyancy, and control the rotation speed of the rotor H, etc., so that it can fly in the desired direction with its own power. The unmanned aerial vehicle F can be operated remotely using wireless or the like, and the maintenance work described later is performed by the operator operating the unmanned aerial vehicle F remotely. The unmanned aerial vehicle F can pre-set the memory device (such as HDD, SSD, etc.) installed on the aircraft body G to memorize the response actions corresponding to a series of operation sequences and conditions, etc., without the need for remote operation by the operator, and can be carried out by self-judgment Maintenance operations (automatic flight) can also use the operator's remote operation and automatic flight.

Furthermore, as the general-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle F, for example, unmanned aerial vehicles commercially available under the trade names of "Drone Agras T20" and "Drone M600Pro" by DJI Corporation can be used.

A maintenance method for a structure, including at least one or two of a bonding step and a removing step. First, the bonding step will be described.

The lamination step is divided into a plurality of division steps, including the lamination division step, and other division steps may be included before and after the lamination division step as necessary. For example, a cleaning solution spraying dividing step, a cleaning solution removing dividing step, a smoothing dividing step, a filling dividing step, an organic component removing dividing step, a coating dividing step, and a primer (primer) dividing step may be performed prior to the bonding dividing step. .

In the cleaning liquid spray division step, in order to remove the dirt adhering to the surface of the wind turbine blade, spray the cleaning liquid [for example, liquid containing detergent (surfactant, etc.), water, ethanol, etc.] on the surface of the wind turbine blade deal with.

In order to spray the cleaning liquid on the surface of the structure, a storage tank storing the cleaning liquid and a nozzle for spraying the cleaning liquid in the storage tank are installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle. After the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to the position where the wind turbine blade needs to be cleaned, the cleaning liquid is sprayed on the surface of the wind turbine blade B from the nozzle installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In the step of removing and dividing the cleaning solution, the operation of wiping the cleaning solution sprayed on the surface of the wind turbine blade to remove the dirt on the surface of the wind turbine blade together with the cleaning solution is carried out.

In order to wipe off the cleaning liquid, a removing member (such as a cloth, a sponge, etc.) for wiping the cleaning liquid supplied to the surface of the wind turbine blade is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle. After the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to the position where cleaning fluid needs to be wiped off, the cleaning fluid adhering to the surface of the wind turbine blade is wiped off by using a removal member installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle.

In the smoothing and dividing step, smoothing treatment is performed in order to improve the adhesion of the protective member described later to the surface of the structure.

A well-known method can be used as the smoothing treatment, for example, a method of smoothing the surface of the wind turbine blade by grinding the surface of the wind turbine blade with abrasives such as abrasive particles and abrasive brushes.

In the case of using abrasive particles to smooth the surface of wind turbine blades, for example, a nozzle that ejects abrasive particles by compressed air is installed on an unmanned aerial vehicle. After the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to the part where the wind turbine blade needs to be smoothed, abrasive particles are sprayed on the surface of the wind turbine blade from the nozzle installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle to grind the surface of the wind turbine blade and make the surface of the wind turbine blade smooth change. The grinding degree of the wind turbine blade surface can be adjusted by adjusting the material, hardness, and particle size of the abrasive particles.

In the case of using abrasive brushes to smooth the surface of wind turbine blades, for example, a rotating brush body formed by inserting a brush into the surface of a freely rotatably supported shaft can be installed on an unmanned aerial vehicle, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly to After the part of the wind turbine blade needs to be smoothed, the rotating brush body is rotated while the brush is brought into contact with the surface of the wind turbine blade, whereby the surface of the wind turbine blade is ground and smoothed. The grinding degree of the wind turbine blade surface can be adjusted by adjusting the hardness of the brush.

In addition, when there is damage such as a chip on the surface of the wind turbine blade, the step of filling and dividing may be performed as necessary. The filling and dividing step is a step of filling the recess with defects formed on the surface of the wind turbine blade with a filling material (such as urethane filling soil, epoxy filling soil, etc.) to smooth the surface of the wind turbine blade.

A coating device such as a coating nozzle or a coating roller for coating the filling material, or a scraper member or a bristle member for smoothing the sprayed filling material is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle. Then, after the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to the concave part of the wind turbine blade, the filling material can be coated on the surface of the wind turbine blade using a coating nozzle or a coating roller. Or brush bristle members to remove excess filling material and stretch it on one side.

If the adhesive component remaining after removing the old protective member or organic components produced by insect corpses adhere to the surface of the wind turbine blade, the bonding of the protective member may become insufficient, so it can also be used. Organic component removal segmentation step with organic component removal.

A storage tank filled with organic solvents (such as ethanol, xylene, toluene, etc.) for removing organic components, a spraying device for spraying the organic solvent in the storage tank on the surface of wind turbine blades, and a spray device for removing sprays on wind turbine blades A removal device such as a removal roller for removing organic solvents on the surface and dissolving organic components on the surface of wind turbine blades is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle. Then, the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly to the part where the organic components need to be removed from the wind turbine blades, and after the organic solvent is sprayed on the surface of the wind turbine blades from the spray device, the removal device is brought into contact with the surface of the wind turbine blades to remove the organic solvent, thereby and remove organic components from the surface of wind turbine blades.

A painting division step for painting the surface of the wind turbine blade can also be carried out. As the paint used for coating, known paints may be used.

A storage tank for storing paint and a spraying device for spraying the paint in the storage tank on the surface of wind turbine blades are installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle. Then, after the unmanned aerial vehicle is flown to the position where the paint is applied in the wind turbine blade, the paint is sprayed on the surface of the wind turbine blade from the spraying device, and the paint is dried, thereby forming a coating film on the wind turbine blade surface.

In addition, a primer dividing step for forming a primer layer on the surface of the wind turbine blade may be performed as necessary. The purpose of providing the primer layer is to attach the protective member to the surface of the wind turbine blade more easily and more reliably, and to impart water resistance to the wind turbine blade B and prevent the deterioration of the wind turbine blade over time. As the synthetic resin constituting the primer layer, conventionally known synthetic resins can be used, for example, acrylic resins, polyurethane resins, polyester resins, polyurethane resins, and the like.

A tank filled with a primer layer forming liquid (primer or a liquid in which the primer is dissolved or dispersed) for forming a primer layer and spraying the primer layer forming liquid in the tank on the surface of a wind turbine blade The spray device is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle. Then, after the unmanned aerial vehicle is flown to the position where the primer layer is formed on the wind turbine blade, the primer layer forming liquid is sprayed on the surface of the wind turbine blade from the spraying device, and the primer layer forming liquid is dried, whereby the The surface of the wind turbine blade forms a primer layer.

The smoothing and dividing steps, the filling and dividing steps, the organic component removing and dividing steps, and the primer dividing steps can be performed as needed, and the order of performing these dividing steps can be appropriately determined according to the surface condition of the wind turbine blade B.

Next, a bonding and dividing step of bonding the protective member A to the surface of the structure is performed. The fit segmentation step includes the following steps, Step of arranging and dividing: arranging the protective member on the surface of the wind turbine blade; and Pressing and splitting step: pressing and sticking the protection component arranged on the surface of the wind turbine blade to the surface of the structure. The UAV is preferably used in at least one of the dispensing and pressing segmentation steps. The UAV is preferably used in the configuration segmentation step and the press segmentation step. The dispensing and splitting steps and the pressing and splitting steps can also be performed using the same UAV.

The protective member A is attached along the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B, and the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B is repaired or protected by the protective member A.

The protection member A is formed to have a length (full length) of substantially the entire length of the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B or a length equivalent to the length (divided length) obtained by dividing the entire length of the leading edge portion C into multiple parts, or the entire length or It is a long strip with a length greater than or equal to 100mm, and it is in a coiled state (refer to Figure 2).

The protection member A is not particularly limited. The protective member A preferably has a fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 (see FIG. 4 ). The fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 contains a synthetic resin and fibers contained in the synthetic resin. The fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 may be formed by laminating and integrating the same or different fiber-reinforced resin layers in the thickness direction.

The synthetic resin is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include curable resins such as polyurea and two-component curing polyurethane resins, thermoplastic polyurethane resins, polyolefin resins, polyester resins, polyamide resins such as nylon, and ABS. resin, plasticized polyvinyl chloride resin, thermoplastic resin such as polyvinyl chloride resin, etc. As the synthetic resin, a thermoplastic resin is preferable because the thermoplastic resin can follow the deflection of the wind turbine blade and at the same time protect a desired portion of the surface of the wind turbine blade.

Fibers are contained in the synthetic resin constituting the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 . The fibers include fibers 11 whose longitudinal direction is oriented to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine blade B (the longitudinal direction of the front portion C) in a state of being bonded to the front edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B. In other words, the fiber includes the fiber 11 oriented in the longitudinal direction of the elongated protective member A.

In this way, if the longitudinal direction of the fibers 11 contained in the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 is directed to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine blade B, the strength in the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine blade can be reinforced, and the deflection in the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine blade can be improved. Play an effective reinforcing effect.

The fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 preferably contain fibers 11 whose length direction is oriented in the length direction of the wind turbine blade B, and may also contain fibers 11 whose length direction is oriented in the width direction of the wind turbine blade B (crossing direction with respect to the length direction). ) fibers. By including the fibers 11 whose length direction is oriented in the width direction of the wind turbine blade B (a direction intersecting with the length direction), it has an effective reinforcing effect against the deflection of the wind turbine blade B in the width direction.

Among the fibers contained in the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 , the content of the fibers 11 whose longitudinal direction is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine blade B is preferably at least 10 volume %, more preferably at least 20 volume %, more preferably at least 30 volume % .

The orientation form of the fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 is not particularly limited. Examples include uniaxial orientation, biaxial orientation, and triaxial orientation. It is only necessary to select appropriately for the purpose of following the deflection. Furthermore, the so-called triaxial alignment means that the fibers are aligned in three directions including any one direction and two directions intersecting with this direction and different from each other.

When the orientation form of the fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 is multiaxial orientation (more than biaxial orientation) such as biaxial orientation and triaxial orientation, the form of the fibers includes woven fabrics, braided fabrics, and the like.

The fiber is not particularly limited as long as it has a reinforcing effect, and examples thereof include glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, polyester fiber, nylon fiber, and uniaxially stretched polyethylene resin. In addition, a fiber may be used individually, and may use 2 or more types together.

As glass fiber, E glass fiber etc. are mentioned, for example. Examples of carbon fibers include PAN-based carbon fibers, PITCH-based carbon fibers, and the like.

In addition, the synthetic resin layer 2 is formed on the surface of the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1, and it is preferable to be laminated and integrated. The synthetic resin layer 2 protects the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 by covering the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 . In order to securely integrate with the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1, the synthetic resin layer 2 preferably does not contain fibers.

The synthetic resin constituting the synthetic resin layer 2 is not particularly limited as long as it can protect the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1, and examples thereof include thermoplastic polyurethane-based resins, polyolefin-based resins, polyester-based resins, polyester-based resins, nylon, etc. Polyamide resin, ABS resin, plasticized polyvinyl chloride resin, thermoplastic resin such as polyvinyl chloride resin, etc.

In the above, the embodiment having the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 as the protective member A has been described, but the protective member A does not need to have the fiber-reinforced resin layer. That is, the protective member A may not contain fibers. The protective member A may be a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure of a synthetic resin layer not containing fibers.

Furthermore, an adhesive layer 3 is integrally laminated on the back of the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 . The adhesive layer 3 is not particularly limited as long as it can bond and integrate the protective member A on the surface of the wind turbine blade B, and general-purpose adhesives such as acrylic adhesives and epoxy adhesives can be used. Furthermore, in the present invention, an adhesive that exhibits adhesive force or adhesive force by hardening is also included in the category of the adhesive.

In the attaching and dividing step, the disposing and dividing step is performed first. In the disposing and dividing step, the protective member A is disposed on the surface of the wind turbine blade. The unmanned aerial vehicle F1 used for distributing the dividing step is equipped with the protective member A in the rolled state so that it can be rolled out. Then, the protective member A in the wound state is rolled out to a predetermined length, and the adhesive layer 3 of the protective member A is exposed.

Next, after the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 flies and reaches the surface of the wind turbine blade, such as the leading edge C, the free end A1 rolled out from the coiled protective member A mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 is used. The adhesive layer 3 on the back is attached to the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade. Then, using the adhesive layer 3, the protective member A mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 is sequentially attached to the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade in its longitudinal direction, and the protective member A is arranged on the leading edge portion of the wind turbine blade B. on C. At this time, the free end A1 of the protection member A does not need to be completely bonded and integrated with the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B, and the protection member A is temporarily fixed to a predetermined position of the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B. Only the free end A1 rolled out from the wound protection member A is brought into contact with the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B, and can be temporarily fixed to the leading edge C easily by the adhesive force of the adhesive layer 3 . After the free end A1 of the protective component A is temporarily fixed to the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B by the adhesive layer 3, the protective component A is arranged along the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B only by the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 In addition, the protection member A may be temporarily fixed sequentially along the front part C along the longitudinal direction, and may be arrange|positioned on the front part C.

The front part C of the wind turbine blade B is arranged on the front part C of the wind turbine blade B in the above-mentioned temporarily fixed state because the section on the surface perpendicular to its longitudinal direction is formed as a convex arc-shaped curved surface. The protection member A is mainly in a state of being bonded and temporarily fixed to the peripheral portion of the top C1 of the front portion C.

The distributing and dividing step is subdivided into a transporting and dividing step and a temporary fixing and dividing step. In the transporting and dividing step, the protective member A is transported to a specific position on the front edge C of the wind turbine blade B. In the temporary fixing and dividing step, the The protection member A is temporarily fixed to the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B. As shown in FIG. In this case, an unmanned aerial vehicle may be used in at least one of the transporting and temporarily fixing dividing steps.

Next, after the step of disposing and splitting, the step of pressing and splitting is carried out, so that the protective member A is bonded and integrated on the leading edge part C of the wind turbine blade B through the adhesive layer 3 over the entire length of the protective member A in the width direction.

Separately from the UAV F1 used in the provisioning and splitting step, the UAV F2 for the pressing splitting step is prepared (see FIG. 3 ). The unmanned aerial vehicle F2 is equipped with a pressing member D, which is used to press and stick the protective member A arranged on the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B to the surface of the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B. .

The pressing member D has a plurality of rollers D1 , D1 . . . supported rotatably. The surfaces of the plurality of rollers D1, D1 ... facing the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B are generally directed toward the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B in a section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine blade B. The direction of the center of curvature of the arc surface. When the outer peripheral surface of the roller D1 is pressed against the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B, it is preferably configured to be elastically deformable so that the entire surface abuts on the leading edge C. In addition, as a material which comprises the outer peripheral surface of the roller D1, a rubber material, a synthetic resin foam material, etc. are mentioned, for example.

Furthermore, when the pressing member D is brought into contact with the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B, all the rollers D1 are in contact with the surface of the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B through the protective member A.

Fly the unmanned aerial vehicle F2 equipped with the pressing member D and reach the position where the free end A1 of the protective member A is temporarily fixed on the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B. Next, let the unmanned aerial vehicle F2 fly close to the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B, abut and press all the rollers D1 of the pressing member D on the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B, and release the protection member A The end portion A1 is bonded and integrated with the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B over its entire length in the width direction (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ).

Next, the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 equipped with the wound protection member A is made to fly along the length direction of the front edge C of the wind turbine blade B as close to the front edge C as possible.

Since the free end A1 of the protective component A mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 is bonded and integrated with the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B, the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 flies along the leading edge C, and the coiled The protective member A is automatically and continuously rolled out. The unrolled protective member A is in a state of being temporarily fixed to the top C1 of the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B by the adhesive layer 3 entirely or partially.

Then, make the unmanned aerial vehicle F2 fly along the leading edge C in the flying direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle F1, and keep all the rollers D1 of the pressing member D in abutting and pressing state on the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B. Rolling on the front part C, so that the protective member A temporarily fixed on the top C1 of the front part C is integrally and continuously attached to the wind turbine over the entire length of the entire length direction and the entire length of the entire width direction. on the leading edge portion C of the blade B (refer to FIG. 6 ).

Then, after the protective member A is bonded to a desired portion of the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B, the protective member A is cut at the unrolled base end.

Although the unmanned aerial vehicle F is relatively weak against crosswinds, the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 is partially supported by the protective member A temporarily fixed on the leading edge part C of the wind turbine blade B. It is still possible to continue stable flight without disrupting its flight attitude.

The protective member A has the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1, and when the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 contains fibers 11 whose longitudinal direction is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine blade B, the meandering of the protective member A in its width direction is suppressed. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 supported by the protective member A can maintain a more stable flying posture, and the protective member A can be attached to the required position of the leading edge part C of the wind turbine blade B more stably.

The roller D1 mounted on the pressing member D of the unmanned aerial vehicle F2 is in contact with the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B while being pressed, and the unmanned aerial vehicle F2 passes the pressing member D through the leading edge portion of the wind turbine blade B. The state of the C support. Therefore, even in the event of a crosswind, the UAV F2 can continue to fly stably without disrupting its flight attitude.

The flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle F2 can be carried out simultaneously with the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle F1, and it is also possible to temporarily fix a certain length or the entire surface of the protective member A to the top C1 of the front edge part C of the wind turbine blade B by the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 Do it when you're done.

On the other hand, the length of the part of the protective member A that supports the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 temporarily fixed on the leading edge part C of the wind turbine blade B is short, which can support the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 more stably, and the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 is stable, and can also seek To shorten the maintenance time, it is preferable to fly the UAV F1 while flying the UAV F2.

In the protective member A, if the fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 include fibers 11 oriented in the longitudinal direction of the elongated protective member A, there is a problem of temporary fixation or bonding and integration on the leading edge part C of the wind turbine blade B. The free part A2 between the part and the unwinding base end of the coiled protective member A mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 is not easily deformed in the width direction, which improves the supporting force of the unmanned aerial vehicle F1. Moreover, the unmanned aerial vehicle F1 can be supported more stably to stabilize the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle F1, and the protective member A can be stably and accurately attached to the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B by the unmanned aerial vehicle F1.

The above-mentioned laminating step has been described including the step of distributing and dividing and the step of pressing and dividing. However, in the step of disposing and dividing, even if the protective member A disposed on the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B is not In the case where the pressing member D presses and is stably bonded and integrated to the front part C over the entire length in the width direction, it is not necessary to perform the pressing and dividing step.

In addition, in the bonding and dividing step, the bonding force strengthening and dividing step may also be carried out. The bonding force strengthening and dividing step is used to make the bonding of the protective member A integrally bonded to the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B more firm. As the bonding strength strengthening division step, when the adhesive layer contains a thermosetting adhesive, the following division step can be mentioned, that is, the protection member A is heated to accelerate the hardening of the adhesive layer, and the protection member A is improved. Adhesion force on the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B. In the lamination and division step, a division step other than the lamination reinforcement division step may also be included.

In the above, although the situation of using different UAVs F1 and F2 for the distributing and dividing steps and pressing and dividing steps has been described, the disposing and dividing steps and the pressing and dividing steps can also be performed simultaneously using one (same) UAV.

Also, the structure of the unmanned aerial vehicle is not limited to the structures shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 . As an unmanned aerial vehicle, it may also have the structures shown in Figs. 9-18. Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle R has an aircraft body J, an arrangement unit M integrally arranged on the aircraft body J, and a construction unit K and a stabilization unit N arranged on the arrangement unit M. Furthermore, the stabilizing unit N may be provided as needed. Furthermore, the following descriptions are described using wind turbine blades as an example of structures, but the structures are not limited to wind turbine blades.

The aircraft body J is composed of a plurality of substantially cylindrical frames J1 , J1 . The frame body J1 has plane substantially circular upper and lower frame portions J11, J12 arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and a plurality of intermediate frame portions J13 connecting and integrating the upper and lower frame portions J11, J12. The frame bodies J1, J1 adjacent to each other share the upper and lower frame portions J11, J12 and the middle frame portion J13. Among the adjacent upper and lower frame portions J11, J12, the common portion is formed in a linear shape. In each frame body J1 of the aircraft body J constituting the unmanned aerial vehicle R, a rotor J3 is arranged, and it is configured to generate buoyancy by rotating the rotor J3, and to control the rotational speed of the rotor J3, etc., so that it can fly by itself. in the desired direction. Same as the above-mentioned UAV F, the UAV R is configured to be capable of remote operation and/or automatic flight.

In the central part of the aircraft body J of the unmanned aerial vehicle R, a through hole J2 penetrating the vertical direction is formed. The through hole J2 of the aircraft body J is formed in such a size that the wind turbine blade B for maintenance can be inserted in the vertical direction without contacting the stabilizing unit N, the construction unit K, the working unit P, and the operating unit Q described later.

On the inner peripheral surface of the aircraft body J of the unmanned aerial vehicle R (the surface of the through hole J2), an annular arrangement unit M for arranging the construction unit K and the stabilization unit N is integrally provided. In the deployment unit M of the unmanned aerial vehicle R, a plurality of stabilization units N are integrally provided at predetermined intervals (preferably at equal intervals) in the circumferential direction. The stabilizing unit N is provided to make the unmanned aerial vehicle R fly to a desired position stably relative to the wind turbine blade B.

The stabilizing unit N has a base N1 fixed to the arrangement unit M, and arm portions N2 and N2 integrally arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the base N1 respectively. The arm portion N2 is configured by connecting a plurality of arm pieces N21, N21... in series. Adjacent arm pieces N21, N21 in the arm portion N2 are connected to each other freely and rotatably around the connecting portion of the arm pieces N21, N21, and the arm portion N2 is configured to be able to connect the arm pieces N21, N21 to each other. curved at the top.

The base end of the arm N2 is fixed to the base N1 in a free-flowing manner. If the arm N2 is displaced in the direction of sinking relative to the arrangement unit M (horizontal direction in FIG. 12 ), the front end of the arm N2 will move. Moving toward the center of the through hole J2, a later-described rotating body N22 attached to the front end of the arm N2 is pressed against the surface of the wind turbine blade B. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the arm portion N2 is displaced in a direction (vertical direction in FIG. 12 ) standing up with respect to the arrangement unit M, the front end portion of the arm portion N2 moves in a direction away from the center portion of the through hole J2, The rotating body N22 at the front end of the arm portion N2 is detached from the surface of the wind turbine blade B. The distance between the rotating body N22 at the front end of the arm portion N2 and the facing surface of the wind turbine blade B can be adjusted by adjusting the bending degree of the arm portion N2 and the degree of undulation relative to the base N1. The configuration is such that when the arm portion N2 is erected along the penetration direction of the through hole J2 of the aircraft main body J (vertical direction in FIG. 12 ), the arm portion N2 is positioned outside the inner end of the base N1. . Furthermore, any arm piece N21 (the arm piece N21a disposed at the central portion of the arm portion N2 in FIG. 12 ) among the arm pieces N21 constituting the arm portion N2 may be configured to be freely expandable and contractible in its longitudinal direction. The arbitrary arm piece N21 which comprises the arm part N2 is comprised so that it can expand and contract freely in the longitudinal direction, and the length of the arm part N2 can be adjusted more finely.

The arm portion N2 of the stabilizing unit N is driven by a driving member (not shown) such as a motor. The arm part N2 of the stabilizing unit N can be remotely operated by wireless or the like, and can be performed by the operator operating the UAV R remotely. It is also possible to make the memory device (such as HDD, SSD, etc.) installed in the aircraft body J memorize the countermeasures corresponding to a series of operation sequences and conditions in advance, without the operator's remote operation and self-judgment to perform actions.

A rotating body N22 is integrally provided at the front end of the arm portion N2, and the rotating body N22 is used to abut against the surface of the wind turbine blade B so that the unmanned aerial vehicle R is stably positioned on the wind turbine blade B. The outer peripheral surface of the rotating body N22 is formed of an elastic body such as rubber, so as not to damage the surface of the wind turbine blade B.

The rotating body N22 is configured to be able to roll on the surface of the wind turbine blade B in the vertical direction (longitudinal direction of the wind turbine blade) while abutting against the surface of the wind turbine blade B. Therefore, even when the unmanned aerial vehicle R is relatively displaced in the longitudinal direction (up and down direction) of the wind turbine blade B, the rotating body N22 also maintains the state of being pressed on the surface of the wind turbine blade B, and on the other hand, is positioned on the wind turbine blade B. Moving smoothly on B, UAV R can maintain a stable state relative to wind turbine blade B.

The construction unit K is integrally provided with the deployment unit M of the unmanned aerial vehicle R. Two holding units L are arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the construction unit K, so that the relative position of the unmanned aerial vehicle R relative to the wind turbine blade B can be fixed more reliably. The two holding units L and L arranged on the upper surface of the construction unit K are arranged at a certain interval in the circumferential direction of the ring-shaped arrangement unit M, and the work described later is arranged between the holding units L and L. Unit P.

Furthermore, in Fig. 12 to Fig. 14, although two holding units L and L are respectively arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the construction unit K, the arrangement form and number of the holding unit L to the construction unit K are disclosed. There is no limit.

The holding unit L has an arm L1. The arm part L1 is comprised by connecting several arm piece L11, L11... in series. Adjacent arm pieces L11, L11 in the arm portion L1 are rotatably connected to each other around the connecting portion of the arm pieces L11, L11, and the arm portion L1 is configured to be able to connect the arm pieces L11, L11 to each other. curved at the top. Any one of the arm pieces L11 constituting the arm portion L1 (in FIG. 13 , the arm piece L11 a disposed at the central portion of the arm portion L1 ) is configured to be able to expand and contract freely in its longitudinal direction. Since any arm piece L11 constituting the arm L1 is configured to be able to expand and contract freely in its longitudinal direction, the length of the arm L1 can be adjusted while approximately maintaining the vertical position of the front end of the arm L1.

The base end part of the arm part L1 is fixed to the construction unit K. As shown in FIG. The arm portion L1 is configured to be capable of displacing the tip in a direction away from or approaching the wind turbine blade B by bending around the connecting portion of the arm pieces L11, L11 and/or expanding and contracting the arm piece L11a.

The base end of the arm L1 is freely fixed to the construction unit K, and it is configured such that when the arm L1 is displaced in the direction of sinking relative to the construction unit K (horizontal direction in FIG. 13 ), the front end of the arm L1 Moving toward the center of the through hole J2 of the aircraft body J, the adsorption member L12 described later mounted on the front end of the arm L1 can abut and adsorb on the surface of the wind turbine blade B. On the other hand, if the arm portion L1 is displaced in the direction in which the arm portion L1 stands up relative to the construction unit K (in FIG. 13 , the up-down direction), the front end portion of the arm portion L1 is separated from the center portion of the through hole J2 of the aircraft body J. Moving in the direction of the arm portion L1, the adsorption member L12 at the front end of the arm portion L1 is detached from the surface of the wind turbine blade B. The distance between the adsorption member L12 at the front end of the arm L1 and the facing surface of the wind turbine blade B can be adjusted by adjusting the curvature of the arm L1 and the undulation relative to the construction unit K. It is configured such that when the arm portion L1 is erected along the through-hole J2 direction of the aircraft main body J (up-down direction in FIG. 13 ), the arm portion L1 is positioned outside the inner end of the construction unit K. state.

At the front end portion of the arm portion L1 of the holding unit L, an adsorption member L12 that is detachably adsorbed on the surface of the wind turbine blade B is provided integrally. The arm part L1 is configured to move in a direction approaching the wind turbine blade B to detachably adsorb and fix the adsorption member L12 to the surface of the wind turbine blade B, whereby the arm part L1 of the holding unit L is detachably fixed to the wind turbine blade the surface of B.

Well-known ones can be used for the adsorption member L12. For example, the adsorption member L12 has a concave adsorption surface L121 at its front end. After the concave adsorption surface L121 of the adsorption member L12 is airtightly attached to the surface of the wind turbine blade B, the pressure inside the concave adsorption surface L121 is reduced, so that the adsorption member body L121 is adsorbed on the surface of the wind turbine blade B, Therefore, the adsorption member L12 can be detachably fixed on the surface of the wind turbine blade B. FIG. On the other hand, to detach the adsorption member L12 from the surface of the wind turbine blade B, it is sufficient to release the decompression inside the concave adsorption surface L121 of the adsorption member L12 and return it to normal pressure.

In the state where the adsorption member L12 is fixed to the surface of the wind turbine blade B, a working space for the operation unit Q described later is formed on the surface of the wind turbine blade between the adsorption members L12, L12 of the holding units L, L.

The arm portion L1 of the holding unit L can be driven by a driving member (not shown) such as a motor. The decompression and release in the suction surface L121 of the suction member L12 of the holding unit L can also be similarly performed by driving means (not shown) such as a motor.

The operation of the arm portion L1 of the holding unit L and the adsorption member L12 can be performed remotely using wireless or the like, and the operator operates the unmanned aerial vehicle R remotely. It is also possible to make the memory device (such as HDD, SSD, etc.) installed in the aircraft body J memorize the countermeasures corresponding to a series of operation sequences and conditions in advance, so that the maintenance operation can be performed without the operator's remote operation and self-judgment.

A work unit P for performing work on the wind turbine blade B is detachably attached to the construction unit K. The working unit P is arranged between the holding units L and L provided on the upper surface of the construction unit K. As shown in FIG. By arranging the operating unit P between the holding units L and L, the operating unit P can be fixed at a predetermined position with a stable posture relative to the wind turbine blade B, and the operating unit P can be used for the wind turbine blade B smoothly. Carry out maintenance work.

The working unit P has an arm P1. The arm part P1 is comprised by connecting several arm pieces P11, P11... in series. Adjacent arm pieces P11, P11 in the arm portion P1 are rotatably connected to each other around the connecting portion of the arm pieces P11, P11, and the arm portion P1 is configured to be able to connect the arm pieces P11, P11 to each other. curved at the top. Any one of the arm pieces P11 constituting the arm portion P1 (in FIG. 13 , the arm piece P11a disposed at the central portion of the arm portion P1) is configured to be freely expandable and contractible in its longitudinal direction. Since any arm piece P11 constituting the arm P1 is configured to expand and contract freely in its longitudinal direction, the length of the arm P1 can be adjusted while approximately maintaining the vertical position of the front end of the arm P1.

The base end part of the arm part P1 is being fixed to the construction unit K. As shown in FIG. The arm part P1 is configured to be capable of displacing the front end in the direction away from or approaching the wind turbine blade B by bending around the joint between the arm pieces P11 and P11 and/or expanding and contracting the arm piece P11a.

The base end of the arm P1 is fixed to the construction unit K freely, and is configured to be mounted on the front end of the arm P1 when the arm P1 is displaced in the direction of sinking relative to the construction unit K (horizontal direction in FIG. 13 ). The operation unit Q described later moves toward the center of the through hole J2 of the aircraft body J and approaches the surface of the wind turbine blade B. On the other hand, if the arm P1 is displaced in the direction (in FIG. 13 , the up-down direction) relative to the construction unit K, the operating unit Q, which will be described later, mounted on the front end of the arm P1 faces away from the aircraft body J. The direction of the central part of the through hole J2 is moved, so that the operation unit Q at the front end of the arm part P1 is separated from the wind turbine blade B. The distance between the operating unit Q at the front end of the arm P1 and the surface of the wind turbine blade B can be adjusted by adjusting the degree of bending of the arm P1 and the degree of undulation relative to the construction unit K. It is configured such that when the arm portion P1 is erected along the penetration direction of the through hole J2 of the aircraft main body J (in FIG. state.

A mounting portion P2 is integrally provided at the front end portion of the arm portion P1 of the working unit P. As shown in FIG. The attachment part P2 of the work unit P is configured to detachably attach an operation unit Q (described later) for performing maintenance work on the wind turbine blade B. As shown in FIG. The operating unit Q installed at the front end of the working unit P can be properly selected according to the maintenance work to be done by the unmanned aerial vehicle R.

The arm portion P1 of the working unit P can be driven by a driving member (not shown) such as a motor. The operating unit Q can also be driven by a driving member (not shown) such as a motor.

The operation of the arm P1 of the working unit P and the operation unit Q can be performed remotely using wireless or the like, and the operator operates the unmanned aerial vehicle R remotely. It is also possible to make the memory device (such as HDD, SSD, etc.) installed in the aircraft body J memorize the countermeasures corresponding to a series of operation sequences and conditions in advance, so that the maintenance operation can be performed without the operator's remote operation and self-judgment.

The method of performing the maintenance work of the wind turbine blade B using the unmanned aerial vehicle R will be described. Fly the unmanned aerial vehicle R to the vicinity of the front end of the wind turbine blade for maintenance. Before the flight, during the flight or after reaching near the front end of the wind turbine blade, the arm portion N2 of the stabilizing unit N of the unmanned aerial vehicle R is erected along the through direction of the through hole J2, so that it is located at a position relatively to the base. The state where the inner end of station N1 is further outside. The arm L1 of the holding unit L of the unmanned aerial vehicle R is erected along the through direction of the through hole J2 of the aircraft body J, and is formed to be located outside the inner end of the construction unit K. The arm part P1 of the working unit P of the unmanned aerial vehicle R is erected along the through direction of the through hole J2 of the aircraft body J, and is formed to be located outside the inner end of the construction unit K.

Next, the unmanned aircraft R is operated to form a state where the wind turbine blade B is inserted into the through hole J2 of the unmanned aircraft R, the unmanned aircraft R is moved along the length direction of the wind turbine blade B, and the operation of installing the unmanned aircraft R Unit Q reaches the maintenance site of wind turbine blade B.

Next, the arm N2 of the stabilization unit N of the UAV R is moved to the side of the through hole J2, and the rotating body N22 mounted on the arm N2 is pressed against the surface of the wind turbine blade B. A plurality of stabilizing units N are mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle R, and the rotating body N22 of the stabilizing unit N abuts on the wind turbine blade so as to surround the wind turbine blade in the circumferential direction of the wind turbine blade. Therefore, the unmanned aerial vehicle R is in a state of being fixed to the wind turbine blade B by the stabilizing unit N. The unmanned aerial vehicle R is in a state of stably staying at a desired position of the wind turbine blade B.

Furthermore, the arm L1 of the holding unit L of the UAV R is moved to the side of the through hole J2 of the aircraft body J, and the adsorption member L12 of the holding unit L is adsorbed and detachably fixed on the surface of the wind turbine blade B. In this state, the unmanned aerial vehicle R is fixed in such a way that it does not move relative to the wind turbine blade B, and the operation unit Q installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle R is used to perform a predetermined division step, so that the wind turbine blade can be smoothly carried out. Maintenance of B.

If the specified operation of the division step is finished, the suction surface L121 of the suction member L12 of the holding unit L is returned to normal pressure, and the suction member L12 of the holding unit L is separated from the surface of the wind turbine blade B, and the unmanned aerial vehicle R is detached. Move to the desired position of the wind turbine blade B, and continue the maintenance work of the wind turbine blade if necessary.

The operating unit Q installed at the front end of the working unit P can be properly selected according to the operation to be completed by the unmanned aerial vehicle R. An example of the operation unit Q used in the division step will be described.

In the step of spraying and dividing the cleaning liquid, a tank (not shown) storing the cleaning liquid is mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle R, and a device for spraying the cleaning liquid in the tank is installed on the mounting part P2 of the arm P1 of the working unit P. The nozzle Q1 serves as the operation unit Q (Fig. 13 and Fig. 14). Make the unmanned aerial vehicle R fly to the part of the wind turbine blade B that needs to be cleaned. Next, the arm P1 of the working unit P is driven to make the nozzle Q1 face to the desired position of the wind turbine blade, so that the cleaning liquid can be sprayed on the surface of the wind turbine blade B from the nozzle Q1.

In the cleaning liquid removal and division step, the removal member Q2 is attached to the attachment portion P2 of the arm portion P1 of the work unit P as the operation unit Q ( FIG. 15 ). After the unmanned aerial vehicle R flies to the position where cleaning fluid needs to be wiped, the arm P1 of the working unit P is driven to make the removal member Q2 move while contacting the desired part of the wind turbine blade, so as to be able to clean the surface attached to the wind turbine blade Wipe with cleaning fluid. Furthermore, as the removal member Q2, the cleaning liquid and the dirt on the surface of the wind turbine blade can be wiped together. As a removal member, cloth, a sponge, etc. are mentioned, for example.

In the filling and dividing step, a tank (not shown) storing filling materials (such as urethane-based filling soil, epoxy-based filling soil, etc.) is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle R, and the The mounting portion P2 is mounted with a nozzle Q3 for spraying the filling material in the tank as an operation unit Q ( FIG. 13 ). Make the unmanned aerial vehicle R fly to the position where the wind turbine blade needs to be maintained. Next, the arm P1 of the working unit P is driven so that the nozzle Q3 is directed to a desired position of the wind turbine blade, and the filling material can be blown from the nozzle Q3 onto the surface of the wind turbine blade B for coating.

Next, another unmanned aerial vehicle R is prepared, and a coating device Q8 such as a scraper member is attached to the mounting part P2 of the arm part P1 of the working unit P of the unmanned aerial vehicle R as the operation unit Q (see FIG. 16 ). The unmanned aerial vehicle R is made to fly and the coating device Q8 is placed on the blowing surface of the filling material of the wind turbine blade B. FIG. Next, the arm P1 of the working unit P is driven to move the coating device Q8 in contact with the blowing surface of the filling material of the wind turbine blade, so that the filling material can be stretched by the coating device Q8.

In the painting division step, a tank (not shown) storing paint is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle R, and a nozzle Q4 for spraying the paint in the tank is installed on the mounting part P2 of the arm part P1 of the work unit P as an operation. Unit Q (Figure 13). Make the unmanned aerial vehicle R fly to the position where the wind turbine blade needs to be painted. Next, the arm P1 of the working unit P is driven so that the nozzle Q4 is directed to a desired position of the wind turbine blade, and paint can be sprayed from the nozzle Q4 onto the surface of the wind turbine blade B for coating.

In the bonding and dividing step, the working unit P shown in FIG. 17 is installed on the construction unit K of the UAV R. The working unit P used for laminating and splitting has a base P3 fixed to the construction unit K and upper and lower arms P4 and P5 rotatably arranged on the base P3. Furthermore, the upper and lower arms P4, P5 are rotatably connected to the base P3 via different shafts P40, P50.

The arm portion P4 ( P5 ) is configured by connecting a plurality of arm pieces P41 ( P51 ), P41 ( P51 ) ... in series. The adjacent arm pieces P41 (P51) and P41 (P51) in the arm portion P4 (P5) are rotatably connected to each other around the connecting portion of the arm pieces P41 (P51) and P41 (P51), The arm portion P4 ( P5 ) is configured to be bendable at the connecting portion between the arm pieces P41 ( P51 ) and P41 ( P51 ). Arbitrary arm piece P41a (P51a) among the arm piece P41 (P51) which comprises arm part P4 (P5) is comprised so that it can expand and contract freely in the longitudinal direction.

The arm portion P4 (P5) is configured to be bent around the connecting portion of the arm pieces P41 (P51) and/or the arm piece P41a (P51a) is stretched, so that the front end can be moved away from or close to the wind turbine blade B. direction displacement.

The base end of the arm P4 (P5) is undulatingly connected to the abutment P3, so that if the arm P4 (P5) is displaced in the direction of sinking relative to the construction unit K (horizontal direction in FIG. 17 ), then The operating unit Q mounted on the front end of the arm P4 (P5) moves toward the center of the through hole J2 of the aircraft body J, and approaches the surface of the wind turbine blade B. On the other hand, when the arm part P4 (P5) is displaced in the direction in which it stands up with respect to the construction unit K (up-and-down direction in FIG. 17 ), the operation unit Q attached to the front end of the arm part P4 (P5) moves away from it. The direction of the central part of the through hole J2 of the aircraft body J is moved, so that the operation unit Q at the front end of the arm part P1 is separated from the wind turbine blade B. The distance between the operation unit Q at the front end of the arm P4 (P5) and the surface of the wind turbine blade B can be adjusted by adjusting the degree of bending of the arm P4 (P5) and the degree of undulation relative to the construction unit K. If the arm P4 (P5) is erected along the through-hole J2 of the aircraft main body J (in FIG. The inner end is more outer state.

The attachment part P2 is integrally provided with the front end part of the arm part P4 (P5). An unwinding device Q5 as an operation unit Q is attached to the attachment portion P2 of the upper arm portion P4. The unwinding device Q5 holds the roll-shaped protective member A so that it can be unwound. The mounting part P2 of the arm part P5 on the lower side is provided with a pressing member Q6 (roller member in FIG. 17 ), which is used to press and attach the protective member A rolled out from the unwinding device Q5 to the The surface of the wind turbine blade B.

The lower arm P5 is configured to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the shaft P50 as its rotation center, and the pressing member Q6 attached to the mounting part P2 of the arm P5 is configured to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the shaft P50 (protection). The width direction of component A) moves upward.

The pressing member Q6 reciprocates in the width direction of the protective member A unwound from the unwinding device Q5, and presses the protective member A on the surface of the wind turbine blade B, so that the protective member A can pass through its adhesive layer 3 Attached to the surface of the wind turbine blade B.

Next, according to the working unit P shown in FIG. 17 , one unmanned aerial vehicle R can be used to perform the disposing and dividing steps and the pressing and dividing steps, so that the maintenance work can be performed in a short time.

In the above, as an unmanned aerial vehicle, although the structures of Figures 2 to 5 and Figures 9 to 18 are disclosed, no matter what the structure of the unmanned aerial vehicle is, the protection member A is required to be maintained in the front part C of the wind turbine blade B ( Maintenance parts) can be bonded by implementing a dispensing and dividing step and a pressing and dividing step. Or, it is also possible to divide the maintenance part of the front part C into a plurality of parts in the longitudinal direction of the front part C to make a plurality of maintenance intervals, and carry out the distributing division step and the pressing division step in each maintenance interval, and the protective member A Fitted and integrated on the entire maintenance part of the front part C.

It is also possible to prepare a strip-shaped protective member A having a length corresponding to the entire length of the maintenance part of the leading edge part C of the wind turbine blade B, and use the protective member A to make the unmanned aerial vehicle fly only once, and the protective member A is bonded and integrated The whole maintenance part at the front part C.

Or, it is also possible to divide the maintenance part of the front part C into a plurality of parts in the longitudinal direction of the front part C to make a plurality of maintenance sections, prepare a strip-shaped protective member A having a length corresponding to the length of the maintenance section, and use the For the protection component A, the unmanned aerial vehicle is flown once in each maintenance section, and the distributing and dividing steps and the pressing and dividing steps are repeated several times, so that the protection component A is pasted and integrated on the entire maintenance part of the front part C.

Although the case where the protective member A is formed of a coiled elongated body has been described, the protective member A may not be formed into a coiled shape, but the protective member A may be a protective member sheet having a predetermined length and use the protective member A. Protect the component sheet.

In the case of using the protective member sheet as the protective member A, the unmanned aerial vehicle is allowed to grip one end of the protective member sheet freely, and on the other hand, the other end of the protective member sheet is a free end, and the free end is After the first part is temporarily fixed on the front part C, the unmanned aerial vehicle is allowed to fly along the front part C and the protective member pieces are temporarily fixed on the front part C sequentially. Furthermore, since the actions of the unmanned aerial vehicle are the same in the pressing and dividing step, it is omitted.

In the attachment work (attachment step) of the protective member A to the leading edge part C of the wind turbine blade B, each division step constituting the attachment step can be performed only once so that the protective member A can be attached to the entire For the maintenance part, the maintenance part can also be divided into a plurality of maintenance sections, and the division step is repeated in each maintenance section so that the protective member A is attached to the entire maintenance section.

Also, on the surface of the front edge part C of the wind turbine blade B, if the part corresponding to the bonding terminal part of the elongated protective member A and/or the protective member sheet is pre-coated with heat-expandable particles In the step of dividing the adhesive (foaming adhesive) by applying the foaming adhesive, it is preferable that the protective member A can be easily peeled off and removed when the old protective member A is removed for maintenance after a predetermined time elapses. In addition, removal of the protective member A will be described later.

Heat-expandable particles are particles that are expanded by heating. The heated expandable particles are expanded by heating the adhesive, and the adhesive force of the adhesive is reduced by the foaming power of the heated expandable particles, so that the adhesive can be easily peeled off from the surface of the wind turbine blade B and Remove protective member A. Heated expandable particles are particles made by impregnating synthetic resin particles containing thermoplastic resins with low-boiling organic solvents that will volatilize due to heating. If heated to the temperature at which the thermoplastic resin constituting the synthetic resin particles softens, the temperature will be lower. Boiling-point organic solvents are vaporized to foam and expand particles. As a low boiling point organic solvent, n-pentane, isopentane, n-hexane, isooctane etc. are mentioned, for example. Heat-expandable particles are sold, for example, by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. under the product name "ADVANCELL particles".

In the above, the case where the protective member A has the adhesive layer 3 has been described, but the protective member A does not need to provide the adhesive layer 3 . Instead of providing an adhesive layer on the protective member A, an adhesive coating and dividing step of applying the adhesive to the surface of the front edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B may be performed before the attaching and dividing step. Installation of a tank filled with an adhesive layer forming liquid (a liquid in which the adhesive is dissolved or dispersed) for forming an adhesive layer and spraying the adhesive layer forming liquid in the tank on the surface of the wind turbine blade in unmanned aerial vehicles. Then, after flying the unmanned aerial vehicle to the position where the adhesive layer is formed in the wind turbine blade, the adhesive layer forming liquid is sprayed on the surface of the wind turbine blade from the spraying device, and the adhesive layer forming liquid is dried, thereby enabling An adhesive layer is formed on the surface of the wind turbine blade. In addition, if a foamable adhesive is used as an adhesive, it becomes a foamable adhesive coating division process.

Next, the removal step will be described. The removal step is a step of removing the protection member A bonded and integrated to the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B along with damage or deterioration after a predetermined period of time or maintenance. In the removing step, the protective member A bonded and integrated to the leading edge portion C is peeled off, scraped off, and removed.

The removal step includes a removal and division step of removing the protection member A from the surface of the structure. If necessary, an adhesion reduction division step may be performed before the removal division step. The adhesion reduction division step is to reduce the adhesion of the protection member A to the wind turbine blade. Adhesive force of the adhesive on the leading edge of B. The above-mentioned smoothing division step, filling division step, or painting division step may be performed after the removal division step.

Preferably, before the protective member A is peeled off from the front edge part C of the wind turbine blade B, the adhesive force reducing and dividing step is carried out. of adhesion.

The method for reducing the adhesive force of the adhesive layer is not particularly limited, and for example, the following methods may be mentioned: (1) An organic solvent capable of dissolving the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer is supplied to the adhesive layer to reduce the adhesive force of the adhesive layer. (2) A method of heating the adhesive layer to reduce the adhesive force of the adhesive layer; and (3) heating the adhesive layer to make the heat contained in the adhesive layer foam A method for reducing the adhesive force of the adhesive layer by foaming the active particles.

In the case of carrying out the method of (1) above, a storage tank filled with an organic solvent (such as ethanol, xylene, toluene, etc.) capable of dissolving the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer and the organic solvent in the storage tank A spray device that sprays on the surface of wind turbine blades is mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle. Then, fly the unmanned aerial vehicle to the vicinity of the peeling start (end to start peeling) of the protective member A on the front edge C of the wind turbine blade B, and spray the organic solvent toward the peeling start of the protective member A from the spraying device. The sprayed organic solvent can permeate through the protective member A to reach the adhesive layer, or reach the adhesive layer from the side of the protective member A, dissolve the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer and reduce the adhesive force of the adhesive layer.

In the case of carrying out the above methods (2) and (3), the heating device for heating the adhesive layer is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle. The heating device is not particularly limited as long as it can heat the adhesive layer, and examples thereof include a high-frequency heating device, an ultrasonic heating device, a hot air heating device, and an electromagnetic wave irradiation device. In the case of using an electromagnetic wave irradiation device, it is preferable that the adhesive layer contains a heat generating member (for example, carbon powder, etc.) that absorbs electromagnetic waves and generates heat in advance.

Then, the unmanned aerial vehicle is made to fly to the vicinity of the peeling start A3 (end to start peeling) of the protection member A on the front edge C of the wind turbine blade B, and the peeling start A3 of the protection member A is heated by the heating device, Thus, the adhesive force of the adhesive layer at the peeling start end portion of the protective member A can be reduced. In the case where the adhesive layer contains heat-expandable particles, the heat-expandable particles will foam due to heating, and the adhesive force of the adhesive layer at the peeling start end A3 of the protective member A can be reduced (see FIG. 7 ).

If the peeling start end portion A3 of the protective member A contains fibers oriented in its width direction, the elastic recovery force of the fibers contained in the peeling start end portion of the protective member A is applied to the peeling start end portion A3 of the protective member A. The restoring force from the bent state along the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B to the flat state. In addition, as the adhesive force of the adhesive layer is reduced by the step of reducing the adhesive force, the elastic recovery force of the above-mentioned fibers makes the peeling start end A3 of the protective member A flat, and it is easy to separate from the leading edge of the wind turbine blade B. Part C is peeled off, so it is better (refer to FIG. 7 ).

Next, a removal and division step is performed in which the protection member A is peeled from the surface of the structure by grasping the peeling start end portion A3 of the protection member A (see FIG. 8 ). The gripper for gripping the peeling start end of the protective member A is installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle F3. There are no particular limitations on the gripper that grips the peeling start end of the protection member A. As the gripper, for example, the following gripper can be mentioned. The gripper is equipped with an adsorption part E having a suction opening and is connected to and communicated with the suction opening of the adsorption part so as to provide suction to the inside of the suction opening. The suction unit (not shown, such as a suction pump, etc.) that sucks the air decompresses the inside of the suction opening by sucking the air in the suction opening of the adsorption unit, so that the closed suction The protection member A arranged in the state of the opening is detachably sucked and gripped.

Then, the unmanned aerial vehicle F3 is flown to the vicinity of the peeling start A3 (end to start peeling) of the protection member A on the front edge C of the wind turbine blade B, and the peeling start A3 of the protection member A is arranged on the drawer. The state of the suction opening of the suction part, after closing the suction opening with the peeling start A3 of the protective member A, decompresses the inside of the suction opening by the suction, and absorbs and grasps it by the gripper The peeling start end A3 of the holding protection member A.

In this state, by flying the unmanned aerial vehicle in the peeling direction of the protective member A, the protective member A attached to the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B can be smoothly peeled off.

In the protective member A, if the fibers in the fiber-reinforced resin layer 1 include fibers 11 directed in the longitudinal direction of the elongated protective member A, the part peeled off from the front edge part C of the wind turbine blade B is less likely to occur in the width direction. Deformation improves the supporting force of the unmanned aerial vehicle, which can support the unmanned aerial vehicle more stably and make the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle more stable.

Furthermore, when the protective member A is peeled off from the surface of the wind turbine blade B, the protective member A can be peeled off sequentially in the longitudinal direction of the front edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B without cutting the protective member A, so that the protective member A can be smoothly The peeling operation of the protective member A from the leading edge portion of the wind turbine blade B is performed in a timely manner.

In the above-mentioned removal and division step, the method of removing the protective member A from the leading edge C by peeling off the protective member A disposed on the surface of the leading edge C of the wind turbine blade B has been described, but it is also possible to remove the protective member A from the front edge C by peeling off. The protection member A is removed from the front portion C.

There is no particular limitation on the method of removing the protective member A attached to the front edge C. For example, the following methods can be mentioned: use a grinding device (such as a grinder, a sander, a trimmer, etc.) to remove the front edge. The method of protecting component A on C.

A case where the removal and division step of removing the protective member A is performed using the above-mentioned unmanned aerial vehicle R will be described. A grinding device Q7 is installed as an operation unit Q on the installation part P2 of the arm part P1 installed on the work unit P of the unmanned aerial vehicle R ( FIG. 18 ). Make the unmanned aerial vehicle R fly to the part where the protective component A needs to be removed. Next, the arm part P1 of the working unit P is driven to enable the grinding device Q7 to remove the protective member A on the wind turbine blade.

In the maintenance method of the structure described above, at least one of the bonding step and the removing step is divided into a plurality of divided steps, and at least one of the divided steps is completed by an unmanned aerial vehicle. That is, the case where at least a part of the bonding step (removing step) is performed by an unmanned aerial vehicle has been described.

The maintenance step may also be composed of the bonding step and the removing step, and the bonding step and the removing step may not be divided into divided steps. It is also possible to prepare an unmanned aerial vehicle for the bonding step, and prepare an unmanned aerial vehicle for the removal step, and use the unmanned aerial vehicle to perform the bonding step and the removal step respectively. The unmanned aerial vehicles performing the bonding step and the removing step may be the same aircraft or different unmanned aerial vehicles.

The attaching step and the removing step each include only one or more of the above-mentioned dividing steps. In the bonding step (removal step), when the step is composed of only one division step, it means that all the steps are one division step, and it means that the bonding step (removal step) is not divided into multiple parts. Moreover, a maintenance process may be comprised from a bonding process and a removal process, and only any one of a bonding process and a removal process may be divided into a division process.

In the above, the case where the leading edge portion C of the wind turbine blade B is maintained as a structure has been described as an example, but it is not limited to this, and other parts of the wind turbine blade B may be used.

Furthermore, a structure other than the wind turbine blade B may be used as the structure. Examples of structures include building structures such as buildings (such as outer walls), bridges, offshore oil/gas drilling platforms, towers of chemical plants, communication towers, and high-voltage transmission line towers. [Industrial availability]

The maintenance method of the structure of the present invention uses an unmanned aerial vehicle to complete all or part of the steps constituting the maintenance steps. According to the maintenance method of structures of the present invention, unmanned aerial vehicles can be used to place structures [wind turbine blades, buildings and other building structures (such as outer walls, etc.), bridges, offshore oil/gas drilling platforms, towers of chemical plants , communication towers, high-voltage transmission line towers, etc.] The maintenance work is labor-saving and smoothly carried out at the same time.

(Cross-references to related applications) This application claims priority based on Japanese Invention Application No. 2021-55200 filed on March 29, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated into this specification by referring to it.

1: Fiber reinforced resin layer 2: Synthetic resin layer 3: Adhesive layer 11: Fiber A: Protection components A1: Free end A2: free part A3: Stripping start B: Wind turbine blades C: frontier department C1: top D, Q6: Press member D1: Roller E: Adsorption part F, F1, F2, F3, R: UAV G, J: aircraft body H, J3: rotor J1: frame J2: Through hole J11, J12: upper and lower frames K: construction unit L: holding unit L1, N2, P1, P4, P5: arms L12: Adsorption component L121: adsorption surface M: configuration unit N: Stabilization unit N1, P3: abutment L11, L11a, N21, N21a, P11, P11a, P41, P41a, P51, P51a: arm piece N22: rotating body P: work unit P2: Installation Department P40, P50: shaft body Q: Operation unit Q1,Q3,Q4: Nozzle Q2: Removal of components Q5: Unwinding device Q7: Grinding device Q8: Coating device

[ Fig. 1 ] is a perspective view showing a wind power generator having wind turbine blades. [Fig. 2] is a schematic diagram showing the bonding and dividing steps. [Fig. 3] is a schematic diagram showing the step of bonding and dividing. [ Fig. 4 ] is a schematic view showing a state in which a pressing member is brought into contact with a leading edge portion of a wind turbine blade in the pressing and dividing step. [Fig. 5] is a schematic diagram showing the step of bonding and dividing. [FIG. 6] It is a perspective view which shows the state which bonded and integrated the protective member to the leading edge part of a wind turbine blade. [ Fig. 7 ] is a schematic diagram showing the step of removing segmentation. [ Fig. 8 ] is a schematic diagram showing the step of removing segmentation. [ Fig. 9 ] is a plan view showing an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle. [ Fig. 10 ] is a side view showing an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle. [ Fig. 11 ] is a perspective view showing a stabilization unit mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Fig. 12] is a side view showing the stabilization unit installed in the UAV. [Fig. 13] is a side view showing the holding unit, working unit and operating unit installed in the unmanned aerial vehicle. [Fig. 14] is a top view showing a holding unit, a working unit and an operating unit installed in an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Fig. 15] is a side view showing a working unit and an operating unit (an example) installed in an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Fig. 16] is a side view showing a working unit and an operating unit (an example) installed in an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Fig. 17] is a side view showing a working unit and an operating unit (an example) installed in an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Fig. 18] is a side view showing a working unit and an operating unit (an example) installed in an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Claims (14)

A maintenance method for structures, characterized in that: includes maintenance steps for the maintenance of the surface of the structure, The maintenance step includes at least one of the following steps, Attaching step: attaching the protective member to the surface of the structure, at least a part of which is carried out by using an unmanned aerial vehicle; and Removal step: remove the protective member attached to the surface of the structure, and at least part of it is carried out by using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The maintenance method of the structure according to claim 1, wherein the attaching step and the removing step respectively include dividing the attaching step and the removing step into a plurality of dividing steps, at least one of the dividing steps The steps are performed using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The maintenance method of the structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the laminating step includes the following steps as the dividing step, Smoothing and segmentation step: smoothing the surface of the structure; and Pasting and dividing step: pasting the protective member on the surface of the smoothed structure. The maintenance method of a structure as claimed in item 2, wherein the maintenance step includes a removal step and a bonding step. The maintenance method of a structure according to claim 2, wherein the removing step includes a removing and dividing step, and the removing and dividing step is to grasp the protective member and remove it from the surface of the structure. The maintenance method of a structure according to claim 2, wherein the removing step includes an adhesive force reducing and dividing step, and the adhesive force reducing dividing step is to reduce the adhesive force of the adhesive used to attach the protective member to the surface of the structure. The method for maintaining a structure according to claim 6, wherein the step of reducing the adhesion and dividing is to reduce the adhesion of the adhesive at the peeling start end of the protective member. The maintenance method of the structure as claimed in Item 1, wherein the maintenance step includes a removal step and a bonding step, The removing step and the attaching step are performed using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The maintenance method of a structure according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the removing step and the attaching step includes a dividing step of dividing the step into a plurality. The maintenance method of a structure according to claim 1, 2, 8 or 9, wherein the protective member contains synthetic resin. The maintenance method of a structure according to claim 1, 2, 8 or 9, wherein the protective member contains fibers. The method for maintaining a structure according to claim 1, 2, 8 or 9, wherein the structure is a wind turbine blade. The maintenance method of a structure according to claim 11, wherein the protective member includes fibers aligned in the length direction of the wind turbine blade. The method for maintaining a structure according to claim 1, 2, 8, or 9, wherein the protective member includes: a fiber-reinforced resin layer containing fibers, and a synthetic resin layer integrated with the fiber-reinforced layer.

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