WO2017010206A1

WO2017010206A1 - Maintenance method for wind power generation facility, and unmanned flying-machine

Info

Publication number: WO2017010206A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/067569
Authority: WO
Inventors: 康寛松永; 浩磯部; 寛哲徳永; 靖之福島; 直哉小長井
Original assignee: Ntn株式会社
Priority date: 2015-07-10
Filing date: 2016-06-13
Publication date: 2017-01-19
Also published as: JP2017020410A

Abstract

This maintenance method includes: a step (S32) for fixing a blade, of a rotor of a wind power generation facility, to be horizontalized; a step (S33) for changing the pitch angle θ, of the blade that is to be horizontal, from that in a wind receiving state; and a step (S22) for causing an unmanned flying machine to reach the horizontalized blade and perform a maintenance task for the blade. Preferably, the maintenance task includes a defect inspection of the blade. Thus, the present invention is capable of providing a maintenance method for a wind power generation facility which enables maintenance tasks for blades of a wind power generation facility while reducing burden on a worker and suppressing time and cost that are required for inspection.

Description

Wind power generation facility maintenance method and unmanned aerial vehicle

The present invention relates to a maintenance method for wind power generation equipment, and more particularly to a maintenance method for wind power generation equipment using an unmanned airplane and the unmanned airplane.

Conventionally, when performing maintenance work on a blade attached to a rotor head in an existing wind power generation facility, an operator goes up to the nacelle part of the wind power generation facility and works while descending by rope access.

Inspection of defects inside and outside of blades in wind power generation facilities, which is a type of maintenance work, is mainly performed by the operator approaching the blades using rope access and listening to the sound of visual observation and hammering. .

However, since a large number of wind power generation facilities are installed in a collective wind power plant (wind farm) or the like, enormous time and cost are required to inspect all the facilities.

As another method, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-542360), the temperature inside the blade is changed using an air heat device, and the difference in temperature change between a normal part and an abnormal part using an infrared camera or the like. By determining, the blade defect is found.

Special table 2013-542360 gazette

In the conventional method in which the operator performs rope access, the rope access must be performed for each blade, and the blade must be lowered by several tens of meters from top to bottom. It was over. Further, since the rope access is performed several times for one blade, the operator needs to reciprocate along the blade, which takes a lot of time.

In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-542360), it is necessary to mount an air thermal device in the wind power generation facility, and therefore it cannot be applied to a wind power generation facility that is not mounted. In addition, a megawatt-class wind power generation facility requires a large-scale facility with a large output as an air heat device in order to change the internal temperature, and enormous costs and modification time are required for installation.

Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-542360) discloses an unmanned airplane as an example of a measuring device. However, three-dimensional positioning is necessary for an unmanned airplane to perform work in the air, but since it is greatly affected by wind, positioning accuracy may be deteriorated.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and its purpose is to reduce the burden on the operator by using an unmanned airplane and to reduce the time and cost required for the inspection, while reducing the time and cost required for the inspection. A maintenance method for wind power generation equipment and an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of performing blade maintenance work.

In summary, the present invention provides a method for maintaining a wind power generation facility, the step of fixing the first blade of a rotor of the wind power generation facility so as to be horizontal, and the pitch angle of the first blade to be leveled being a wind receiving state. And a step of causing the unmanned airplane to reach the leveled first blade and performing maintenance work on the first blade by the unmanned airplane.

By changing the position of the blades of the wind power generation equipment, it is possible to perform operations and inspections on unmanned airplanes that do not require rope access, and it is possible to reduce the time and man-hours required for the work of conventional wind power generation equipment. In particular, by moving one of the blades near the horizontal and adjusting the pitch angle around the longitudinal axis of the blade, the unmanned airplane can easily perform work or inspection on the blade.

Preferably, the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a hitting unit that hits the first blade. The step of performing the maintenance operation includes the step of hitting the first blade using the hitting unit for diagnosis of the first blade.

More preferably, the step of performing the maintenance work further includes a step of acquiring vibration generated by hitting using the hitting unit from a sensor installed on the unmanned airplane or the first blade.

¡By the above processing, it is possible to perform a hammering test on the blade. One method of hitting can use a solenoid or the like as sounding means, but as another method, a hitting unit is mounted below the unmanned airplane and the unmanned airplane is lowered. The blade may be hit by By hitting with a descending operation from the sky by an unmanned airplane, it is not necessary to mount power in the hitting portion, thus saving battery power. Further, by adjusting the height, the impact force can be adjusted using the basic functions of the unmanned airplane. Further, since the hitting portion is mounted on the lower part of the unmanned airplane, the center of gravity is lowered and the operation of the unmanned airplane is stabilized.

More preferably, the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a camera unit for photographing the appearance of the first blade. The step of performing the maintenance operation further includes a step of photographing the first blade using the camera unit for diagnosis of the first blade.

Preferably, the step of performing the maintenance operation includes a step of landing the unmanned airplane on the first blade that is leveled and moving the unmanned airplane on the first blade in order to change the working position.

The unmanned airplane is configured to be able to travel on the blade. Since the unmanned airplane can travel on the blade, the sounding position on the blade can be changed at any time. Preferably, since the movement amount of the unmanned airplane can be referred to by mounting the movement amount measuring means, it is possible to obtain the hitting position and the observation position with the camera.

More preferably, the unmanned airplane includes a drive wheel. The step of moving the unmanned airplane causes the unmanned airplane to travel by driving the drive wheels.

More preferably, the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a plurality of rotor blades. The step of moving the unmanned airplane moves the unmanned airplane by changing the rotational speeds of the plurality of rotor blades. By using rotor blades for traveling, it is not necessary to install a new motor or drive board, so it is possible to reduce the weight of unmanned airplanes and save battery power.

In another aspect, the present invention is an unmanned airplane, and includes a plurality of rotor blades, a support leg that can land on a blade of a wind power generation facility, and a striking unit that strikes the blade of the wind power generation facility.

Preferably, the unmanned aerial vehicle further includes a sensor that acquires vibrations generated by hitting using the hitting unit.

More preferably, the unmanned airplane further includes a communication unit that communicates with a control device installed in the wind power generation facility.

Preferably, the support legs include drive wheels for running on the blades of the leveled wind power plant.

More preferably, the support leg includes a plurality of support legs that can be in different lengths. A wheel is installed on each of the plurality of support legs. The unmanned aerial vehicle is landed on the blade using a plurality of support legs in an inclined posture, and travels on the blade by rotating a plurality of rotor blades.

According to the present invention, the burden on the operator is reduced during the maintenance work of the blade of the wind power generation facility, and the time and cost required for the inspection are suppressed.

It is the figure which showed the external appearance of the wind power generation equipment to which the maintenance method of this Embodiment is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the nacelle vicinity of a wind power generation facility. It is the top view which showed an example of the structure of the unmanned airplane used in the maintenance method of this Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the unmanned airplane 10 shown in FIG. 3. It is a figure showing an initial state in case there is wind power generation equipment. It is the figure which showed the state which stopped the blade 4A used as work object in a horizontal position. It is the figure which showed the state which the unmanned airplane 10 landed on the blade 4A. It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the whole installation with which the maintenance method of this Embodiment is applied. It is a figure which shows the structure of the unmanned airplane 10 used by the defect inspection of a blade. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the maintenance work method of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of the defect inspection of the blade which an unmanned airplane performs. It is a figure for demonstrating appearance inspection. It is a figure which shows the state of the unmanned airplane 10 at the time of a climbing and hovering. It is a figure which shows the state of the unmanned airplane 10 at the time of turning. It is the figure which showed the state which the unmanned airplane landed on the blade. It is a figure which shows the state of the unmanned airplane at the time of takeoff and landing and stationary. It is a figure which shows the state of the unmanned airplane at the time of advance. It is a figure which shows the state of the unmanned airplane at the time of reverse travel. It is a figure which shows the example which installed the vibration measurement part in the braid | blade. It is a figure for demonstrating the sounding method by a fall.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external appearance of a wind power generation facility to which the maintenance method of the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the structure of the wind power generation facility near the nacelle. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a wind power generation facility 1 includes a nacelle 2 mounted on an upper portion of a tower 5, a rotor head 3, and three blades 4 attached to the rotor head 3. Has been.

The blade 4 can be rotated in the axial direction (φ angle) by the rotation of the rotor head 3 mounted on the nacelle 2. The blade 4 can be rotated in the direction around the longitudinal axis of the blade 4 (θ angle) by a rotation mechanism (blade bearing 120). Further, the two rotational directions φ and θ shown in FIG. 1 can be stopped by a brake mechanism not shown.

Referring to FIG. 2, wind power generation facility 1 further includes a main shaft 28, a speed increaser 55, a power generator 50, a main shaft bearing 60, and a control device 31. The speed increaser 55, the generator 50, the main shaft bearing 60 and the control device 31 are stored in the nacelle 2, and the nacelle 2 is supported by the tower 5.

The main shaft 28 enters the nacelle 2 and is connected to the input shaft of the speed increaser 55 and is rotatably supported by the main shaft bearing 60. The main shaft 28 transmits the rotational torque generated by the blade 4 receiving wind force to the input shaft of the gearbox 55. The blade 4 is provided at the tip of the main shaft 28, converts wind force into rotational torque, and transmits it to the main shaft 28.

The speed increaser 55 is provided between the main shaft 28 and the generator 50, and increases the rotational speed of the main shaft 28 and outputs it to the generator 50. The generator 50 is connected to the output shaft of the speed increaser 55, and generates power by the rotational torque received from the speed increaser 55. The generator 50 is constituted by, for example, an induction generator.

The wind power generation facility 1 obtains an appropriate rotation by changing the angle of the blade 4 with respect to the wind direction (hereinafter referred to as pitch) according to the strength of the wind force. Similarly, when starting and stopping the windmill, the blade pitch is controlled. Further, each blade 4 is controlled to swing several degrees even during one rotation of the main shaft. In this way, the amount of energy that can be obtained from the wind can be adjusted. In a strong wind or the like, the wind receiving surface (also referred to as a blade surface or a blade surface) of the blade is made parallel to the wind direction in order to suppress the rotation of the windmill.

The blade pitch variable mechanism includes a blade pitch changing drive device 24 attached to the rotor head side, and a ring gear 26 rotated by a pinion gear fitted to the rotation shaft of the drive device 24. The ring gear 26 is attached to the blade 4 in a fixed state.

The blade pitch variable mechanism swings (turns) a plurality of blades 4 to change (adjust) the pitch of the blades 4. Here, blade bearings 120 are provided at the base end portions of the plurality of blades 4, and the blades 4 are respectively supported by the blade bearings 120 and rotate around the rotation shaft of the blade bearings 120.

When a load is applied to the generator 50, the pitch of the blade 4 is set so that the angle formed by the wind direction and the wind receiving surface of the blade 4 is an appropriate angle (≠ 0). Then, the wind receiving surface of the blade 4 receives energy from the wind. The plurality of blades 4 rotate with respect to the tower 5 together with the rotor head 3 with the main shaft 28 connected to the rotor head 3 as an axis. The rotation of the rotating shaft is transmitted to the generator, and power generation is performed.

Also, when the wind is strong, the pitch of the blade 4 is changed so that the wind direction and the wind receiving surface of the blade 4 are parallel to each other. Thus, in a state where the wind direction and the pitch of the blade 4 are parallel (feathering), the wind receiving surface of the blade 4 receives almost no energy from the wind. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the wind power generation facility 1 from being damaged due to an abnormal increase in the rotational speed of the blade 4 and the rotor head 3.

In this embodiment, an unmanned airplane is used for maintenance work. Normally, unmanned airplanes need to perform three-dimensional positioning in the air in order to perform work in the air. However, since they are greatly affected by wind, the positioning accuracy may deteriorate. In a state where there is a wind, operations for obtaining the state of the blade 4, for example, camera photography or sound inspection by unmanned airplane, defect repair operation of the blade 4, cleaning operation, and the like are difficult because the body is greatly shaken.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the maintenance work is performed, the rotation angle φ and the pitch angle θ of the blade 4 are controlled. The rotation angle φ of the blade 4 to be worked is rotated in the horizontal direction, and the pitch angle θ is adjusted so that the belly side or the back side of the blade 4 is substantially parallel to the ground. By making this adjustment, it is possible to land the unmanned airplane on the blade 4, and the influence of the wind on the unmanned airplane is reduced by eliminating the need for three-dimensional positioning in the air. Therefore, maintenance work on the blade 4 is facilitated.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing an example of the configuration of the unmanned airplane used in the maintenance method of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the unmanned airplane 10 shown in FIG.

3 and 4, the unmanned airplane 10 includes four motors 11 and four propellers (rotary wings) 12 connected to the motors 11, respectively. Unmanned aerial vehicle 10 further includes a controller 13 that controls the aircraft, an inverter 14, and a communication unit 15. The controller 13 is connected to an inverter 14 that drives the motor 11 and a communication unit 15 that performs wireless communication.

The unmanned airplane 10 communicates with other devices via the communication unit 15 and flies manually or automatically. The unmanned airplane 10 is equipped with various sensors (not shown) such as a GPS unit, a geomagnetic sensor, and a gyro sensor, and flies while performing a positioning operation in three dimensions by adjusting the rotation speed of the propeller and the like. . The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 is equipped with a work unit 16 that acquires the state of the blade, and performs various inspections and work.

Next, an outline of a method for working with the blades of the wind power generation equipment performed in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an initial state when the wind power generation facility 1 is present. With reference to FIG. 5, a blade to be worked is referred to as a blade 4A. As a first step, the rotor head 3 is rotated in the φ direction as shown in FIG. The rotation of the rotor head 3 is stopped at a position where the blade 4A which is one of the blades 4 is horizontal.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the blade 4A to be worked is stopped at the horizontal position. Subsequently, in the second step, the blade 4A is rotated in the θ direction to a position where the ventral side or the back side of the blade 4A is parallel to the ground. Here, either the first step or the second step may be performed first. Moreover, you may implement a 1st step and a 2nd step simultaneously.

In the subsequent third step, the unmanned airplane 10 is landed on the ventral side or the back side of the blade from the state in which the first and second steps are performed. FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the unmanned airplane 10 has landed on the blade 4A. By flying the unmanned airplane 10, the work unit can reach the blade 4 from the ground or the nacelle 2. Finally, in the fourth step, the state of the blade 4A is acquired or worked by the work unit 16 while the unmanned airplane 10 is stationary in the air or landed on the blade 4A.

Subsequently, as an example of the maintenance work, an example in which the unmanned airplane 10 is used to inspect the appearance and internal defects of the blade 4 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the entire equipment to which the maintenance method of the present embodiment is applied. The control device 31 is installed in the wind power generation facility 1 and controls the rotor head 3 and the like installed in the facility. The control device 31 may be divided into a plurality of devices. For example, the control unit that controls the rotation of the blade 4 and the communication unit that performs wireless communication may be configured as different devices. Further, the data server 32 can communicate with the control device 31, and inspection data and the like are transmitted and received from the control device 31. The flight instruction unit 30 sends flight instruction information to the unmanned airplane 10 and receives state information from the unmanned airplane.

The status information includes, for example, the motor rotation speed, current value, voltage value, communication establishment status signal, etc. of the unmanned airplane 10. Moreover, the control apparatus 31 and the flight instruction | indication part 30 communicate the information of the completion | finish of a test | inspection, the information of the wind power generation equipment 1, for example, the angle of a blade 4, a wind direction, and the information of a wind force.

In this way, the unmanned airplane 10 exchanges information regarding work with the control device 31 mounted on the wind power generation facility 1. The unmanned airplane 10 and the wind power generation facility 1 can perform work efficiently by instructing the start and end of the work.

Next, the flow of inspection data will be described. Inspection data in the appearance inspection and the internal defect inspection measured by the unmanned airplane 10 is transmitted to the control device 31. The inspection data transmitted to the control device 31 is transmitted to the data server 32, and the inspection data is accumulated in the data server 32. At this time, the inspection data is also transmitted to the flight instruction unit 30, and the inspection position is corrected or re-inspected automatically or manually based on the inspection result.

Here, the flight instruction unit 30 may be a device that operates the unmanned airplane 10 with a manual controller.

Further, the control device 31 and the flight instruction unit 30 may be integrated. However, in that case, a flight instruction is given directly to the unmanned airplane 10 from the control device 31. Flight instructions are performed manually or automatically.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 10 used in blade defect inspection. Referring to FIG. 9, the work unit 16 of the unmanned airplane 10 includes a sound hitting unit 20 and a camera 21. The sound hitting unit 20 includes a striking unit 20A and a vibration measuring unit 20B that measures vibration generated after the striking. The striking unit 20A uses a solenoid or the like, and the vibration measuring unit 20B uses a microphone or an acceleration measuring device. The unmanned airplane 10 is equipped with two

wheels

22A and 22B, and each wheel is also equipped with an encoder for detecting rotation. The wheel 22A and the wheel 22B are directed in different directions, and the amount of movement of the front, rear, left and right when the unmanned airplane 10 has landed is measured.

Next, the procedure of the inspection method of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of the maintenance work method of the present embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 10, first, information for instructing preparation for inspection is transmitted from flight instruction unit 30 to control device 31 of wind power generation facility 1 (S 1). Accordingly, the wind power generation facility 1 stops power generation (S31).

Subsequently, information for specifying the blade 4A to be inspected and an instruction to rotate the blade are transmitted from the flight instruction unit 30 to the control device 31 of the wind power generation facility 1 (S2). In response, the control device 31 instructs the blade 4A to change the rotation angle φ (S32) and the pitch angle θ (S33), and the blade 4A rotates to a predetermined angle. The determined angle is an angle at which the abdomen or back of the blade 4 to be inspected becomes horizontal. After the completion of the rotation, information on the completion of the rotation is transmitted from the control device 31 to the flight instruction unit 30. At this time, the rotation angle (φ) and pitch angle (θ) of the blade 4A change as shown in FIGS.

It should be noted that the blade 4A does not have to be exactly horizontal, and a slight inclination is allowed as long as the unmanned airplane can travel on the blade 4A as will be described later. Further, the change of the rotation angle φ (S32) and the change of the pitch angle θ (S33) may be interchanged or may be performed simultaneously.

Subsequently, the flight instruction unit 30 gives a flight instruction to the unmanned airplane 10 (S3), and the unmanned airplane 10 moves to the upper part of the blade 4A to be inspected as shown in FIG. 7 (S21).

Then, the flight instruction unit 30 transmits a maintenance work instruction to the unmanned airplane 10 (S4). In response, the unmanned airplane 10 performs a maintenance operation (S22). The maintenance work is, for example, defect inspection, repair work, cleaning work, etc. for the blade 4. Hereinafter, as an example of the maintenance work, details of a case where a blade defect inspection is performed will be described.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the blade defect inspection procedure performed by the unmanned aerial vehicle. Referring to FIG. 11, when the defect inspection is started, an appearance inspection of blade 4 is first performed (S51).

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the appearance inspection. As shown in FIG. 12, the appearance inspection is performed by flying the unmanned airplane 10 along the blade 4 while photographing the surface of the blade 4 with the camera 21.

Here, the flight of the unmanned airplane 10 will be briefly explained. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the state of the unmanned airplane 10 during ascent and hovering. The

propellers

12A and 12C are arranged on a diagonal line, and the rotation direction of the propeller is clockwise when viewed from above. The

propellers

12B and 12D are arranged on a diagonal line, and the rotation direction of the propeller is counterclockwise when viewed from above. If the rotation speeds of the propellers are the same, the unmanned airplane 10 can be raised, lowered, and hovered on the spot.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state of the unmanned airplane 10 during a turn. As shown in FIG. 14, when the rotation speed of the

propellers

12A and 12C rotating clockwise is higher than the rotation speed of the

propellers

12B and 12D rotating counterclockwise, the unmanned airplane 10 can be turned in the direction of the arrow α. it can. The forward and backward movements are the same as those described later when traveling (FIGS. 17 and 18), and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

8 and 11, the appearance inspection data is transmitted from the unmanned airplane 10 to the control device 31 of the wind power generation facility 1 and stored in the data server 32 as needed. The appearance inspection data is also transmitted to the flight instruction unit 30, and if necessary, the appearance inspection is performed again for reconfirmation.

後 After visual inspection, shift to hammering inspection. In the hammering test, first, the unmanned airplane 10 lands on the blade 4 (S52). FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a state in which the unmanned airplane has landed on the blade 4. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 15, the unmanned airplane 10 has landed on the blade 4.

Thereafter, the blade 4 is hit by the hitting unit 20A (S53), and the vibration is measured by the vibration measuring unit 20B (S54). By performing striking and measurement, a single sound test is completed.

Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the hammering inspection at a predetermined location is completed (S55). If it is not completed yet (NO in S55), the unmanned airplane 10 moves to the next hammering position (S56). To the next sounding position, the unmanned airplane 10 travels by the rotational motion of the propellers 12A to 12D and changes its position.

Here, the traveling of the unmanned airplane 10 on the blade will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the state of the unmanned airplane at takeoff / landing and stationary. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a state of the unmanned airplane when moving forward. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the state of the unmanned airplane during reverse travel. 16 to 18 are views of the unmanned airplane shown in FIG. 13 viewed from the side with the

propellers

12A and 12B coming to the front.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the rotation speeds of the

propellers

12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D are made equal, the lift FA and the lift FB become equal as shown in FIG. 16, so the unmanned airplane 10 may take off and land or stop. it can.

When the rotation speeds of the

propellers

12A and 12D are made larger than the rotation speeds of the

propellers

12B and 12C, the lift FA becomes larger than the lift FB as shown in FIG. (The direction from the propeller 12A toward the propeller 12B is defined as forward).

Conversely, if the rotational speeds of the

propellers

12B and 12C are made higher than the rotational speeds of the

propellers

12A and 12D, the lift FB becomes larger than the lift FA as shown in FIG. (The direction from the propeller 12B toward the propeller 12A is set as the reverse).

In the state shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the

wheels

22A and 22B measure the movement amount, and the unmanned airplane 10 determines the interval and position of the sounding position from the measured movement amount. The

support legs

23A and 23B are preferably extendable to some extent by a spring or the like so that the

wheels

22A and 22B can be kept in contact with the surface of the blade 4. Further, the movement amount and the sound hitting inspection data are stored as a pair of data in the data server 32 after passing through the control device 31. The hammering inspection is performed at an arbitrary location on the blade 4 or in the entire area.

Returning to FIG. 11 again, after all designated points have been inspected (YES in S55), the process returns to the flowchart of FIG. 10 (S57). The flight instruction unit 30 transmits a flight instruction to the unmanned airplane 10 (S5). In response, the unmanned airplane 10 takes off from the blade 4 and stands by in the air (S23). Then, the flight instruction unit 30 notifies the control device 31 of the completion of measurement and transmits a signal instructing blade reversal (S6). Accordingly, the control device 31 changes the pitch angle θ so that the abdomen and back of the blade 4 are reversed (S34). At this time, the standby position in step S23 is a position that does not affect the rotation when the pitch angle θ of the blade 4 rotates. Further, in order to save the battery of the unmanned airplane 10, the unmanned airplane 10 may be temporarily landed on the nacelle 2 instead of waiting in the air.

After reversing the back and abdomen of the blade, a signal indicating completion of reversal is sent from the control device 31 to the flight instruction unit 30. After confirming the inversion completion signal, the flight instruction unit 30 instructs the unmanned airplane 10 to perform maintenance work again (S7). In response, the unmanned airplane performs a maintenance operation (S24). The content of the maintenance work is the same as that in step S22 and has been described with reference to FIG. 11, and therefore description thereof will not be repeated here.

When the maintenance work is completed, the flight instruction unit 30 transmits a flight instruction to the unmanned airplane 10 (S8), and the unmanned airplane 10 takes off from the blade 4 and waits in the air (S25). When the process of step S25 is performed, the measurement of one blade 4 is completed.

The flight instruction unit 30 determines whether or not the work of all the blades 4 is completed at this time (S9). The determination result is communicated from the flight instruction unit to the unmanned airplane and the wind power generation facility. Based on this result, it is determined whether or not all the blades 4 have been finished in the unmanned airplane 10 and the wind power generation equipment (S26, S35).

If the operation of the other blade 4 has not been completed (NO in S9), the flight instruction unit 30 repeats the processes of steps S2 to S8 for the next blade 4 again. With the processing of steps S2 to S8, the unmanned airplane 10 repeats the processing of steps S21 to S25, and the wind turbine generator 1 repeats the processing of S32 to S34.

When all three blades 4A to 4C have been inspected (YES in S9), the flight instruction unit 30 transmits a return instruction to the unmanned airplane 10 (S10), and the unmanned airplane returns (S27). Then, the flight instruction unit 30 instructs the wind power generation facility 1 to complete the inspection (S11), and the wind power generation facility 1 resumes power generation (S36). Thus, the inspection of the blade 4 is completed (S12, S28, S37).

In the above description, the vibration measurement unit 20B is mounted in the sound hitting unit 20, but the vibration measurement unit may be in the blade 4. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the vibration measurement unit is installed in the blade. Referring to FIG. 19, the vibration measuring unit 40 is installed in a hollow portion in the blade 4 or a member constituting the blade 4. Further, the control device 31 and the vibration measuring unit 40 are connected wirelessly or by wire, and the control device 31 can directly obtain the inspection data.

In addition, as a means for moving the hitting sound measurement point, the rotary motion by the propeller is used, but the unmanned airplane 10 may have a drivable wheel. A drive unit such as a motor may be attached to the

wheels

22A and 22B in FIG. 16, or drive wheels may be provided separately from the

wheels

22A and 22B.

Further, although a solenoid or the like has been used as a sounding means, a method of hitting a blade by lowering the unmanned airplane 10 and measuring an impact may be used. FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a sounding method by descent. The sound hitting unit 20 of the unmanned airplane 10 includes a spherical hitting part 51 attached to the lower part. The unmanned aerial vehicle 10 moves to the sky above the sounding location when sounding is performed, and performs a dropping operation from a predetermined altitude by stopping or decreasing the rotation of the propeller 12. Thereby, at the time of landing, the striking part 51 and the blade 4 come into contact with each other, and a striking occurs. The predetermined altitude is preferably changed according to the material and shape of the blade 4. After the impact, the vibration is measured by the vibration measuring unit 40 mounted in the unmanned airplane 10 or the blade 4. By hitting by the lowering operation from the sky by the unmanned airplane 10, no power is required for the hitting portion, so that it is possible to save battery and adjust the hitting force. In addition, it is preferable that the hitting unit is mounted on the lower part of the unmanned airplane 10 because the center of gravity is lowered by the weight of the hitting part and the operation of the unmanned airplane 10 is stabilized.

Finally, the present embodiment will be summarized with reference to the drawings again. Referring to FIG. 10, the wind power generation equipment maintenance method disclosed in the present embodiment fixes the rotor blades 4 A of wind power generation equipment 1 to be horizontal (S 32 and FIG. 5), The step of changing the pitch angle θ of the blade 4A to be changed from the wind receiving state (S33 and FIG. 6), the step of causing the unmanned airplane 10 to reach the horizontal blade 4A, and performing the maintenance work on the blade 4A by the unmanned airplane 10 ( S22 and FIG. 7).

Preferably, the unmanned airplane 10 includes a hitting unit 20A (or hitting unit 51) that hits the blade 4A. The step of performing maintenance work (S22) includes the step of hitting the blade 4A using the hitting portion 20A (or hitting portion 51) for the diagnosis of the blade 4A (S53 in FIG. 11).

More preferably, in the step (S22) of performing the maintenance work, the vibration measuring unit 20B (or the vibration installed on the blade 4) installed in the unmanned airplane 10 is the vibration generated by the hit using the hitting unit 20A (or the hitting unit 51). It further includes a step (S54 in FIG. 11) obtained from the measurement unit 40).

More preferably, the unmanned airplane 10 includes a camera unit 21 that captures an image of the appearance of the blade 4A. The step of performing maintenance work (S22) further includes a step of photographing the blade 4A using the camera unit 21 for diagnosis of the blade 4A (S51 in FIG. 11).

Preferably, in the step (S22) of performing the maintenance work, the unmanned airplane 10 is landed on the horizontal blade 4A, and the unmanned airplane 10 is moved on the blade 4A to change the work position (S56 in FIG. 11). )including.

More preferably, the unmanned airplane 10 includes driving

wheels

22A and 22B. The step of moving the unmanned airplane 10 causes the unmanned airplane 10 to travel by driving the

drive wheels

22A and 22B.

More preferably, the unmanned airplane 10 includes a plurality of rotor blades 12. The step (S56) of moving the unmanned airplane 10 causes the unmanned airplane 10 to travel by changing the rotational speeds of the plurality of rotor blades 12.

In another aspect, the present invention is an unmanned aerial vehicle, and includes a plurality of rotor blades 12, support legs 23 A and 23 B that can land on a blade of a wind power generation facility, and a striking unit 20 A that strikes the blade of the wind power generation facility. (Or striking part 51).

Preferably, the unmanned airplane 10 further includes a vibration measurement unit 20B that acquires vibrations generated by the hit using the hitting unit 20A (or the hitting unit 51). As shown in FIG. 20, the vibration measurement unit may be provided on the blade 4 of the wind power generation facility without being mounted on the unmanned airplane 10.

More preferably, as shown in FIG. 3, the unmanned airplane 10 further includes a communication unit 15 that communicates with the control device 31 mounted in the wind power generation facility.

Preferably, the support leg 23 includes

drive wheels

22A and 22B for traveling on the blades of the horizontal wind power generation facility.

More preferably, the support leg 23 includes a plurality of

support legs

23A and 23B that can take different states.

Wheels

22A and 22B are installed on each of the plurality of

support legs

23A and 23B. The unmanned airplane 10 is landed on the blade using a plurality of

support legs

23A and 23B in an inclined posture, and travels on the blade 4 that is leveled by rotating the plurality of rotor blades 12A to 12D.

The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiments but by the scope of claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

1 Wind power generation facilities, 2 nacelles, 3 rotor heads, 4, 4A-4C blades, 5 towers, 10 unmanned airplanes, 11 motors, 12, 12A-12C propellers, 13 controllers, 14 inverters, 15 communication units, 16 work units, 20 sounding unit, 20A, 51 impact unit, 20B, 40 vibration measurement unit, 21 camera, 22A, 22B wheel, 23, 23A, 23B support leg, 24 drive unit, 26 ring gear, 28 main shaft, 30 flight instruction unit, 31 Control device, 32 data server, 50 generator, 55 speed increaser, 60 spindle bearing, 120 blade bearing.

Claims

Fixing the first blade of the rotor of the wind power generation equipment to be horizontal;
Changing the pitch angle of the first blade to be horizontal from the wind receiving state;
A method of maintaining a wind power generation facility, comprising: bringing an unmanned airplane to the horizontal first blade and performing maintenance work on the first blade with the unmanned airplane.
The unmanned airplane includes a striking unit that strikes the first blade,
The maintenance method for a wind turbine generator according to claim 1, wherein the step of performing the maintenance operation includes a step of hitting the first blade using the hitting unit for diagnosis of the first blade.
The step of performing the maintenance operation further includes a step of acquiring vibration generated by hitting using the hitting unit from a sensor installed on the unmanned airplane or the first blade. Maintenance method.
The unmanned airplane includes a camera unit that takes an image of the appearance of the first blade,
The maintenance method for a wind power generation facility according to claim 3, wherein the step of performing the maintenance operation further includes a step of photographing the first blade using the camera unit for diagnosis of the first blade.
The step of performing the maintenance operation includes a step of landing the unmanned airplane on the first blade that is leveled and moving the unmanned airplane on the first blade to change a work position. The maintenance method of the wind power generation facility as described in 2.
The unmanned airplane includes drive wheels,
The wind power generation equipment maintenance method according to claim 5, wherein the step of moving the unmanned airplane causes the unmanned airplane to travel by driving the driving wheel.
The unmanned airplane includes a plurality of rotor wings,
The wind power generation equipment maintenance method according to claim 5, wherein in the step of moving the unmanned airplane, the unmanned airplane is caused to travel by changing a rotation speed of the plurality of rotor blades.
A plurality of rotor blades,
Support legs that can land on the blades of the wind power generation facility,
An unmanned aerial vehicle including a striking unit that strikes a blade of a wind power generation facility.
The unmanned airplane according to claim 8, further comprising a sensor that acquires vibration generated by hitting using the hitting unit.
The unmanned airplane according to claim 9, further comprising a communication unit that communicates with a control device mounted on the wind power generation facility.
The unmanned airplane according to claim 8, wherein the support leg includes a drive wheel for traveling on a blade of the wind power generation facility that is leveled.
The support legs include a plurality of support legs that can have different lengths, and wheels are installed on each of the plurality of support legs,
The said unmanned airplane landed on the blade using the plurality of support legs in an inclined posture and travels on the blade leveled by rotating the plurality of rotor blades. Unmanned airplane.