WO2019238901A1

WO2019238901A1 - Light, efficient foghorn for use in offshore wind farms

Info

Publication number: WO2019238901A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/065632
Authority: WO
Inventors: Morten H. Christensen; Michael Schulze; Martin Zipkat
Original assignee: Sabik Offshore Gmbh
Priority date: 2018-06-15
Filing date: 2019-06-14
Publication date: 2019-12-19

Abstract

The invention relates to a light and efficient foghorn for use in offshore wind farms. Such a foghorn has two horn antennas (100), which are designed as directed horn antennas having a defined radiation characteristic. The horn antennas are arranged at a distance from one another with the same horizontal orientation and are controlled such that they emit an acoustic signal in a phase-synchronous manner. A plurality of foghorns according to the invention in a wind farm can likewise be controlled so as to emit signals in phase-synchronous manner.

Description

Light, efficient fog horn for use in offshore wind farms

The invention relates to a fog horn for use in offshore wind farms, the fog horn being designed with two directional horn radiators which are controlled in phase synchronization.

Depending on national regulations, offshore wind farms must be visually and acoustically marked for shipping if visibility is poor. For this purpose, fog horns are arranged along the periphery of such offshore wind farms, which must meet a variety of environmental and functional requirements. They have to be very robust against wave blows, wind loads, icing and vibrations of the supporting structure as well as high UV resistance and high corrosion resistance in salty air. They must be extremely reliable and available as continuously as possible. Foghorns have to be protected against the ingress of

Be protected from moisture and bring increased resistance to lightning strikes. A lifespan of at least 25 years is desirable. To do this

Fog horns in offshore wind farms can be quickly and easily installed and electrically connected.

The aim is that service can also be carried out as easily and as long as possible during the service life of such a fog horn. The system costs should also be kept as low as possible.

From a technical-functional point of view, an acoustic range of the same or more than two nautical miles, low power consumption, integrated function monitoring and the synchronous operation of several fog horns in an offshore wind farm are required. Energy supply is of particular importance: even if the primary power supply and / or the higher-level control system fails, operation must be ensured as an autonomous emergency operation for at least a limited period of time.

The devices that are available on the market and approved for this purpose have a number of disadvantages that make their use in offshore wind farms significantly more difficult. Due to their training as a solid aluminum welded construction, they are very heavy and weigh well over 70 kilograms. They are bulky in size and thus make installation and service considerably more difficult. Due to their high power requirements of over 1 10 W, a high battery capacity is necessary for an autonomous emergency operation. This high power requirement results, among other things, from omnidirectional horizontal sound radiation. Often there is no function monitoring and no redundancy that can compensate for the failure of a device within the wind farm.

The omnidirectional sound radiation as well as the lack of the possibility of a test operation with a reduced sound level are also of concern from the point of view of occupational safety.

It is therefore the object of the invention to propose a fog horn for use in offshore wind farms which eliminates the disadvantages mentioned. In particular, it should be light, efficient and easy to assemble and maintain.

The object of the invention is achieved by a fog horn with the features of claim 1 and a use according to claim 14. Further preferred embodiments of the invention result from the other features mentioned in the subclaims.

An inventive fog horn for use in offshore wind farms has two

Horn emitters and a control device formed, the horn emitters being directed

Horn emitter formed, are arranged at a defined distance from each other and with the same horizontal orientation and the control device is formed, the

To operate the horn in phase synchronization

The fog horn according to the invention thus has two horn radiators which emit an acoustic signal in poor visibility in order to signal the position of the offshore wind farm. These two horns are designed as directional horns. In contrast to the prior art, they are therefore not omnidirectional radiators, but instead emit the acoustic signal in a defined radiation pattern, which significantly reduces the power consumption of the radiators.

The horns are at a defined distance from each other, which can depend, among other things, on the size, shape and power of the horns and with the same horizontal

Alignment arranged. Fog horns are usually arranged on support structures or masts on the periphery of the wind farm. The same horizontal orientation serves to achieve and ensure the desired sound propagation and the necessary acoustic range of the fog horn.

The use of two horns in a fog horn not only serves to achieve the required sound pressure by the desired acoustic range of the acoustic signal to achieve, but also offers a fallback option in the form of redundancy in case one of the horns and / or the control device fails.

In addition, the fog horn has a control device which is designed to control the horn radiators in phase synchronization, that is to say that the control device ensures that the fog horn emits the acoustic signals of the two horn radiators in phase synchronization. This is necessary because the two horns are arranged in close proximity to each other in order to achieve the range of the acoustic signal or the broadening of the horizontal beam angle. If the acoustic signal is not given in phase synchronization, there is a risk of uncontrolled interference, which in turn leads to an undefined and generally undesirable

Lead radiation pattern. The remaining phase offset between the

Horn radiators may be at most one order of magnitude below the period of the highest frequency of the emitted acoustic signal. For example, this corresponds to an accuracy of approximately 100 ps (microsecond) for an 800 Hz tone. Such

In the simplest case, the control device is a computing unit which is designed to control and monitor the fog horn according to the invention. A control device can also be understood to mean that a control device is provided in each of the two horn radiators that interacts within a fog horn, for example in the sense of a so-called distributed system.

The phase-synchronous control of the horn radiators should of course also be realized if several fog horns according to the invention are operated in close proximity to one another. Accordingly, it must be ensured that the horns of such fog horns are also operated in phase synchronization, as will be explained later.

It is readily apparent to the person skilled in the art that the use of horn radiators in a fog horn is not limited to exactly two horn radiators per fog horn, but that more horn radiators per fog horn, i.e. at least two horn radiators per fog horn, can be provided or arranged as described.

In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the horns have one

horizontal beam angle of ± 45 °, i.e. about 45 °. This is to be understood to mean that a deviation of a few degrees, as caused by manufacturing and

Assembly inaccuracies can occur, can be neglected. The aim is to implement a horizontal beam angle that is as defined as possible, so that the acoustic signal is emitted in a targeted manner and oriented in the desired direction and is uniform acoustic illumination of the wind farm or its periphery can be effected. At the same time, the power consumption of the horn antenna is significantly reduced.

In addition to a defined horizontal beam angle, the vertical beam angle should also be as small or narrow as possible, which is also the power consumption of the

Hornblower reduced and is also relevant in terms of occupational safety in the offshore wind farm. When the fog horn is installed at a height of several meters above the water surface, the narrow vertical beam angle leads to an acoustic

Safety area below the Nebelhorn and therefore especially in the ascent area of a wind turbine, on the work platform behind the Nebelhorn and within the

Peripheral boundaries in the park. The distance between the horns can be selected and optimized in coordination with the radiation characteristics.

Each of the horns of a fog horn according to the invention preferably reaches an acoustic range of 0.5 nautical miles. As a result of the arrangement which has already been carried out one above the other at a defined distance and in the same horizontal orientation, and the phase-synchronous control, the required sound pressure can be achieved in order to realize an acoustic range of a fog horn according to the invention of two nautical miles.

In a further preferred embodiment, the horns are each with a

Plastic housing, a high-performance horn driver, at least one integrated horn channel, a stainless steel cover for the at least one horn channel, control electronics and / or at least two energy stores. Each of the horns of a fog horn according to the invention thus has one, some or all of the elements mentioned. Both horns are preferably of the same design.

To summarize the individual components of a horn, and in front of the outside

To protect influences such as weather, moisture, birds and the like, they are at least partially arranged in a plastic housing. This plastic housing thus at least partially envelops the components of the horn. The use of a

Plastic housing is advantageous because it is light and corrosion-resistant.

This plastic housing can be manufactured in particular by rotational molding. In order to facilitate and simplify the transport and assembly of the horn antenna, it is provided that the plastic housing has a handle and / or mounting bracket. The mounting brackets are used to attach and align the horns on a support structure or a mast in Offshore wind farm.

Furthermore, a high-performance horn driver can be arranged in the horn, with which the acoustic signal is generated. Such horn drivers are known per se and therefore require no further explanation.

At least one integrated horn channel can be formed in each horn. Integrated can mean that the at least one horn channel is formed in one piece with the plastic housing, but also that it is arranged in this and connected to it. The high-performance horn driver is usually connected to the outside world via the at least one integrated horn channel, ie the at least one horn channel leads the sound waves generated from the high-performance horn driver to the outside with the desired radiation characteristic.

A horn is preferably designed as a double radiator with two horn channels arranged or formed one above the other at a defined distance within the horn. In this advantageous embodiment, the radiation characteristic of the

Foghorn according to the invention further specified.

The at least one integrated horn channel is preferably tuned to an operating frequency of approximately 800 Hz. Slight deviations from the mentioned working frequency are tolerable. The at least one integrated horn channel is in its geometry and

Especially designed in its mouth opening so that the optimum radiation, acoustic range and the desired radiation characteristics can be achieved at a working frequency of about 800 Hz.

To the at least one horn canal against external influences such as weather,

To protect moisture, birds and the like, this can be provided with a cover, which is preferably made of stainless steel. The advantage of a stainless steel cover is that it is very corrosion-resistant, especially when exposed to moisture and sea air. A stainless steel cover is preferred, but does not exclude the use of other corrosion-resistant materials.

Alternatively or additionally, each horn can have control electronics. By means of the control electronics, the control device can transmit signals to and receive signals from the individual electronic components of the horn, in order to control and monitor the horn. Further alternatively or additionally, each horn emitter has exactly two or at least two energy stores, also referred to as “battery packs”. These energy stores are intended to ensure the self-sufficient functioning of the fog horn according to the invention in the event of a failure of the primary energy supply and / or a higher-level control system, by providing the necessary energy for the respective horn radiator over a limited period of time, which depends on the charging capacity and the state of charge of the energy stores.

It is particularly preferred if the plastic housing which has already been designed has compartments for accommodating the energy store, the high-performance horn driver, the control device and / or the control electronics. Subjects are to be understood as depressions, cutouts, indentations and the like, which essentially or largely enable protected accommodation or arrangement of the elements mentioned in the horn. The elements mentioned can each be arranged individually or in any combination in a designated compartment and connected to the rest of the horn. In this way, not only the elements mentioned are protected from external influences, but also theirs

Junction points or their connection points with the other elements of the horn or the rest of the horn are now protected from external influences.

It is advantageous if the compartments are each formed with a cover, in particular made of stainless steel or plastic. In this embodiment it is therefore provided that an element of the horn, for example the energy store, is inserted into the compartments provided for this purpose and connected to the horn. After installation is complete, the cover is attached to or in front of the compartment so that the compartment is closed to the outside. This ensures permanent protection against external influences. Such a cover can be screwed or fastened with bolts, or can be designed for easy opening and closing, which means that they are not screwed or permanently connected to the horn.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention is when the energy stores are each connected to the horn by means of a waterproof connector. Such a

The connector is used to couple an energy storage device with the horn

Energy transfer and is designed so that no water can penetrate the connector. So short circuits and the like due to the humid environment, rain,

Splashing water or fog can be prevented. An advantageous embodiment is when the control electronics are arranged in a terminal box, which is arranged in and / or on the horn and connected to it. Such a terminal box is a container in which the control electronics can be accommodated, that is to say can be arranged, and then in a receptacle, opening or depression provided in or on the

Horn blower can be inserted or inserted. In particular, the clamping box is clamped in a receptacle, opening or recess of the horn which is provided for this purpose, so that a non-positive connection is formed.

Such a terminal box is designed to also form a connection with the horn. This means the exchange of signals and information, as well as the supply of energy to the control electronics. When inserting the terminal box into the

Horn blasters by means of contacts, plug-in connections and other customary ones

Connection options, the connections for the exchange of information or signals and the energy supply to the control electronics. Such a terminal box is formed in particular with or from a plastic, so that it is very light. The use of a terminal box allows the control electronics to be preconfigured at another location and / or easily replaced in the event of a defect or in the event of further development of the control electronics.

The control electronics of a horn emitter preferably have integrated lightning protection, a local power supply, a communication interface to a higher-level one

Control system, a battery management system, a charge controller, a

Communication interface to a service application, a GNSS receiver, a humidity sensor and / or a 3-axis acceleration sensor.

Lightning protection includes precautions against the harmful effects of lightning strikes, so it should prevent or at least minimize them. A common version is the version with a so-called lightning arrester, which guides the lightning current path along a defined, low-resistance path and leads it past the object to be protected.

There should be a local power supply, which is to be understood as a line network for distributing the energy of a supplied primary energy supply and / or the energy storage to the consumers within the horn.

The existence of a communication interface to one is of great advantage

higher-level control system. The higher-level control system is used for control a variety of fog horns according to the invention in an offshore wind farm, as will be explained. A communication interface is required to transmit the control signals from this higher-level control system to one or more fog horns, but also to transmit information from one or more fog horns to the higher-level control system and / or other fog horns. In the broadest sense, it is to be understood as a network interface that serves to transmit the necessary information.

Alternatively or additionally, a battery management system can be provided. One of these is provided for monitoring, regulating and protecting the energy store. It therefore serves to monitor the state of charge of the energy stores and, if necessary, to initiate the charging process of the energy stores and in particular to prevent overcharging. Deep discharge can also be recognized and prevented by a battery management system. In addition, the functionality of the energy store can be monitored in this way

Detect malfunctions and defects in the energy store, errors in the charging process and the like and, if appropriate, generate error information.

A charge controller can be included in the control electronics. This technically implements the charging process. Overcharging can be prevented by limiting the charging voltage. In addition, the charge current depending on

State of charge and / or temperature can be limited.

The charge controller advantageously interacts with the battery management system in order to monitor the functionality of the energy stores and to avoid damage from charging and discharging.

The control electronics can have a communication interface to a service application, in particular a Bluetooth interface. Bluetooth is a common wireless one

Communication interface between electronic devices, especially mobile devices such as mobile phones or tablets. This communication interface is to be used to implement an information or data exchange between a fog horn according to the invention or at least one horn radiator with the service application on a preferably mobile device. A service application is a software application that receives, evaluates and / or displays the exchanged information, but also inputs and the transmission of

Allows information and control commands to the control device or control electronics. For example, the state of the battery, that is the state of the energy stores with regard to the state of charge, functionality and the like, but also so-called monitoring data, that is to say the monitoring capability and the functionality, are to be exchanged

Describe the operating data of the fog horn or the flare lamp (s). This enables a so-called SCADA system (SCADA, English for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) to be implemented, which means the monitoring and control of technical processes by means of a control device or a higher-level control system. Monitoring does not have to take place within the offshore wind farm, but can also take place onshore, i.e. on land.

Furthermore or alternatively, a GNSS receiver (GNSS, English for Global Navigation Satellite System) can be provided. GNSS is a system for positioning and navigation on earth, water and air by receiving the signals from

Navigation satellites. The satellites of the GNSS satellites transmit their exact position and time to the receivers. The signal propagation times are measured in the receiving device and, among other things, the clock error is determined from them. By determining the clock error, it is possible to determine the deviation of the time measurement devices in a fog horn or its horn radiators and, subsequently, to synchronize the horn radiators within a fog horn, but also several or all fog horns in an offshore wind farm. This is the basis for the phase-synchronous signal output from a large number of fog horns or the horn radiators within a fog horn.

A moisture sensor is advantageously provided in the control electronics. This is designed to detect leaks in the horn emitter housing at an early stage so that they can be eliminated as quickly as possible and damage due to penetrating moisture can be prevented.

Alternatively or in addition to the above-mentioned elements of the control electronics, this can have a 3-axis acceleration sensor. These acceleration sensors are known per se. You determine whether a movement takes place and in which direction. From this, a change in position of a horn can be determined and derived whether the horn is still in the correct vertical orientation.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the control device is used to control the high-performance horn driver, an identifier, a power output stage, electrical and / or thermal monitoring of the high-performance horn driver and / or the Power amplifier trained. In this context, control is to be understood primarily as the transmission of control signals to the elements to be controlled and the reception of signals from these elements. The control electronics are thus designed to control the high-performance horn driver, including the associated frequency generator, so that it generates the desired acoustic signal. If an identifier is provided in a horn, this can also be controlled and called up by the control electronics. The same applies to a power amplifier that amplifies the acoustic signal generated.

The control electronics can also be designed, the thermal and / or electrical

Monitoring the high-performance horn driver and / or the power stage. This

Monitoring serves to measure thermal influences from inside and outside, for example

Detect overheating as a result of a malfunction or overheating due to heat input from the outside and avoid damage, for example by warning or switching off the fog horn. The same applies to electrical monitoring, in which, for example, fault currents can be detected in order to identify malfunctions and existing or developing defects.

Preference is given to phase-synchronous operation, that is to say phase-synchronous control of the

Horn emitter realized using Power Line Communication (PLC). Existing electrical cables are used to set up a local network for data transmission, so that no additional cabling is necessary. So over the electrical lines

Control signals and information exchanged, among other things to determine a time offset between individual horn emitters within a fog horn, but also from several fog horns within a wind farm, as well as the control commands that trigger the generation of the acoustic signal by the horn emitter. This applies in particular if the control device of a fog horn is designed as a distributed system with one instance each in one of the horn radiators, which communicate with one another by means of PLC.

For this purpose, a so-called master device is usually determined, the other devices within the network are classified as slave devices. The time offset can then be determined, for example, by cyclical, mutual sending of time stamps between the master device and the slave devices. By determining and evaluating the time offset, it is possible to control the horns in such a way that the acoustic signal can be emitted in phase synchronization. However, the determination of master device and slave devices can also be done dynamically, that is, they can be changed, so that if the master device fails, another device can take over this function and provide device redundancy. To this This ensures that phase-synchronous operation of the horn is possible at all times.

According to the invention, the use of a fog horn according to the invention is also claimed in an offshore wind farm, a large number of fog horns each being arranged on a support structure along the periphery of the offshore wind farm, the fog horns being operated at least partially in phase synchronization. Accordingly, a fog horn according to the invention is arranged on and / or on a support structure, which can be a mast, for example. The fog horns are set up or arranged in the edge area of an offshore wind farm and are operated at least partially in phase synchronization. This means that some or all of the fog horns are controlled in phase synchronization and thus emit the acoustic signal from some or all devices in phase synchronization in order to avoid uncontrolled interference and the resulting undesirable radiation characteristics. Especially immediately

Adjacent fog horns should be operated in phase synchronization.

Appropriate arrangement and alignment of the fog horns on the peripheral structures of the wind farm achieve an almost uniform acoustic illumination of the surroundings of the wind farm. This can be demonstrated very well by a simulation and thus also optimized. In particular, the higher-level control system can be the control device of the master device.

The phase-synchronous control of the large number of fog horns in an offshore wind farm is preferably achieved by a higher-level control system. It is provided that the individual fog horns are connected via their communication interface to a higher-level control system, which can be located in the offshore wind farm or onshore. This higher-level control system sends information to the fog horns, for example time stamps for determining the time offset, receives operating data of the fog horns, including, for example, also the response time stamp or the calculated time offset, monitors the fog horns and their function and can transmit control signals to the fog horns to determine the time Initiate generation of the acoustic signal. The higher-level control system can advantageously be influenced and / or adapted by the intervention of an operator.

With the fog horn according to the invention and the use of the fog horn according to the invention in offshore wind farms, many of the requirements described at the beginning can be met.

The use of plastic in the housing makes the fog horn light and inexpensive to produce. The susceptibility to corrosion is extremely low, since plastic and stainless steel are preferably used in the components and elements that are in contact with the ambient air. The simple and robust design, especially with handles and mounting brackets, allow easy transport and uncomplicated installation. The number of individual parts is generally reduced. Finally, the service is simplified by the elimination of a local backup system due to the use of the device's own energy storage.

With the fog horn according to the invention, test operation at a reduced volume is possible by suitable control, especially since the sound radiation to the rear is significantly reduced.

The various configurations and embodiments of the invention mentioned in this application can be advantageously combined with one another, unless otherwise stated in the individual case.

The invention will be described in the following using an exemplary embodiment and associated with it

Drawings explained in more detail. The figures show:

FIG. 1 shows various views of an exemplary embodiment of a flare lamp for the fog horn according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the flame emitter from FIG. 2,

FIG. 3 shows two views of the cover of the fluorescent lamp from FIGS. 1 and 2, and

FIG. 4 shows the interaction of the flame emitters for phase-synchronous operation in an exemplary embodiment.

1 shows a perspective view (FIG. 1 a), a top view (FIG. 1 b) and three further views (from the front FIG. 1 c, from the side FIG. 1 d and from the rear FIG. 1 e) a fluorescent lamp 100 for the fog horn according to the invention is shown. To form the fog horn according to the invention, two of these flare lamps 100 are attached to a support structure at a defined distance from one another and with the same horizontal orientation, which is set up or arranged on the periphery of an offshore wind farm. In particular, two of the fluorescent lamps 100 shown as examples are arranged one above the other on the support structure.

The flare emitter 100 shown is a directed flare emitter 100 in the form of a double horn formed, that is, it has a horizontal beam angle of about 45 ° and a narrow vertical beam angle. Such a horn emitter is designed to achieve an acoustic range of 0.5 nautical miles. By arranging and aligning two horns 100 accordingly, a sound pressure is achieved which ensures an acoustic range of 2 nautical miles.

The horn 10 is formed with a plastic housing 1, which has a handle 9 to simplify transportation and assembly. The plastic housing 100 has been produced by means of rotational molding. In addition, mounting brackets 4 are provided, by means of which the horn 100 can be attached to the support structure and aligned. In FIGS. 1 a, 1 d and 1 e, covers 2 can also be seen, which are made of stainless steel and serve for the lateral and rear cover of individual elements of the horn 100 (see also FIG. 2).

Also the plastic terminal box 3, in which the control electronics is housed,

characterized. The plastic terminal box 3 is inserted into a recess or indentation provided for this purpose and usually by means of four suitable screws

Plastic screws, screwed to the plastic housing, i.e. fixed in their position.

For this purpose, preformed holes are preferably provided in the plastic housing.

In the plastic terminal box 3, contacts are provided (not shown), on which the connection with lines to the high-performance horn driver 8 is formed. For this purpose, lines or cables (not shown) are led out of the terminal box 3 through a sealed connection and to the high-performance horn driver 8.

On the front of the horn 100, a cover 10 is arranged, which is also made of stainless steel. This cover 10 protects the integrated horn channels 8a as

Double horn trained horn radiator 100 (see FIG. 2) against external influences. The acoustic signal generated by a high-performance horn driver 8 is led to the outside through these horn channels 8a. The integrated horn channels 8a are designed such that they are tuned to an operating frequency of the high-performance horn driver 8 of approximately 800 Hz.

The cover 10 is shown as a single element in Figure 3 in a perspective view and a side view. The cover is connected to the horn 100 by the screws or bolts indicated in FIG. 3. FIG. 2 shows some details from the inside of the horn 100. It is shown that 100 compartments 5 for battery packs 6 are formed on the side of the horn, which can be closed with a cover 2 made of stainless steel. Within these compartments 5, the battery packs 6 are connected to the horn 100 by means of watertight connection plugs (not shown) and provide the necessary energy to prevent the primary from failing

Energy supply to enable self-sufficient operation. They are connected to the horn 100 by means of the fastening means indicated in FIG.

In the right half of FIG. 2, the horn 100 is at an angle from behind and without

Covers shown. The high-performance horn driver 8 is before being inserted into the

Driver housing 7 shown.

To protect against lightning, lightning protection is also provided in the control electronics of the horn 100. Since the horn 100 also has a Bluetooth interface for exchange with a service application, a service technician can read out the operating data and sensor data, such as that of a moisture sensor provided in the horn 100, at any time and assess the condition of the horn 100.

The horn 100 also has a control device (not shown) in order to implement phase-synchronous operation within a fog horn, but also within a wind farm. For this purpose, a superordinate control system is also provided, which uses a communication interface provided for this purpose to control signals and information with the

Exchanges control devices of the individual horn 10, which execute the control devices of the horn 100 in cooperation with the respective control electronics.

If two or more fog horns are operated in close proximity to each other to increase the range or to broaden the horizontal beam angle, then there is

Requirement to emit the sound from all devices in phase synchronization. The phase-synchronous operation of the horn radiators 100 of a fog horn and / or at least some of the fog horns of a wind farm is achieved by power line communication (PLC), as is shown by way of example in FIG. 4. The configuration shown there is only to be understood as an example and can also differ from it.

First, it is determined which device, in this case which horn 100, acts as a so-called master device 21 and that the other horn (s) 100 acts as slave devices 22. For the sake of simplicity, a plurality of slaves is used below Devices 22 ran out. The master device 21 can act as a higher-level control system or can interact with a separate higher-level control system. The data exchange between the master device 21 and the slave devices 22 takes place via the existing electrical lines. The DC voltage supplied in the electrical lines is converted by means of DC converters 32 into a DC voltage with the required voltage level to an internal supply voltage 33 and supplied to the consumers.

Now, a microcontroller 23 in the master device 21 periodically transmits an audio signal digitally stored in the local wave memory 24 with a clock frequency f _M ci_K generated by its local oscillator 25 to a digital-to-analog converter 26, which sends its analog output signal via a power amplifier 27 to the Sound transducer 28, that is, the high-performance horn driver 8.

At the beginning of each output period of the acoustic signal to be generated, a synchronization pulse is generated in a PLC transceiver 29 of the master device 21 and modulated via a coupling capacitor 30 onto the common supply line of all horn radiators 100. The horns 100 can, as shown in FIG. 4, be supplied from a direct current source (DC source) 31 or an alternating current supply.

All slave devices 22 receive this pulse, demodulate it in their respective PLC transceiver 29 and make it available to their microcontroller 23. This pulse in turn starts the output of an audio signal identical to the master device 21 in sampling rate, length and course from its local wave memory 24 with the clock frequency f _S ci_ _K generated by its local oscillator 25 to its digital-to-analog converter 26 and thus ultimately to the respective sound transducer 28 of the slave device 22.

Frequency tolerances of the local oscillators 25 of the individual devices 21, 22 with one another can possibly lead to the fact that the emission of the acoustic signal of the individual horns 100 starts at the same time, but the signals “run away” from one another during the output, in particular in the case of longer audio sequences.

In order to avoid this, in phases without audio output, the slave devices 22 permanently measure the frequency offset of the frequency f _SC LK of their local oscillators 25 to the frequency f _M ci_ _{K of} the local oscillator 25 of the master device 21 and regulate them

For example, as a VCXO, local oscillator 4 (voltage-controlled crystal oscillator, English: Voltage Controlled Crystal Oscillator) accordingly fine-tuned. The frequency offset can be measured, for example, in that the master device 21 cyclically sends a time stamp via its PLC transceiver 29, which is received by all slave devices 22. Then from the measured and from the slave device 22 on the basis of f _S _K CI_ the calculated time difference based on the contents of two successive time stamps, the frequency deviation can be made between the master device 21 and slave devices 22 calculated.

In addition, the individual devices can also use the PLC communication to dynamically negotiate who is the master and who is the slave, thus mapping redundancy between the devices.

reference numeral

1 plastic housing

2 stainless steel cover

3 plastic terminal box

4 mounting brackets

5 compartments

6 battery packs

7 driver housing

8 high-performance horn drivers

8a integrated horn channel

9 handle

10 stainless steel cover

21 Master device

22 slave device

23 microcontrollers

24 local wave memory

25 local oscillator

26 digital-to-analog converters

27 power amplifiers

28 transducers

29 PLC transceivers

30 coupling capacitor

31 DC source

32 DC converters

33 Internal supply voltage

100 horns

Claims

claims

1. Foghorn for use in offshore wind farms

two horn radiators (100), the horn radiators (100) being designed as directional horn radiators, arranged at a defined distance from one another and with the same horizontal orientation, and

a control device to operate the horn (100) in phase synchronization.

2. Fog horn according to claim 1, characterized in that the horn radiators (100) have a horizontal radiation angle of ± 45 °.

3. Fog horn according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each horn (100) reaches an acoustic range of 0.5 nautical miles.

4. Fog horn according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the horn emitter (100) each with a plastic housing (1), a high-performance horn driver (8), at least one integrated horn channel (8a), a stainless steel cover for the at least one horn channel (10) , control electronics and / or at least two energy stores (6) are formed.

5. Fog horn according to claim 4, characterized in that the plastic housing (1) is made by means of rotational molding.

6. Fog horn according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the

Plastic housing has a handle (9) and / or mounting bracket (4).

7. Fog horn according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the

at least one integrated horn channel (8a) is tuned to an operating frequency of approximately 800 Hz.

8. Fog horn according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the

Plastic housing (1) compartments (5) for receiving the energy storage (6), the

High-performance horn driver (8), the control device and / or the control electronics.

9. Fog horn according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the

Energy storage devices (6) are connected to the horn radiator (100) by means of a waterproof connector.

10. Fog horn according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that the

Control electronics is arranged in a terminal box (3) which is arranged in and / or on the horn (100) and is connected to it.

11. Fog horn according to one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that the

Control electronics of a horn (100) an integrated lightning protection, a local power supply, a communication interface to a higher-level

Control system, a battery management system, a charge controller, a

Communication interface, in particular a Bluetooth interface to a service application, a GNSS receiver, a humidity sensor and / or a 3-axis acceleration sensor.

12. Fog horn according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control device is designed to control the high-performance horn driver, an identifier, a power output stage, an electrical and / or thermal monitoring of the high-performance horn driver and / or the output stage.

13. Fog horn according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the phase-synchronous operation of the horn radiator (100) is realized by means of Power Line Communication.

14. Use of a fog horn according to one of the preceding claims in one

Offshore wind farm, wherein a large number of fog horns are each arranged on a support structure along the periphery of the offshore wind farm, the fog horns being operated at least partially in phase synchronization.

15. Use according to claim 14, characterized in that the plurality of

Fog horns in an offshore wind farm are operated by a higher-level control system.