WO2023132458A1

WO2023132458A1 - Offshore wind power generation farm management system using unmanned autonomous navigation vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2023132458A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/017685
Authority: WO
Inventors: 신수용; 김은비; 강호현
Original assignee: 금오공과대학교 산학협력단
Priority date: 2022-01-07
Filing date: 2022-11-11
Publication date: 2023-07-13
Also published as: KR102586641B1; KR20230106901A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an offshore wind power generation farm management system using an unmanned autonomous navigation vehicle, the system including: a drone configured to fly along a set route through autonomous navigation to inspect a blade and a tower of a wind power generator, which are exposed on the sea; a submersible configured to submerge into and move in the sea through autonomous navigation and inspect a structure of the wind power generator, which is positioned on the seabed; and a ship configured to house each of the drone and the submersible and carry the drone and the submersible to a position at which the wind power generator is formed, through autonomous navigation along the sea surface.

Description

Offshore wind farm management system using autonomous unmanned vehicle

The present invention relates to an offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle, and more particularly, an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle capable of regularly and automatically inspecting damage or operating conditions of wind turbines installed on the sea without a worker directly inspecting them. It relates to an offshore wind farm management system using

Wind power generation is relatively efficient among new and renewable energies and has market competitiveness, so technology development and utilization are gradually increasing.

Early wind power generation developed mainly onshore wind power generation, but recently, offshore wind power generation has been in the limelight due to problems such as the large size of the turbine, noise and vibration, and location limitations.

In particular, Korea has very favorable conditions for offshore wind power generation due to its topographical characteristics of being sea on three sides, so it can be seen that the prospect is very bright.

In general, offshore wind power generators can be largely divided into two parts: a power generation component called a Rotor-nacelle assembly and a supporting structure, which is fixed to the seabed and a tower that positions the power generation component at a set height. It is divided into a foundation containing concrete and wire to support the tower.

Large structures such as offshore wind power generators have defects as time elapses after the initial completion, and therefore, a state check is required to determine the soundness of the structure.

In particular, the boundary between the structure and the seabed is particularly vulnerable as external loads such as waves, wind, and ocean currents act on the structure, resulting in problems such as subsidence of the ground on which the structure is installed, scouring, or tilting of the structure. easy.

In addition, the blades of the wind turbine rotated by the wind are formed large to widen the area in contact with the wind. there was

However, wind turbines installed on the sea have a problem in that it is difficult to determine the risk of damage before an accident occurs, and structures installed on the seabed are difficult to inspect because it remotely determines whether an inspection is necessary using the operation status of the power generation state or sensor.

In addition, since the operator must directly move to the wind turbine for inspection, it takes a long time, and the wind turbine must be stopped during the inspection, resulting in a decrease in power generation.

An object of the present invention to solve the above problems is to generate offshore wind power using an autonomous unmanned vehicle that can visually check the operating state, aging state, damage and crack state of a wind power generator remotely based on a plurality of unmanned mobile vehicles. It just provides a management system.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle capable of precisely analyzing the corrosion or damage state of a structure installed on the seabed and providing information on a location requiring inspection in detail. is to provide

Another object of the present invention is to provide an offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle capable of performing its duties for a long time through self-generation and charging even at a remote location where a wind turbine is formed.

In order to solve the above problems, the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle of the present invention flies along a route set through autonomous navigation and inspects the blades and towers of wind turbines exposed to the sea, and autonomous navigation Formed to be able to move by submerging to the seabed through the submersible to check the structure of the wind turbine located on the seabed, formed to store the drone and the submersible, respectively, the wind turbine through autonomous navigation along the sea surface It is characterized in that it includes a ship carrying the drone and the submersible to the formed position.

In addition, the ship of the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle of the present invention has a storage unit formed so that the drone can take off and land at the top and store or sort out the submersible at the bottom, and at the top It consists of a power generation module formed to generate self-generation through sunlight to charge power, and a docking module formed to be in contact with a charging terminal formed on the wind turbine to receive power generated by the wind turbine. characterized by

In addition, the ship of the offshore wind farm management system using the autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle of the present invention controls the drone to photograph the blade by adjusting the angle and rotational speed of the blade when the drone inspects the wind turbine. It is characterized in that it further comprises a control module to.

In addition, the drone and the submersible of the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle of the present invention compare cracks, deformations, and damage states in the inspection image obtained by photographing the wind turbine with the original image to determine whether or not inspection is required. The inspection image is stored through machine learning and used together with the original image when determining cracks, deformations, and damage states during the next inspection.

In addition, the drone of the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle of the present invention is configured to fly along the blade in synchronization with the rotational speed of the blade, and the state of the blade while moving along the longitudinal direction of the blade. It is characterized by checking.

In addition, the submersible of the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle of the present invention further includes a washing unit to remove foreign substances or marine organisms attached to the structure, and the structure inspection is performed through the washing unit. It is characterized by checking the state of cracks, deformation, and damage by generating an image after washing the necessary area.

As described above, according to the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle according to the present invention, the operating state, aging state, damage and crack state of the wind power generator can be visually checked remotely based on a plurality of unmanned mobile vehicles. There are possible effects.

In addition, according to the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle according to the present invention, the corrosion or damage state of a structure installed on the seabed can be precisely analyzed, and information can be provided to the location requiring inspection in detail It works.

In addition, according to the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle according to the present invention, there is an effect of performing a mission for a long time through self-generation and charging even at a long distance where a wind turbine is formed.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exemplary view showing how the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle according to the present invention is spread at a location where a wind turbine is formed.

3 is an exemplary view showing a state in which the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle according to the present invention inspects a wind power generator.

10: wind generator

11 : Tower

12 : Blade

13: structure

14: charging terminal

100: ship

110: storage unit

120: power generation module

130: docking module

140: control module

200: drone

210: first camera

220: synchronization unit

300: submersible

310: second camera

320: washing unit

Specific features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, if it is determined that the detailed description of functions and configurations related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle according to the present invention (10) is an exemplary view showing a state of being spread out at the formed position, and FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing a state in which the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle according to the present invention inspects the wind turbine 10. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle according to the present invention flies along a path set through autonomous navigation and the blades of the wind turbine 10 exposed to the sea ( 12) and a drone 200 inspecting the tower 11, and a submersible 300 inspecting the structure 13 of the wind turbine 10 located on the seabed and formed to be able to move by submerging to the seabed through autonomous navigation And, it is formed to store the drone 200 and the submersible 300, respectively, and carries the drone 200 and the submersible 300 to the location where the wind power generator 10 is formed through autonomous navigation along the sea level. Ship 100 ).

The drone 200 is formed to be able to fly using a plurality of propellers, and a first camera 210 is formed at the bottom to photograph the blades 12 or the tower 11 of the wind power generator 10, cracks, It is formed to detect deformed or damaged parts.

The drone 200 is capable of autonomous navigation and forms an inspection route so that the plurality of wind turbines 10 can be inspected while moving sequentially. After determining the number of and, it is possible to check each wind turbine 10 through autonomous navigation by forming a path.

Here, since the battery of the drone 200 is limited, the route can be set by automatically calculating the number of checkable wind turbines 10 compared to the capacity of the battery, and the unchecked wind turbines 10 are based on the image and GPS location information. As a result, it is possible to form a path to the unchecked wind power generator 10 at the time of the next inspection.

The submersible 300 is formed to be movable through a propeller while submerged on the seabed, and a second camera 310, an ultrasonic sensor, and a LIDAR sensor are provided on the front side, so that it is a structure that exists on the seabed when autonomously navigating on the seabed. (13) or it can be prevented from coming into contact with obstacles.

The submersible 300 is formed to receive location information based on a GPS signal and operate, but considering that the reception rate is reduced at the sea floor, it is moved to the wind power generator 10 in a state exposed at the sea level and then submerged to generate a wind power generator ( It is desirable to inspect the structure 13 of 10).

In addition, since the submersible 300 is photographed from the seabed, it is difficult to determine the quantity or location of the wind turbines 10 subject to inspection existing at sea, so wireless communication with the drone 200 transmits the path formed by the drone 200. It is preferable to have the drone 200 and the submersible 300 inspect the same wind power generator 10.

At this time, there is a difference due to the battery capacity of the drone 200 and the submersible 300, and since the density of water generated for the submersible 300 to start on the sea floor is higher than air, battery consumption may proceed faster than that of the drone 200. there is.

To this end, the drone 200 and the submersible 300 sequentially perform inspections along the path received from the drone 200, but when one of the drone 200 or the submersible 300 is inspected first, the next wind power generator ( It is desirable to configure to move to 10) and check.

That is, it is possible to inspect the wind turbine 10 more efficiently by proceeding in the same order of the wind turbine 10 to be inspected and changing the inspection speed.

The ship 100 can move along the sea level and is used to transport the drone 200 and the submersible 300 to the location where the wind power generator 10 is formed at a location spaced apart from the inland, and the ship 100 is a drone. As the drone 200 and the submersible 300 are transported, the drone 200 and the submersible 300 can be moved to the location where the wind power generator 10 is formed without battery consumption, so the inspection time can be greatly increased.

In addition, since the drone 200 and the submersible 300 are transported by the ship 100, when the battery is consumed, they return to the ship 100 and can be safely recovered by the ship 100, so the drone ( 200) or the problem of losing the submersible 300 can be solved.

In addition, the ship 100 has a storage unit 110 formed at the top so that the drone 200 can take off and land and at the bottom so that the submersible 300 can be stored or sorted out, and formed at the top, self-propelled through sunlight. Docking formed to receive power generated from the wind power generator 10 in contact with the power generation module 120 formed to generate power and charge the power and the charging terminal 13 formed on the wind power generator 10 Characterized in that it consists of a module (130).

The storage unit 110 is formed on the upper and lower parts of the ship 100, respectively, to accommodate and store the drone 200 or submersible 300 therein, and to supply power to the stored drone 200 or submersible 300. It is configured to supply and charge the battery.

At this time, the upper storage unit 110 for storing the drone 200 is formed so that the upper surface can be opened and closed with a slide, so that when the drone 200 lands, the upper surface is opened and then entered into the interior. there is.

In addition, in order to prevent the drone 200 from contacting the internal structure of the ship 100 when taking off and landing, a separate lifting pad is provided in the upper storage unit 110 so that the lifting pad protrudes to the top of the ship 100 and then the drone When the drone 200 lands or takes off, it is preferable that the drone 200 be stored by the storage unit 110 while the drone 200 is stopped.

The lower storage unit 110 for storing the submersible 300 is formed in the lower part of the ship 100, and more specifically, it is located on the front or rear side of the lower part of the ship 100 so that one side can be opened and closed by rotation. It is preferable to be configured so that

The submersible 300 stored inside the lower storage unit 110 is formed so that it can be sorted out by ejection and enter the sea, and when returning, one side of the lower storage unit 110 is rotated to generate propulsion along the inclined surface. allows access to the inside.

At this time, the lower storage unit 110 has a guide so that the submersible 300 can enter only in one direction, and a pickup module for fixing the submersible 300 is formed inside and the submersible 300 is discharged on the bottom surface. It is preferable that a rotating body for converting is provided.

That is, when the submersible 300 is sorted out by the lower storage unit 110 and then returned, it can enter the interior along the guide, and is maintained in a fixed state by the pickup unit when the ship 100 moves. It is possible to prevent the submersible 300 from being damaged in contact with the inside of the ship 100, and when ejected from the ship 100 again, the direction can be changed by the rotating body so that the front is ejected first.

The power generation module 120 is formed on the upper part of the ship 100 and is composed of a plurality of photovoltaic modules, so that self-powered power by sunlight is possible, enabling long-term operation in the ocean.

At this time, the power generation module 120 can charge the battery inside the ship 100 and at the same time charge the battery in the drone 200 or submersible 300 stored inside the ship 100.

In addition, the docking module 130 is used when the required amount of power is not supplied by the power generation module 120, and is connected to the charging terminal 14 formed on the outer surface of the wind turbine 10 to produce the wind turbine 10 Used to receive power.

At this time, the docking module 130 may be configured as an articulated robot that is formed in multiple axes and can be varied in three-dimensional coordinates, and is contacted with the charging terminal 14 formed in the wind turbine 10 to charge the internal battery. do.

In addition, it is preferable that the charging terminal 14 formed in the wind turbine 10 be activated only in the state where the ship 100 is in close proximity, and may be charged through a wireless charging method other than the charging terminal 14 if necessary.

In addition, the ship 100 is a control module for controlling the drone 200 to photograph the blade 12 by adjusting the angle and rotational speed of the blade 12 when the drone 200 checks the wind turbine 10 ( 140) is characterized in that it further comprises.

The ship 100 is formed to be remotely controlled through wireless communication with the wind power generator 10, and when the drone 200 inspects the wind power generator 10, the drone 200 adjusts the wind power generator according to the inspection route. (10) can be controlled to reduce the rotational speed by sequentially changing the angle of the blade 12.

When the angle of the blade 12 of the wind power generator 10 is changed by the control signal of the ship 100, the blade 12 can be prevented from being rotated by the wind, and in this state, the drone 200 rotates the blade 12 ), it is possible to check the state of cracks, deformations, and damages generated in the blade 12.

In addition, as the angle of the blade 12 is changed, the blade 12 rotated by the wind can be gradually decelerated. It takes time for the wind turbine 10 to completely stop or restore to the rotational speed to generate power again. Since this takes a long time, the drone 200 may photograph the blade 12 in a low-speed rotation state so that it can be inspected.

That is, even if the drone 200 photographs the blade 12, it can be controlled to decelerate only to a speed at which the image is not distorted, and the drone 200 photographs the blade 12 to perform inspection. do.

In addition, the drone 200 is formed to fly along the blade 12 in synchronization with the rotational speed of the blade 12, and checks the state of the blade 12 while moving along the longitudinal direction of the blade 12. do.

The drone 200 is formed to closely analyze the outer surface of each blade 12 after photographing the entire state of the blade 12. In this case, the drone 200 moves in the longitudinal direction of the blade 12 While partially enlarging and photographing the outer surface of the blade 12, it is possible to check the detailed state.

At this time, the drone 200 can easily take pictures while moving along the blade 12 when the blade 12 is stopped, but needs to move along the rotational direction of the blade 12 when the blade 12 rotates at a low speed.

To this end, the drone 200 further includes a synchronization unit 220 configured to sense the rotational speed of the blades 12 and fly at the same speed as the blades 12, and the drone 200 moves through the synchronization unit. It flies in the same direction as the blade 12 according to the rotational speed of (12).

With the blade 12 and the rotational speed synchronized, it moves in one direction from one end or the other end of the blade 12, and the outer surface of the blade 12 can be photographed, and cracks, deformations, and damage existing in the blade 12 You can review it to determine if it is in a condition that requires inspection.

In addition, the drone 200 and the submersible 300 compare cracks, deformations, and damage states in the inspection image obtained by photographing the wind turbine 10 with the original image to determine whether or not to inspect the inspection image through machine learning. It is characterized in that it is stored and used together with the original image when determining the state of cracks, deformation, or damage during the next inspection.

The drone 200 and the submersible 300 judge cracks, deformations, and damage states based on the information of the respective captured images. image is saved.

Here, images of the drone 200 and the submersible 300 are referred to as inspection images.

It is possible to compare abnormal conditions due to cracks, deformations, and damages by comparing the inspection image with the original image stored in advance. The determined state information is provided to induce the operator to check.

At this time, the inspection image determined to require inspection can be selected by the operator as one of crack, deformation, damage, and normal state after inspection, and the drone 200 and the submersible 300 perform machine learning based on the information selected by the operator. When performing the next inspection, the normal state and the abnormal state can be supplemented by using the original image and the machine learning-performed inspection image by the operator as an auxiliary means.

That is, as information on inspection images accumulates, data required for machine learning can gradually increase, and when the images taken by the drone 200 and the submersible 300 are compared and judged, the normal state and the abnormal state are accurately compared. be able to

In addition, through machine learning, the operator can perform inspection only at the moment when it is absolutely necessary, and if necessary, the drone 200 and the submersible 300 predict the expected life or time of damage to calculate the period for the operator to inspect or replace may be able to guide you.

In addition, the submersible 300 further includes a washing unit 320 to remove foreign substances or marine organisms attached to the structure 13, and through the washing unit 320, parts of the structure 13 requiring inspection are washed. It is characterized by checking the state of cracks, deformation, and damage by generating an image after the inspection.

The submersible 300 checks the structure 13 of the wind power generator 10 on the sea floor, and the structure 13 includes a concrete foundation, wires, and a frame.

As much as they exist on the seabed, foreign substances remaining on the seabed may be buried on the surface or marine organisms such as barnacles may cover the surface, so it is necessary to remove them to determine the state of cracks, deformation, or damage on the surface.

To this end, the submersible 300 has a washing unit 320 for washing foreign substances, and the washing unit 320 sprays seawater at high pressure to remove foreign substances or marine life present on the surface of the structure 13. be able to

If necessary, in order to effectively remove marine organisms such as barnacles, hooks are provided to scrape the surface, so that marine organisms on the surface can be physically removed by propulsion.

It is possible to photograph the structure 13 whose surface has been cleaned through the cleaning unit 320, and analyze cracks, deformations, and damages occurring on the surface to check in advance so that the structure 13 of the wind power generator 10 does not collapse. You will be able to do it.

As described above, according to the offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned mobile vehicle according to the present invention, the operating state, aging state, damage and crack state of the wind power generator can be visually checked remotely based on a plurality of unmanned mobile vehicles. It can precisely analyze the corrosion or damage state of structures installed on the seabed, provide detailed information on the location where inspection is required, and perform missions for a long time through self-generation and charging even at a distance where a wind turbine is formed. There are effects that can be done.

As described above, the present invention has been described with a focus on preferred embodiments, but those skilled in the art can make the present invention various within the range that does not deviate from the technical spirit and scope described in the claims of the present invention. It can be implemented by modifying or transforming accordingly. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be construed by the claims which are written to include examples of these many variations.

Claims

A drone that flies along a route set through autonomous navigation and inspects wind turbine blades and towers exposed to the sea;

A submersible that is formed to move by submerging into the seabed through autonomous navigation and checks the structure of the wind turbine located on the seabed;

A ship formed to store the drone and the submersible, respectively, and carrying the drone and the submersible to the location where the wind power generator is formed through autonomous navigation along the sea surface;

Offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle.
According to claim 1,

Said vessel

a storage unit formed on the upper part to allow the drone to take off and land and to store or take off the submersible on the lower part;

A power generation module formed on the upper part and formed to charge power by generating self-generation through sunlight;

A docking module formed to be in contact with a charging terminal formed in the wind turbine to receive power generated by the wind turbine; characterized in that it consists of

Offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle.
According to claim 1,

Said vessel

And a control module for controlling the drone to photograph the blade by adjusting the angle and rotational speed of the blade when the drone inspects the wind turbine.

Offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle.
According to claim 1,

The drone and the submersible

In the inspection image obtained by photographing the wind turbine, cracks, deformations, and damages are compared with the original image to determine whether or not to inspect,

Characterized in that the inspection image is stored through machine learning and used together with the original image when determining the crack, deformation, or damage state at the next inspection

Offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle.
According to claim 1,

the drone

It is formed to fly along the blade in synchronization with the rotational speed of the blade, and checking the state of the blade while moving along the longitudinal direction of the blade

Offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle.
According to claim 1,

The submersible

It further includes a; washing unit to remove foreign substances or marine organisms attached to the structure,

Characterized in that after washing the area requiring inspection of the structure through the washing unit, an image is generated to check the state of cracks, deformation, and damage

Offshore wind farm management system using an autonomous unmanned vehicle.