SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING LIDAR SENSOR SIGNAL AVAILABILITY ON A WIND TURBINE

• Main Authors: Draper Samuel David, Mashtare Dale Robert, Stinson Katherine Derksen, Markham Thomas Stephen, Shane Conner B
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 03.08.2017
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; BLASTING; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO MACHINES OR ENGINES OTHER THANNON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, TO WIND MOTORS,TO NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT PUMPS, AND TO GENERATING COMBUSTIONPRODUCTS OF HIGH PRESSURE OR HIGH VELOCITY; INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUSSUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04; LIGHTING; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MEASURING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PHYSICS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TESTING; WEAPONS; WIND MOTORS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS

The present subject matter is directed to a system and method for sequencing Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor beam signals from a LIDAR sensor mounted on a nacelle of a wind turbine with the rotor position of the wind turbine so as to improve signal availability. More specifically, the method includes generating, via the LIDAR sensor, one or more laser signals towards the rotor of the wind turbine, the rotor having one or more rotor blades. The method also includes receiving, via a controller, a rotor position of the rotor of the wind turbine. Thus, the method further includes coordinating, via a control algorithm programmed within the controller, the rotor position with the one or more laser signals of the laser sensor so as to minimize interference between the laser signal(s) and the rotor blades during rotation of the rotor.