Patents Assigned to Vestas Wind Systems A/S
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Patent number: 12000381Abstract: A method of controlling a wind turbine is provided, comprising identifying an out-of-vertical load acting in a first direction on the wind turbine. A direction of a wind load acting on the wind turbine is determined. If there is a degree of alignment between the direction of the wind load and the first direction, the wind turbine is controlled to reduce the wind load.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2020Date of Patent: June 4, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: James Alexander Nichols, Jacob Deleuran Grunnet, Anders Steen Nielsen
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Patent number: 12000379Abstract: A wind turbine system comprising: a wind turbine; and a monitoring system, wherein the wind turbine comprises: a tower; an arm extending from the tower, a rotor-nacelle assembly (RNA) carried by the arm; and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensor carried by the arm or the RNA. The monitoring system is configured to receive position data from the GNSS sensor and obtain a moment or force measurement on the basis of the position data.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2021Date of Patent: June 4, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Dan Hilton, Johnny Nielsen
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Patent number: 12003079Abstract: A wind turbine with an electric converter module having a first section forming a first enclosure capable of withstanding a pressure from an arc flash inside the first enclosure. The first enclosure houses an electric protective device electrically connected between a first electric conductor and the second electric conductor. A second section is arranged adjacent to the second side wall of the first section, and forms a second enclosure housing an electric converter system connected to the second electric conductor and a third electric conductor to allow conversion of electric power from the third electric conductor to electric power to the second electric conductor. A door in the second section serves to allow service personnel to access components of the electric converter system from outside the enclosure.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2022Date of Patent: June 4, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Luis Miguel Calhau Gonçalves, Kenneth G. Hansen
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Patent number: 12000371Abstract: In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of making a wind turbine blade. The method comprises providing a blade shell mould, providing a plurality of 5 substantially planar strips of reinforcing material, and arranging the plurality of strips in the mould in a first stack to form at least part of a first spar cap. The method further comprises providing a retaining clip having a substantially planar body and upper and lower flanges projecting transversely to the planar body, wherein the flanges and the body together define a first receiving region on a first side of the retaining clip, and the 10 method further comprises arranging the retaining clip on a side of the first stack such that the strips in the first stack are received in the first receiving region.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2021Date of Patent: June 4, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Christian David Robson, John Morgan, Kieron Lavers
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Patent number: 11996694Abstract: A controller for controlling the operation of a power plant, the power plant comprising a wind turbine and a solar power generator, the controller comprising: an input arranged to receive an input signal indicative of an operating parameter of the solar power generator; a shadow detection module arranged to monitor the operating parameter and to detect a shadow at least partially shading the solar power generator, the detected shadow being caused by a blade of the wind turbine; a shadow prediction module arranged to predict at least one subsequent blade shadow in dependence on the detected blade shadow; a command module arranged to determine a command signal for controlling the solar power generator based on the blade shadow prediction; and an output arranged to output the command signal to the solar power generator.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2019Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Claus Thyge Pedersen, Tobias Gybel Hovgaard
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Patent number: 11994108Abstract: A method of damping oscillations in a multi-rotor wind turbine and a wind turbine are provided. The wind turbine comprises a wind turbine support structure and at least a first nacelle with a first rotor and a second nacelle with a second rotor, at least one of the nacelles being located at a position away from a central longitudinal axis of the wind turbine support structure. The method comprises the steps of receiving and processing motion data, selecting a damping algorithm and generating a pitch control signal. The processing comprises determining at least one prominent oscillation mode of the wind turbine support structure and selecting a corresponding damping algorithm.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2019Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Julio Xavier Vianna Neto, Søren Dalsgaard, Anders Yde Wollesen, Kim Hylling Sørensen
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Patent number: 11994105Abstract: The invention provides a method of shutting down a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a rotor with a plurality of blades; and a generator system coupled to the rotor. The method comprises: operating the generator system to generate electrical power and apply a load torque to the rotor; controlling the electrical power generated with a power reference signal; determining that a shutdown of the wind turbine is required; in response to the determination that a shutdown of the wind turbine is required, changing the power reference signal so as to increase the electrical power generated thereby slowing the rotor; determining that a speed of the rotor has reduced below a threshold; and in response to the determination that the speed of the rotor has decreased below the threshold, changing a pitch of the blades to further slow the rotor.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2020Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Karthik Vasudevan, Ian Couchman
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Patent number: 11994113Abstract: A fluid system for a wind turbine, which is particularly beneficial when the wind turbine is operating at low power, such as during idling operational mode. Fluid accumulates in a fluid storage device before being released intermittently, for example by fluid bursts or pulses, to one or more consumer units, including but not limited to bearings. The fluid system advantageously enables fluid, such as lubricant, to be sufficiently distributed to the one or more consuming units even if the pump used to supply fluid to the consuming units is operating at low power.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2019Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Jan Hove Pedersen, Thomas Korsgaard Nielsen, Morten Aalbæk Kristensen
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Patent number: 11994114Abstract: A nacelle for a wind turbine is disclosed. The nacelle comprises a self-carrying rear structure (1) extending in a length direction (4) between a front end (6) defining an interface towards a hub mounted rotatably on the nacelle, and a rear end (7) arranged opposite to the front end (6), the nacelle defining an interface (15) towards a tower (14) of the wind turbine. The nacelle further comprises at least one pre-tensioned brace cable (8, 9) attached to the rear structure (1) at a first position (10) at or near the interface (15) towards the tower (14) along the length direction (4), at a second position (11) at or near the rear end (7) of the rear structure (1), and at at least one intermediate position (12) between the first position (10) and the second position (11) along the length direction (4). A direction defined by the pre-tensioned brace cable (8, 9) is changed at each intermediate position (12).Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2021Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Joël Saraiva Nunes, Jose Fernandes Oliveira, Fernando Jorge Dias Da Costa Bastos, Nuno Alexandre Novo Medeiros Da Silva
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Patent number: 11990755Abstract: A method for detecting power oscillation in an electric power grid, wherein the method comprises: integrating a filtered signal on a first interval, the filtered signal being associated with the electric power grid; based on the integration of the filtered signal on the first interval, determining a positive half-period area of the filtered signal and a negative half-period area of the filtered signal, one of the positive half-period area and negative half-period area being immediately subsequent to the other one; and determining that a power oscillation in the electric power grid is detected if the following two conditions are met: a sum of the positive half-period area of the filtered signal and the negative half-period area of the filtered signal is below a first threshold; and the absolute value of one of the positive half-period area and negative half-period area is above a second threshold.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2023Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Per Hagen Nielsen, Lennart Petersen, Germán Claudio Tarnowski
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Patent number: 11976636Abstract: A method of activating an ice removal system of a wind turbine comprises: monitoring the output power of the wind turbine; monitoring an output from an ice sensor provided on the wind turbine indicative of an atmospheric icing condition; and activating the ice-removal system when the output power is below an expected output power and the output from the ice sensor indicates that an atmospheric icing condition has ended.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2021Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Karl Gregory, Keld Rasmussen
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Patent number: 11976631Abstract: Methods of measuring a stall condition of a rotor of a wind turbine are disclosed. In one aspect a stall parameter is obtained on the basis of the power parameter and a thrust parameter; and the stall parameter compared with a threshold to determine a stall condition of the rotor.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2021Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Fabio Caponetti, Karthik Vasudevan, James Alexander Nichols, Jacob Deleuran Grunnet
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Patent number: 11976632Abstract: A mass damper module (600) for a wind turbine installation comprises: an attachment interface (603a-d) adapted to removably attach the mass damper module to structural lifting parts (303a-d) of a nacelle (300) of the wind turbine installation; and an active tuned mass damper (601) controllable to damp vibration of the wind turbine installation when the mass damper module is so attached to the nacelle and the nacelle is attached to a tower (200) to form the wind turbine installation.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2021Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventor: Anders Olsen
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Patent number: 11976635Abstract: A wind turbine blade having an electro-thermal heating element is provided. The electro-thermal heating element has a sheet of electrically resistive material, which is folded so as to provide a plurality of heat zones. Each heat zone includes one or more layers of the sheet. At least two of the heat zones have a different number of layers of the sheet.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2020Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Paul Badger, Luke Spandley
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Patent number: 11976629Abstract: A method for determining a relative position of wind sensors on a wind turbine comprising: obtaining wind data from each of at least two wind sensors installed on a wind turbine at a location where airflow is affected by a rotor of the wind turbine, the obtaining occurring while the rotor is rotating, identifying oscillations in the wind data from each of the wind sensors, determining a phase or amplitude difference between the oscillations, and determining a relative position of the wind sensors based on the phase or amplitude difference.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2020Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Ines Pinto Frutuoso, Johnny Nielsen, Jens Van Schelve
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Patent number: 11971016Abstract: A wind turbine nacelle configured for mounting on a wind turbine tower and for supporting a rotor-supporting assembly, the nacelle comprising a main unit, and at least one auxiliary unit. The auxiliary unit accommodates a at least one component, e.g. a converter or transformer. To provide efficient transportation, lower costs and easier assembly, the operative component is suspended directly on the main unit.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2020Date of Patent: April 30, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Torben Ladegaard Baun, Jesper Lykkegaard Neubauer, Renato Catroga
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Patent number: 11965486Abstract: A wind park with wind turbines and airborne wind energy systems where a first zone and a second zone is defined for at least one of the airborne wind energy systems such that the risk of collision between apart of that airborne wind energy systems and a part of one of the wind turbines is higher when the airborne unit of that airborne wind energy system is in the second zone than when it is in the first zone, and different control parameters are applied to the control of at least one of the wind turbine and the airborne wind energy system depending on the position of the airborne unit relative to the defined zones.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2019Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Thomas S. Bjertrup Nielsen, Torben Ladegaard Baun
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Patent number: 11965484Abstract: There is presented a method for damping an edgewise vibration of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, wherein the method comprises measuring at the rotor blade a motion parameter of the edgewise rotor blade vibration, generating based on said motion parameter a blade pitch angle control signal, and damping the edgewise vibration of the rotor blade by pitching the rotor blade according to the blade pitch angle control signal, wherein the blade pitch angle control signal is arranged so that a resulting force on a rotor blade pitched according to the blade pitch angle control signal, in a direction of the edgewise vibration of the rotor blade in a coordinate system, which rotates with a rotor of the wind turbine, is opposite and proportional to the edgewise rotor blade vibration velocity.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2021Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Fabio Caponetti, Claus Thy Henningsen, Robert Grøn-Stevens
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Patent number: 11965487Abstract: The present invention relates to an Electro-Thermal Heating element for a wind turbine blade comprising an electrically conductive resistive material; two active busbars for supplying electrical power to the electrically conductive resistive material; and at least one dummy busbar at a predetermined spacing between the two active busbars on the electrically conductive resistive material. The present invention is also directed to a method of repair of the Electro-Thermal Heating Element.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2018Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/SInventors: Luke Spandley, Arran Wood, Darren Rogers
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Patent number: 11965485Abstract: A method of determining an orientation of a nacelle of a wind turbine, wherein the nacelle carries a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensor, the method comprising: yawing the nacelle between a series of orientations; obtaining locus data based on a series of calibration positions measured by the GNSS sensor, wherein each calibration position is measured by the GNSS sensor when the nacelle is in a respective orientation of the series of orientations; storing the locus data; after storing the locus data, measuring a new position with the GNSS sensor; and determining the orientation of the nacelle on the basis of the stored locus data and the new position.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2022Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/SInventors: Lars Glavind, Johnny Nielsen
