Abstract: A wind turbine is provided with a rotor, a substantially horizontal rotor shaft, with a machine frame, with output means for dissipating the rotation energy of the rotor; wherein the output means are formed as ring gear or planet carrier of a gear box; the rotor shaft is connected in a rotation-fixed manner to the machine frame; the rotor has a hub and at least one rotor blade attachable thereto, is rotatably supported on the rotor shaft, and is connected substantially in a rotation-fixed manner to the output means; wherein decoupling connecting means are effectively arranged between the output means and the rotor, so as to substantially prevent the transmitting of radial, axial and/or tilting motions from the rotor onto the output means.

Abstract: A wind turbine is provided with a rotor, a substantially horizontal rotor shaft, with a machine frame, with output means for dissipating the rotation energy of the rotor; wherein the output means are formed as ring gear or planet carrier of a gear box; the rotor shaft is connected in a rotation-fixed manner to the machine frame; the rotor has a hub and at least one rotor blade attachable thereto, is rotatably supported on the rotor shaft, and is connected substantially in a rotation-fixed manner to the output means; wherein decoupling connecting means are effectively arranged between the output means and the rotor, so as to substantially prevent the transmitting of radial, axial and/or tilting motions from the rotor onto the output means.

Abstract: A drive unit for a wind turbine is provided: wherein the wind turbine comprises a rotor rotatably supported on a machine frame with a hub and at least one rotor blade attachable thereto, wherein the drive unit has a gear box for converting the rotational speed of the rotor according to a gear box ratio, comprising at least one ring gear, a planet carrier, at least two planet wheels, a sun wheel and a output shaft, wherein the ring gear is connectable to the rotor in a rotation-fixed manner and in effective engagement with planet wheels, planet wheels are rotatably supported on the planet carrier planet wheels cooperate with the sun wheel and the sun wheel is connected with the output shaft, wherein the drive unit has a substantially horizontal rotor shaft for rotatably supporting the rotor, wherein the rotor shaft can be directly or indirectly fixedly connected to the machine frame.

Abstract: A method for determining damage to a rotor blade of a wind turbine, includes at least the following time-domain-analysis steps: measuring the vibrations of a rotor blade by means of an acceleration sensor; obtaining event-time intervals, in which the amplitudes of the measurements steadily exceed a threshold; obtaining the number of these event-time intervals in at least a predetermined analysis time interval; and sending an error signal, when the obtained number of the event-time intervals is above a predetermined threshold for a predetermined analysis time interval.