US 11,939,962 B2
Pitch assembly and related methods
Joel Maignan, Nantes (FR); Javier Bescos Grillo, Barcelona (ES); and Alio Medina Diaz, Barcelona (ES)
Assigned to General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L., Barcelona (ES)
Filed by General Electric Renovables Espana, S.L., Barcelona (ES)
Filed on Mar. 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/691,514.
Claims priority of application No. 21382205 (EP), filed on Mar. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0290655 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. F03D 17/00 (2016.01); F03D 7/02 (2006.01); F03D 80/70 (2016.01)
CPC F03D 80/70 (2016.05) [F03D 7/0224 (2013.01); F03D 17/00 (2016.05); F05B 2260/79 (2013.01); F05B 2270/802 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wind turbine pitch assembly, comprising:
a wind turbine hub;
a pitch bearing comprising a hub bearing ring attached to a hub flange of the wind turbine hub and a blade bearing ring configured to be attached to a wind turbine blade;
a target attached to an inner surface of the blade bearing ring;
a support connected to the wind turbine hub, the support comprising a sensor mounted radially inward of the target at a first height and a reflector mounted at a different, second height, the sensor and the reflector being spaced apart from each other to define a gap therebetween,
wherein the sensor comprises a light source and a light sensor that receives one or more reflections of emitted light from the light source, and wherein the target has predefined reflective characteristics such that a position of the target with respect to the light sensor is determined by the target passing through the gap between the sensor and the reflector when the blade bearing ring is rotated.