US 11,703,033 B2
Method and system for determining yaw heading of a wind turbine
Bernard P. Landa, Clifton Park, NY (US); Pierino Gianni Bonanni, Loudonville, NY (US); and Xu Fu, Clifton Park, NY (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Apr. 13, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/229,199.
Prior Publication US 2022/0325699 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. F03D 17/00 (2016.01); F03D 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC F03D 17/00 (2016.05) [F03D 7/0204 (2013.01); F05B 2260/80 (2013.01); F05B 2270/329 (2013.01); F05B 2270/821 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining a yaw heading (θheading) of a wind turbine, the wind turbine having a tower and a nacelle that includes a machine head and rotor at a top thereof, the method comprising:
configuring a single rover receiver of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) at a fixed position relative to the nacelle spaced from a centerline axis of the nacelle;
determining a GNSS geographic location (“geo-location”) of a tower top pivot point (TPP) of the wind turbine;
determining an angular offset of the rover receiver (βrover) relative to the centerline axis of the nacelle based on a relationship of βrover=sin−1 (x/r), wherein (r) is a distance between the rover receiver and the TPP and (x) is a predetermined fixed distance of the rover receiver to the centerline axis of the nacelle;
based on the GNSS geo-location of the TPP and a GNSS geo-location of the rover receiver, determining an angular vector (custom character) relative to North of a line between the TPP and the rover receiver; and
computing the yaw heading (θheading) from a difference between the angular vector (custom character) and the angular offset (βrover) of the rover receiver based on the relationship:
θheading=(angular vector(custom character))−(βrover).