US 12,410,779 B2
Method and system for visual inspection of wind turbine generators
Shavkat Mingaliev, Vienna (AT); Poul Anker Skaarup Lübker, Baar (CH); Xavier Tolron, Vienna (AT); Chrysanthos Galetsas, Vienna (AT); Eric Jacob Rose, Vienna (AT); and Jorge Fernández Barrio, Vienna (AT)
Assigned to Ventus Engineering GmbH, Vienna (AT)
Appl. No. 17/797,102
Filed by Ventus Engineering GmbH, Vienna (AT)
PCT Filed Feb. 3, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/052522
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 2, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/156296, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 12, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20155159 (EP), filed on Feb. 3, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0106537 A1, Apr. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. G06T 7/00 (2017.01); F03D 17/00 (2016.01)
CPC F03D 17/00 (2016.05) [G06T 7/001 (2013.01); F05B 2260/80 (2013.01); G06T 2207/20104 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of visually inspecting a wind turbine generator and parts thereof during operation, the method including the following steps performed with a visual inspection system:
pointing the visual inspection system with a field of view about a line of sight in a plane of a rotor blade of the wind turbine generator;
triggering, based on the field of view, the visual inspection system;
capturing multiple images of the field of view using the visual inspection system;
selecting at least one reference image amongst the captured multiple images;
comparing at least one other image of the captured multiple images with the selected at least one reference image;
inspecting structural aspects of the wind turbine generator as a function of the result of comparing; and
wherein the step of inspecting includes determining relative blade pitch misalignment between at least two rotor blades of the wind turbine generator, and applying a set of pitch angle metrics to the at least one reference image and the at least one other captured image, wherein the pitch angle metrics include a nacelle line defined by two reference regions of interest on the nacelle and a blade line defined by two regions of interest on the rotor blade; and
wherein the step of comparing is performed on the pitch angle metrics of the at least one reference image and those of the at least one other captured image,
wherein the step of triggering is according to a trigger which triggering setting is performed using a graphical user interface of the visual inspection system configured to present at least one captured image and with at least one means for an operator to adjust a trigger parameter, and
wherein the trigger parameter is a brightness value of a region of interest.