US 12,092,084 B2
Locking mechanism for a wind turbine generator
Henrik Zaar Mannik, Hammel (DK); Mustafa Gündüz, Lübeck (DE); Ulrich Meinekat, Eutin (DE); Peter Mongeau, Center Conway, NH (US); and Marcin Janota, Cieszyn (PL)
Assigned to Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Aarhus N (DK)
Appl. No. 17/420,728
Filed by Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Aarhus N. (DK)
PCT Filed Jan. 9, 2020, PCT No. PCT/DK2020/050006
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 6, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/143889, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 16, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/790,565, filed on Jan. 10, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. PA 2019 70068 (DK), filed on Jan. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0065229 A1, Mar. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. F03D 80/00 (2016.01); H02K 7/18 (2006.01)
CPC F03D 80/00 (2016.05) [H02K 7/1838 (2013.01); F05B 2260/31 (2020.08); H02K 2213/06 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A generator for a wind turbine, the generator comprising a rotor assembly, a stator and a radial locking mechanism, the rotor assembly comprising:
a rotor with an axis of rotation and an end surface located on an axial end of the rotor, the rotor comprising at least one lock engagement feature arranged at the end surface;
an end shield located axially outward and at least partially adjacent the end surface, the end shield comprising at least one opening enabling access to the end surface of the rotor; and
an axial locking mechanism comprising at least one axial lock comprising a removable block configured to partly cover the at least one opening of the end shield and a rotor engagement tool for engaging the removable block with the at least one lock engagement feature;
the axial locking mechanism being arranged to shift the rotor assembly between an axially locked and an axially unlocked configuration, wherein:
in the axially locked configuration the removable block of the at least one axial lock is placed against the end shield, thereby at least partly covering the at least one opening, while the rotor engagement tool engages the removable block with the at least one lock engagement feature, such that the axial lock resists axial movement of the rotor; and
in the axially unlocked configuration, the removable block and the rotor engagement tool are removed from the opening of the end shield such that the rotor is movable in at least one axial direction; and
wherein the radial locking mechanism comprises a plurality of radial locks and wherein the radial locks comprise:
a fixed portion coupled to the stator; and
a movable elongate portion configured to move relative to the fixed portion and radially with respect to the axis of the rotation;
the radial locks being arranged to shift the generator between a radially locked and a radially unlocked configuration, wherein in the radially locked configuration, the movable elongate portions of the radial locks contact an exterior surface of the rotor and are coupled to their respective fixed portions such that the movable elongate portions resist radial movement of the rotor; and
in the radially unlocked configuration, the movable elongate portion of at least one of the radial locks does not contact the exterior surface of the rotor such that the rotor is movable in at least one radial direction.