IP Library Granted Patent US 9,190,823
Granted Patent B2
US 9,190,823 · App. 13/257,857 · Granted Nov 17, 2015

Wind energy plant having a twistable nacelle cable guide

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,190,823
App. No.
13/257,857
Granted
Nov 17, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A wind energy installation includes a tower and a nacelle arranged at the top of the tower such that it can swivel in the azimuth direction. The installation also includes a plurality of cables which are guided via a loop from the tower into the nacelle, the cables being held at a distance from one another in the loop by means of rotationally fixed and loose holders. The holders each have receptacles for attachment of the cables with a predetermined circumferential separation. The holders include a lower rotationally fixed guide ring and an aligning upper loose guide ring. A loop guide is formed such that the loop is subdivided by means of the rotationally fixed lower guide ring into a curved untwisted area and an extended twisted area.

Claims (22)

1. A wind energy installation comprising:

a tower;

a nacelle arranged at the top of the tower such that the nacelle can swivel in the azimuth direction; and

a plurality of cables which are guided via a loop from the tower into the nacelle, the cables being held at a distance from one another in the loop by rotationally fixed and loose holders, the holders each having receptacles for attachment of the cables with a predetermined circumferential separation,

wherein the holders comprise a lower rotationally fixed guide ring and an aligning upper loose guide ring, the aligning upper loose guide ring is attached to the cables only, and a loop guide is formed such that the loop is subdivided by the rotationally fixed lower guide ring into a curved untwisted area and an extended twisted area.

2. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , further comprising a length compensation device configured to move the lower guide ring with respect to the upper guide ring depending on the twist angle.

3. The wind energy installation of claim 2 , wherein the length compensation device is configured to interact with a direction change which forms an opposing loop and has the weight force of a hanging section of the cables.

4. The wind energy installation of claim 2 , wherein the length compensation device comprises a counterweight configured to compensate for a weight force of the hanging section.

5. The wind energy installation of claim 2 , further comprising a control device configured to determine a load acting on the cables because of the twisting and operate an actuator in order to shorten the loop.

6. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , further comprising a two-sided bearing for the rotationally fixed lower guide ring.

7. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional central guide ring.

8. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , further comprising receptacles for the cables.

9. The wind energy installation of claim 8 , wherein the receptacles are arranged on both sides on an inner and an outer envelope surface.

10. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , wherein the loose guide ring has a smaller diameter than the fixed guide ring.

11. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , wherein the loose and the fixed guide rings have a circumference which is greater by a factor of 1.4 to 2.8 than the added thickness of the cables.

12. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , wherein flexible strain relief is provided on the nacelle for the cables which are hanging into the tower.

13. The wind energy installation of claim 12 , wherein the strain relief is a mesh piece which surrounds the cable and has a suspension device at its upper end.

14. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cables is twistably guided via the loop from the tower into the nacelle.

15. The wind energy installation of claim 6 , wherein the two-side bearing for the guide ring is configured to allow tilting about a horizontal axis.

16. The wind energy installation of claim 7 , wherein the at least one additional central guide ring is loose.

17. The wind energy installation of claim 8 , wherein the receptacles for the cables are arranged at equal intervals on an envelope surface of the guide rings.

18. The wind energy installation of claim 1 , wherein the loose and the fixed guide rings have a circumference which is greater by a factor of 1.7 to 2.2 than the added thickness of the cables.

Assignments (8)
REQUEST FOR ASSIGNEE ADDRESS CHANGE. Recorded Sep 5, 2025
From: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICE GMBH
To: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICE GMBH
Reel/Frame 072597/0865 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 28, 2025
From: SENVION DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
To: SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICE GMBH
Reel/Frame 070031/0577 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 21, 2025
From: SENVION GMBH
To: SENVION DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
Reel/Frame 069986/0450 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 15, 2025
From: SENVION AG
To: SENVION GMBH
Reel/Frame 069924/0352 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 8, 2025
From: SENVION SE
To: SENVION AG
Reel/Frame 069849/0638 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 23, 2015
From: REPOWER SYSTEMS SE
To: SENVION SE
Reel/Frame 034806/0074 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 21, 2015
From: REPOWER SYSTEMS AG
To: REPOWER SYSTEMS SE
Reel/Frame 034786/0585 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 12, 2012
From: SCHUBERT, MATTHIAS
To: REPOWER SYSTEMS SE
Reel/Frame 027523/0864 →