Patent ID: 11939962
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC RENOVABLES ESPANA, S.L.
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  Y | IPC F

Claim 5:
6. A method of operating a wind turbine having a pitch control system, the method comprising:
attaching a hub bearing ring of a pitch bearing to a hub flange of a wind turbine hub;
attaching a support 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, the sensor comprising a light source and a light sensor that receives one or more reflections of emitted light from the light source;
determining a pitch homing reference for the pitch control system after the hub bearing ring is attached to the hub flange, the pitch homing reference being a reference point for the pitch control system;
after determining the pitch homing reference, attaching a blade bearing ring to a wind turbine blade of the wind turbine;
wherein determining the pitch homing reference comprises detecting, with the sensor, that the target is in a predetermined position with respect to the sensor when rotating the blade bearing ring, wherein the target has predefined reflective characteristics such that the predetermined 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; and
operating the wind turbine once the target is in the predetermined position.