No abstract

A large percentage of current overhead power transmission infrastructure is becoming aged, raising the demand for frequent grid inspections in an efficient, and cost-effect manner in order to keep it functional. Autonomous drones are a promising solution for infrastructure inspection, but require further investigation and development to be a viable alternative. This paper proposes a drone framework based on open-source platforms for autonomous inspection of electrical grid infrastructure and for cable grasping. The framework incorporates a cloud service functionality to provide geo-location data of nearby power pylons; a localisation system for navigation near power pylons and grasping cables; and algorithms for finding and planning paths for navigation and grasping over cables. The proposed framework has been tested and validated in simulation, with the development of a UAV platform for future integration.

Reaching and performing operations on overhead power line cables is challenging and mainly carried out by helicopters or foot patrol. This paper proposes a light-weight and low-cost drone platform for detecting overhead cables to autonomously grasp them through an integrated soft gripper. The cable detection system utilizes a pair of solid-state LiDARs with differing field-of-views and a small onboard companion computer to detect 38mm cables while maintaining accurate alignment to perform grasping. A full drone airframe with a soft gripper has been designed, analyzed and manufactured to serve this work. A set of algorithms and software tools have been developed to accomplish an autonomous drone mission to reach a cable. The overall drone system (LOCATOR) has been tested and validated in simulation and verified in an outdoor setup that reflects the real power line infrastructure.