A Safe Flight Approach of the UAV in the Electrical Line Inspection

Abstract

In recent years, the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) inspection for the electrical line has received increasing attentions due to the advantages of low costs, easiness to control and flexibility. The UAV can inspect the electrical tower independently and automatically by planning the flight path. But during the inspection along the path, the UAV is easily impacted by gust wind due to its light weight and small size, which always leads to the crash into the electrical tower. Thus, in this paper, a safe flight approach (SFA) is proposed to make the flight be safer during the inspection. The main contributions include: firstly, the piecewise linear interpolation method is proposed to fit the distribution curve of the electrical towers based on the GPS coordinates of the electrical towers; secondly, the no-fly zone on the both sides of the distribution curve are created, and a security distance formula (SDF) is raised to decide the width of the no-fly zone; thirdly, a gust wind formula (GWF) is proposed to improve the artificial potential field approach, which can contribute to the path planning of the UAV; finally, a flight path of the UAV can be planned using the SFA to make the UAV avoid colliding with the electric tower. The proposed approach is tested on the experiment to demonstrate its effectiveness.

An Improved Lightweight Deep Learning Model and Implementation for Track Fastener Defect Detection with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

“…Due to its low cost, high flexibility, and ease of control, UAV-based detection is widely employed across various fields. For instance, in agriculture, it is utilized for tree detection [27,28]; in transportation, it is employed for vehicle tracking [29,30]; in environmental conservation, it is used for inspections [31]; in industry, it is applied for power facility inspections [32]; and in infrastructure, it is employed for bridge crack inspections [33]. In the field of railway inspection, utilizing UAVs can reduce labor costs, improve efficiency, and enhance safety.…”

Review of Photogrammetric and Lidar Applications of UAV

“…UAVs are also used to inspect power lines and pipelines [198][199][200][201][202][203]. The article [198] used a DJI Phantom 4 PRO V2.0 UAV to detect abnormal vibration of dampers on portable power lines.…”

“…Hokuyo (30LX) and Sick LD-MRS-400001 on the md4-1000 UAV were also investigated. The authors of [201] dealt with the design of a safe flight approach (SFA) of UAVs in controlling power lines. The authors of the article [202] discussed the development of a platform that provides control of UAVs when inspecting overhead transmission lines.…”

Bridging the Gap between Simulation and Real Autonomous UAV Flights in Industrial Applications

“…Similarly, Ref. [6] and similar studies opt for developing in controlled environments that closely resemble the final operational settings albeit at a higher cost for creating such environments. In conclusion, the existing state of the art underscores the pressing need for an efficient and cost-effective methodology to test algorithms in settings that are distant from industrial facilities, thereby mitigating potential risks associated with real-world testing.…”