Unmanned aerial vehicle based power transmission line intelligent inspection system

Abstract

The application discloses a power transmission line intelligent inspection system based on a UAV and relates to the technical field of power transmission line inspection; the line fault information is acquired through the inspection analysis module, and a tethered UAV is released at a fixed point; when the tethered UAV is used for construction lighting, the tethered UAV can be first controlled to be in a most reasonable lighting range, lighting can be performed on each device in construction in a small range under the condition that the construction illuminance is ensured, accurate lighting can be realized, and no extra energy is wasted; meanwhile, the lighting range and the ascending height can be reasonably controlled, and the reasonable working range of the construction target can be ensured to be reasonably irradiated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of power transmission line inspection technology, specifically a power transmission line intelligent inspection system based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Background Technology

[0002] With the development of drone technology, electronic, information-based, and intelligent inspection work can be gradually realized, improving the efficiency of power line inspection and emergency response capabilities. In the event of geological disasters, earthquakes, or other emergencies, drones can conduct visual inspections and investigations of potential hazards on power transmission lines.

[0003] Existing drones are inconvenient for nighttime inspections of power transmission lines due to poor visibility at night or in extreme weather. Furthermore, when damage to power lines is discovered, it can only be displayed on the monitor via electrical signals, and the damaged area cannot be clearly marked, making it difficult for subsequent staff to quickly locate the damaged location when repairing the cables. For example, Chinese patent CN106602468A discloses an automatic inspection system for power transmission lines using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) based on image recognition and differential GPS. This system relates to the field of UAVs and includes the UAV itself, a ground station control system, and a UAV flight control system. The flight control system is mounted on the UAV itself and is wirelessly connected to the ground station control system. The flight control system includes an automatic inspection module, which comprises a high-definition camera and a differential GPS locator. The high-definition camera, GPS locator, and data storage module are communicatively connected. The UAV itself has an image recognition system electrically connected to the automatic inspection module. The UAV uses the differential GPS locator to accurately locate the designated power line for inspection and automatic obstacle avoidance, while simultaneously identifying and analyzing defects in insulators and other components within the power transmission line.

[0004] For example, Chinese patents CN216401744U, CN115046532A, CN114859966A, etc., all provide a method for line inspection based on drones. However, for drones, especially when there is a drone supervision cabin, how to better control the drones during construction is a concern. Based on this, this application provides a technical solution for a drone-based intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art;

[0006] Therefore, this invention proposes an intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), comprising:

[0007] Tethered drones are used to provide lighting at the construction site of a faulty power line.

[0008] A power supply platform is installed in the back of the pickup truck. The power supply platform is used to power the tethered drone and to reel in and out the cable.

[0009] The collaborative control module is used to generate lighting control strategies for tethered drones. These strategies can ensure the baseline illuminance of the construction target while covering the illuminated area.

[0010] The inspection and analysis module is used to obtain line fault information and release the tethered drone at a fixed point. After that, it will detect the illuminance of the ground at the location of the illuminated surface and mark it as the real-time illuminance.

[0011] When the real-time illuminance is not less than the reference illuminance, the tethered drone will be controlled to increase its altitude and expand its illumination range until the real-time illuminance is between the reference illuminance and the upper limit illuminance, with the upper limit illuminance being equal to 1.15 times the reference illuminance.

[0012] Once this height is reached, mark it as the lighting height for the corresponding construction target;

[0013] If the real-time illuminance is less than the reference illuminance, one lighting device will be added. The relationship between the real-time illuminance and the reference illuminance will then be re-verified. If the real-time illuminance is still less than the reference illuminance, more lighting devices will be added.

[0014] If the real-time illuminance after the change is not less than the reference illuminance, the altitude of all tethered drones will be controlled to increase, expanding the illumination range of the tethered drones until the real-time illuminance is between the reference illuminance and the upper limit illuminance, with the upper limit illuminance being equal to 1.15 times the reference illuminance.

[0015] The control strategy for all construction targets is executed by the execution unit.

[0016] Furthermore, the collaborative control module includes an initial analysis unit and an execution unit. The initial analysis unit is used to generate the initial control strategy for the tethered UAV, and the specific generation method is as follows:

[0017] Before maintenance work begins, the target maintenance location requiring lighting is first determined. If the illuminance at the target maintenance location does not reach the set baseline illuminance;

[0018] The system will automatically launch tethered drones based on the target maintenance location and use the tethered drones for initial lighting. Because the specific construction location is uncertain during construction, it will provide range lighting initially. Range lighting refers to the tethered drones providing full illumination of the construction site.

[0019] The initial control strategy is obtained and transmitted to the execution unit to drive the tethered drone to execute the strategy.

[0020] Furthermore, it also includes a binomial analysis unit, which is used for data calibration after construction begins. The specific data calibration method is as follows:

[0021] At this time, all construction targets on the construction site will obtain their own positions and synchronize their positions and illumination surfaces to the collaborative control module; the illumination surface here refers to the working range of different construction targets during construction, and this range can be set by personnel; the construction target refers to the object that needs to be worked on the construction site, including construction personnel and construction equipment. The construction equipment here refers to the equipment used on site and those whose lighting cannot meet the construction conditions are all uniformly marked as construction equipment.

[0022] Furthermore, the binomial analysis unit is also used to perform lighting analysis on all construction targets and their corresponding illumination surfaces, thereby generating control strategies for all construction targets.

[0023] Furthermore, the irradiation surface is determined through range analysis using a binomial analysis unit. The specific method of range analysis is as follows:

[0024] Choose any construction target, obtain the maximum moving distance of the construction target, draw a circle with the moving distance as the radius, and obtain an initial initial irradiation surface;

[0025] Then, the reduction is performed by a fixed value, which is a preset value. The reduction method is to keep the center of the circle unchanged. Then, the radius of the initial irradiation surface is reduced by a fixed value in turn. A circle is drawn every time the radius is reduced by a fixed value, resulting in several circular areas.

[0026] Several circular areas are compared with the duration of the construction target in different circular areas according to the order of the circular areas from the outside to the inside, and the proportion of the duration is compared with the set ratio. After deletion, the circular area with the largest remaining coverage area is marked as the irradiation surface.

[0027] Furthermore, after defining several circular regions, the method for determining the irradiation surface is as follows:

[0028] Then, monitor the construction target within the set time period, including each circular area and the construction time. The specific method for monitoring the construction time is as follows: when any part of the construction target leaves the circular area, the corresponding circular area is not counted, and the time is added to the area of ​​the remaining part. That is, when timing, calculate the time of the construction target entering the circular area farthest from the center.

[0029] Obtain the construction time for each circular area, then calculate the proportion of the construction time for each circular area to the total construction time to obtain the construction percentage. The total construction time is the sum of all construction times.

[0030] Next, mark the circular areas where the construction percentage is less than X1 and label them as circular marked areas. Then, delete the circular areas based on the existence of the outermost circular area in the circular marked areas.

[0031] Mark the remaining outermost circular area as the irradiated surface;

[0032] The same treatment was applied to all other construction sites to obtain the irradiated surface of each construction site.

[0033] Furthermore, the specific method for deleting the circular region is as follows:

[0034] If the circular label area contains the outermost circular area, delete that circular area. After deletion, check if the circular label area still contains the outermost circular area of ​​the deleted circular areas, delete that one, and repeat the process until the circular label area no longer contains the outermost circular area.

[0035] Furthermore, it also includes a scheduling unit, which is used to monitor the battery level of the tethered drone in real time, specifically in the following manner:

[0036] It will obtain the remaining battery life of any tethered drone, and when the battery life is lower than the set value, it will automatically replace the tethered drone to update the lighting;

[0037] When any tethered drone runs out of power and there are no more tethered drones available to extend its power, the project will replace any construction target that is being illuminated by two or more tethered drones with a single drone. At the same time, the altitude of the corresponding tethered drone will be lowered to ensure that the real-time illuminance when it illuminates the construction target exceeds the reference illuminance. The tethered drone will also be controlled to move along the trajectory of the construction target to ensure the construction is completed.

[0038] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0039] This application involves releasing drones at designated locations for maintenance identified during inspections, and using these drones to provide lighting. When tethered drones are used for construction lighting, they can be controlled to be within the most reasonable lighting range. This allows for precise lighting of each piece of equipment under construction within a small area while ensuring sufficient illumination, thus avoiding the waste of excess energy.

[0040] At the same time, it can make reasonable control over the irradiation range and the ascent height, and can also ensure that the reasonable working range of the construction target can be properly irradiated; the invention is simple, effective and easy to use. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the intelligent power transmission line inspection system based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a structural block diagram of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a structural block diagram of the collaborative control module in Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of the collaborative control module in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] Please see Figures 1-4 This application provides an intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); utilizing the rear cargo space of a pickup truck, a vehicle-mounted emergency lighting system is constructed, including an energy storage lithium battery, solar panels, a tethered lighting UAV, an automatic cable reeling and deployment device, and a take-off and landing platform. The system can be replenished with energy through various means such as vehicle-generated power, solar energy, and charging piles, and can be used for lighting by releasing the tethered UAV when the vehicle is parked during nighttime construction or emergencies.

[0047] Example 1:

[0048] like Figures 1-3 As shown in the first embodiment of this application, it specifically includes: a power supply platform and a tethered drone. The power supply platform includes an energy storage lithium battery, a solar panel, and an automatic cable retraction device installed in the rear bed of a pickup truck. The automatic cable retraction device is used to retract and deploy the tethered drone. The energy storage lithium battery, solar panel, and automatic cable retraction device installed in the rear bed of the pickup truck mentioned above can all be implemented by existing technology and are not the focus of this application. The focus of this application is on how to better allocate the lighting environment for the role of tethered drones in maintenance and construction, especially for temporary construction or other emergency construction.

[0049] Therefore, this application also includes a collaborative control module for the drone, which can be specifically installed in the rear bed of a pickup truck. The collaborative control module includes:

[0050] The initial analysis unit is used to generate the initial control strategy for the tethered UAV. The specific generation method is as follows:

[0051] Before maintenance work begins, the target maintenance location requiring lighting is first determined. If the illuminance at the target maintenance location does not reach the set baseline illuminance;

[0052] The system will automatically launch tethered drones based on the target maintenance location. In other words, when a line that needs maintenance is found, the tethered drones will be used for initial lighting in extreme weather or geological disasters. Because the specific construction location is uncertain during construction, the initial lighting will be range lighting, which means that the tethered drones will provide full lighting for the construction site.

[0053] The initial control strategy is obtained and transmitted to the execution unit to drive the tethered UAV to execute the strategy.

[0054] It also includes a binary analysis unit, which is used for data calibration after construction begins. The specific data calibration method is as follows:

[0055] At this time, all construction targets on the construction site will obtain their own positions and synchronize their positions and illumination surfaces to the collaborative control module; the illumination surface here refers to the working range of different construction targets during construction, and this range can be set by personnel; the construction target refers to the object that is working on the construction site, including construction personnel and construction equipment. The construction equipment here includes excavators and other equipment that can be used for construction. That is, any equipment that needs to be operated by construction personnel on the construction site and that lacks its own lighting or whose own lighting cannot meet the construction conditions is uniformly marked as construction equipment.

[0056] The two-item analysis unit is also used to perform lighting analysis on all construction targets and their corresponding irradiated surfaces. The specific method of lighting analysis is as follows:

[0057] First, select a construction target and its corresponding illumination surface, and control the tethered drone to fly to the illumination surface where the construction target is located. At this time, the first priority is to ensure that the illumination range of the tethered drone's lights just covers the corresponding illumination surface.

[0058] The inspection and analysis module is used to obtain line fault information and release the tethered drone at a fixed point. After that, it will detect the illuminance of the ground at the location of the illuminated surface and mark it as the real-time illuminance.

[0059] When the real-time illuminance is not less than the reference illuminance, the tethered drone will be controlled to increase its altitude and expand its illumination range until the real-time illuminance is between the reference illuminance and the upper limit illuminance, with the upper limit illuminance being equal to 1.15 times the reference illuminance.

[0060] Once this height is reached, mark it as the lighting height for the corresponding construction target;

[0061] If the real-time illuminance is less than the reference illuminance, an additional lighting device will be added. This is mainly done by attaching an additional lighting device to the drone or adding a tethered drone to illuminate the drone, making adjustments, and re-verifying the relationship between the real-time illuminance and the reference illuminance. If the real-time illuminance is still less than the reference illuminance, another lighting device or a tethered drone will be added.

[0062] If the real-time illuminance after the change is not less than the reference illuminance, the altitude of all tethered drones will be controlled to increase, expanding the illumination range of the tethered drones until the real-time illuminance is between the reference illuminance and the upper limit illuminance, with the upper limit illuminance being equal to 1.15 times the reference illuminance.

[0063] Complete the lighting control analysis of the construction target and organize it into the corresponding control strategy for the construction target;

[0064] The same treatment is applied to the remaining construction targets to obtain the control strategies for all construction targets;

[0065] The control strategy for all construction targets is executed by the execution unit.

[0066] Example 2:

[0067] like Figures 1-3 As shown, this is a second embodiment of the present application. This embodiment is implemented based on the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that the irradiation surface is determined by range analysis using a binary analysis unit. The specific method of range analysis is as follows:

[0068] Choose any construction target, obtain the maximum moving distance of the construction target, draw a circle with the moving distance as the radius, and obtain an initial initial irradiation surface;

[0069] Then, the reduction is performed by a fixed value, which is a preset value. The reduction method is to keep the center of the circle unchanged. Then, the radius of the initial irradiation surface is reduced by a fixed value in turn. A circle is drawn every time the radius is reduced by a fixed value, resulting in several circular areas.

[0070] Then, monitor the construction target within the set time period, including each circular area and the construction time. The specific method for monitoring the construction time is as follows: when any part of the construction target leaves the circular area, the corresponding circular area is not counted, and the time is added to the area of ​​the remaining part. That is, when timing, calculate the time of the construction target entering the circular area farthest from the center.

[0071] Obtain the construction time for each circular area, then calculate the proportion of the construction time for each circular area to the total construction time to obtain the construction percentage. The total construction time is the sum of all construction times.

[0072] Next, mark the circular areas where the construction ratio is less than X1 and mark them as circular marked areas. If the circular marked area contains the outermost circular area, delete the circular area. After deletion, check if the circular marked area still contains the outermost circular area of ​​the deleted circular area. Delete it. Repeat this process until there is no outermost circular area in the circular marked area.

[0073] Mark the remaining outermost circular area as the irradiated surface;

[0074] The same treatment was applied to all other construction sites to obtain the irradiated surface of each construction site.

[0075] Example 3:

[0076] like Figure 4 As shown, this application is a third embodiment of the present application, which is implemented based on the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that:

[0077] This application also includes a scheduling unit, which is also used to monitor the battery level of the tethered drone in real time, specifically in the following manner:

[0078] It will obtain the remaining battery life of any tethered drone, and when the battery life is lower than the set value, it will automatically replace the tethered drone to update the lighting;

[0079] When any tethered drone runs out of power and there are no more tethered drones available to extend its power, the project will replace any construction target that is being illuminated by two or more tethered drones with a single drone. At the same time, the altitude of the corresponding tethered drone will be lowered to ensure that the real-time illuminance when it illuminates the construction target exceeds the reference illuminance. The tethered drone will also be controlled to move along the trajectory of the construction target to ensure the construction is completed.

[0080] Of course, all embodiments of this application can also be implemented in combination.

[0081] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical methods of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical methods of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical methods of the present invention.

Claims

1. A UAV-based intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines, characterized in that, include: Tethered drones are used to provide lighting at the construction site of a faulty power line. The power supply platform is used to supply power to the tethered drone and to reel in and out the cable. The collaborative control module is used to generate lighting control strategies for tethered drones, and to achieve the benchmark illuminance of the construction target and ensure the coverage area through the lighting control strategies; The inspection and analysis module is used to obtain line fault information and release tethered drones at designated locations. It is also used to detect the illuminance of the ground at the location of the illumination surface and mark it as real-time illuminance. When the real-time illuminance is not less than the reference illuminance, control the tethered drone to increase its altitude and expand its illumination range until the real-time illuminance is between the reference illuminance and the upper limit illuminance. Mark the corresponding altitude as the lighting altitude of the construction target. The upper limit illuminance is equal to 1.15 times the reference illuminance. Otherwise, add one drone as a lighting device in turn, and re-verify the relationship between real-time illuminance and reference illuminance until the real-time illuminance is not less than the reference illuminance; The binomial analysis unit is used for range analysis and determination. The specific method of range analysis is as follows: Choose any construction target, obtain the maximum movement distance of the construction target, draw a circle with the maximum movement distance as the radius, and obtain an initial initial irradiation surface; Then, the reduction is performed by a fixed value, which is a preset value. The reduction method is to keep the center of the circle unchanged. Then, the radius of the initial irradiation surface is reduced by a fixed value in turn. A circle is drawn every time the radius is reduced by a fixed value, resulting in several circular areas. The project obtains the percentage of time the construction target is in different circular areas, compares the percentage of time with the set ratio, deletes the circular areas, and marks the circular area with the largest remaining coverage area as the irradiation surface.

2. The intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the real-time illuminance is less than the reference illuminance, add another drone as a lighting device and re-verify the relationship between the real-time illuminance and the reference illuminance. If the real-time illuminance is still less than the reference illuminance, add another drone as a lighting device and verify the relationship between the real-time illuminance and the reference illuminance until the real-time illuminance is not less than the reference illuminance. Then, control all tethered drones to increase their altitude and expand the illumination range of the tethered drones until the real-time illuminance is between the reference illuminance and the upper limit illuminance.

3. The intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The collaborative control module includes an initial analysis unit and an execution unit. The initial analysis unit is used to generate the initial control strategy for the tethered UAV; the execution unit is used to execute the control strategies for all construction targets. When generating the initial control strategy, the initial analysis unit executes the following algorithm: Before maintenance work begins, the target maintenance location that needs to be illuminated is determined. If the illuminance at the target maintenance location does not reach the set basic illuminance, a tethered drone is automatically launched based on the target maintenance location. The tethered drone is used to provide initial illumination in a wide area. Initial illumination in a wide area refers to the tethered drone providing full illumination of the construction site. The initial control strategy is transmitted to the execution unit, which then drives the tethered UAV to execute the initial control strategy.

4. The intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The binomial analysis unit is also used for data calibration after construction begins. The specific data calibration method is as follows: Obtain the location of all construction targets on the construction site and synchronize their locations and irradiated surfaces to the collaborative control module; The irradiation surface refers to the working range of different construction targets during construction, and the working range is set by the management personnel; The construction target refers to the object that needs to be worked on at the construction site. The construction target includes construction personnel and construction equipment. All equipment used at the construction site that cannot meet the lighting conditions for construction is uniformly marked as construction equipment.

5. The intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to claim 4, characterized in that, The two analysis units are also used to perform lighting analysis on all construction targets and their corresponding illumination surfaces, and generate control strategies for all construction targets.

6. The intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to claim 1, characterized in that, After defining several circular regions, the method for determining the irradiation surface is as follows: The monitoring of the construction target within a set time period includes each circular area and its corresponding construction time. The construction time monitoring method is as follows: when any part of the construction target leaves the circular area, the corresponding circular area is not counted. When calculating, the time is included in the circular area that the construction target enters that is farthest from the center. Obtain the construction time for each circular area, then calculate the proportion of the construction time for each circular area to the total construction time to obtain the construction percentage. The total construction time is the sum of all construction times. Mark the circular areas where the construction percentage is less than X1, and label them as circular marked areas. Delete the outermost circular area within the circular marked areas. Mark the remaining outermost circular area as the irradiated surface; The same treatment was applied to all other construction sites to obtain the irradiated surface of each construction site.

7. The intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The specific method for deleting the outermost circular area is as follows: If a circular label area contains an outermost circular area, then delete that circular area. If an outermost circular area still exists in the remaining circular label areas, delete that one as well. Repeat this process until no outermost circular area exists in any of the circular label areas.

8. The intelligent inspection system for power transmission lines based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a scheduling unit, which is used to monitor the battery level of the tethered drone in real time, specifically in the following way: The remaining battery life of any tethered drone is obtained. When the battery life is lower than the set value, the tethered drone is automatically replaced to update the lighting. When any tethered drone runs out of power and there are no more tethered drones available to extend its power, the system will replace any construction target that is being illuminated by two or more tethered drones with a single drone. At the same time, the system will lower the altitude of the corresponding tethered drone to ensure that the real-time illuminance when it illuminates the construction target exceeds the reference illuminance. The system will also control the tethered drone to move along the trajectory of the construction target to ensure the maintenance work is carried out.

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