A transmission line bird nest disposal control method based on unmanned aerial vehicle path planning

Abstract

The application provides a power transmission line bird nest treatment control method based on unmanned aerial vehicle path planning, and relates to the technical field of power transmission line unmanned aerial vehicle inspection and foreign matter treatment control. Firstly, the power transmission line tower area environment data collected by the unmanned aerial vehicle is acquired, the bird nest target and the adjacent conductor, insulator string and cross arm are identified, the treatment side, target hovering point, unmanned aerial vehicle forbidden entry area, unmanned aerial vehicle approach path and unmanned aerial vehicle retreat path are determined, and the unmanned aerial vehicle is controlled to complete the bird nest treatment. The method can reduce the problem of dependence on artificial experience in the approach direction, hovering position and retreat direction, and realize treatment path control based on the relative position relationship between the bird nest target and the associated components of the line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of UAV inspection and foreign object disposal control technology for power transmission lines, and in particular to a method for handling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning. Background Technology

[0002] Transmission lines operate in outdoor environments for extended periods, making them prone to the attachment of foreign objects such as bird nests to tower crossarms, insulator strings, and conductors. Bird nests are typically made of materials including twigs, grass stems, wire, and plastic strips, and their spatial distance from conductors, fittings, or insulator strings can change after exposure to wind, rain, bird activity, and line vibrations. In transmission line maintenance, drones are already used to acquire images of tower areas, and the image recognition results help identify potential hazards such as bird nests. Chinese invention patent application CN109190545A discloses an automatic bird nest identification system, method, and application for transmission lines, utilizing drone inspection photos or videos to automatically identify bird nests on transmission lines.

[0003] Existing drone-based power line inspection technologies already involve flight path planning. Chinese invention patent application CN110673634A discloses a path planning method for power line inspection drones and a method for inspecting power transmission lines, generating inspection paths by setting local target points and combining obstacle judgment. Existing bird nest removal technologies have also disclosed schemes for drones equipped with removal mechanisms. Chinese invention patent application CN106877238A discloses a method for removing bird nests from power lines, using a drone equipped with a high-pressure gas cylinder unit, a removal unit, and a control unit to remove bird nests from power lines. The above technologies respectively involve bird nest identification, power line inspection path planning, and bird nest removal operations, providing a foundation for drones to participate in the handling of foreign objects on power transmission lines.

[0004] However, existing drone inspection paths for power transmission lines primarily serve image acquisition or line inspection, and existing bird nest removal solutions mainly focus on the removal mechanism and removal actions. For bird nests located near conductors, insulator strings, or crossarms, existing technologies do not adequately define how to determine the drone's handling side, target hovering point, approach path, and retreat path based on the relative positional relationship between the bird nest and nearby power transmission line components. Therefore, the bird nest removal process still suffers from the problem of relying on human experience to determine the approach direction, hovering position, and retreat direction. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for controlling the handling of bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning. This method can solve the problem that the approach direction, hovering position, and retreat direction in the existing UAV bird nest handling process rely on human experience to determine, and realize the handling path control based on the relative positional relationship between the bird nest target and the associated components of the line.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution: A method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning, comprising: The system acquires environmental data of the transmission line tower area collected by drones, identifies bird nest targets and conductors, insulator strings and crossarms adjacent to the bird nest targets based on the environmental data of the transmission line tower area, and regards the conductors, insulator strings and crossarms as line-related components; Based on the relative positional relationship between the Bird's Nest target and the related components of the railway line, the corresponding handling side for the Bird's Nest target is determined; the handling side is the side that avoids the related components of the railway line and can approach the Bird's Nest target. Based on the location of the bird's nest target, the location of the handling side and the location of the line-related components, determine the target hovering point of the UAV and maintain a safe distance between the target hovering point and the line-related components; The drone restricted area corresponding to the bird's nest disposal operation is determined based on the location of the associated components of the line, and a drone approach path is generated based on the drone's current location, the target hovering point, and the drone restricted area. The drone approach path is used to enable the drone to reach the target hovering point after avoiding the drone restricted area. Control the drone to reach the target hovering point along the drone's approach path, and perform bird nest disposal actions on the bird nest target at the target hovering point; After the bird's nest disposal operation is completed, a drone retreat path is generated based on the target hovering point and the direction of the disposal side away from the line-related components, and the drone is controlled to leave the transmission line tower area along the drone retreat path.

[0007] Preferably, identifying bird nest targets and adjacent conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms based on environmental data of the transmission line tower area includes: The location of the bird's nest target, the location of the conductor, the location of the insulator string, and the location of the crossarm were determined based on the environmental data of the transmission line tower area. The locations of the bird's nest target, the conductor, the insulator string, and the crossarm are unified into the same tower area coordinate system; In the tower area coordinate system, based on the distance relationship between the location of the bird's nest target and the locations of the conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms, the conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms adjacent to the bird's nest target are determined.

[0008] Preferably, the handling side corresponding to the bird's nest target is determined based on the relative positional relationship between the bird's nest target and the associated components of the line, including: Based on the location of the Bird's Nest target and the directions from the location of the conductor, the location of the insulator string, and the location of the crossarm, determine the component distribution direction of the line-related components relative to the Bird's Nest target; Identify a directional area around the Bird's Nest target that is opposite to the direction of component distribution; The area in the direction opposite to the distribution direction of the components is identified as the treatment side corresponding to the Bird's Nest target.

[0009] Preferably, the method for determining the treatment side includes: Determine the directional range around the Bird's Nest target that cannot be dealt with based on the location of the associated components of the line; Excluding the directional range around the Bird's Nest target that cannot be dealt with, we obtain the remaining directional range that can avoid the line-related components; Select the directional range from the remaining directional range that can reach the target location of the bird's nest as the handling side.

[0010] Preferably, the target hovering point of the UAV is determined based on the location of the bird's nest target, the location of the handling side, and the location of the line-related components, including: Based on the location of the Bird's Nest target, multiple candidate hovering points were determined on the handling side; Determine the distance between each candidate hovering point and the associated components of the line; Candidate hovering points that meet the safety distance requirements between themselves and the components associated with the line and can be aligned with the Bird's Nest target are identified as target hovering points.

[0011] Preferably, maintaining a safe distance between the target hovering point and the associated components of the line includes: Determine the distances from the target hovering point to the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm, respectively; Compare the distances from the target hovering point to the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm with the corresponding safety distance requirements; When the distances from the target hovering point to the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm all meet the corresponding safety distance requirements, a safe distance is maintained between the target hovering point and the associated components of the line.

[0012] Preferably, the drone restricted area corresponding to the bird nest disposal operation is determined based on the location of the associated components of the line, including: Determine the drone restricted area corresponding to the location of the guide wire; Determine the drone restricted area corresponding to the insulator string based on its location; Determine the drone restricted area corresponding to the crossarm's location; The drone restricted areas corresponding to the conductors, the insulator strings, and the crossarms are merged to obtain the drone restricted area corresponding to the bird's nest disposal operation.

[0013] Preferably, the drone approach path is generated based on the drone's current location, the target hovering point, and the drone's restricted area, including: An initial approach path is generated based on the drone's current position and the target hovering point; When the initial approach path passes through the drone restricted area, a detour path segment is generated along the outside of the drone restricted area; The drone approach path is obtained by replacing the path segment that passes through the drone's restricted area in the initial approach path with the detour path segment.

[0014] Preferably, controlling the drone to reach the target hovering point along the drone's approach path, and performing bird nest disposal actions on the bird nest target at the target hovering point, includes: Control the drone to move along its approach path to the target hovering point; Determine the drone's orientation based on the direction from the target's hovering point to the Bird's Nest target; Control the drone to hover at the target point and perform bird nest disposal actions on the target bird nest according to the drone's orientation.

[0015] Preferably, the UAV retreat path is generated based on the target hovering point and the direction of the associated components on the disposal side away from the line, including: Based on the location of the treatment side and the line-related components, determine the direction in which the treatment side is away from the line-related components; Determine the retreat target point from the target hovering point along the direction of the components associated with the line on the disposal side; Generate a drone retreat path to avoid the drone restricted area based on the target hovering point and the retreat target point.

[0016] The present invention discloses the following beneficial effects: This invention acquires environmental data of transmission line tower areas collected by drones and identifies bird nest targets, as well as adjacent conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms. The bird nest target and adjacent line components are used as inputs in the same disposal control process. The disposal side is determined based on the relative positional relationship between the bird nest target and the line components, so the drone's approach direction is no longer solely dependent on human experience but determined by the spatial relationship between the bird nest target and the conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms. The target hovering point is determined based on the location of the bird nest target, the disposal side, and the line components, maintaining a safe distance between the target hovering point and the line components, thus establishing a correspondence between the hovering position and the bird nest location and the line components location. A drone restricted area is determined based on the location of the line components, and a drone approach path is generated by combining the drone's current location and the target hovering point, allowing the drone to avoid unsuitable adjacent areas when approaching the bird nest target. After the bird nest disposal action is completed, a drone retreat path is generated based on the target hovering point and the direction of the disposal side away from the line components, ensuring the drone's departure direction remains consistent with the aforementioned disposal side and line components location. Therefore, the present invention forms at least four types of control results: the disposal side, the target hovering point, the UAV approach path, and the UAV retreat path. It can address the problem in the prior art that the approach direction, hovering position, and retreat direction during bird nest disposal depend on human experience, and make the bird nest disposal control process have clear positional basis and path constraints. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 A flowchart of the method provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the target bird's nest and the associated components of the railway line, as well as the handling side; Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the target hovering point, the drone restricted area, the drone approach path, and the drone retreat path; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 201. Bird's Nest Target; 202. Conductor; 203. Insulator String; 204. Crossarm; 205. Component Distribution Direction; 206. Handling Side Direction; 301. Current Location of UAV; 302. Target Hovering Point; 303. Conductor Restricted Area; 304. Insulator String Restricted Area; 305. Crossarm Restricted Area; 306. UAV Approach Path; 307. Target Retreat Point; 308. UAV Retreat Path. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 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.

[0021] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0022] Figure 1 The method flowchart provided in the embodiments of the present invention is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a method for controlling the handling of bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning, including: Step 100: Obtain environmental data of the transmission line tower area collected by the drone, identify the bird's nest target and the conductors, insulator strings and crossarms adjacent to the bird's nest target based on the environmental data of the transmission line tower area, and regard the conductors, insulator strings and crossarms as line-related components; Step 200: Based on the relative positional relationship between the Bird's Nest target and the associated components of the line, determine the handling side corresponding to the Bird's Nest target; the handling side is the side that avoids the associated components of the line and can approach the Bird's Nest target; Step 300: Based on the location of the bird's nest target, the location of the handling side and the location of the line-related components, determine the target hovering point of the UAV, and maintain a safe distance between the target hovering point and the line-related components; Step 400: Determine the drone restricted area corresponding to the bird nest disposal operation based on the location of the associated components of the line, and generate a drone approach path based on the drone's current position, target hovering point, and drone restricted area; the drone approach path is used to enable the drone to reach the target hovering point after avoiding the drone restricted area. Step 500: Control the drone to reach the target hovering point along the drone approach path, and perform bird nest disposal actions on the bird nest target at the target hovering point; Step 600: After the bird's nest disposal action is completed, generate the drone retreat path based on the target hovering point and the direction of the disposal side away from the line-related components, and control the drone to leave the transmission line tower area along the drone retreat path.

[0023] Specifically, in step 100, the environmental data for the transmission line tower area can be visible light images, video frames, depth images, laser point clouds, or spatial point sets reconstructed from multiple frames of images collected by a UAV in the airspace near the tower. The collection range covers the tower crossarm area, the insulator string suspension area, the area adjacent to the conductor, and the area where bird nests may attach. The environmental data for the transmission line tower area is used to determine the location of bird nest targets, conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the determination of the relative positions and handling aspects of the bird's nest target and the associated components of the line, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the bird's nest target 201 is located within the transmission line tower area. The conductor 202, insulator string 203, and crossarm 204 are located in the adjacent area of ​​the bird's nest target 201 and serve as line-related components in the bird's nest disposal control process. Using the position of the bird's nest target 201 as the directional calculation reference, the component distribution direction 205 of the line-related components relative to the bird's nest target 201 is determined based on the directional relationships from the bird's nest target 201 to the conductor 202, insulator string 203, and crossarm 204, respectively. The side opposite to the component distribution direction 205 is then determined as the disposal side direction 206. The disposal side direction 206 is used to subsequently determine the target hovering point and approach path of the UAV, enabling the UAV to approach the bird's nest target 201 from the side avoiding the line-related components.

[0025] Target identification is performed on environmental data of transmission line tower areas to obtain the locations of bird nests, conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms. The location of the bird nest can be the center point of the bird nest's outer contour, the center point of the bird nest's enclosure frame, or the center point of the bird nest's point set. The location of the conductor can be represented by the conductor's centerline or the conductor's point set. The location of the insulator string can be represented by the insulator string's axis, end position, or the insulator string's point set. The location of the crossarm can be represented by the crossarm's centerline, the crossarm's end position, or the crossarm's point set.

[0026] The positions of the Bird's Nest target, conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms are unified to the same tower area coordinate system. The tower area coordinate system can use the tower center, crossarm midpoint, or the origin of the UAV mapping coordinate system as the coordinate reference. After unifying the coordinates, the position of the Bird's Nest target is denoted as... The set of positions of the conductor is denoted as The set of positions of the insulator strings is denoted as The set of positions of the crossarm is denoted as Conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms together form the connecting components of the line.

[0027] The distance from the Bird's Nest target to any associated component of the line is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, The goal of the Bird's Nest is to reach the first The distance between components associated with the circuit; For the first The set of locations of components associated with a circuit; for The location point in the middle; The location of the Bird's Nest target; the first The associated components of this type of line are conductors, insulator strings, or crossarms. Location set. It originates from object recognition results or point cloud segmentation results. If the location set... If empty, the corresponding associated components will not be included in the current disposal path calculation.

[0028] The proximity criterion can be expressed as: In the formula, The proximity determination distance can be set based on the tower structure dimensions, the drone's field of view, and the area for bird nest disposal operations. Conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms that meet the proximity determination criteria are considered as line-related components adjacent to the bird nest target.

[0029] For example, the location of the Bird's Nest target in the pole area coordinate system. The coordinates are (0.00, 0.00, 12.00). The closest point to the Bird's Nest target on the conductor is (1.80, 0.20, 12.10), on the insulator string is (0.60, -1.20, 11.80), and on the crossarm is (-0.30, 0.50, 12.20). Therefore, the distances from the Bird's Nest target to the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm are approximately 1.81, 1.36, and 0.62, respectively. If proximity is used to determine the distance... If we take 2.00, then the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm are all identified as line-related components adjacent to the Bird's Nest target. This example is only for illustrating the distance calculation process; in actual implementation, the corresponding distances will be calculated based on data collected by the UAV.

[0030] In step 200, the handling side corresponding to the bird's nest target is determined based on the relative positional relationship between the bird's nest target and the line-related components. The relative positional relationship includes the distance and direction relationship from the bird's nest target to the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm. The handling side is the side that avoids the line-related components but allows access to the bird's nest target.

[0031] First, determine the representative position of each type of line-related component relative to the Bird's Nest target. The representative position is determined by the following formula: In the formula, For the first Location set of circuit-related components Location of the Bird's Nest target at medium range The nearest location point, and as the first The representative position of the line-related component relative to the Bird's Nest target. This formula represents the position of the first... The location closest to the Bird's Nest target is selected from the set of locations of the components associated with the line.

[0032] Bird's Nest target is the first The direction vector of the associated component of the circuit is calculated by the following formula: In the formula, The target of the Bird's Nest is the first Direction vectors of circuit-related components; This is a distance correction value greater than zero. If... and If they overlap, the corresponding line-related components are determined to be too close objects, and the direction toward the line-related components is listed as a direction range that cannot be dealt with.

[0033] Exemplary, if Instead of directly using the weighted summation result to determine the component distribution direction, multiple candidate disposal sides are generated around the Bird's Nest target, and scores are assigned according to the candidate disposal sides. The candidate treatment side with the highest score is selected as the treatment side.

[0034] The impact weights of each line-related component on the handling side are calculated using the following formula: In the formula, For the first The influence weight of related components in the circuit; The goal of the Bird's Nest is to reach the first The distance between components associated with the circuit; The goal of the Bird's Nest is to reach the first The distance between components associated with the circuit; This is a distance correction value greater than zero. The smaller the distance, the greater the corresponding influence weight. This weight is used to prioritize the consideration of line-related components near the Bird's Nest target during the decision-making process.

[0035] The component distribution direction is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, This refers to the component distribution direction of the line-related components relative to the Bird's Nest target. The component distribution direction is used to represent the overall distribution direction of conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms relative to the Bird's Nest target.

[0036] The lateral direction of treatment is determined by the following formula: In the formula, This is the handling side direction. The handling side direction is opposite to the component distribution direction, and the drone approaches the bird's nest target from the side away from the components associated with the line.

[0037] Continuing with the above exemplary example, if the distance correction value Taking a value of 0.01, the influence weights of the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm can be approximately 0.19, 0.25, and 0.56, respectively. These weights indicate that the crossarm is relatively close to the Bird's Nest target, and therefore, the avoidance weight for the crossarm direction is relatively large when determining the appropriate action. The component distribution direction is obtained by weighted summation of the corresponding direction vectors of the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm. ; Handling side direction Pick The opposite direction. The handling side is constrained by the conductors, insulator strings and crossarms near the bird's nest target, rather than simply selecting the opposite direction of a certain component.

[0038] When multiple candidate disposal sites exist around the Bird's Nest target, they can be ranked. The treatment-side score for each candidate treatment side is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, For the first Treatment-side scores for each candidate treatment side; For the first Normalized values ​​of the safety margin of each candidate disposal side relative to the line-related components; For the first The proximity alignment normalization value of each candidate disposal side relative to the Bird's Nest target; For the first The passable normalized value for each candidate disposal side; , , As the scoring weights, all three are not less than zero, and . , and The values ​​range from 0 to 1. The higher the treatment score, the more suitable the candidate treatment side is as the treatment side corresponding to the Bird's Nest target.

[0039] Safety margin normalized value This can be determined by the minimum distance from the pre-selected location within the candidate disposal side to the associated components of the line. (Approach alignment normalized value) It can be determined by the angle between the candidate disposal side direction and the expected approach direction of the Bird's Nest target. (Permissible normalized value) It can be determined by the ratio of the number of passable grids within the candidate disposal side to the total number of grids; when there is continuous access space on the candidate disposal side. A value of 1 can be taken; when there is no continuous proximity space on the candidate disposal side, It can be 0.

[0040] For example, three candidate disposal sides are formed around the Bird's Nest target. The normalized values ​​of the safety margins for the three candidate disposal sides are... The values ​​are 0.80, 0.60, and 0.45, respectively, close to the alignment normalization values. The values ​​are 0.70, 0.85, and 0.50, respectively, and are considered acceptable normalized values. The values ​​are 1.00, 0.70, and 1.00 respectively. If... , , With scores of 0.50, 0.30, and 0.20 respectively, the treatment side scores for the three candidate treatment sides are 0.81, 0.695, and 0.575. The candidate treatment side with a score of 0.81 is selected as the treatment side. While this candidate treatment side does not have the highest proximity alignment, it offers a greater safety margin and better accessibility, reducing the insufficient safety distance caused by relying solely on the observation angle in treatment side selection.

[0041] In step 300, the target hovering point of the UAV is determined based on the location of the bird's nest target, the location of the handling side, and the location of the line-related components. The target hovering point is used to define the hovering position of the UAV when performing the bird's nest handling action. The target hovering point is located on the handling side and maintains a safe distance from the line-related components.

[0042] Based on the location of the Bird's Nest target, multiple candidate hovering points are generated on the handling side. The candidate hover points are represented by the following formula: In the formula, For the first The location of each candidate hover point; The location of the Bird's Nest target; For the first The offset distance of each candidate hovering point relative to the bird's nest target along the treatment side direction; To handle the lateral direction; For the first The offset of each candidate hovering point relative to the Bird's Nest target along the height direction; is the unit vector of height in the coordinate system of the tower area. and Multiple values ​​can be selected within a preset range to form candidate hover points.

[0043] Candidate hovering point to the The distance between related components of the same type of line is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, For the first The candidate hovering point to the first Distances to related components of the line. If the distances from the candidate hovering point to the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm all meet the corresponding safety distance requirements, then the candidate hovering point meets the hovering safety conditions.

[0044] No. The safety margin of each candidate hovering point is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, For the first Safety margin of each candidate hovering point; For the first Safety distance requirements for related components of similar lines. If Then the first The candidate hovering points meet the safety distance requirements corresponding to the conductor, insulator string, and crossarm.

[0045] No. The alignment of each candidate hovering point with respect to the Bird's Nest target is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, For the first The alignment degree of each candidate hovering point. The dot product result is converted. The value of is between 0 and 1. The larger the value, the more the candidate hovering point matches the direction of the action.

[0046] No. The overall score for each candidate hovering point is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, For the first A comprehensive score for each candidate hovering point; For the first Normalized values ​​of safety margin for each candidate hovering point; The current location of the drone up to the [number]th Normalized path length values ​​for each candidate hover point; , , As the scoring weights, all three are not less than zero, and .choose The largest candidate hovering point is selected as the target hovering point.

[0047] The normalized value of the safety margin is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, The minimum safety margin among candidate hovering points that meet hovering safety conditions; To provide the maximum safety margin among candidate hovering points that meet hovering safety conditions. Path length normalized value. The path lengths of each candidate hovering point can be normalized in the same way. If only one candidate hovering point meets the hovering safety conditions, that candidate hovering point is directly used as the target hovering point.

[0048] For example, three candidate hovering points are generated on the disposal side. , and Safety margins of the three candidate hovering points The alignment values ​​are 0.35, 0.70, and 0.50 respectively. The normalized path length values ​​are 0.92, 0.78, and 0.88, respectively. The values ​​are 0.40, 0.65, and 0.50, respectively. According to the safety margin normalization formula, the normalized safety margin values ​​for the three candidate hovering points are 0, 1, and 0.43, respectively. If... , , Taking values ​​of 0.50, 0.30, and 0.20 respectively, the combined scores for the three candidate hovering points are 0.396, 0.804, and 0.579. At this point, we select... The target hovering point is not simply chosen as the closest location to the Bird's Nest target, but rather one that simultaneously meets the requirements for safe distance, direction of action, and approach path length.

[0049] In step 400, the drone restricted area corresponding to the bird nest disposal operation is determined based on the location of the associated components. The drone restricted area is used to define the spatial range in which drones are prohibited from entering during their approach and retreat paths.

[0050] No. The restricted areas for drones corresponding to components associated with similar lines are represented by the following formula: In the formula, For the first The no-entry zone for drones corresponding to components associated with similar circuits; For spatial location points; For the first The prohibited access distance for related components of the same type of line. The prohibited access distance can be determined based on the line voltage level, UAV body size, positioning error, and handling operation requirements.

[0051] The drone-restricted areas corresponding to the Bird's Nest disposal operation are obtained by combining the following formula: In the formula, The no-drone zone for the handling of the Bird's Nest incident; This refers to the drone restricted area corresponding to the guide line. This refers to the no-entry zone for drones corresponding to the insulator string. This represents the no-entry zone for drones corresponding to the crossarm. The merged no-entry zone serves as a spatial constraint for drone approach and retreat paths.

[0052] An approach path for the drone is generated based on its current location, the target hovering point, and the drone's restricted area. The drone's current location is denoted as... The target hovering point is recorded as First, according to and Generate an initial proximity path. The initial proximity path can be represented as a sequence of path points: In the formula, For the first approach path 1 path point; This is the current location of the drone; The target hovering point; The number of discrete segments of the initial approach path. It is a positive integer. This path point sequence is used to determine whether the direct path from the drone's current position to the target hovering point enters the drone's restricted area.

[0053] If path points exist satisfy If the initial approach path passes through a drone-restricted area, a detour correction is required. If all path points satisfy... Then the initial approach path can be used as the approach path for the UAV.

[0054] When the initial approach path passes through the UAV restricted area, the path segment from the initial approach path that enters the UAV restricted area is determined, and a detour path segment is generated along the outside of the UAV restricted area. The detour path segment consists of detour points located outside the UAV restricted area. satisfy The detour point must also be connected to the safe path points before and after entering the drone restricted area. The drone approach path is obtained by replacing the path segment passing through the drone restricted area in the initial approach path with the detour path segment.

[0055] When multiple candidate approach paths exist, the candidate approach path score is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, For the first Path scores for candidate close paths; For the first The normalized path length of each candidate proximity path; For the first Normalized value of the minimum safe distance between candidate approach paths and the drone restricted area; , For path scoring weights, both are not less than zero, and The smaller the normalized path length value, the shorter the path; the larger the normalized minimum safe distance value, the further the path is from the drone's restricted area. Candidate approach paths with higher path scores are selected as the drone's approach paths.

[0056] For example, there are two candidate approach paths. The normalized path length of the first candidate approach path is 0.40, and the normalized minimum safety distance is 0.65; the normalized path length of the second candidate approach path is 0.55, and the normalized minimum safety distance is 0.90. If and If both scores are set to 0.50, the first candidate approach path scores 0.625, and the second candidate approach path scores 0.675. Therefore, the second candidate approach path is selected as the drone's approach path. Although this path is slightly longer, it provides a greater safety distance from the drone restricted area, making it more suitable as a path for approaching the Bird's Nest target.

[0057] In step 500, the drone is controlled to reach the target hovering point along the drone approach path, and then performs a bird's nest disposal action on the bird's nest target at the target hovering point. As the drone flies along the drone approach path, it moves to the target hovering point in sequence. After reaching the target hovering point, the drone's disposal orientation is determined based on the direction from the target hovering point towards the bird's nest target.

[0058] The handling of drones is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, The drone's orientation is used to direct the drone's onboard handling mechanism toward the bird's nest target. The bird's nest handling actions can include blowing, gripping, removing, cutting, or a combination of these methods. The specific handling action is determined based on the handling mechanism onboard the drone.

[0059] During the bird's nest disposal operation, the drone maintains a hovering position near the target hovering point, with the disposal end facing the bird's nest target. If the bird's nest target changes position after the disposal operation, its position can be re-determined, and the drone's disposal orientation updated. The disposal operation can be completed when the bird's nest target detaches from its original attachment position, the remaining area of ​​the bird's nest target is smaller than the set remaining range, the operator confirms the disposal is complete, or the drone detects that the bird's nest target no longer meets the conditions for continued disposal.

[0060] In step 600, after the bird's nest disposal action is completed, a drone retreat path is generated based on the target hovering point and the direction away from the line-related components on the disposal side. The drone retreat path is used to control the drone to leave the transmission line tower area from the target hovering point. The retreat path direction corresponds to the disposal side, and the drone's departure process continues along the side that avoids the line-related components.

[0061] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates the target hovering point, the drone restricted area, the drone approach path, and the drone retreat path, as provided in embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the bird's nest target 201 is located in the vicinity of crossarm 204. The spatial constraints of conductor 202, insulator string 203, and crossarm 204 as line-related components involved in the bird's nest disposal operation are determined. The position of conductor 202 extends outward to form conductor restricted area 303, the position of insulator string 203 extends outward to form insulator string restricted area 304, and the position of crossarm 204 extends outward to form crossarm restricted area 305. The current position 301 of the UAV is located outside the transmission line tower area, and the target hovering point 302 is located within the accessible area corresponding to the disposal side direction 206. The UAV approach path 306 extends from the current position 301 of the UAV to the target hovering point 302, avoiding conductor restricted area 303, insulator string restricted area 304, and crossarm restricted area 305. After the bird's nest disposal action is completed, the target hovering point 302 determines the retreat target point 307 in the direction away from the line-related components along the disposal side direction 206, and generates a drone retreat path 308 extending from the target hovering point 302 to the retreat target point 307, so that the drone continues to avoid the area near the line-related components during the departure process.

[0062] The direction of the disposal side away from the associated components of the line can be taken as the disposal side direction determined in step 200. Alternatively, it can be recalculated based on the position of the target hovering point and the associated components of the line. The position of the target hovering point is denoted as... Record the location of the retreat target point as The retreat target point is calculated using the following formula: In the formula, To retreat to the target location; The location of the target hovering point; To avoid distance; The unit vector for handling components associated with the side-departure line. Retreat distance. A value greater than zero can be set based on the spatial distance required for the drone to leave the pole area.

[0063] An initial retreat path is generated based on the target hovering point and the target retreat point. The initial retreat path can be represented as: In the formula, For the first in the initial retreat path 1 path point; The number of discrete segments in the initial retreat path. The value is a positive integer. If none of the path points in the initial retreat path belong to the drone restricted area, then the initial retreat path is used as the drone retreat path. If the initial retreat path passes through the drone restricted area, then a retreat detour path segment is generated along the outside of the drone restricted area, and the path segment passing through the drone restricted area is replaced with the retreat detour path segment to obtain the drone retreat path that avoids the drone restricted area.

[0064] For example, target hovering point The unit vector of the direction of the component associated with the off-line is (-1.20, 0.80, 12.30). The retreat distance is (-0.86, 0.45, 0.24). If the value is 3.00, then retreat to the target point. Approximately (-3.78, 2.15, 13.02). After generating an initial retreat path based on the target hovering point and the retreat target point, if none of the path points belong to the UAV restricted area, then this initial retreat path is used as the UAV retreat path. If some path points enter the UAV restricted area, then a retreat detour path segment is generated along the outside of the UAV restricted area. The retreat path is determined by the direction of the target hovering point and the direction of the components associated with the disposal side away from the line, and is not an arbitrary return path after the disposal is completed.

[0065] After the drone leaves the power line tower area along its retreat path, it can either end the bird nest disposal operation or proceed to the inspection or disposal process for the next bird nest target. The drone's retreat path is generated by the target hovering point and the direction away from the line-related components on the disposal side. The retreat direction is consistent with the approach direction, the target hovering point, and the position of the line-related components, which can reduce the possibility of the drone retreating to the vicinity of the line-related components after disposal.

[0066] In this embodiment, the positions of the bird's nest target, conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms are all determined by environmental data from the transmission line tower area. The handling side is determined by the relative positional relationship between the bird's nest target and the line-related components. The target hovering point is determined by the position of the bird's nest target, the handling side, and the positions of the line-related components. The UAV approach path is determined by the UAV's current position, the target hovering point, and the UAV's restricted area. The UAV retreat path is determined by the target hovering point and the direction from the handling side away from the line-related components. The above data transmission relationships provide clear positional basis for the UAV's approach direction, hovering position, and retreat direction during the bird's nest handling process.

[0067] In one optional implementation, prior to step 100, the environmental data of the transmission line tower area collected by the UAV can be subjected to quality screening. Quality screening may include image sharpness assessment, tower area integrity assessment, or point cloud density assessment. If the environmental data of the transmission line tower area does not meet the identification requirements, the UAV can be controlled to adjust its acquisition position and re-acquire data. Quality screening is used to improve the stability of determining the location of bird nest targets and line-related components.

[0068] In one optional implementation, in step 200, if multiple candidate treatment sides have the same treatment side score, the candidate treatment side with the larger safety margin normalized value can be selected first; if the safety margin normalized values ​​are still the same, the candidate treatment side with the larger passable normalized value can be selected. This sorting method makes the treatment side selection process deterministic.

[0069] In one optional implementation, in step 300, if none of the candidate hovering points meet the safe distance requirement, the search range for candidate hovering points can be expanded, or the handling side can be redefined. If the target hovering point still cannot be obtained after redefined handling side, manual verification information can be output. This process can prevent the drone from performing bird nest handling actions at locations that do not meet the safe distance requirement.

[0070] In one optional implementation, in steps 400 and 600, both the UAV approach path and the UAV retreat path can be represented by a sequence of path points. The distance between adjacent path points in the path point sequence can be set according to the UAV control precision. The UAV restricted area serves as a path point validity judgment condition, used to exclude path points that enter the vicinity of conductors, insulator strings, or crossarms.

[0071] In one optional implementation, the UAV-based path planning-based bird nest handling control method for power transmission lines provided in this embodiment can be executed by the UAV-side processor, by the ground control terminal, or by a combination of both. After acquiring environmental data of the power transmission line tower area, the UAV-side processor or the ground control terminal generates the target hovering point, the UAV approach path, and the UAV retreat path, and sends control commands to the UAV flight control system.

[0072] This embodiment also provides a control device for handling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning. The device includes an environmental data processing module, a handling side determination module, a hovering point determination module, an approach path generation module, a handling control module, and a retreat path generation module. The environmental data processing module acquires environmental data of the power transmission line tower area collected by the UAV, identifies bird nest targets and adjacent conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms based on the data, and treats the conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms as line-related components. The handling side determination module determines the handling side corresponding to the bird nest target based on the relative positional relationship between the bird nest target and the line-related components. The hovering point determination module determines the target hovering point of the UAV based on the location of the bird nest target, the handling side, and the location of the line-related components. The approach path generation module determines the UAV restricted area corresponding to the bird nest handling operation based on the location of the line-related components, and generates a UAV approach path based on the UAV's current location, the target hovering point, and the restricted area. The handling control module controls the UAV to reach the target hovering point along the approach path and performs bird nest handling actions at the target hovering point. The retreat path generation module is used to generate a drone retreat path based on the target hovering point and the direction of the disposal side away from the line-related components after the bird nest disposal action is completed, and to control the drone to leave the transmission line tower area along the drone retreat path.

[0073] This embodiment also provides a computer device. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a computer device structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4As shown, the computer device includes a processor, internal memory, a memory, a system bus, an input / output interface, and a communication interface. The processor, internal memory, memory, input / output interface, and communication interface are connected via the system bus. The memory includes a non-volatile storage medium containing the operating system, computer programs, and a database. The computer programs can be loaded into the internal memory and executed by the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the aforementioned control method for handling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning. The input / output interface receives environmental data from the power transmission line tower area, the UAV's current position, or manual confirmation information, and outputs the target hovering point, the UAV's approach path, the bird nest handling action control command, and the UAV's retreat path. The communication interface is used for data communication with the UAV, the ground control terminal, or the power transmission line inspection platform. The computer device can be installed on the UAV, the ground control terminal, or the power transmission line inspection platform.

[0074] This embodiment also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the above-described method for controlling the handling of bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning.

[0075] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0076] Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning, characterized in that, include: The system acquires environmental data of the transmission line tower area collected by the UAV, identifies bird nest targets and conductors, insulator strings and crossarms adjacent to the bird nest targets based on the environmental data of the transmission line tower area, and regards the conductors, insulator strings and crossarms as line-related components; Based on the relative positional relationship between the bird's nest target and the line-related components, the handling side corresponding to the bird's nest target is determined; the handling side is the side that avoids the line-related components and can approach the bird's nest target. Based on the location of the bird's nest target, the location of the handling side, and the location of the line-related components, determine the target hovering point of the UAV, and maintain a safe distance between the target hovering point and the line-related components; The drone restricted area corresponding to the bird's nest disposal operation is determined based on the location of the associated components of the line, and a drone approach path is generated based on the drone's current location, the target hovering point, and the drone restricted area; the drone approach path is used to enable the drone to reach the target hovering point after avoiding the drone restricted area. Control the drone to reach the target hovering point along the drone approach path, and perform bird nest disposal actions on the bird nest target at the target hovering point; After the bird's nest disposal action is completed, a drone retreat path is generated based on the target hovering point and the direction of the disposal side away from the line-related components, and the drone is controlled to leave the transmission line tower area along the drone retreat path; Based on the relative positional relationship between the bird's nest target and the associated components of the line, the handling side corresponding to the bird's nest target is determined, including: Based on the directions from the location of the bird's nest target to the location of the conductor, the location of the insulator string, and the location of the crossarm, the component distribution direction of the line-related components relative to the bird's nest target is determined. Define a directional region around the bird's nest target that is opposite to the distribution direction of the components; The directional region that is opposite to the distribution direction of the components is defined as the treatment side corresponding to the bird's nest target; Based on the location of the bird's nest target, the location of the handling side, and the location of the line-related components, the target hovering point of the UAV is determined, including: Based on the location of the bird's nest target, multiple candidate hovering points are determined on the treatment side; Determine the distance between each candidate hovering point and the associated component of the line; The candidate hovering point that meets the safety distance requirement between itself and the component associated with the line and can be aligned with the bird's nest target is determined as the target hovering point. For each type of line-related component, the closest point to the Bird's Nest target is selected from the set of corresponding line-related component locations as the representative position of that type of line-related component relative to the Bird's Nest target. Based on the position of the Bird's Nest target and the representative positions of each type of line-related component, a direction vector from the Bird's Nest target to each type of line-related component is determined. The corresponding influence weight is determined based on the distance from the Bird's Nest target to each type of line-related component; the smaller the distance, the larger the influence weight. The component distribution direction relative to the Bird's Nest target is determined based on each direction vector and its corresponding influence weight. When the weighted direction vector of each line-related component cannot directly determine the component distribution direction, a direction vector is generated around the Bird's Nest target. Multiple candidate handling sides are identified. The handling side score for each candidate handling side is determined based on its safety margin normalized value relative to the associated components of the line, its proximity alignment normalized value relative to the Bird's Nest target, and its passability normalized value. The candidate handling side with the highest handling side score is selected as the handling side corresponding to the Bird's Nest target. For candidate hovering points that meet the hovering safety conditions, the safety margin and alignment degree relative to the Bird's Nest target are determined. A comprehensive score for the candidate hovering point is determined based on the safety margin normalized value, alignment degree, and the normalized value of the path length from the UAV's current position to the corresponding candidate hovering point. The candidate hovering point with the highest comprehensive score is selected as the target hovering point.

2. The method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning according to claim 1, characterized in that, Identifying bird nest targets, as well as adjacent conductors, insulator strings, and crossarms, based on the environmental data of the transmission line tower area includes: The location of the bird's nest target, the location of the conductor, the location of the insulator string, and the location of the crossarm are determined based on the environmental data of the transmission line tower area. The positions of the bird's nest target, the conductor, the insulator string, and the crossarm are unified into the same tower area coordinate system; In the coordinate system of the tower area, based on the distance relationship between the location of the bird's nest target and the locations of the conductor, the insulator string, and the crossarm, the conductor, the insulator string, and the crossarm adjacent to the bird's nest target are determined.

3. The method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The methods for determining the treatment side include: Determine the directional range around the bird's nest target that cannot be dealt with based on the location of the associated components of the line; Excluding the directional range around the bird's nest target that cannot be dealt with, a remaining directional range that can avoid the line-related components is obtained; Select a directional range from the remaining directional range that can reach the bird's nest target as the processing side.

4. The method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning according to claim 1, characterized in that, Maintaining a safe distance between the target hovering point and the associated components of the line includes: Determine the distances from the target hovering point to the conductor, the insulator string, and the crossarm, respectively; The distances from the target hovering point to the conductor, the insulator string, and the crossarm are compared with the corresponding safety distance requirements. When the distances from the target hovering point to the conductor, the insulator string, and the crossarm all meet the corresponding safety distance requirements, it is determined that a safe distance is maintained between the target hovering point and the line-related components.

5. The method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drone restricted area corresponding to the bird's nest disposal operation is determined based on the location of the associated components of the line, including: The drone restricted area corresponding to the conductor is determined based on the position of the conductor. The drone restricted area corresponding to the insulator string is determined based on the position of the insulator string; The drone restricted area corresponding to the crossarm is determined based on its position. The drone restricted area corresponding to the conductor, the drone restricted area corresponding to the insulator string, and the drone restricted area corresponding to the crossarm are merged to obtain the drone restricted area corresponding to the bird nest disposal operation.

6. The method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning according to claim 1, characterized in that, Based on the drone's current location, the target hovering point, and the drone's restricted area, a drone approach path is generated, including: An initial approach path is generated based on the current position of the UAV and the target hovering point; When the initial approach path passes through the drone restricted area, a detour path segment is generated along the outside of the drone restricted area; The drone approach path is obtained by replacing the path segment that passes through the drone's restricted area in the initial approach path with the detour path segment.

7. The method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning according to claim 1, characterized in that, Controlling the drone to reach the target hovering point along the drone's approach path, and performing bird nest disposal actions on the bird nest target at the target hovering point, including: Control the drone to move along the drone approach path to the target hovering point; The direction in which the drone is directed is determined based on the direction from the target hovering point to the bird's nest target; The drone is controlled to perform the bird nest handling action on the bird nest target at the target hovering point according to the drone handling orientation.

8. The method for handling and controlling bird nests on power transmission lines based on UAV path planning according to claim 1, characterized in that, Generate a drone retreat path based on the target hovering point and the direction of the handling side away from the line-related component, including: Based on the positions of the treatment side and the line-related components, determine the direction in which the treatment side is away from the line-related components; The retreat target point is determined by the target hovering point along the direction away from the line-related component on the treatment side; The drone retreat path is generated based on the target hovering point and the retreat target point to avoid the drone's restricted area.

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