Airborne LiDAR Utility Damage Detection for Downed Poles and Wires
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional utility system inspection mechanisms are inefficient and risky, leading to increased downtime and costs due to the difficulty in detecting and locating damaged components during adverse weather conditions, which prevents timely repair and increases customer dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing airborne response equipped with high-powered lidar sensors to fly over impacted areas, collect 3D point clouds, and process data to identify downed poles and wires, and a technical solution involving LiDAR remote sensing to create and compare scan data sets for precise location and priority identification of damaged infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional inspection methods are used during adverse weather conditions, then safety risks and operational difficulties increase, but inspection capability is severely limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces airborne vehicles (drones, helicopters, airplanes) as intermediary platforms equipped with LiDAR sensors to perform inspections during adverse weather conditions. These aerial intermediaries can operate when ground-based inspection is unsafe or impossible, capturing 3D point cloud data of utility infrastructure without human inspectors being exposed to hazardous environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical inspection systems with optical sensing systems (LiDAR). Instead of using physical contact methods or visual inspection by human operators, the system uses laser-based remote sensing to detect and locate damaged components, transforming the inspection mechanism from mechanical to optical.
2Measurement precision
If manual inspection methods are used to locate damaged components, then inspection accuracy is limited, but time consumption and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D image-based inspection to 3D point cloud analysis. By capturing spatial coordinates (x, y, z) of all visible surfaces, the system creates a comprehensive three-dimensional model of utility infrastructure, enabling precise localization of damaged components in three-dimensional space rather than relying on flat images or manual visual assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental measurement parameters from qualitative visual assessment to quantitative 3D coordinate data. LiDAR sensors measure distance, position, and geometry with high precision, transforming inspection data from subjective visual observations to objective numerical measurements that can be automatically analyzed and compared.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If comprehensive damage assessment is performed manually, then inspection thoroughness is limited, but resource allocation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated processing where the LiDAR system and associated software automatically detect, classify, and locate damaged components without human intervention. The system self-processes the 3D point cloud data to identify utility poles, wires, and other infrastructure elements, automatically generating damage assessments and location coordinates that can be directly used for resource allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs comprehensive damage assessment before resource deployment by capturing complete 3D data of the affected area and processing it to identify all damaged components in advance. This preliminary automated assessment provides utility companies with a detailed damage map prior to sending repair crews, enabling optimized resource allocation based on actual damage severity and location.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid identification and resource allocation for damaged utility infrastructure, reducing downtime and costs by allowing real-time monitoring and generating work orders before environmental conditions subside, thus improving response time and customer satisfaction.
Implementation Method 1
Remote sensing during flight is accomplished using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing during the aerial vehicle traversing the predefined flight path
Implementation Method 2
create a first set of scan data in a 3D coordinate system
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method that reduces the time needed to identify infrastructure that has been damaged due to a storm, earthquake, or other event. At a high level, the presently claimed invention includes the following steps. Step 1: Assigned airborne response equipped with high-powered lidar sensors to fly over impacted areas to collect a 3D point cloud. This data focuses on the 3D geometry of the built environment and may be processed in a highly automated fashion to derive the locations of downed poles and wires. Step 2: run automated processes to identify highly impacted areas—providing an output of precise XY locations of downed poles and wires. And step 3: develop unique resource allocation response given the areas of known major damage.