Automated Electrical Equipment Inspection via Digital Twin Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual inspection of electrical equipment in power transmission and distribution networks is time- and cost-consuming, as it often requires on-site teams and relies on human interpretation of drone-captured images, which can be inefficient and labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing mobile devices to record photographs of electrical equipment, transmit data to a computer server hosting a power network description database, and generate representations of candidate objects for comparison with stored models to identify and characterize equipment, enabling partially automated inspection and damage assessment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inspection by on-site teams is used, then inspection accuracy is maintained, but inspection time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with an automated computer vision system. Mobile devices capture images of electrical equipment, and a server with AI algorithms automatically identifies and characterizes components, substituting human visual inspection with computational analysis to reduce time while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital representations (copies) of electrical equipment through photography and 3D modeling. These digital copies are then analyzed by the server to identify and characterize components, eliminating the need for physical manual inspection while preserving inspection quality
2Productivity
If specialized drone companies are used for inspection, then inspection capability is enhanced, but operational complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables autonomous operation where mobile devices automatically capture images, the server automatically processes and analyzes the data, and the system self-manages the inspection workflow without requiring specialized operators or complex manual coordination
Solution Approach 2:
The server system performs multiple functions including image processing, object identification, characterization, and damage assessment in a single integrated platform, eliminating the need for multiple specialized systems or companies
3Loss of information
If human interpretation of drone images is used, then detailed analysis is achieved, but labor intensity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human visual interpretation with automated computer vision algorithms. The server's AI system analyzes images to identify and characterize electrical components, substituting human cognitive processing with computational analysis to reduce labor while preserving analytical detail
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary between image capture and analysis. It receives raw images from mobile devices, processes them through AI algorithms, and generates detailed characterization results, mediating between the physical inspection and the final analysis output
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary methods for inspecting electrical equipment in a power distribution network can include the steps of recording, by a mobile device, a photograph with a view of the object, transmitting recording information of the mobile device and the photograph to a computer server hosting a power network description database; generating, from a model stored in the power network description database of a candidate object and based on the recording information of the mobile device, a representation of the candidate object, and comparing the transmitted photograph and the generated representation to identify and characterize the object in the photograph as the candidate object.