Powerline Cable-Wrapping Robot for Obstacle Bypass
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robotic systems for installing fiber optic cable on powerline conductors face challenges with obstacle avoidance, requiring significant human intervention to overcome insulators and other obstructions, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system with a drive subsystem, extension subsystem, and rotation subsystem that allows for obstacle avoidance by extending and retracting components to navigate around obstacles while maintaining stability and continuity of fiber optic cable installation, reducing the need for human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If conventional robotic systems are used for fiber optic cable installation on powerline conductors, then the installation process requires significant human intervention to overcome insulators and other obstructions, but this increases costs and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system incorporates extendable arms with grippers that can dynamically adjust their position and configuration to navigate around insulators and other obstructions on powerline conductors. The arms can extend beyond the main body of the robot, allowing it to reach and manipulate fiber optic cable in confined spaces while maintaining automated operation without human intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system is divided into functional modules including a main body, extendable arms with grippers, and a fiber optic cable dispensing mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while working together as an integrated system, enabling automated cable installation around obstacles without requiring human operators.
2Adaptability or versatility
If human intervention is used to overcome obstacles during fiber optic cable installation, then obstacle avoidance is achieved, but costs increase and continuity of installation is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system is equipped with sensors and control mechanisms that enable it to autonomously detect insulators and other obstructions on powerline conductors. The system automatically plans and executes navigation paths around these obstacles using its extendable arms, maintaining continuous automated operation without requiring human operators to intervene or pause the installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system performs preliminary scanning and detection of the powerline conductor environment before beginning cable installation. This allows it to identify insulators and obstructions in advance and pre-plan its navigation path, ensuring continuous automated operation without interruptions or time losses associated with reactive human intervention.
3Extent of automation
If robotic systems are designed with obstacle avoidance capabilities, then human intervention is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The extendable arms with grippers serve multiple functions: they enable the robotic system to navigate around insulators, manipulate and guide the fiber optic cable during installation, and potentially perform inspection tasks. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, managing system complexity while achieving comprehensive automation and obstacle avoidance capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed robotic system may include (1) a drive subsystem that translates the robotic system along a powerline conductor and (2) a rotation subsystem coupled to the drive subsystem, where (a) the rotation subsystem is coupled to a container that defines an arcuate volume about an axis such that the container partially surrounds the powerline conductor when the axis aligns with the powerline conductor, (b) the container carries a segment of fiber optic cable coupled to the powerline conductor, and (c) the rotation subsystem, while the drive subsystem translates the robotic system along the powerline conductor, rotates the container about the powerline conductor while the axis is aligned with the powerline conductor such that the segment of fiber optic cable is wrapped helically about the powerline conductor. Various other systems and methods are also disclosed.