Application in O&M Practices of Overhead Power Line Robotics

This paper presents sharing successful robotic applications for overhead power line operation & maintenance. The developed pulling robot can move along an overhead ground wire (OHGW) and pulls a pilot line over the ground through stringing blocks conveying the pilot line at intervals for additional conductor stringing works. The pulling robot crosses the obstacles underneath the overhead power line without impacts on adjacent people, making tasks easily performed. Furthermore, an innovative robot development for overhead power line aerial inspection is carried out. The main purpose is to create a prototype of a mobile robot for patrolling and inspecting overhead power lines. The robot can travel along an OHGW and autonomously crosses over obstacles on the wire. Besides, the inspection robot can record data of an overhead power line with both online and offline modes. Transmission line patrol & inspection using the robotic technology can reduce routine inspection cost and be a novel method improving inspection accuracy when compared with the one using personnel.