Grant: Strategic Projects - Group
University of Alberta
$200,180.00
Inspection system for electrical transmission lines using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
FY 2010-11
Summary
Canada's bulk high voltage transmission network spans 160,000 km. Parts of this grid are very inaccessible on rugged terrain. Maintaining reliability of these lines is intricately related to the safety and security of our nation. For example, line inspection failure was a significant determining factor in the 2003 Northeast Blackout which led to tremendous economic and environmental damage. The proposed research aims to improve the safety and security of Canada by developing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which automates the inspection of electrical transmission lines. A UAV-based solution offers advantages over conventional piloted or ground crew approaches. Labour cost are reduced, safety is improved, inspection data is accurate and diverse, and inspection is possible in harsh environments. These benefits are important given pressure on utilities to maximize use of ageing infrastructure while minimizing cost and meeting high performance expectations. UAV technology developed in this work also benefits the field of unmanned vehicles, a sector with large growth potential for Canada. The supporting organizations are important representatives of power transmission and UAV industries. Interactions with these partners will lead to benefits such as technology transfer and training. The research objectives are divided into two parts and contribute to the application and theory of controls, vision, and robotics. The first part develops basic autonomy for a helicopter UAV to simplify inspection. A system for navigating, landing, taking off, and waypoint tracking is developed to reduce an operator's role in controlling the vehicle's motion. Control theory is used to optimize the algorithms' robustness
and performance to ensure quality inspection data. The second part of the research involves using a video camera to further improve inspection efficiency and autonomy. A system which can identify components of a transmission line is developed. Using these targets a visual-servoing control law is designed to improve the tracking of various transmission line components. Finally, algorithms to construct 3D models of the environment are developed to improve the human interface.
Program
Strategic Projects - Group
Recipient
Location
Alberta, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
396449-2010
Name nom
Lynch, Alan
Department département
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Organization id
9
Institution établissement
University of Alberta
Province en
Alberta
Province fr
Alberta
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2010
Competition year année de concours
2010
Award amount
200180
Program id
STPGP
Program name en
Strategic Projects - Group
Program name fr
Projets stratégiques - De groupe
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
1046
Committee name en
Strategic Projects Selection Panel - Safety and Security
Committee name fr
Comité de sélection des projets stratégiques - Sécurité
Area of application code
703
Area of application group en
Transportation systems and services
Area of application group fr
Services et systèmes de transport
Area of application en
Aerospace
Area of application fr
Aérospatial
Research subject code
2509
Research subject group en
Electrical and electronic engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie électrique et électronique
Research subject en
Control systems
Research subject fr
Asservissements
Partie
1
Nb partie
3
Application title
Inspection system for electrical transmission lines using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
Canada's bulk high voltage transmission network spans 160,000 km. Parts of this grid are very inaccessible on rugged terrain. Maintaining reliability of these lines is intricately related to the safety and security of our nation. For example, line inspection failure was a significant determining factor in the 2003 Northeast Blackout which led to tremendous economic and environmental damage. The proposed research aims to improve the safety and security of Canada by developing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which automates the inspection of electrical transmission lines. A UAV-based solution offers advantages over conventional piloted or ground crew approaches. Labour cost are reduced, safety is improved, inspection data is accurate and diverse, and inspection is possible in harsh environments. These benefits are important given pressure on utilities to maximize use of ageing infrastructure while minimizing cost and meeting high performance expectations. UAV technology developed in this work also benefits the field of unmanned vehicles, a sector with large growth potential for Canada. The supporting organizations are important representatives of power transmission and UAV industries. Interactions with these partners will lead to benefits such as technology transfer and training. The research objectives are divided into two parts and contribute to the application and theory of controls, vision, and robotics. The first part develops basic autonomy for a helicopter UAV to simplify inspection. A system for navigating, landing, taking off, and waypoint tracking is developed to reduce an operator's role in controlling the vehicle's motion. Control theory is used to optimize the algorithms' robustness
and performance to ensure quality inspection data. The second part of the research involves using a video camera to further improve inspection efficiency and autonomy. A system which can identify components of a transmission line is developed. Using these targets a visual-servoing control law is designed to improve the tracking of various transmission line components. Finally, algorithms to construct 3D models of the environment are developed to improve the human interface.
