The Application of LiDAR in Transmission Line Inspection

The purpose of transmission line inspection is to identify safety hazards and faults in the lines so that repairs can be made promptly to prevent accidents or restore the normal operation of the lines with maximum efficiency, ensuring the safe operation of the power grid.

LiDAR systems can effectively solve problems related to spatial positioning and measurement accuracy. When mounted on aircraft, inspection vehicles, or at suitable angles on fixed objects on the ground, LiDAR systems can directly collect high-precision 3D laser point clouds and high-resolution images of power line corridors. This enables obtaining highly accurate spatial information about terrain, landforms, features, and equipment along the power lines, such as tower positions, suspension points, and wire curvature. LiDAR systems can accurately and quickly measure distances between power line corridors and surrounding objects (especially trees, buildings, and crossings), as well as inter-wire spacing, to ensure safe operation requirements are met. In addition, high-resolution images can be used by inspectors to identify potential safety hazards or anomalies in transmission lines.

The key distances include:

The minimum distance between the conductor and the ground under the condition of the maximum calculated sag;

The minimum clearance distance between the conductor and hillside, cliff, or rock under the condition of the maximum calculated wind deviation;

The minimum vertical distance between the conductor and buildings under the condition of the maximum calculated sag;

The minimum horizontal distance between the conductor and buildings under the condition of the maximum calculated wind deviation;

The vertical distance between the conductor and trees under the condition of the maximum sag;

The clearance distance between the conductor and trees under the condition of the maximum wind deviation;

The vertical and horizontal distances from the conductor to railways, roads of all grades, tramways, and rivers;

Distances between the conductor and cross-over (power lines, communication lines, pipelines, ropeways).

The advantages of using a LiDAR measurement system for transmission line inspection mainly include the following aspects:

High-precision measurement: The LiDAR measurement system can obtain high-precision three-dimensional laser point clouds and high-resolution images of the line corridor, thereby obtaining high-precision spatial information on terrain, landforms, objects, and equipment facilities. By automatically extracting key information such as building height, tree height, and tower height from the LiDAR point cloud data, it is possible to accurately and quickly measure whether the distance from ground objects to power lines and wire spacing meets safety operation requirements.

Safe and efficient: The main purpose of transmission line inspection is to identify safety hazards and faults in the lines, promptly carry out repairs, minimize the occurrence of accidents, or restore normal operation of the lines with maximum efficiency to ensure the safe operation of the power grid. LiDAR systems can efficiently solve problems such as spatial positioning and measurement accuracy, quickly and accurately identify safety hazards and anomalies in transmission lines and channels, and improve inspection efficiency and safety.

Comprehensive information: LiDAR measurement systems can reconstruct three-dimensional spatial information about corridor terrain, landforms, objects, line facility equipment, etc. in a computer for analysis using various professional models and algorithms to obtain more comprehensive and accurate information. In addition, thermal infrared imagers can be integrated with laser scanning devices, visible light cameras, multispectral aerial cameras, etc. into one system to obtain more accurate and comprehensive information along the route.

Diverse application scenarios: LiDAR measurement systems can be installed in various ways, such as being mounted on drones or ground installations, suitable for different application scenarios. For example, it can be applied to transmission line inspections in mountainous areas, hills, swamps, highways, railways, and cities with wide applicability and flexibility.

Application case of Neuvition LiDAR in transmission line inspection scenario:

Introduction: Using a solid-state high-resolution LiDAR with a wavelength of 1550nm + high-definition intelligent camera. The obstacles on the high-voltage tower and under the high-voltage line are scanned by laser and detected by video. Through algorithm processing by the upper computer system, it can send feedback of real-time detection area obstacles and their distances, to achieve accurate detection of various obstacles in the track area and active early warning and braking. After deep learning by the system, it detects the size of the LiDAR defense zone (take the lowest point of power lines as reference), 10 meters on each side of the transmission channel below 20 meters from the lowest point of the transmission line down to the direction along power lines ranging from 50-200 meters.