MULTI SENSOR AND SMART GIMBAL FOR ENHANCED POWERLINE MONITORING ON HELICOPTER AND UAVS

Abstract. The inspection of overhead high voltage power lines is important because power supply has to be seen as a critical infrastructure. Monitoring power lines using helicopters and UAVs requires a setup of various sensors. The combination of high-resolution aerial cameras for capturing better than 2 mm GSD, LiDAR collecting 200 point/m², thermal cameras detecting hot spots in cm accuracy of anomalies and UV-cameras checking for corona discharges are important elements in the newest monitoring setups. The combination of online analytics with the Corona Camera (defined as a combination of UV detector and RGB monitoring camera) and the Smart Gimbal technology enhances the quality and speed of the inspection. Besides that, it reduces the need of too many sensors. We show different integrations and their pros and cons and as an outlook where the technology with respect of entering AI technologies will go. A basic task is the handling of the enormous data volume, at this point online analytics may help to reduce the data-volume beside a rapid response.