Design of a Novel Locomotion Mechanism of Power Transmission Line Inspection Robot

2017 ◽  
Vol 863 ◽  
pp. 201-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Yue ◽  
Hong Guang Wang ◽  
Yong Jiang

The working environment of the inspection robot is a high altitude flexible cable environment. The robot navigating process must be stable and reliable. The robot mechanism grips the line though locomotion mechanism when navigating obstacles. The locomotion mechanism needs to have a strong clamping capacity and stability. According to the environmental characteristics of transmission lines, a novel locomotion mechanism of inspection robot is presented. The locomotion mechanism adopting differential mechanism can grip different diameter lines. The Tri-Step reducer design to ensure that the various model lines of rapid firmly clamped. The locomotion mechanism is introduced, and the gripper force is analyzed. The experiment results demonstrate that the mechanism has such characteristics as strong grip ability, good motion stability, and different diameter lines gripping capability.

Author(s):  
Guanghong Tao ◽  
Lijin Fang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce a robot mechanism designed for power transmission line inspection. The focus for this design is on obstacle-crossing ability with a goal to create a robot moving and crossing obstacle on not only the straight line but also the steering line. Design/methodology/approach A novel four-unit tri-arm serial robot mechanism is proposed. Every novel unit designed for pitching motion is based on parallelogram structure, which is driven by cables and only one motor. There is gripper-wheel compounding mechanism mounted on the arm. The prototype and obstacle environments are established, and the obstacle-crossing experiments are conducted. Findings The novel unit mechanism and robot prototype have been tested in the lab. The prototype has demonstrated the obstacle-crossing ability when moving and crossing fundamental obstacles on the line. The experimental results show that the robot mechanism meets the obstacle-crossing requirements. Practical implications The novel robot technology can be used for defect inspection of power transmission line by power companies. Social implications It stands to lower the intense and risk of inspection works and reduce the costs related to inspection. Originality/value Innovative features include its architecture, mobility and driving method.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1561
Author(s):  
Hao Chen ◽  
Zhongnan Qian ◽  
Chengyin Liu ◽  
Jiande Wu ◽  
Wuhua Li ◽  
...  

Current measurement is a key part of the monitoring system for power transmission lines. Compared with the conventional current sensor, the distributed, self-powered and contactless current sensor has great advantages of safety and reliability. By integrating the current sensing function and the energy harvesting function of current transformer (CT), a time-multiplexed self-powered wireless sensor that can measure the power transmission line current is presented in this paper. Two operating modes of CT, including current sensing mode and energy harvesting mode, are analyzed in detail. Through the design of mode-switching circuit, harvesting circuit and measurement circuit are isolated using only one CT secondary coil, which eliminates the interference between energy harvesting and current measurement. Thus, the accurate measurement in the current sensing mode and the maximum energy collection in the energy harvesting mode are both realized, all of which simplify the online power transmission line monitoring. The designed time-multiplexed working mode allows the sensor to work at a lower transmission line current, at the expense of a lower working frequency. Finally, the proposed sensor is verified by experiments.


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