Accurate Identification and Localization of Transmission Lines Under Complex Lighting for Distribution Network Power Supply Operation Robots

Accurate identification and position of transmission lines is critical for robots to safely and effectively perform distribution network operations. However, such tasks are often challenged by complex lighting conditions, where depth information can be easily lost. Transmission lines have limited texture features and reflective surfaces, making it difficult to match image feature points. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a visual perception system for weak texture targets under complex lighting, based on an “eye-on-hand” configuration and a depth complementation algorithm. Furthermore, a high-precision identification and localization method for transmission line grasping points is developed, utilizing the fusion of binocular visual color maps and depth maps. The proposed method has been shown to effectively solve the problem of identifying and localizing the grasping points of transmission lines under complex lighting conditions. Experiments demonstrated that the method can improve the localization accuracy to within <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\pm 4\text{mm}$</tex>, outperforming other algorithms. The method is characterized as simple and efficient, and it enhances the environmental adaptability of distribution network robots.