A Robotic Design Framework for Phase Verification of Overhead Power Transmission Lines

Electrical phase verification identifies the phase reference between three phases in two different power transmission systems. Conventional phase verification of overhead lines requires several workers to climb up, then, hang and hook the phase detector sticks to the overhead lines. Manual operations lead to power outages and increase the risk of workers falling from height or being electrocuted. This study investigated a self‐insulated rope‐driven mechanism framework to hook up and take off a phase detector on the transmission line. The framework balances robotic dynamic stability performance during high‐altitude operations and ensures that phase verification operations can be performed efficiently without power interruptions. The stability of the proposed framework was analyzed under external wind disturbances and collisions. Finally, experiments are conducted to verify the accuracy of the analysis and the feasibility of the scheme. Simulations and experiments show that the proposed robot is capable of lifting phase detector sticks up to a height of 8.6 m, while the maximum wind speed is 7 m/s and the maximum collision force is 6.7 N.