Structural Design of a Highly Adaptive Insulator Detection Device and Its Wrapping Climbing Strategy

This paper addresses the issues of poor adaptability and insufficient climbing stability in insulator surface defect detection on power transmission lines. A highly adaptive detection device based on a modular multi-joint structure and a wrapping flexible crawling mechanism is proposed. By flexibly adjusting the number and angles of joints, the device achieves stable wrapping and climbing on insulator strings of varying lengths, diameters, and shapes. The device integrates a closed-loop force control system composed of tactile sensors and pneumatic actuators to ensure precise grip force adjustment and dynamic posture correction. Combined with a lightweight YOLOv5-based binocular vision defect detection module and a wrapping stable positioning mechanism, the system effectively improves detection accuracy. Multi-condition dynamic simulations and multiscenario experiments demonstrate the device’s high success rate (over 90%) across different insulator types and inclination angles, excellent posture stability (maximum deviation within ± 2.8°), and outstanding structural adaptability. The defect detection accuracy is significantly enhanced, achieving an F1-score above 91.5%. The results indicate strong engineering application potential, with future work focused on model optimization and expanded field deployment.