Design and Analysis of an Anti-Collision Spacer Ring and Installation Robot for Overhead Transmission Lines

Overhead transmission lines often suffer from mutual collisions between adjacent conductors in windy weather, which can cause power failures to villages. To solve this problem, this paper introduces a spacer ring and a teleoperated robot for the installation and retrieval of the ring. The spacer ring and robot address the installation challenges of the anti-collision devices and enhance transmission line maintenance. Fixed by the locking mechanism, the spacer ring can isolate adjacent conductors to avoid collisions. The structure and working principle of the spacer ring and installation robot are introduced. Static analysis and finite element analysis (FEA) are conducted to analyze the output force of the locking mechanism, which is then validated through experiments. Experimental results show that the locking mechanism can generate a strong output force of up to 2000 N with about 6.0 N·m of input torque, providing a secure installation for the spacer ring. Diverse installation tests have validated the robot’s capability for live-line operations on transmission lines. Field tests indicate that the installation robot can travel at 0.3 m/s on a 15° slope and successfully install the spacer rings.