Electrical power systems, such as power transmission and distribution networks, have been periodically inspected for existing or impending damage. For instance, the growth of trees and vegetation that might eventually disrupt power lines can be regularly monitored. Similarly, after catastrophic events such as floods, storms or lightning, damaged equipment (e.g., broken power masts, short-circuited transformers) may have to be located and inspected in order to determine the cause of damage and decide on necessary repairs. Although remote inspection using drones or webcams is nowadays possible, inspection is still essentially performed on site by humans.
Human inspection of power systems is still the most common solution, but it also can entail some substantial drawbacks. For example, it can be expensive due to labor cost and because of prolonged idle times between consecutive incidents. It may also be time-consuming due to long distances that need to be traveled in order to locate the damage. This may be of particular relevance when response time is a factor, such as after catastrophic events. Finally, as a rule, it is often that maintenance teams are deployed twice: first to locate and assess the damage, then—after fetching all necessary equipment and spare parts—to perform repairs. This may lead to additional delays.
High cost and long response times can be sometimes mitigated by using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, drones) to perform the inspection tasks. However, specialized personnel still operate the drones, and their deployment is not immediate.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds