Aerial Power Lines Measurement Using Computer Vision Through an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Electricity losses in electric power systems are one of the main challenges for the electric power industry worldwide. Although to some extent electricity losses are inevitable, effective actions must be sought to solve this problem, to reduce both technical and non-technical losses. Consequently, this article proposes a system for measuring the caliber of power lines through the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and computer vision. This system will be a tool to decrease technical losses. At present, the caliber measurement is carried out subjectively. An operator or electrical technician by means of his expertise and a visual examination measures the wire gauge without a tool. This causes outdated global information systems, resulting in poor electrical planning. The proposed system focuses on flight control of the UAV, detection of objects using a mask of convolutional neural networks, distance estimation, and caliber measurement of aerial power lines without contact. The system reliability is high, with a concordance correlation (r = 0.97) between the measurements made with a manual meter and the UAV. Therefore, the proposed system improves data quality, reduces time and costs, and minimizes the risk of accidents.