Automatic Tool Alignment of an Eye-in-Hand Manipulator for Overhead Line Insulation Cleaning

摘要

Abstract The maintenance of electrical insulators is critical for ensuring the reliability and safety of power transmission networks. Traditional manual cleaning methods, while effective, pose safety risks to workers and require considerable time, compromising operational efficiency. Addressing these challenges, this paper introduces a dual-mode, eye-in-hand depth camera-based robotic system tailored for the cleaning of insulators. The system leverages a combination of automatic and teleoperated modes to optimize both safety and cleaning efficacy. In the automatic mode, the system uses advanced visual servoing techniques to detect and perform coarse alignment of the robotic end-effector with the target insulator. Following this initial alignment, control is seamlessly transitioned to the teleoperated mode, enabling precise manipulation of the cleaning tools by an operator from a safe distance. This dual-mode approach merges the reliability and speed of automated technologies with the precision and flexibility of manual control. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of the system’s architecture, details the integration of its control modes, and describes the operational procedures involved. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the entire system.