Importance and applications of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) in railway maintenance sector: a review

Maintenance, which is critical for safe, reliable, quality, and cost-effective service, plays a dominant role in the railway industry. Therefore, this paper examines the importance and applications of Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) in railway maintenance. More than 70 research publications, which are either in practice or under investigation describing RAS developments in the railway maintenance, are analysed. It has been found that the majority of RAS developed are for rolling-stock maintenance, followed by railway track maintenance. Further, it has been found that there is growing interest and demand for robotics and autonomous systems in the railway maintenance sector, which is largely due to the increased competition, rapid expansion and ever-increasing expense

Miniature mobile sensor platforms for condition monitoring of structures

In this paper, a wireless, multisensor inspection system for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of materials is described. The sensor configuration enables two inspection modes-magnetic (flux leakage and eddy current) and noncontact ultrasound. Each is designed to function in a complementary manner, maximizing the potential for detection of both surface and internal defects. Particular emphasis is placed on the generic architecture of a novel, intelligent sensor platform, and its positioning on the structure under test. The sensor units are capable of wireless communication with a remote host computer, which controls manipulation and data interpretation. Results are presented in the form of automatic scans with different NDE sensors in a series of experiments on thin plate structures. To highlight the advantage of utilizing multiple inspection modalities, data fusion approaches are employed to combine data collected by complementary sensor systems. Fusion of data is shown to demonstrate the potential for improved inspection reliability

Structural synthesis for broken strands repair operation metamorphic mechanism of EHV transmission lines

Special operation requirements are needed for repositing broken strands of extra-high-voltage (EHV) power transmission lines before repairing. Metamorphic mechanism is applied to satisfy the requirements and a novel structural synthesis method is proposed, considering the forms and structures of constrained metamorphic joints. Metamorphic cyclogram and equivalent resistance gradient matrix of metamorphic joints are obtained by analyzing the repairing operation. Meanwhile, the source metamorphic mechanism with structure of non-constrained metamorphic joints is selected. Constrained form/structure matrix of metamorphic joints is built according to metamorphic cyclogram and equivalent resistance gradient matrix. The relation between constraint force changes of joints and form/structure of metamorphic joints is then obtained; and all the eight corresponding structures of constrained metamorphic mechanism are synthesized. One of the eight mechanisms is chosen as the broken strands reposition metamorphic mechanism, and its topological transformations of working configuration are analyzed to verify the feasibility and practicality of structural synthesis method proposed in this paper

Design of a Wireless Drone Recharging Station and a Special Robot End Effector for Installation on a Power Line

Drone autonomous operations near power lines are growing steadily and require innovative techniques to keep them on air. This paper presents a novel electromechanical recharging station that can be mounted on energized AC power line to charge the drone battery wirelessly without a need to modify the electrical infrastructure. The work shows a thorough analysis of the electrical and mechanical core components to build a flexible, lightweight and efficient recharging station that can be attached to a robotic arm. The work also discusses the recharging station design and its special robot end effector that mechanically couples the station with an aerial manipulator. Finally, the recharging station has been tested in the lab and in a real power line setup to validate its design and efficiency. The total achieved mass is 2300 grams with a harvesting efficiency of 77% at 250 A primary current

Power Line Inspection Via an Unmanned Aerial System Based on the Quadrotor Helicopter

The inspection of high voltage power transmission lines is mainly carried out by manned aerial vehicles or foot patrol. However, these maintenance methodologies for inspection are somehow inefficient and expensive. Moreover, helicopter assisted inspection endangers the human life. Recently, unmanned aerial vehicles have been under development in several research centers all over the world due to its potential applications. In this paper, we present an unmanned aerial system based on the quadrotor helicopter for high voltage power line inspection. Our interest is to equip the quadrotor helicopter with the necessary payload in order to be able to carry out a qualitative inspection, therefore the hardware architecture of the aerial robotic system is presented. Finally, some experimental results are shown to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system.ITESO, A.C

Aerial Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance

Aerial robots with perception, navigation, and manipulation capabilities are extending the range of applications of drones, allowing the integration of different sensor devices and robotic manipulators to perform inspection and maintenance operations on infrastructures such as power lines, bridges, viaducts, or walls, involving typically physical interactions on flight. New research and technological challenges arise from applications demanding the benefits of aerial robots, particularly in outdoor environments. This book collects eleven papers from different research groups from Spain, Croatia, Italy, Japan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Denmark, focused on the design, development, and experimental validation of methods and technologies for inspection and maintenance using aerial robots