A Review of UAV Power Line Inspection

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have begun to enter human life as a new type of tool, they have played a large role in various industries, and the power industry is no exception. The normal operation of the power system requires prudential inspection. Traditional methods such as manual inspection have nonnegligible disadvantages, so more and more power companies have begun to use UAVs instead of manual inspection. In this paper we analyzed the development history and advantages of UAV power line inspection, and showed the composition and classification of UAV power line inspection system, as well as the current circumstances. Next, according to the type of UAV, the task of power line inspection is described. Then, based on the requirements of the power line inspection task, the inspection methods and key technologies of the UAV are described. Finally, challenges such as safety, endurance time, and automation that have emerged during the development of UAV power inspections are proposed. We analyze the prospects of UAV power inspection technology from how some companies are responding to these challenges.