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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/L16743/01
Title: OBJECT TRACKING AND CAMERA SIGHTLINE CONTROL FOR AUTOMATED INSPECTION OF ELECTRICAL POWER LINES (ERCOS)
Principal Investigator: Jones, Dr DI
Other Investigators:
Duller, Dr A
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
E A Technology
Department: Sch of Electronics
Organisation: Bangor University
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 February 1997 Ends: 31 July 2000 Value (£): 140,990
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Power Systems Plant
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Electricity Companies routinely inspect their overhead lines by helicopter but it is generally an expensive, hazardous and imprecise exercise. This grant application proposes a means for automating the inspection process in order to improve its quality, safety and productivity. Recent experiments using an inertially stabilized camera and video recorder on board a helicopter revealed several problems, the main ones being initially acquiring a specific pole or tower into the camera field of view and then visually tracking a particular feature as the helicopter moves. The research proposed here will:* Investigate whether the sightline to a pole or tower can be set coarsely using information from the Differential Global Positioning System and a network database;* Develop image recognition and sightline control algorithms for visual tracking of reference points.*Demonstrate the concept by means of a hardware-in-the-loop simulation.The main benefits anticipated from automating the inspection processes are:* reduction of Electricity Companies' costs* improved customer care through fewer power outages.* reduced exposure of workers to arduous and hazardous conditions.
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Summary
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Organisation Website: http://www.bangor.ac.uk