Dual‐Robot Cooperative Live‐Line Repair Strategy for Broken‐Strand Defects of Transmission Overhead Ground Wires

ABSTRACT

Overhead ground wires (OGWs) of transmission lines are prone to broken‐strand faults under the combined effects of strong winds, ice, lightning and corrosion, which may further trigger ground faults and unplanned power outages. Traditional maintenance methods suffer from high operational risks, heavy labour intensity or mandatory power cuts. To address these issues, this paper proposes a dual‐robot cooperative system for live‐line repair of OGW broken‐strand defects. The system consists of a strand‐repositioning robot and an armour‐winding robot. The mechanical structure of each robot is elaborately designed with an outer‐fixation and inner‐rotation architecture to realise strand resetting, tape fixation and preformed armour rod winding. Meanwhile, the overall hardware framework and operational workflow of the control system are established. Laboratory prototype tests achieved an average repair speed of 1.48 m/min for a 3 m‐long local splaying defect. The average repair speed of the robot is 68.2% faster than manual operation, and the repaired section exhibits favourable structural integrity. This system effectively avoids power outages and reduces maintenance risks, providing a feasible technical solution for intelligent live‐line maintenance of transmission lines.