IT202000005314A1 - METHOD OF MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE OF AERIAL POWER PIPES AND ASSOCIATED DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

Description of the invention entitled:

? METHOD OF MONITORING AND MAINTENANCE OF AERIAL POWER DUCTS AND ASSOCIATED DEVICE?

Description

Field of technique

The present invention operates in the field of monitoring methods of aerial infrastructures, more? particularly said infrastructures are represented by electric cables (power lines) which are threatened by the arboreal and wooded vegetation in the immediate vicinity.

Known art

Normally, during the construction of an electric line, a strip of ground parallel to the conductors, of predefined width, is enslaved, inside which the vegetation is cut, so that it cannot come into contact with the conductors.

The cutting of the vegetation inside the belt is carried out cyclically, usually with periodicity. 24/36 months, by specialized companies.

In addition to the periodic cutting of the vegetation in the enslaved belt, the line is inspected by helicopter which detects, also through photographs, the criticalities? present on the infrastructure, and in particular those relating to the vegetation in the vicinity? of conductors. Even this type of inspection is usually carried out on a regular basis. biennial.

Furthermore, in the case of repeated interventions of the line protection system, targeted inspections are carried out with personnel on foot, always aimed at detecting criticalities. present on the line.

Finally, we often rely on voluntary reports from municipal bodies, local insiders and citizens.

Once the areas that need interventions have been identified, the company? manager of the infrastructure entrusts the activities? of cutting of vegetation to specialized companies which, once the work has been done, draw up and deliver to the client a report on the interventions carried out. Subsequently, the technicians of the company? the client carries out on-site inspections to certify and validate the interventions carried out by the contracting companies and archive the documentation produced for future consultations.

The amounts relating to the cutting operations carried out are estimated and paid to the contracting companies on the basis of the linear meters of infrastructure affected by the activities. the cuts in the vegetation and the specific interventions carried out.

Still too often the communities? suffer from interruptions in the electricity service and traffic conditions? road, as over 90% of breakdowns? caused by the fall of plants placed outside the range of relevance of the power lines.

In spite of this, the high costs of flying and of sending technical teams to monitor the infrastructures on the spot in the less accessible points force the companies? managers to conduct inspections only every 2-3 years.

Further problems and high economic burdens are also encountered in the management and control of the subsequent vegetation cutting phase by specialized companies.

Furthermore, the companies? responsible for the activities? of cutting carry out their interventions on the basis of the prescriptions provided by the client. However, in some cases,? It is possible that in the course of work, areas needing urgent vegetation management interventions that were not contemplated in the initial prescriptions will be identified. These extraordinary interventions determine an increase in the amounts to be paid to the companies that carry out the activities? cutting and other activities? control in the field by the technicians of the client company in order to verify the actual need? of an extraordinary intervention.

The current process is therefore not optimized both as regards the identification and assignment of the portions of infrastructure subject to intervention, and as regards the monitoring of the works, the certification of the activities. of cutting carried out and their consequent verification and validation and, finally, as regards the documentation produced by the contracting companies and archived by the client and the verification of the amounts to be paid to the cutting companies.

The current process is therefore composed of multiple phases that are not integrated with each other and often approached in a cumbersome way, causing an economic impact that is still too high.

There does not yet seem to be a method, possibly accompanied by a special toolkit, which pursues the following objectives:

? streamlining of the whole process, from the identification of the areas that need interventions, to the verification of the activities. cuts made and the determination of the related economic charges;

? automation both of the phases of identification of the areas that need interventions and of their planning and programming according to priority criteria - proximity to optimize operating costs;

? creation of a digital platform that allows the preventive and integrated planning of the interventions and also the archiving of the different process phases, from the identification of the intervention to be performed to the validation of the intervention carried out;

? ensure the monitoring of more? large scales of territory, in a more? precise and at a lower operating cost;

? obtain a digital cartography to be kept constantly updated;

? facilitate the work of operators in charge of cutting and deramification of plants and the assignment of work;

? obtain certified data, collected in the field by the companies responsible for the cuts, on the pre- and post-intervention situation;

? monitor in real time the progress of the work carried out;

? prove the success of the cutting or deramification interventions carried out, without the need? to send teams for field checks; ? verify the actual need to carry out activities? extraordinary cuts in addition to those provided by the infrastructure manager;

? obtain photographic documentation with incorruptible positioning data, acquired according to the specifications defined by the client and through the use of a unique mobile application, developed specifically for the activity. cutting of the vegetation along the electrical infrastructures;

? provide the infrastructure manager with a tool that allows to manage in an optimal way, with savings of time and economic resources, the process of entrusting the sections subject to intervention to the contractor company, the verification and validation process of the interventions carried out and, finally , the verification of the amounts to be paid to the companies and the filing of the data relating to the entire process.

Purpose of the present patent application for industrial invention? precisely the pursuit of the aforementioned objectives.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention, a method of monitoring and maintenance of overhead power lines is described, including a special kit, which effectively solves the above problems.

In particular, the implementation of the method in question targets the objectives of: - streamlining the entire process, from the identification of the areas that need interventions, to the verification of the activities? cuts made and the determination of the related economic charges;

- automation of both the identification phases of the areas that need interventions and their planning and programming according to priority criteria and proximity ?;

- creation of a digital platform that allows the preventive and integrated planning of the interventions and also the archiving of the different process phases, from the identification of the intervention to be performed to the validation of the intervention carried out;

- ensure the monitoring of more? large scales of territory, in a more? accurate; - obtain a digital cartography to be kept constantly updated;

- facilitate the work of operators in charge of cutting and deramification of plants and the assignment of work;

- obtain certified data, collected in the field by the companies responsible for the cuts, on the pre- and post-intervention situation;

- monitor in real time the progress of the work carried out;

- prove the success of the cutting or deramification interventions carried out, without the need? to send teams for field checks; - verify the actual need to carry out activities? extraordinary cutting in addition to the ordinary ones already? provided;

- obtain a geotagged photographic documentation, with incorruptible positioning data, acquired according to the specifications defined by the client and through the use of a unique mobile application, developed specifically for the activity. cutting of the vegetation along the electrical infrastructures;

- provide the infrastructure manager with a tool that allows to manage in an optimal way, with savings of time and economic resources, the process of entrusting the sections subject to intervention to the contractor company, the verification and validation process of the interventions carried out and, finally, the verification of the amounts to be paid to the companies and the filing of the data relating to the entire process.

An integral fundamental part of the innovative process, as regards the management, monitoring, control and validation of the works carried out by the companies involved in the cutting of the vegetation,? therefore the use of a dedicated software application that allows to improve the process of managing the activities. cutting and / or deramification of plants in the vicinity? d? medium and low voltage electrical systems.

The application contains the necessary tools both for the managers and for the detectors, that is the personnel assigned to document the pre-intervention situation, and for the cutters, responsible for the execution of the works.

The application (App) manages and stores in a dedicated database all the information relating to the work carried out and the georeferenced and photographic census, the monitoring of the situation, the progress of the work and the type of work performed.

Among the objectives of the App and of a special electronic device delivered to the detectors and cutters, c ?? to guide the user to collect a set of certified photos, each accompanied by incorruptible information regarding:

? GPS location;

? shooting direction (detected by an accelerometer and a magnetometer integrated in the electronic device supplied);

? superimposed image representing the cutting angle;

? GPS position of the entire route;

? survey sheet including any notes.

A managing user, through said App can? create and manage various projects, which are subsequently entrusted to the companies responsible for field work. Each entrusted project contains all the information necessary for the execution of the work.

Once the project assignment phase is completed by the managing staff, the working process begins by the company in charge of cutting.

The cutters then find in the software application the list of projects to be processed; the details of each project can be viewed and downloaded locally. For each project? indicated the development of the route to be worked, the date of assignment and the date of acceptance, useful information to view the progress of the work.

Visualize the practices, the cutting company can? carry out the? take charge? and the download of the project, to indicate that the processing phase of the same has begun. The start of work is automatically communicated to the manager on the information portal.

The manager, during the processing, can? find all the necessary information and photographic documentation, as well as any information or comments.

When the cutters complete the cutting of the vegetation in the indicated areas, through the App they will update the status of the section, communicating the closure of the processing and uploading the georeferenced photos and any notes online. Once the work is finished, the practice is back in charge of the manager who will have to? carry out the related verification and validation, unless there are reasons for a rework or a request for additions. In this case the project will come? reassigned to the company responsible for the activities cutting.

Therefore, from the initial state of? Taken in Charge? you normally go through the following states:

? ? Uploaded ?;

? ?Under processing?;

? ? Construction site closure ?;

? ? Validated ?.

The cycle of a practice therefore ends with the activity? validation by the manager.

Status? Validated? ? assigned by the manager after verifying that what is proposed by the company correctly corresponds to the formal and substantive requirements. If successful, the project? closed and filed and the case is closed. In case of negative result, the manager gives it? immediate communication to the company concerned which will, as far as its competence is concerned, rework the file within the agreed time frame.

The work of field operators is simplified thanks to the loading of different types of maps, available online and offline, on which the sections of the infrastructure and points of interest are displayed, both entered as vector data.

On each route? It is possible to activate a set of pre- and post-intervention checks for deramification or cutting. In this way, the initial situation and the present one following the cutting operation are documented

The photos can only be acquired at certain points and with certain orientations pre-established by the client, in such a way as to ensure an accurate and useful survey for the purposes of checking and validating the work performed.

All of this? ? made possible by the particular and dedicated tools incorporated in the electronic device that is supplied both to the detectors and to the cutters belonging to the company that will perform? the assignment.

Such tools include:

- a GPS detector;

- a camera;

- an accelerometer and a magnetometer;

- an electronic pen with which to act on the screen of the electronic device.

Thanks to accelerometer, magnetometer and GPS, the system will be? can guarantee that the post-surgery photo? was taken not only in the same place as the pre-intervention photo, but also with the same orientation and inclination as the first photo.

To facilitate the work of the cutter who photographically documents the post-intervention situation, the App previously downloaded on the electronic device will have? access to the camera and, while framing, lines will appear on the screen to indicate whether the framing is correct or not. Only when the accelerometer and magnetometer identify the correctness of the framing will the camera be? enabled to take the photograph.

To this end, the number of photos to be acquired is also established by the manager and cannot? be modified n? from detector n? by the cutter. The photographic survey is not considered complete until all the pre-established photos have been acquired and, therefore, up to that moment even the work carried out is not validated by the client.

The infrastructure manager, without the need? to send teams to carry out verification inspections in the field, can? then monitor in real time the work done and verify and validate the result directly from their offices, through the application.

All acquired data is archived and remains available for further verification or future work.

The advantages offered by the present invention are evident in the light of the description set out up to now and will be even more? clear thanks to the attached figures and the related detailed description.

Description of the figures

The invention will come hereinafter described in at least one preferred embodiment for explanatory and non-limiting purposes with the aid of the attached figures, in which:

- FIGURE 1 shows the flow chart of the method.

- FIGURE 2 illustrates the technical equipment provided to the three categories of users who contribute to carrying out the method.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will come now illustrated purely by way of example but not limiting or binding, with recourse to the figures which illustrate some embodiments relating to the present inventive concept.

With reference to FIG. 1? shown the flowchart below? to the method object of the present invention.

The different phases of the method object of the present invention are reported below:

(A) acquisition of the spatial data necessary for the development of 3D models of the vegetation, the surface and the terrain and for the digitization of the layouts of the power lines. Preferably, the images of the territory will also be accompanied by aerial images taken by aircraft or drones; (B) data processing, production and analysis of outputs;

(C) identification of possible interference between power lines and vegetation e

(D) subdivision of the sections into classes with different priorities? intervention. In the preferred embodiment, the identification of risk areas? carried out automatically by a software that, on the basis of climatic and meteorological data,? able to predict the growth of vegetation near the bands of interference with overhead power lines;

(E) definition of the areas of interest in which to carry out analyzes aimed at identifying the portions at risk of interference with the vegetation in which to plan cutting or deramification interventions;

(F) loading of data on a dedicated web platform headed by a dedicated server 300, which allows to optimize the planning of prevention interventions and, subsequently, to archive the different process phases, from the identification of the activities? cutting of the vegetation to be carried out, up to the control and validation of the interventions carried out; (G) uploading of the related vector files on a dedicated software application accessible to the cutters 50 of the vegetation;

(H) assignment, by means of the application, of the works to a company of cutters, which can? view the project and download it for local management. Before starting work, the company collects, through the application, the data requested by the client for pre-intervention monitoring. This data includes at least one geotagged photo, whose position data is rendered incorruptible, according to predefined and non-modifiable positions (control points) and shooting directions. In the event that the company assigning the work refuses the intervention, the method will foresee? a new phase of sending the online documentation to a different company. When a company, after viewing the documents regarding the necessary interventions, accepts the assignment, the method proceeds with a phase of (I) carrying out the activities. deramification and cutting of vegetation using the mobile version application installed on a dedicated electronic device 110 previously supplied with the cutters 50;

(J) termination of activities? and new data acquisition, by the cutters 50 themselves, to document the post-intervention situation.

(K) In case of extraordinary interventions, not foreseen in the initial planning, the company responsible for the activity? collects, using the application, adequate photographic documentation to allow the manager 20 to assess the actual need? implementation of the interventions. (L) The manager 20, through the same application, can? check photos, videos and any textual notes in order to monitor the progress of the work in real time, check and compare the pre- and post-intervention situation and validate the work carried out by the specialized company. Furthermore, the manager 20, thanks to the georeferenced data collected, can? monitor the progress of the work and costs, making metric calculations and timely assessments useful for quantifying the amounts to be paid.

(M) The acquired information is self-archived on the same platform.

This information is useful both for monitoring the territory and for obtaining more and more? specific data for preventive monitoring of interference between tree vegetation and electrical infrastructures.

With reference to Fig. 2, on the other hand, the technological devices thanks to which the aforesaid method? unfeasible.

With the reference number 20? shown the managing user, who carries out the supervision and control function on the work of detectors 10 and cutters 50. He uses an electronic device 30 connected to the dedicated server 300 and to the relative database 320 able to manage the data exchange with the devices electronic 110 supplied with detectors 10 and cutters 50.

Said electronic devices 110 are equipped with a GPS locator 120 for georeferencing the photographs taken by the built-in camera 130 in an incorruptible manner.

An accelerometer 140 and a magnetometer 145, also included in the electronic device 110, are adapted to record the orientation and inclination of the electronic device 110 at the moment of taking each photograph.

An electronic pen 120, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, facilitates the action on the display of the electronic device 110.

Thanks to the App previously downloaded and installed on each electronic device 110 supplied, the cutter 50 that documents the post-intervention situation, in the same control point inserted in the survey phase of the state of affairs, will have to? necessarily take the photograph in the same geographical point and with the exact same inclination and orientation of the electronic device 110 which took the pre-intervention photograph.

In the case of a different orientation, the App will act? on camera 130 preventing shooting.

? finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variants that are obvious to a person skilled in the art can be made to the invention described up to now, without thereby departing from the scope of protection. provided by the appended claims.

Claims (12)

Claims 1. Monitoring and maintenance method of overhead power lines, designed to detect and intervene on situations of interference between overhead power lines and vegetation; said method being characterized by the fact that it includes: - a planning phase (P) of the interventions consisting of the following sub-phases: (A) acquisition of territorial data for the development of 3D models of vegetation, surface and terrain and for the digitalization of the power lines; said data acquisition step (B) being performed by at least one detector user (10) equipped with a dedicated electronic device (110); said electronic device (110) being equipped with: - GPS detector (120); - camera (130); - magnetometer and accelerometer (140-145); said electronic device (110) being equipped with a software application able to allow the taking of the photographs of the actual state by recording in an incorruptible manner the geographical position, orientation and inclination of the device (110) at the moment of taking the photograph; (B) data processing, production of a three-dimensional digital model of the intervention areas and analysis of the outputs; these outputs allowing to identify the areas at greatest risk of interference between the paths of the power lines and vegetation; (C) identification of possible interference between power lines and vegetation e (D) subdivision of the areas on which to intervene in classes with different priorities; (E) definition of the portions at risk of interference with the vegetation in which to program cutting or deramification interventions; - an assignment phase consisting of the following sub-phases: (F) loading of the survey data on a dedicated server (300) to manage the planning of prevention interventions and, thanks to the connection with a dedicated database (320), to archive the different process phases, from the identification of the activities ? cutting of the vegetation to be carried out, up to the control and validation of the interventions carried out; (G) loading of the related vector files on said dedicated software application accessible to at least one user (50) of the vegetation; (H) assignment, by means of the application, of the works to a company of cutters (50), which can? view the project and download it for local management; in the event that the company assigning the work refuses the intervention, the method will foresee? a new phase of sending the documentation to a different company; in the case of acceptance of the assignment, the method proceeds with - an operational phase consisting of the following sub-phases: (I) realization of the activities? deramification and cutting of the vegetation by at least one cutter user (50) using said application installed on a dedicated electronic device (110), such as the one previously described, previously supplied to said cutter user (50); (J) termination of activities? and new data acquisition, by said cutter (50), to document the post-intervention situation; - a final phase consisting of the following sub-phases: (N) validation by at least one managing user (20) and archiving in said database (320) of all the information regarding each intervention. 2. Method for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to the preceding claim 1, characterized in that said operating phase comprises a sub-phase (L) for monitoring the progress of the works; in said sub-phase (L) a managing user (20), using the desktop version of said software application, on his electronic device (30), can? check photos, videos and any textual notes in order to monitor the progress of the work in real time, check and compare the pre- and post-intervention situation and validate the work carried out by the specialized company. 3. Method for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to any one of the preceding claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said manager (20), through said software application,? able to perform metric calculations and timely assessments useful for quantifying the amounts to be paid. 4. Method for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said data acquisition step (B) includes the retrieval of aerial images through the exploitation, by way of non-limitative, of aircraft or drones. 5. Method for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said phase of subdivision (E) of the areas on which to intervene in classes with different priority? ? carried out by a dedicated computer program designed to develop predictive models relating to the growth of vegetation, analyzing climatic and meteorological data, thus making it possible to make estimates on the development of vegetation in the vicinity? of interference bands. 6. Method for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that said operating phase comprises a sub-phase (K) for communicating the execution of extraordinary interventions, not foreseen in the initial programming, but whose necessary? ? documented by adequate photographic documentation, collected through said software application, to allow the manager (20) to assess the actual need? implementation of these interventions. 7. Method for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said software application, installed on all the electronic devices (110) supplied, in said phase of carrying out the interventions (I), it allows the taking of photographs only in the same geolocation point of the photographs that documented the state of affairs. 8. Method for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to the previous claim 7, characterized by the fact that said software application, installed on all the electronic devices (110) supplied, in said phase of carrying out the interventions (I), allows the taking of the photographs only with the same inclination and orientation of the electronic device (110) of the photographs documenting the state of affairs; said orientation and inclination being detected by said magnetometer and accelerometer (140-145) integrated in said electronic device (110). Electronic device (110) for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, adapted to be provided to at least one detector user (10) and to at least one cutter user (50) in carrying out the method of any one of the preceding claims; said device being characterized in that it comprises: - GPS detector (120); able to record the geographical position of the device (110) itself at any time; - camera (130), designed to allow the taking of geo-referenced photographs in an incorruptible manner; - magnetometer and accelerometer (140-145), suitable for detecting the orientation and inclination of the electronic device (110) itself at the time of each photograph; - software application dedicated to carrying out the above method; - means of internet connection for the transmission of data to and from said dedicated server (300). 10. Electronic device (110) for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to the preceding claim 9, characterized in that during the taking of each photograph, the data concerning the geographic coordinates and the lines represented the orientation angles and inclination of the electronic device itself. Electronic device (110) for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to any one of the preceding claims 9 or 10, characterized in that it comprises means for direct communication or video communication with said remotely positioned manager user (20). Electronic device (110) for monitoring and maintaining overhead power lines, according to any one of the preceding claims 9 to 11, characterized in that it consists of a latest generation cellular telephone.