Recognition and Extraction of Power Transmission Lines Based on Infrared Image Processing for Line-following Robots

Abstract

To further improve the real-time performance and accuracy of power transmission line maintenance, this paper primarily focuses on the preliminary line recognition and extraction method based on thermal image processing of infrared images collected by line-following robots for thermal fault detection. Firstly, filtering and noise reduction techniques along with enhanced image processing are applied to preprocess the collected infrared images. This effectively addresses the noise and interference from background objects, which can affect the extraction of overheated areas on the lines, while also reducing the computational memory required for subsequent image processing. Subsequently, an improved Canny edge detection algorithm is employed to extract the edges of foreground objects in the images. Additionally, a region-growing algorithm combined with the geometric features of the lines is employed to filter out unwanted thermal sources, enabling the accurate segmentation and extraction of power transmission lines. This forms a solid foundation for subsequent detection and identification of abnormal hotspots on the extracted lines, and holds significance for the inspection and maintenance of existing thermal faults and potential hotspots in power transmission lines.