Magnetic Field Sensor for UAV Power Line Acquisition and Tracking

Abstract

High voltage power line inspection is a critical task that can be automated by using UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) inspection. Automated navigating along power lines remains however an open challenge, with current available sensors systems limited in terms of accuracy and consistency by environmental variables. The current work presents an automated power line detection system based on the magnetic signature from an active power line. This paper will discuss the design, testing and fine tuning of a magnetic field sensor system optimized to measure the distance and relative bearing of the power line.