Variable universe fuzzy control of walking stability for flying-walking power line inspection robot based on multi-work conditions

To address complex work conditions incredibly challenging to the stability of power line inspection robots, we design a walking mechanism and propose a variable universe fuzzy control (VUFC) method based on multi-work conditions for flying-walking power line inspection robots (FPLIRs). The contributions of this paper are as follows: (1) A flexible pressing component is designed to improve the adaptability of the FPLIR to the ground line slope. (2) The influence of multi-work conditions on the FPLIR's walking stability is quantified using three condition parameters (i.e., slope, slipping degree and swing angle), and their measurement methods are proposed. (3) The VUFC method based on the condition parameters is proposed to improve the walking stability of the FPLIR. Finally, the effect of the VUFC method on walking stability of the FPLIR is teste. The experimental results show that the maximum climbing angle of the FPLIR reaches 29.1°. Compared with the constant pressing force of 30 N, the average value of slipping degree is 0.93°, increasing by 35%. The maximum and average values of robot's swing angle are reduced by 46% and 54%, respectively. By comparing with fuzzy control, the VUFC can provide a more reasonable pressing force while maintaining the walking stability of the FPLIR. The proposed walking mechanism and the VUFC method significantly improve the stability of the FPLIR, providing a reference for structural designs and stability controls of inspection robots.