An Image-Based 3D Acquisition of Ice Accretions on Power Transmission Lines

This research proposes a novel method to monitor ice accretions on power transmission lines with an image-based 3D (three-dimensional) detection technique. The method uses two ice images of the same power transmission line taken by two cameras to calculate ice thickness. The major difficulty involved in this research is to find corresponding points in two ice images. The ice is transparency or half-transparency hard to be distinguished from background objects. The ice surface is smooth without special features to be recognized for the corresponding points in the ice images. The proposed method combines edge detection, epipolar line and correlation methods in a practical way to find the corresponding points in two ice images. The 3D coordinates of these points can be calculated using the corresponding points. The ice accretion can be evaluated by processing images real-time. Laboratory experiment shows that the method is feasible for detecting ice accretions. The benefit of this research provides an early warning of ice accretion to minimize damage cost of power transmission lines