Detection system of damaged cables using video obtained from an aerial inspection of transmission lines

A detection system for cables damaged by lightning stroke is developed using videos obtained from an aerial inspection of transmission lines. The system detects arc marks and cut wires. Arc marks are detected by statistical analysis of the brightness of a cable image. Cut wires are detected by comparing the contour of the cable, which was obtained with a video camera, with its ideal shape. The developed system was applied to videos of 20 cases, which included a damaged cable. The total number of images was 6000. The system could detect all types of cable damage. In 97.8% of images, the system worked well, making it suitable for aid in the inspection of transmission lines.