MUMBAI, India, Aug. 12 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641092225 A) filed by Madhankumar C; Dr. P. Rajendra Prasad - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology For Women; Mrs. B. Mamatha - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology For; Ms. Samreen Begum - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology For Women; Mrs. V. Srilatha - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology For; and Mr. S. Sandeep Babu - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology on July 30, 2026, for Tether-Hybrid Drone For Continuous Power Inspection Of High-Voltage Transmission Lines.
Inventors include Dr. P. Rajendra Prasad - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And; Mrs. B. Mamatha - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology For; Ms. Samreen Begum - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology; Mrs. V. Srilatha - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology For Women; and Mr. S. Sandeep Babu - Vignan'S Institute Of Management And Technology For Women.
The application for the patent was published on August 07, 2026, under issue no. 32/2026.
Abstract: Tether-Hybrid Drone for Continuous Power Inspection Of High-Voltage Transmission Lines Abstract The increasing complexity and geographical spread of high- voltage transmission networks have created a growing demand for intelligent, reliable, and uninterrupted inspection systems capable of ensuring grid stability and preventing infrastructure failures. Conventional inspection methods relying on manual patrols, helicopters, or battery-powered drones suffer from limited flight endurance, high operational costs, safety risks, and inconsistent inspection coverage. To overcome these limitations, this invention proposes a Tether-Hybrid Drone for Continuous Power Inspection of High-Voltage Transmission Lines, an advanced aerial inspection platform that combines tethered continuous power supply, hybrid autonomous flight capability, artificial intelligence, and multimodal sensing for long-duration inspection of electrical transmission infrastructure. The proposed drone operates in two modes: a tethered mode that provides uninterrupted electrical power and high-bandwidth communication from a mobile ground station for continuous inspection missions, and a hybrid battery-powered mode that enables temporary untethered flight to inspect inaccessible locations, navigate around obstacles, or traverse complex transmission structures. An intelligent power management system seamlessly switches between tethered and onboard battery operation, ensuring uninterrupted mission continuity and enhanced operational flexibility. The drone integrates multiple sensing technologies, including high-resolution RGB cameras, thermal infrared cameras, LiDAR scanners, ultraviolet corona discharge detectors, multispectral imaging sensors, GPS, inertial measurement units (IMU), laser rangefinders, and environmental sensors. These sensors continuously monitor transmission towers, conductors, insulators, connectors, vegetation encroachment, structural deformation, corrosion, overheating, ice accumulation, lightning damage, and partial discharge activities. Artificial Intelligence models employing deep learning, computer vision, object detection, semantic segmentation, and anomaly detection automatically identify defects, classify fault severity, predict component failures, and estimate the remaining useful life of critical power infrastructure. A Large Language Model (LLM)-based intelligent inspection engine interprets multimodal inspection data together with maintenance records, engineering standards, historical fault databases, and utility regulations to generate explainable inspection reports, maintenance recommendations, risk assessments, and compliance documentation in natural language. Autonomous navigation algorithms incorporating SLAM, obstacle avoidance, adaptive path planning, and transmission-line tracking enable safe operation in complex environments while maintaining precise positioning around energized assets. Secure cloud-edge communication facilitates real-time transmission of inspection data, remote expert collaboration, predictive maintenance analytics, and centralized asset management. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that the proposed tether-hybrid inspection drone significantly extends operational endurance, improves inspection accuracy, reduces maintenance costs, enhances worker safety, and enables continuous monitoring of critical power transmission infrastructure compared with conventional battery-powered inspection drones. By integrating tethered continuous power delivery, autonomous hybrid flight, AI-driven defect detection, multimodal sensing, and explainable LLM-based decision support within a unified platform, the proposed invention provides a scalable, efficient, and intelligent solution for next-generation power grid inspection, predictive maintenance, and resilient smart utility infrastructure.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
