Prospecção tecnológica de inspeção de torres de telecomunicações por aeronaves remotamente pilotadas (RPA)

Abstract

The objective of this work was to carry out a technological prospection of the available technologies involving Remoted Piloted Aircreft System in the specific segment of inspection of infrastructure assets in hard to reach places, meeting the demands of the telecommunications sector. Infrastructure asset management in the telecommunications industry requires periodic site inspection activities that include height activities to verify the integrity of the tower structure, antennas and accessories. It is an industry with increasing demands due to the constant expansion of coverage added to the aging of the installed base. The technologies brought by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, popularly named as Drone, present strong arguments for reducing exposure to human life and increasing prospects for automation and repeatability. From the perspective of asset management, referenced by ISO 55000, it enables digital recording, information sharing within the company and between suppliers, supporting decision making and long-term cost reduction. It can be said that it elevates inspection activity to the era of Internet of Things, BigData and Artificial Intelligence in the context of an Industry 4.0. The technology survey presented here gathers information about the demands of telecommunications stations for inspections and the associated Nondestructive Testing practices. It analyzes available technologies, services and analyzes the context of migration from traditional techniques to this new scenario.