DoCoMo, KDDI, Softbank: Base station inspection with drone
Mobile communication companies:
Used for visual inspection of communication towers and base stations.
The function of the flying robot (drone) is being strengthened.
NTT DoCoMo and KDDI:
Developed a function to automatically detect metal rust from captured images using artificial intelligence (AI).
Softbank:
Started development of industrial drone.
Drone technology cultivated through inspection work on steel towers with a height of several tens of meters
It can also be applied to inspection work of steel towers and plant equipment.
As the working population continues to decline, companies are rushing to further improve the efficiency of inspection work.
4GLTE compatible communication:
Softbank jointly developed a drone for tower inspection with Futaba Corporation.
4GLTE compatible communication module,
Flight control is possible from a remote location,
You can send captured images in real time.
After the demonstration experiment in 2021, “fully automatic operation in an environment where GPS positioning signals do not reach” will be possible.
We also aim to develop drones and implement 5G.
NTT DoCoMo:
The 50,000 communication towers nationwide will be completely replaced with drone inspections.
Over 100 aircraft have been deployed throughout Japan.
Conventional problems:
In the manual inspection, only the defective part was photographed.
Therefore, it was difficult to evaluate the quality.
Improvements this time:
The entire tower was made into a record database.
Past data comparison has become easier, and quality analysis has become more sophisticated.
Using image recognition technology
From the image of the steel tower taken
Automatically detect rust,
AI analysis is also operated in-house.
KDDI:
From the end of 2021
Bolt distortion and rust,
For detecting scratches and deformation
Plans to introduce AI image analysis.
Remote base station inspection:
KDDI also aims to be a “control system that remotely controls a drone for base station inspection.”
Currently, he is visually operating the preset route autonomously.
New switch