System development of a Robotic Pole Manipulator

A design concept for a Robotic Pole Manipulator equipped with an advanced, intelligent controller is presented. The concept was developed for wooden poles up to 55 ft length, but is scalable for use with poles of larger dimensions and different materials. The concept is based on a truck-mounted articulating crane with hydraulic gripper. The crane and gripper are equipped with position sensors to provide closed loop position control feedback to an inverse kinematics controller. The primary human-machine interface is through one or two hand controllers. The system is also equipped with an integrated pole jack and an insulated winch boom to be used to hoist transformers and other equipment for installation within a power distribution network.