SENSING OVERHEAD POWER-LINES FOR ACCIDENT PREVENTION

Accidental contacts between farm equipment and overhead power lines contribute to the poor safety record of agriculture. Contact is commonly with an auger or irrigation pipe being moved by hand or with a tall piece of equipment being towed by a vehicle. The electric fields of three common 7200-V power line configurations were detected at a sufficient distance (19 m) to warn a farm vehicle operator in time to stop safely. The prototype sensor had the capability to determine the direction to the power line, necessary for avoiding false alarms. This directionality was lost in the vicinity of large, grounded, conductive objects such as trees.