Abstract: With the development of intelligent substations, intelligent operation and maintenance (O&M) within the substation has become a crucial means of improving efficiency and reducing risks. Intelligent O&M requires comprehensive collection of substation operational data and data-driven decision-making supported by intelligent algorithms to achieve safe and efficient O&M. Most functions within the substation, such as target localization, recognition, and tracking, rely on visual terminals, underscoring the importance of the camera network deployment scheme. To address the issue, this study proposes a camera deployment optimization scheme based on discrete-variable three-dimensional (3D) viewshed analysis, considering the practical conditions of intelligent substation O&M. A mathematical model is constructed under various possible constraints, including camera types and cost budgets, by dividing the 3D space into viewsheds with different levels of importance. A numerical optimization scheme is then proposed to determine the placement and types of cameras required for intelligent substation O&M in compliance. It not only enables necessary point-to-point parameter monitoring but also meets the requirements for collaborative operation among camera networks. The proposed scheme has broad methodological applicability and can be readily extended to substations in different regions and of other types.

Key words: substation, intelligent operation and maintenance, visual sensing, camera network, deployment optimization