# Multi-Defect Detection Network for High-Voltage Insulators Based on Adaptive Multi-Attention Fusion
## 7 Discussion  
AC-YOLO has a wide range of practical applications and significant benefits in real-world grid maintenance and repair scenarios. The following are some of the potential applications and benefits:  
(1) Efficient defect detection: AC-YOLO realizes efficient detection of multiple defects on insulators by adding the adaptive weight distribution multi-head self-attention module AWDMSM, designing the adaptive memory fusion detection head, and introducing the CBAM attention mechanism and SIOU loss function on top of YOLOv5. This includes small  
Figure 16: YOLOv5 and AC-YOLO detection results. (**a**) Left: YOLOv5; right: AC-YOLOv5. (**b**) Left: YOLOv5; right: AC-YOLOv5. (**c**) Left: YOLOv5; right: AC-YOLOv5.  
defect targets, such as insulator breakage, insulator flashover, and other defects, and the AC-YOLO algorithm in the grid to find potential problems more quickly and reliably.  
(2) Improve safety: In the power grid, it is essential to find and repair defects on the insulator in a timely manner to ensure the safe operation of the grid. AC-YOLO high-precision detection helps prevent potential failures, reducing the risk of accidents.  
(3) Reducing human risk: Embedding AC-YOLO in a UAV can allow for performing tasks in complex grid environments, reducing the risk of human inspections. This is especially important for inspection in high-risk or difficult-to-access areas.  
(4) Improve maintenance efficiency: AC-YOLO's high detection speed means that it can inspect large areas of the grid more quickly, improving maintenance efficiency. This helps to identify problems in a timely manner and take appropriate maintenance measures to minimize grid outage time.  
(5) Reduce costs: Automated inspection and maintenance processes can reduce labor costs and improve the overall effectiveness of grid maintenance. The application of AC-YOLO is expected to reduce the cost of inspection and maintenance for grid operators while improving service levels.  
(6) Comprehensive coverage: Drones equipped with AC-YOLO can cover all the grid parts, including hard-to-reach areas. This ensures comprehensive monitoring of the grid system and improves the detection of potential problems.  
Overall, applying AC-YOLO in grid maintenance and repair is expected to bring multiple benefits to the power system's reliability, safety, and economy. As technology evolves, AC-YOLO will play an important role in the power industry, providing smarter and more efficient solutions for grid operations.  
Conceptualization, Y.H.; methodology, Y.H. and B.W.; validation, Y.H. and B.W.; formal analysis, Y.Y.; investigation, Y.H. and B.W.; resources, Y.Y. and C.Y.; data curation, C.Y. and B.W.; writing--original draft, Y.H.; writing--review and editing, Y.H., B.W., C.Y. and Y.Y.; visualization, Y.H. and B.W.; supervision, C.Y.; project administration, C.Y.; funding acquisition, Y.Y. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant nos. 62273200 and 61876097 and by the Hubei Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Power Transmission Line (China Three Gorges University) Open Research Fund Project under grant no. 2022 KXL03.  
Not applicable.  
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.