AU2006267949A1 - Object detection system and method for use with mining machine - Google Patents

Description

WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 1 Object detection system and method for use with mining machine TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to an object detection system and method for an operator of a mining machine and more particularly to a vehicle 5 detection system and method, to assist an operator of a drag line excavator. Drag line excavators used in above ground mining operations comprise a body having a cabin for an operator and a jib extending away from 10 the body. A cable extends along the jib and is attached to a bucket for withdrawing piled material from a first remote position to a loading platform or another position at the site. In some excavators, the jib may be tenths of meters long, typically about 80 meters, and the jib is rotatable through a full circle about a substantially vertical axis of 15 rotation. It will be appreciated that the jib when rotated through at least part of the circle, could cause serious damage to vehicles at the mining site which may be approaching the excavator. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 20 Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method with which the applicant believes the aforementioned disadvantages may at least be alleviated.

WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 2 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided an object detection system for use by an operator of a mining machine at a mining site, the system comprising 5 - at least one local position determining means mountable on a respective host object and operative to determine respective position data relating to a position of the host object at the site; - a central controller mountable on the mining machine; 10 a wireless communications link establishable between the central controller and the at least one object for transmitting the respective position data to the central controller; and - the central controller being configured to receive the data and to provide at the mining machine an indication relating to 15 the position of the host object, based on the data received. The mining machine may be a drag line excavator (DLE), and the at least one host object may be a stationary object or a moving object such as a vehicle operative at the mining site. 20 The local position determining means may be connected to a local controller mountable on the at least one host object and the local WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 3 controller may be connected to a wireless transceiver, which, in use, forms part of the wireless link. The link may be a radio frequency link. 5 The system may comprise a complementary transceiver mountable on the mining machine and the complementary transceiver may be connected to the central controller. 10 The system may further comprise a first central position determining means which is connectable to the central controller and mountable on the mining machine. The mining machine may comprise a body and a jib extending away 15 from the body, the first central position determining means may be mounted on the body and the system may comprise a second position determining means connected to the central controller and which is mounted towards a distal end of the jib. 20 The central controller may be configured to receive from the first and second central position determining means respectively, position data WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 4 relation the position of first central position determining means and the position of the second position determining means. The system may comprise a monitor connected to the central 5 controller and mountable on the body, the central controller being configured to generate on the monitor and in real time a representation of the relative positions of the at least one object at the site and the machine, preferably of the body and the distal end of the jib. The representation may comprise a graphical representation. 10 The central controller may be configured to compute distance data based on the aforementioned position data and the system may further comprise an indicator connected to the central controller and mountable on the machine, to provide a first audible and/or visual 15 indication when the at least on object is closer than a first distance from any of the first central position determining means and the second central position determining means; and a second indication when the at least one object is closer than a second distance from any one of the first central position determining means and the second 20 central position determining means. The second distance may be smaller than the first distance.

WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 5 Any one of the first central position determining means, the second central position determining means and the at least one local position determining means may comprise a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. 5 Also included with the scope of the present invention is a method of determining at a mining machine at a mining site the position of another object at the site, the method comprising the steps of: - automatically determining at the object, data relating to the 10 position of the object; - transmitting the object position data to the mining machine; and - at the mining machine providing an operator perceivable indication relating to the position of the object. 15 The position data may be transmitted via a wireless link, preferably an RF link. The object position data may be determined and transmitted 20 intermittently, preferably periodically and in real time.

WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 6 The method may comprise the step of computing at the mining machine from the position data and data relating to the position of the machine, a computed distance between the object and the machine. 5 The method may still further comprise the step of, at the machine, providing a first indication when the computed distance is smaller than a first distance and a second indication when the computed distance is smaller than a second distance. 10 Also included within the scope of the present invention is an object or vehicle mountable part of the system as herein defined and/or described; as well as a mining machine mountable part as herein defined and/or described. 15 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DIAGRAMS The invention will now further be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrams wherein figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a mining machine in the form of a drag line excavator comprising an object detection 20 system according to the invention at a mining site; figure 2 is a block diagram of a first part of the system hosted on another vehicle at the site; WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 7 figure 3 is block diagram of second part of the system which is hosted on the excavator; and figure 4 is a representation of a typical display generated on a monitor forming part of the second part of the system. 5 DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION in figure 1, there is shown at an above ground mining site 10, a mining machine in the form of a known drag line excavator (DLE) 12. The DLE comprises a body 13 on a known wheeled base 14 10 comprising endless tracks 16. The body comprises a cabin 18 for a human operator 20. A jib 22 extends away from the body and a cable 24 extends along the jib and is connected to a bucket (not shown). The jib 22 is movable under control of the operator 20 in elevation A and also in bearing B through 360 degrees relative to a substantially 15 vertical axis of rotation 26. The jib 22 may typically be about 80 meters in length. The bucket is used to withdraw material from a first remote position (not shown) at the site 10 to a loading platform (also not shown) or other position (also not shown) at the site. It will be appreciated that should the jib be rotated through part of the 360 20 degrees relative to axis 26, it could have serious consequences for objects, such as other vehicles 28 and 30 at the site, which may be moving in a direction towards or approaching the DLE.

WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 8 According to the invention there is provided an object detection system, more particularly a vehicle position detection system 44 to assist the operator 20. The system 44 comprises at least one, but preferably a plurality of substantially identical vehicle mountable parts 5 32, one of which is shown in figure 2. Each vehicle 28,30 operative at the site 10 is provided with a respective vehicle mountable part 32 of the system. The vehicle mountable part comprises a local controller 34 connected to a local or vehicle mountable position determining means, which may comprise a global positioning system (GPS) receiver 36. 10 The receiver 36 is configured to receive in known manner signals 37 from a GPS system comprising earth orbiting satellites 38, shown in figure 1. The vehicle mountable part further comprises a wireless, preferably radio frequency and more preferably a BlueTooth transceiver 40. The transceiver 40 forms part of a wireless communications link 15 42 between the vehicle and the DLE. A second and central part 46 of the system 44 is mountable on and hosted on the DLE 12. The central part 46 comprises a controller 48 connected to a first central GPS receiver 50 mounted on the body 13 20 of the DLE 12 and a second central GPS receiver 52 mounted towards a distal end 22.1 of the jib 22. The receivers 50 and 52 may be connected to the controller by optical cables. The controller is also WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 9 connected to a transceiver 54, which is complementary to transceivers 40 of the vehicle mountable parts 32 to form the aforementioned wireless link 42. The controller 48 is further connected to a monitor 56 mounted in the cabin 18 and on which the controller generates in 5 real time a display illustrating graphically the relative positions of at least some of: the body 13 of the DLE, the distal end 22.1 of the jib 22 and of vehicles 28 and 30 at the site 10. An example of the display generated is shown at 60 in figure 4. The controller 48 is still further connected to an audible and/or visible indicator 58 mounted in 10 the cabin 18 to provide a human operator perceivable indications, as will hereinafter be described. In use, the GPS receivers 36 on vehicles 28 and 30 receive in known manner signals 37.1 and 37.2 respectively from the GPS system. 15 Position data for the respective vehicles is locally and intermittently, preferably periodically, received or generated by the controllers 34 of the vehicles. This position data is intermittently, preferably periodically transmitted via respective links 42 to the central part 46 of the system 44. At the same time, the GPS receivers 50 and 52 also receive in 20 known manner signals from the GPS system. The controller 48 is configured intermittently, preferably periodically, to receive position data relating to the position of the body 13 and the end 22.1 of the WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 10 jib, or if necessary, to compute such data. This latter data and the received data relating to the positions of the vehicles are utilized by the central controller to generate a display 60 on monitor 56 in the cabin 18 of the DLE. The display illustrates the relative positions of the 5 body 13, end 22.1 of the jib 22 and of vehicles at times ti to te. The display also illustrates the direction X, Y of travel of the two vehicles, as well as their respective speeds. Vehicle 28 is in a proximity warning region 62 within a first distance 10 Zi from the machine and is shown in a first colour. Vehicle 30 entered a danger region 64 within a second distance Z2 from the machine and is shown in a second colour, preferably red. The audible and/or visible indicator is configured to provide two distinct indications for vehicles in the proximity region 62 and the danger region 64 respectively. 15 These signals and the display illustrating in real time the relative positions of the aforementioned elements, facilitate the operator's ability to operate the DLE in a safer manner. The central controller 48 may be configured to compute from the 20 object position data and position data relating to the position of the machine obtained from any one of the first and second central position determining means 50 and 52, distance data relating to the distance WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 11 between the object and the machine. The controller 48 is further configured to cause the indicator 58 to provide a first indication when the computed distance is smaller than a first distance Z1 and a second different indication when the computed distance is smaller than a 5 second distance Z2. In use, the operator 20 may be prompted to activate a switch, key or the like connected to the controller 34, to indicate that he has seen a vehicle entering any one of regions 62 and 64. Activation of the 10 switch may be logged with relevant position data at the time, time stamped and stored in the memory arrangement associated with the controller 34 for future retrieval and analyses.

Claims (17)

1. An object detection system for use by an operator of a mining machine at a mining site, the system comprising - at least one local position determining means mountable on a 5 respective host object and operative to determine respective position data relating to a position of the host object at the site; - a central controller mountable on the mining machine; - a wireless communications link establishable between the 10 central controller and the at least one object for transmitting the respective position data to the central controller; and - the central controller being configured to receive the data and to provide at the mining machine an indication relating to the position of the host object, based on the data received. 15

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one host object is a vehicle operative at the mining site.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the local 20 position determining means is connected to a local controller mountable on the at least one host object and wherein the local WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 13 controller is connected to a wireless transceiver, which, in use, forms part of the wireless link.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the link is a radio 5 frequency link.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the link comprises a complementary transceiver mountable on the mining machine and wherein the complementary transceiver is connected to the 10 central controller.

6. A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 comprising a first central position determining means which is connectable to the central controller and mountable on the mining machine. 15

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the mining machine comprises a body and a jib extending away from the body, wherein the first central position determining means is mounted on the body and wherein the system comprises a second 20 position determining means connected to the central controller and which is mounted towards a distal end of the jib. WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 14

8. A system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the central controller is configured to receive from the first and second central position determining means respectively, position data relation the first central position determining means and the second position 5 determining means.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 comprising a monitor connected to the central controller and mountable on the body, the central controller being configured to generate on the monitor and in 10 real time a representation of the relative positions of the at least one object at the site and the mining machine.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the representation comprises a graphical representation. 15

11. A system as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein the central controller is configured to compute distance data based on the position data, wherein the system comprises an indicator connected to the central controller and mountable in the cabin, 20 to provide a first audible and/or visual indication when the at least on object is closer than a first distance from any of the first central position determining means and the second central WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 15 position determining means; and a second indication when the at least one object is closer than a second distance from any one of the first central position determining means. 5

12. A system as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 11 wherein any one of the first central position determining means, the second central position determining means and the at least one local position determining means comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. 10

13. A method of determining at a mining machine at a mining site the position of another object at the site, the method comprising the steps of: - automatically determining at the object, data relating to the 15 position of the object; - transmitting the object position data to the mining machine; and - at the mining machine, providing an operator perceivable indication relating to the position of the object. 20

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the position data is transmitted via a wireless link. WO 2007/007232 PCT/IB2006/052241 16

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the object position data is determined and transmitted intermittently and in real time. 5

16. A method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15 comprising the step of computing at the machine from the position data and data relating to the position of the machine a distance between the object and the machine. 10

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 comprising the step of at the machine, providing a first indication when the computed distance is smaller than a first distance and a second indication when the computed distance is smaller than a second distance.