Mine management system

• US 10,240,457 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2015
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawai, Kazunari, Terada, Shinichi, Fujita, Taito, Kodama, Yuichi, Uetake, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Goodwin, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US15/300,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20170138193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 701 50, 701 53, 701 54, 701 55, 701 56, 701110, 701123
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 35/24 Remote control specially adapted for machines for slitting or completely freeing the mineral control in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 37/00 Other methods or devices for dislodging with or without loading breaking-down by means inserted in slits E21C27/14
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/16 Methods of underground mining winning machines therefor E21C25/00 - E21C39/00; Layouts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/22 for ores, e.g. mining placers
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 13/00 Transport specially adapted to underground conditions mine cars B61D; transport in general, loading unless specially adapted to underground conditions B65G
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 13/025 Shuttle cars
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Abstract

A mine management system includes a carrying machine that is loaded with ore and travels from a mining area to an earth removal area in underground of a mine, a loading machine that mines ore in the mining area and loads the ore onto the carrying machine, and a management device that sets a work mode in the underground based on an input signal, and changes a work parameter of the carrying machine and a work parameter of the loading machine.

Claims

1. A mine management system comprising:

a carrying machine configured to be loaded with ore and travel from a mining area located in an underground area of a mine to an earth removal area;

a loading machine configured to mine the ore in the mining area and load the ore onto the carrying machine; and

a management device configured to

store a plurality of work modes of the underground area, each work mode corresponding to valuing a different index,

select one work mode from the plurality of work modes based on an input signal generated by an operation of an input device, and

change a work parameter of the carrying machine and a work parameter of the loading machine based on the selected work mode,

wherein

in a case where an input operation for setting the work parameter is performed when the loading machine is performing a loading work of the ore, the management device is configured to

change the work parameter of the carrying machine without changing the work parameter of the loading machine, and

change the work parameter of the loading machine after the loading work is completed.

2. The mine management system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of work modes is determined in consideration of mining cost per unit weight of the ore and a mining amount of the ore per unit time, and

the management device is configured to set one work mode from among the plurality of work modes based on the input signal.

3. The mine management system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of work modes includes at least one of a production amount valuing mode that prioritizes a production amount of the ore per unit time, an energy saving mode that prioritizes suppression of energy consumption of the carrying machine and the loading machine, and a maintenance cost saving mode that prioritizes suppression of maintenance cost of a road surface in the underground area, the loading machine, and the carrying machine.

4. The mine management system according to claim 1, wherein the work parameter of the carrying machine includes at least one of a travel speed of the carrying machine in the underground area, acceleration of the carrying machine in the underground area, a loading amount of the ore, a moving route to move to a loading area or the earth removal area, and selection of a loading area and an earth removal area to which the carrying machine heads, of a plurality of the loading areas and the earth removal areas.

5. The mine management system according to claim 1, wherein the work parameter of the loading machine includes at least one of a travel speed of the loading machine in the underground area, a loading speed of the ore to the carrying machine, and excavation force.