Protective working device for miners

• US 20030137421A1
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DBT GmbH (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: DBT GmbH (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Richter, Bernhard, Herkenrath, Peter
• Application Number:
  US10/346,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20030137421A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 17/18 Special adaptations of signalling or alarm devices for mine lifts B66B; gas-sensitive devices per se G01N

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protective working device (1) for miners, comprising a lamp (3) , which can for instance be attached to a protective helmet (2), and which is connected via a cable (4) to a supply battery (11) which can be fastened to an item of clothing such as a belt (6) and is supplied with electrical energy from the supply battery (11). A transponder device (13) is supplied with energy from the same battery (11) which interoperates with underground personnel detection systems such as detection sensors which monitor the working and operating areas of support frames for underground faces or of underground mining machines. In order to ensure the energy supply for the transponder device (13) over a significantly longer period than before and to provide the safety functions of the personnel detection system even under mining accidents, a safety circuit device (12) is provided, which switches off the energy supply to the lamp (3) if the remaining charge in the supply battery (11) falls below a predetermined remaining charge.

Claims

1. A protective working device for miners, comprising a lamp which can preferably be attached or fastened to a protective helmet, and which is connected via a cable to a supply battery which can be fastened to an item of clothing such as a belt and is supplied with electrical energy from the supply battery, and a transponder device fed from the same battery which interoperates with underground personnel detection systems such as detection sensors which monitor the working and operating areas of support frames for underground faces or of underground mining machines, in which it further comprises a safety circuit device which automatically switches off the supply to the lamp if the remaining charge of the supply battery falls below a preset value.

2. A working protection device according to claim 1, in which the transponder device and the safety circuit device are integrated into one protective case together with the supply battery.

3. A working protection device according to claim 1, in which the safety circuit device comprises an electronic circuit.

4. A working protection device according to claim 1, in which the transponder device is switched permanently into a stand-by mode with low energy consumption and can be switched into an active condition with a higher energy consumption on receipt of an activating signal transmitted by the personnel detection system, in which the transmitting module of the transponder device transmits a transponder signal automatically or based on an initiating signal.

5. A working protection device according to claim 4, in which the activating signal is an external magnetic field and/or the transponder device has a three dimensional receiving module with antennas preferably arranged in orthogonal directions to each other.

6. A working protection device according to claim 1, in which the transponder device is provided with an additional circuit, which depending on the frequency of the received magnetic field transmits different transponder signals via the transmitter module (15), whereby at least one transponder signal indicates the presence of a miner and another transponder signal identifies the miner on the basis of an identification key in the personnel detection system.

7. A working protection device according to claim 1, in which the safety circuit device monitors the residual charge on the supply battery.