METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE POSITION OR SITUATION OF INSTALLATION COMPONENTS IN MINERAL MINING INSTALLATIONS AND MINING INSTALLATION

• US 20120091782A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bucyrus Europe GmbH (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wesselmann, Johannes, Ahler, Marco, Morrison, Campbell
• Granted Patent: US 8,777,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 299/18
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 35/08 Guiding the machine
• 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: E21D 23/12 Control, e.g. using remote control E21D23/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21D 23/142 Measuring the advance of support units with respect to external points of reference

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining the position and/or situation of installation components of a mineral mining installation which has as installation components at least one face conveyor for removing mined material, one shield-type support for keeping a face open, pushing devices for pushing the face conveyor and the shield-type support in active operation, an extracting machine which can be moved along the face conveyor, and a drift conveyor, the position and situation of at least one installation component being determined by a measuring system having a detection unit with measurement sensor and the detection unit decoupled from the movement of the extracting machine, can be or is moved to and fro between two points of the guiding system along at least one installation component at the face such as, e.g. the face conveyor, by a separate guiding system 21; a mining installation relating to the same.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method for determining the position and/or situation of installation components of a mineral mining installation, particularly of a coal mining installation, which includes as installation components at least one of a face conveyor for removing mined material, a shield-type support for keeping a face open, a pushing devices for pushing the face conveyor and the shield-type support during active operation, an extracting machine which is movable along the face conveyor, and a gate conveyor, the position and situation of the at least one installation component being determined by a measuring system comprising a detection unit with measurement sensor, the detection unit decoupled from the movement of the extracting machine, is moved to and fro between two points of a separate guiding system along at least one of the installation components at the face by the separate guiding system.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the detection unit is moved faster than the extracting machine.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the detection unit is moved by a fluid in a guiding system closed in a pressure-tight manner.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the closed guiding system includes a hose or tube and the fluid is selected from the group consisting of compressed air, gas, water, oil and an oil emulsion.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the guiding system has a driving device which is switched between blowing and sucking.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the guiding system has two driving device which are one of blowing devices and sucking devices.

32. The method according to claim 26, wherein the guiding system has an end point which is moved along with the extracting machine.

33. The method according to claim 26, wherein the detection unit is moved mechanically along the guiding system by a separate detection drive.

34. The method according to claim 26, wherein a measuring device is arranged at least at one of the gate conveyor, a pass-over conveyor one of the drives of the face conveyor, a position and situation change of a installation component, a position and situation change of a starting point for a measuring series with the measuring system and/or the position and situation of at least one drive of the face conveyor being determined from the measurement data of the measuring device in conjunction with a reference point.

35. The method according to claim 26, wherein the measuring system is a first measuring system, the method further including a second measuring system for at least one second detection unit, the second measuring system is arranged in a roadway or at roadway timbering arranged in the roadway, the convergence in the roadway being determined preferably by the second measuring system.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the distance of at least one installation component at the face or at the roadway from the roadway timbering and a position and situation change of a installation component is determined from the measurement data of the second measuring system at the roadway and the measurement data of the measuring device in conjunction with the reference point.

37. The method according to claim 26, further including the steps of providing an evaluating device, the evaluating device being configured to received data from at least one of the detection unit of the first measuring system, the measuring device and the detection unit of a second measuring system;

recalculating the data received by the evaluating device into position data relative to a starting position with respect to at least one of a measuring series and a reference point.

38. The method according to claim 26, wherein a starting point, which starts a measuring series with each passing of the detector unit, is allocated to the guiding system of the measuring system.

39. The method according to claim 34, further including the step of determining a situation change of the starting point by way of the measuring device.

40. A mining installation for mining, particularly a coal mining installation, with a face conveyor for removing mined material, with a shield-type support for keeping a face open, with pushing devices for pushing the face conveyor and the shield-type support in active operation, with a gate conveyor and with an extracting machine as installation components of the mining installation, a measuring system comprising a detection unit with measurement sensor being provided for determining the position and situation of at least one installation component of the mining installation, the measuring system for the detection unit having a separate guiding system by way of which the detection unit, decoupled from the movement of the extracting machine, can be moved to and fro between two points of the guiding system.

41. The mining installation according to claim 40, wherein the detection unit can be moved faster than the extracting machine.

42. The mining installation according to claim 40, wherein the detection unit has at least one of a housing, a radio transmission device, a voltage supply and a processor.

43. The mining installation according to claim 42, wherein the detection unit is accommodated in a tightly closed measuring cell housing and the measurement sensor including at least one of a 2D/3D position and situation sensor, an inertial navigation system, an inertial sensor and a gyroscope.

44. The mining installation according to claim 40, wherein the measuring system has a guiding system closed in a pressure-tight manner including at least one of a hose and a pipe in which the detection unit can be moved to and fro by a fluid.

45. The mining installation according to claim 44, wherein the detection unit is accommodated in a tightly closed measuring cell housing, the at least one of the hose and the pipe of the guiding system has a profiled inner wall and the housing has a profiling adapted to the profiling of the inner wall as positive guidance for the detection unit.

46. The mining installation according to claim 42, wherein the weight distribution in the housing of the detection unit effects a nonrotating movement of the detection unit in the guiding system.

47. The mining installation according to claim 42, wherein within the housing, a rotatable mass is arranged offset by 90°

with respect to the direction of movement of the detection unit.

48. The mining installation according to claim 40, wherein the guiding system includes one of a hose and a pipe to which at least one driving device for accelerating the detection unit in one or in both directions of movement between two points of the guiding system is allocated.

49. The mining installation according to claim 40, wherein the measuring system has a rail-like guiding system.

50. The mining installation according to claim 40, wherein the guiding system is attached to one of the face conveyor and the shield-type support.

51. The mining installation according to claim 40, wherein a measuring device is arranged at least one of the gate conveyor, a pass-over conveyor one of the drives of the face conveyor, wherein a position and situation change of at least one of an installation component, a starting point for a measuring series with the first measuring system and at least one drive of the face conveyor can be determined from the measurement data of the measuring device in conjunction with a reference point.

52. The mining installation according to claim 40, wherein a second measuring system is arranged in at least one of a roadway and a roadway timbering arranged in the roadway, wherein the convergence in the roadway can be determined preferably by a second measuring system.

53. The mining installation according to claim 40, further including an evaluating device, the evaluating device being configured to received data from at least one of the detection unit of the first measuring system, the measuring device and the detection unit of the second measuring system, the evaluating device recalculating the data into position data relative to a starting position with respect to a measuring series or to a reference point.

54. A method for determining the position and/or situation of installation components of a mineral mining installation, particularly of a coal mining installation, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one installation component selected from the group consisting of a face conveyor for removing mined material, a shield-type support for keeping a face open, a pushing devices for pushing the face conveyor and the shield-type support during active operation, an extracting machine which is movable along the face conveyor and a gate conveyor;

determining at least one of the position and the situation of the at least one installation component by a measuring system including a detection unit with measurement sensor, the detection unit being decoupled from the movement of the extracting machine and is moved to and fro between two points by a separate guiding system along at least one installation component at the face by the separate guiding system.