Mining Operation Control and Review

• US 20140089035A1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Jericho, Veronica, Blanchard, Glen, Noben, Nicolas
• Application Number:
  US14/034,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20140089035A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

The described system may operate in a variety of environments, but may be useful in a mining environment. The system may control virtually every aspect of the location, such as determining where trucks may be, where diggers may dig, etc. and what incidents and hazards may be present. In addition, the health of the devices in the location may also be monitored and the proper personnel may be informed if a device has an issue.

Claims

1. A method of using a computing device to create a user interface for a mining operation comprising:

coupling the computing device to a network;

receiving, via the network, signals from data sources including at least a mapping database and a vehicle location system;

developing, at a processor of the computing device, a plurality of mining views related to the mining operation;

executing a workflow for a mining task related to one of the plurality of mining views;

saving a setting in a memory of the computing device related to a usage case of the user interface responsive to execution of the workflow; and

displaying a first mining desktop including;

displaying one or more mining views of the plurality of mining views corresponding to real time events associated with the mining operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a plurality of mining desktops at a workstation, wherein creating each of the plurality of mining desktops includes;

selecting a desktop view layout from a plurality of layout configurations;

displaying the plurality of mining views; and

populating the selected desktop view layout with at least one of the plurality of mining views.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of mining views comprises at least two of a travel progress monitor view, an incident view, a hazards view, a key performance indicator view, and a health monitor view.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a safety check list corresponding to the displayed one or more mining views.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the computing device is in a low bandwidth location and adjusting an element of the first mining desktop for low bandwidth environments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of mining views comprises a view of the mining operation including mining layers and mining devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of mining views includes a live statistic of at least one statistic selected from a group comprising machine latency, active machines, inactive machines, and machine warnings.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mining desktop is one of a foreman desktop, a driver desktop, and a remote manager desktop.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the foreman desktop illustrates one or more of devices on assignment in the mining operation, an overall mining progress, production issues in the mining operation, driver production in the mining operation, and illustrates devices spatially in the mining operation.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying the foreman desktop on a portable device configured for multimedia data receive and display and further configured for text-only send.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the foreman desktop illustrates one or more of a production time line of the mining operation, and all available desktops in the mining operation.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the driver desktop illustrates one or more of hazards in a relevant range of the driver, incidents in the relevant range of the driver, zones in the mining operation to a driver, and work areas for the driver in the mining operation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the driver desktop is personalized for specific drivers.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the mining task is at least one selected from a group comprising a machine task, an operator task, a zone task, an incidents task, a hazards task, an users task, a jobs task, a desktops task, a map task, an automation task, a dashboards task and a health task.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the zone task further comprises managing zones including at least one from a zone group comprising an avoidance zone, a notify on entry zone or a notify on exit zone.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the zone applies to a specific machine class.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the map task further comprises at least one from a map group comprising viewing a site map, relocating a shutdown machine, importing a layer, managing imported layers, managing saved views, wherein relocating the shutdown machine comprises selecting the shutdown machine and placing the shutdown machine on a map.

18. A system for managing mining tasks at a mine comprising:

a mobile unit operating in a mining vehicle, which is one of a plurality of mining vehicles with a respective mobile unit;

at least one computer server including a hardware processor, a physical memory, and a network interface;

a network coupling the mobile unit to the at least one computer server;

the physical memory of the at least one computer server including a plurality of modules including software code that when executed on the hardware processor cause the at least one computer server to;

receive information from the mobile unit via the network and the network interface, the information including location data and status data for the mining vehicle;

present a workflow process selected from a plurality of workflow processes on a display of the at least one computer server, each workflow process defining presentation of at least a portion of the information received via the network using a mining desktop; and

present the mining desktop indicating a status of one of the mine and the mining vehicle.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the physical memory further contains a code module that when executed on the hardware processor causes the at least one computer server to:

set an alarm condition based on the information received from the mobile unit responsive to a trigger set via the workflow process.

20. A method of presenting mining data related to a mining operation at a mine, the method comprising:

executing, via a processor of a computer, a first workflow process to identify mining zones on a map of the mine, the mining zones corresponding to one or more of a hazard zone, a speed zone, an avoidance zone, a notify on entry zone, and a notify on exit zone;

executing, via the processor of the computer, a second workflow process to define a mining desktop incorporating mining vehicle location and status data received from a mining vehicle via a wireless network;

displaying, via a display of a computer, a mining desktop including at least an indication of a location of the mining vehicle and a status of the mining vehicle.