DETERMING AN ACTIVITY OF A MOBILE MACHINE

• US 20150097412A1
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, David William
• Application Number:
  US14/049,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20150097412A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 299/1.05
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/264 Sensors and their calibration for indicating the position of the work tool
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/16 Methods of underground mining winning machines therefor E21C25/00 - E21C39/00; Layouts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 17/18 Special adaptations of signalling or alarm devices for mine lifts B66B; gas-sensitive devices per se G01N

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for determining an activity associated with a mobile machine in an underground mine, and a system (30) configured to perform the method. The method comprises communicating by a radio-frequency communication between a first ranging device (34) at a known location (35) within the mine and a second ranging device (36) located on the mobile machine (10). The method further comprises determining a position of the mobile machine (10) based at least on a time-based characteristic associated with the radio-frequency communication. The method further comprises identifying an activity of the mobile machine (10) based on the determined position in the mine (20).

Claims

1. A method for determining an activity associated with a mobile machine in an underground mine, the method comprising:

communicating by a radio-frequency communication between a first ranging device at a known location within the mine and a second ranging device located on the mobile machine;

determining a position of the mobile machine based at least on a time-based characteristic associated with the radio-frequency communication; and

identifying an activity of the mobile machine based on the determined position in the mine.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein

identifying the activity is based on a positional correlation between the determined position and an activity identifier from a plurality of activity identifiers associated with respective positions in the mine.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein

the determined position of the machine is a position of a portion of the mobile machine for carrying earth material;

and

determining the position of said portion of the mobile machine is based on said time-based characteristic and on orientation information associated with said portion, the orientation information being derived from at least one orientation sensing device located on the mobile machine.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of activity identifiers comprise:

one or more first activity identifiers corresponding to respective positions in the mine which are designated for loading earth material; and

wherein in the event that said determined position of the mobile machine positionally correlates with a first activity identifier, the activity is determined to be loading of the earth material.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises tracking movement of the mobile machine based on a time-based characteristic associated with subsequent radio frequency communications between the first and second signal devices;

and

wherein the plurality of activity identifiers further comprise one or more second activity identifiers corresponding to respective positions in the mine which are designated for dumping the earth material; and

in the event that a determined position of the mobile machine positionally correlates with a second activity identifier, the determined activity is dumping of the earth material.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein in the event that the mobile machine is stationary for longer than a predetermined time-period while said position of the mobile machine is not positionally correlated with a first or second position identifier, the mobile machine is determined to be inactive.

7. A method according to claim 1,

wherein the radio frequency communication comprises at least one round trip, each of the at least one round trips comprising:

transmitting a first radio frequency signal from one of first and second ranging devices, the first ranging device being at a known location in the mine and the second ranging device being on the mobile machine; and

receiving a radio frequency response signal from the other of the first and second ranging devices;

wherein the characteristic is a two-way time-of-flight.

8. A method according to claim 7, transmitting a first signal and transmitting a response signal each comprise transmitting data multiple times, wherein the data is coherently processed to determine the time of flight.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the method comprises determining the position from a plurality of determined two-way time-of-flights, for respective round-trip communications, using a Kalman filter.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the position of the mobile machine is further based on information derived from a motion sensor.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the position of the mobile machine is further based on information derived from a motion sensor, and wherein the position is determined from a plurality of determined time-of-flights, wherein the position is derived using a particle filter.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency communication is an ultra-wideband radio-frequency communication.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

performing a radio-frequency communication between the second ranging device and a third ranging device, the third ranging device being at another known location in the mine; and

determining the position of the mobile machine is additionally based on a time-based characteristic associated with the radio frequency communication between the second and third ranging devices.

14. A system for determining an activity associated with a mobile machine in an underground mine, the system comprising:

a first ranging device for positioning at a known location in the mine and a second ranging device for attaching to the mobile machine, the first and second ranging devices being configured to perform a radio-frequency communication therebetween;

a memory system for storing data defining a geographic frame of reference; and

a processing system configured to;

determine a position of the mobile machine based at least on a time-based characteristic associated with the radio-frequency communication; and

identify an activity of the mobile machine based on the determined position in the mine by determining a positional correlation between the determined position of the mobile machine and an activity identifier from a plurality of activity identifiers associated with respective positions in the mine, the positional correlation being determined with respect to the stored data defining a geographic frame of reference.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein

identifying the activity comprises is based on a positional correlation between the determined position of the mobile machine and said activity identifier from a plurality of activity identifiers.

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein:

the system further comprises an orientation sensing device located on the mobile machine for determining orientation information associated with a portion of the mobile machine for carrying the earth material;

the determined position of the machine is a determined position of said portion of the mobile machine; and

the processing system is configured to determine the position of said portion of the mobile machine based on said time-based characteristic and on the orientation information associated with said portion of the mobile machine.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of activity identifiers comprise:

one or more first activity identifiers corresponding to respective positions in the mine which are designated for loading earth material; and

wherein in the event that said determined position of the mobile machine positionally correlates with a first activity identifier, the activity is determined to be loading of the earth material.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of activity identifiers further comprise one or more second activity identifiers corresponding to respective positions in the mine which are designated for dumping the earth material;

and

the processing system is further configured to track movement of the mobile machine based at least a time-based characteristic associated with subsequent radio frequency communications between the first and second signal devices;

wherein in the event that a determined position of the mobile machine positionally correlates with a second activity identifier, the activity is determined to be dumping of the earth material.

19. A system according to claim 14, wherein the first ranging device and second ranging device are ultra-wideband ranging devices, and the characteristic is a two-way time-of-flight.

20. A method for determining a plurality of activities associated with a mobile machine in an underground mine, the method comprising:

performing a first radio-frequency communication comprising at least one round trip communication, each of the at least one round-trips comprising;

transmitting a first radio frequency signal from one of first and second ranging devices, the first ranging device being at a known location in the mine and the second ranging device being on the mobile machine;

receiving a radio frequency response signal from the other of the first and second ranging devices;

determining a first position of the second ranging device based at least on a time-of-flight associated the first radio-frequency communication;

receiving first orientation information associated with a bucket portion of the mobile machine from an orientation sensing device located on the mobile machine;

determining a first activity based on the determined position and the received first orientation information; and

performing a second first radio-frequency communication comprising at least one round trip communication, each of the at one least round-trips comprising;

transmitting a second radio frequency signal from one of second and third ranging devices, the third ranging device being at another known location in the mine;

receiving a second ultra-wideband radio frequency response signal from the other of the second and third ranging devices;

determining a second position of the second ranging device based at least on a time-of-flight associated with the second radio-frequency communication;

receiving second orientation information associated with the bucket from the orientation sensing device located on the mobile machine;

determining a second activity based on the second determined position and the received second orientation information.