Method and apparatus for automatically controlling a mining machine

• US 5,310,249 A
• Filed: 03/08/1993
• Issued: 05/10/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atlas Copco Robbins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Z C Mines Pty Limited
• Inventors: Boyd, Robert J., Moore, John G., Dollinger, Gerald L., Hartman, Thomas M., Turner, John, Sugden, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David J.
• Application Number:
  US08/027,828
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 299/1.05, 299/1.1, 299/1.2, 299/1.3, 299/1.4, 299/10, 299/30, 299/31, 299/73, 175/24, 175/27, 173/4, 173/5, 173/6, 173/7
• US Class Current: 299/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: E21D 9/1013 on a tool-carrier supported by a movable boom
• CPC Class Codes: E21D 9/108 Remote control specially adapted for machines for driving tunnels or galleries for machines for slitting or completely freeing the mineral E21C35/24
• CPC Class Codes: E21D 9/1093 Devices for supporting, advancing or orientating the machine or the tool-carrier measuring devices for guiding machines E21D9/003; anchoring in the borehole E21B4/18

Abstract

Mining apparatus is disclosed in which a cutting wheel supporting a plurality of roller-cutters rotates about a horizontal axis and is supported on a slewing boom for cutting a tunnel with a flat floor and roof and elliptical walls as it slews across a mining face. The slewing boom is supported on a main beam assembly, the front end of which rests on powered crawler tracks and the rear end of which passes through a gripper assembly which may be clamped between the floor and roof of the tunnel, and against which the main beam assembly may be urged forward for engaging the roller-cutters with the mining face. A preload crawler is urged against the roof of the tunnel above the powered crawler tracks to locate the main beam assembly rigidly relative to the tunnel such that the roller-cutters may cut the rock in the mining face with minimal loss of cutting force due to vibration. Apparatus for automatically controlling one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate and cutter slew rate, which includes a sensor for sensing a given mining machine parameter, a processor for processing the given mining machine parameter to provide one or more of an optimum cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate or cutter slew rate value, and a controller for controlling one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate and cutter slew rate based on the derived optimum value.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a mobile mining machine of the type having a cutting wheel rotatable about a horizontal axis by wheel drive means and traversable across a mining face in order to maximize its mined output including selectively controlling the kerf depth and kerf spacing such that the kerf ratio of kerf depth to kerf spacing approaches the optimum value for the rock being cut by continuously monitoring a sensing mining machine parameter and altering one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate, cutting wheel speed, and cutter slew rate based on one or more of a predetermined optimum cutter penetration depth value, a predetermined optimum cutter penetration rate value, a predetermined optimum cutting wheel speed value and a predetermined optimum cutter slew rate value derived from said sensed mining machine parameter.

2. Apparatus for automatically controlling one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate, and the cutter slew rate of a mining machine which includes a rotatable cutterhead having cutters and a boom assembly causing slewing of the cutterhead and a plunge assembly causing plunging of the cutterhead relative to the mining machine, said apparatus comprising:

means for sensing a given mining machine parameter;

means for processing said mining machine parameter to derive one or more of an optimum cutter penetration depth value, an optimum cutter penetration rate value, and an optimum cutter slew rate value;

controlling means for controlling one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate, and cutter slew rate based on one or more of said optimum cutter penetration depth value, on, said optimum cutter penetration rate value, and said optimum cutter slew rate value.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said optimum cutter slew rate value is based on said mining machine parameters from a previous entire slew and is employed during a current entire slew by said controlling means.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said optimum cutter slew rate value is a plurality of incremental values based on said mining machine parameters from increments of a prior slew, and one of said increments of said optimum cutter slew rate value is employed by said controlling means during each increment of a current slew that corresponds to an increment of the prior slew.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said optimum cutter slew rate value is a plurality of incremental values based on said mining machine parameters from prior increments of a current slew, and said optimum cutter slew rate value is employed during the next increment of the current slew by said controlling means.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said optimum cutter penetration rate value and said optimum cutter penetration depth value are based on said mining machine parameters from a previous plunge and are employed during a current plunge by said controlling means.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for sensing a given mining machine parameter comprises:

means for sensing boom swing position.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein means for sensing a given mining machine parameter comprises:

means for sensing beam position.

9. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for sensing a given mining machine parameter comprises:

means for sensing boom force.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for sensing a given mining machine parameter comprises:

sensor means for sensing swing cylinder force.

11. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for sensing a given mining machine parameter comprises:

means for sensing cutterhead motor amperage.

12. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for sensing a given mining machine parameter comprises:

means for sensing cutter force at a cutter.

13. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for processing said mining machine parameter derives said optimum cutter penetration value and said optimum cutter slew rate value based on average cutter normal force, cutter edge load and cutter head drive power.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said means for processing said mining machine parameter derives said average cutter normal force from average tangential force on the cutters and from average cutter coefficient.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said means for processing said mining machine parameter derives said average tangential force on the cutters from cutterhead torque, derives said average cutter coefficient from cutter penetration, derives said cutterhead torque from motor amperage, derives cutter penetration from plunge and slew angle, and derives slew angle from cylinder extension.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said means for processing said mining machine parameter derives said cutter edge load from tangential force on the cutters and cutter penetration.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said means for processing said mining machine parameter derives said tangential force on the cutters from cutterhead torque, derives cutterhead torque from motor amperage, derives cutter penetration from plunge and slew angle, and derives slew angle from cylinder extension.

18. A method for automatically controlling one or more cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate, and the cutter slew rate of a mining machine which includes a rotatable cutterhead having cutters, a boom assembly causing slewing of the cutterhead relative to the mining machine, a plunge assembly causing plunging of the cutterhead relative to the mining machine, sensing means, processing means, and controlling means, said method comprising the steps of:

sensing a given mining machine parameter with said sensing means;

processing said given mining machine parameter with said processing means to derive one or more of an optimum cutter penetration depth value, an optimum cutter penetration rate valve, and an optimum cutter slew rate value; and

controlling one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate, and cutter slew rate with said controlling means based on one or more of said optimum cutter penetration depth value, said optimum cutter penetration rate value, and on said slew rate value.

19. A method of controlling a mobile mining machine of the type having a cutting wheel rotatable about a horizontal axis by wheel drive means and traversable across a mining face by slewing means in order to maximize its mined output consistent with maintaining cutting power near a desired limit, including selectively controlling the kerf depth and kerf spacing such that the kerf ratio of kerf depth to kerf spacing approaches a predetermined value for the rock being cut by continuously monitoring a measure of cutting power or force and altering the speed of the slewing means to vary the traversing speed and thus the kerf spacing wherein said measure of cutting power or force is the wheel drive means power input, and a feedback control system is utilized to maintain said wheel drive means power near a predetermined maximum level.

20. A method of controlling a mobile mining machine as claimed in claim 19, further including providing force-measurement transducers for monitoring selected forces applied to said cutting wheel by the cutting process and utilizing the output from said force-measurement transducers to said feedback control for reducing the speed of said slewing means as required to maintain said selected forces below predetermined limits.

21. A method of controlling a mobile mining machine of the type having a cutting wheel rotatable about a horizontal axis by wheel drive means and traversable across a mining face by slewing means in order to maximize its mined output consistent with maintaining cutter wheel power near a desired limit, including selectively controlling the kerf depth and kerf spacing such that the kerf ratio of kerf depth to kerf spacing approaches a predetermined value for the rock being cut by continuously monitoring a measure of cutting power or force and altering the speed of the slewing means to vary the traversing speed and thus the kerf spacing and further including the monitoring of changes in rock properties transversely across a rock face by storing kerf-spacing information for a traverse of said cutting wheel and utilizing said kerf-spacing information to control the kerf spacing during successive traverses.