Method and apparatus for determining position of mining machine

• US 6,898,503 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sandvik Tamrock Oy (Sandvik AB)
• Original Assignee: Sandvik Tamrock Oy (Sandvik AB)
• Inventors: Mäkelä, Hannu, Von Numers, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/704,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20040138799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/29, 701/33, 332/88, 332/031.8, 299/1.3, 318/580
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for determining the position of a mining machine as its wheels skid with respect to the underlying surface. In the method, at least one detector detecting the operation of transmission detects skidding of at least one wheel with respect to the underlying surface, whereupon determination of the position by means of the rotation of the wheels and the direction of travel is interrupted. The apparatus includes at least one detector for detecting the operation of the transmission, the detector detecting the skidding of at least one wheel with respect to the underlying surface.

Claims

1. A method for determining position of a mining machine during skidding of at least one of the machine'"'"'s wheels with respect to the underlying surface, the method comprising:

determining the position of the mining machine during its normal movement by measuring the distance the machine has moved in proportion to the rotation of the wheels and the direction in which the machine moves,

further determining the position of the machine at suitable intervals over the route along which the machine is moving by determining profiles of wall surfaces surrounding the machine and by comparing the obtained wall surface profiles with wall profiles of corresponding points stored in a memory of control equipment of the mining machine, and correcting, if required, the position data obtained from the rotary motion of the wheels and the directions of travel of the machine by using the position data obtained from the determination of the wall profiles,

detecting, during movement of the mining machine, skidding of at least one wheel of the machine with respect to the underlying surface by at least one detector,

detecting the operation of the transmission of the mining machine,

interrupting the determination of the position of the machine by means of the rotation of the wheels and the direction of travel of the machine from the moment the skidding is detected for the entire duration of the skidding, and

determining the position of the machine solely by determining the profile of at least one wall surface surrounding the machine and by comparing the obtained wall surface profile to the stored profiles of the known wall surfaces surrounding the machine.

2. A method according to claim 1, including measuring said wall surface profile before detecting the skidding of said at least one wheel with respect to the underlying surface.

3. A method according to claim 1, including interrupting the measurement of the position of the mining machine by means of the rotary motion of the wheels and the direction of travel substantially immediately after said wall surface profile has been measured and the position of the machine has been determined based on the measured profile.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mining machine is a loader, and said wall surface profile is determined after the machine has arrived at the loading site and a gear system of the machine'"'"'s transmission equipment has been switched to a predetermined gear while the loader is moving straight forward.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein after the position of the mining machine with respect to said wall profile has changed in a predefined manner, said wall profile with respect to the machine is redetermined at this point, and the wall profile thus determined becomes the new reference profile used for determination of the position.

6. A method according to claim 5, including using the new wall surface profile as the reference profile after the mining machine has moved a predefined distance in the direction of travel.

7. A method according to claim 6, including determining the new wall surface profile after the mining machine has turned a predetermined angle from the direction of measurement of the original wall profile.

8. A method according to claim 5, including determining the new wall surface profile after the mining machine has turned a predetermined angle from the direction of measurement of the original wall profile.

9. A method according to claim 8, including measuring the turning angle of the mining machine with a gyroscope provided in the machine.

10. A method according to claim 1, including measuring the position of the mining machine by means of the rotary motion of the wheels and the direction of travel as soon as the machine starts moving in the return direction.

11. A method according to claim 1, including determining said wall surface profiles by a laser scanner.

12. A method according to claim 1, including measuring said wall surface profiles by a video camera and a computer connected thereto.

13. A method according to claim 1, including determining the position of a mining machine arranged to move automatically along a predetermined route.

14. A method according to claim 1, including storing the profiles of the wall surfaces surrounding the route of the mining machine by driving the machine manually through said route, storing the wall surface profiles determined during the drive in a memory, and using the stored wall surface profiles as reference surfaces in determination of the position of the mining machine.

20. A method according to claim 1, wherein said detecting skidding step includes detecting skidding by a sensor.

15. An apparatus for implementing the method according to claim l, the apparatus comprising control means for controlling a mining machine, the control means including means for determining the position of the mining machine by measuring the rotary motion of the wheels and the direction of travel of the machine, and measuring means for determining profiles of wall surfaces surrounding the route of the machine at least at predetermined intervals and for storing the profiles in a memory, and means for comparing the wall surface profiles measured during the movement of the machine with the wall surface profiles stored in the memory and for correcting the data on the position of the mining machine on the basis of the position data obtained from the comparison of the wall surface profiles, wherein the apparatus includes at least one detector, detecting the operation of the transmission, the detector detecting skidding of at least one wheel with respect to the underlying surface, and the control means is arranged to interrupt the determination of the position of the machine by means of the rotary motion of the wheels and the direction of travel of the mining machine as soon as the detector detects the skidding, and correspondingly to determine the position of the machine solely by comparing the wall surface profiles obtained from the measuring means with the wall surface profiles stored in the memory.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, including a gyroscope provided in the mining machine for measuring the direction in which the machine is turning and for taking the measured direction into account in determination of the position of the machine.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the control means are arranged to determine said wall surface profile with respect to the position of the mining machine by means of the measuring means after the machine has moved a predefined distance forward with respect to said wall surface and/or turned an angle equaling a predetermined angle from the original direction of travel, and to store the obtained wall surface profile as the new reference profile in the memory of the control means.

18. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control means are arranged to determine said wall surface profile with respect to the position of the mining machine by means of the measuring means after the machine has moved a predefined distance forward with respect to said wall surface and/or turned an angle equaling a predetermined angle from the original direction of travel, and to store the obtained wall surface profile as the new reference profile in the memory of the control means.

19. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said at least one detector comprises a sensor.