Method for automatically guiding a mining machine

• US 7,191,060 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sandvik Tamrock Oy (Sandvik AB)
• Original Assignee: Sandvik Tamrock Oy (Sandvik AB)
• Inventors: Makela, Hannu
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/232,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 701/71, 701/23, 701/202, 701/301, 701/209, 701/201, 701/213, 701/214, 701/300, 180/167, 318/587
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287

Abstract

A method for automatically guiding a mining machine (14) provided with a route determined as successive route determined as successive route points in the mine. In the method, data relating to the successive points are used for determining additional route between the successive route points for guiding the mining machine (14).

Claims

1. A method for automatically guiding a mining machine, comprising:

determining a route needed by a mining machine as successive points in a coordinate system fixed in relation to the mine;

determining a location of the mining machine on the route using at least one positioning device provided in the mining machine;

wherein on the basis of information relating to the route points already determined in the coordinate system, additional points are determined between the successive route points for guiding the mining machine, each additional point being provided at least with location coordinates determined on the basis of the coordinate values of the already determined points located on both sides of the additional point to be determined.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one parameter having an impact on the guidance of the mining machine is determined for each route point and that on the basis of the already determined parameter data, corresponding parameter data are determined for each additional point.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the route points is transmitted preferably wirelessly from the control system of the mine to the control equipment of the mining machine, the mining machine control equipment then determining a necessary number of additional points, with the required parameters, and guided the mining machine to travel on the predetermined route according to the determined route points and additional route points.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the mining machine control equipment determines a necessary number of additional points, with the required parameters, on the basis of the data stored in its memory on the coordinates and parameters of the route in question.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the route is determined as interconnected successive segments stored in the memory of the control system of the mine, that each segment is determined as successive route points located at a distance from one another, and that the mining machine control equipment guides the machine to travel on the route determined with the segments.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the route points of the segments and at least their coordinates are stored in advance in the memory of the mining machine control equipment and that the route is determined by supplying only the identifiers of the route segments to the mining machine.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein each point is provided with information determining the direction of movement possible at that point and at least one other value of a parameter determining the operation of the mining machine.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein one parameter determining the operation of the mining machine is the maximum allowed speed and that the control equipment of the mining machine determines the speed of the machine on the basis of a target speed set for the machine, taking into account the speed values of each route point or additional route point.