Determination of routes for arranging automatic control of mobile mining machine

• US 8,694,193 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sandvik Mining and Construction OY (Sandvik AB)
• Original Assignee: Sandvik Mining and Construction OY (Sandvik AB)
• Inventors: Mkel, Hannu, Lehtinen, Antti, Ruokojrvi, Jarkko, Sievil, Jouni
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Application Number:
  US13/379,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20120095639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/23, 701/25, 701/26, 701/410, 701/413, 701/424, 701/425, 701/426, 701/430, 105/161
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 13/025 Shuttle cars
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of determining routes for arranging automatic control of a mobile mining machine. A return route is determined computer-aidedly for the mining machine on the basis of data concerning a route taught by driving by executing, by a data processing device configured for generating return routes, at least the following steps: determining a route identifier for the return route, determining as route points of the return route at least some of the route points of the drive route in a reverse order, wherein when determining route point data of the return route on the basis of the route point data of the drive route, deleting additional control data associated with one or more route points of the drive route, and storing the data determining the return route to be used for automatically controlling the mining machine.

Claims

1. A method of determining routes for arranging automatic control of a mobile mining machine, the method comprising teaching to the mining machine, for the purpose of performing a task, a drive route by driving the mining machine from a starting point of the drive route to an end point thereof, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a return route for the mining machine computer-aidedly on the basis of data concerning said drive route taught by driving by executing, by a data processing device configured for generating the return route, the following steps;

determining a route identifier for the return route,

determining as route points of the return route at least some of the route points of the drive route in a reverse order, wherein when determining route point data of the return route on the basis of the route point data of the drive route, deleting additional control data associated with one or more route points of the drive route,

adding to the return route additional control data, the additional control data including control data that differs from control data associated with one or more route points of the drive route, and

storing the data determining the return route and the additional control data to be used for automatically controlling the mining machine.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein additional control data for at least at one route point of the return route includes at least one of bucket position data, gear data, steering angle data, and data of a position of a boom or lifting arm.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising determining the data of the route points of the return route on the basis of route point data copied from the drive route by determining, as position data of the route points of the return route, position data of the route points of the drive route in a reverse order with respect to the route points of the drive route, by deleting the bucket position data associated with one or more route points of the drive route, and by storing the route point data as a data file determining the return route.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising determining a curvature for the path determined by a set of route points of the return route, and

determining a speed for each route point of the return route on the basis of the determined path curvature.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising adding to the return route at least one new route point by determining the position of the route point on the basis of a user'"'"'s input and an environment model.

6. An apparatus comprising a data processing device for determining route data for automatically controlling a mobile mining machine, wherein to the mining machine for carrying out a task a drive route is taught by driving the mining machine from a starting point of the drive route to an end point thereof wherein the data processing device is configured to determine a return route for the mining machine computer-aidedly on the basis of data concerning the drive route computer-aidedly, the data processing device being configured to:

determine a route identifier for the return route,

determine as route points of the return route at least some of the route points of the drive route in a reverse order, wherein when determining route point data of the return route on the basis of the route point data of the drive route, additional control data associated with one or more route points of the route are deleted,

add to the return route additional control data, the additional control data including control data that differs from control data associated with one or more route points of the drive route, and

store the data determining the return route and the additional control data to be used for automatically controlling the mining machine.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein additional control data for at least at one route point of the return route includes at least one of bucket position data, gear data, steering angle data, and data of a position of a boom or lifting arm.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine data of the route points of the return route on the basis of route data copied from the drive route by determining, as position data of the route points of the return route, position data of the route points of the drive route in a reverse order with respect to the route points of the drive route, by deleting the bucket position data associated with one or more route points of the drive route, and by storing the route point data as a data file determining the return route.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine a curvature for the path determined by a set of route points of the return route, and

the apparatus is configured to determine a speed for each route point of the return route on the basis of the determined path curvature.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the apparatus is configured to add to the return route at least one new route point by determining the position of the route point on the basis of a user'"'"'s input and an environment model.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine a curvature for the path determined by a set of route points of the return route, and

the apparatus is configured to determine a speed for each route point of the return route on the basis of the determined path curvature.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to add to the return route at least one new route point by determining the position of the route point on the basis of a user'"'"'s input and an environment model.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine data of the route points of the return route on the basis of route data copied from the drive route by determining,. as position data of the route points of the return route, position data of the route points of the drive route in a reverse order with respect to the route points of the drive route, by deleting the bucket position data associated with one or more route points of the drive route, and by storing the route point data as a data file determining the return route.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine a curvature for the path determined by a set of route points of the return route, and

the apparatus is configured to determine a speed for each route point of the return route on the basis of the determined path curvature.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the apparatus is configured to add to the return route at least one new route point by determining the position of the route point on the basis of a user'"'"'s input and an environment model.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine a curvature for the path determined by a set of route points of the return route, and

the apparatus is configured to determine a speed for each route point of the return route on the basis of the determined path curvature.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the apparatus is configured to add to the return route at least one new route point by determining the position of the route point on the basis of a user'"'"'s input and an environment model.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the apparatus is configured to add to the return route at least one new route point by determining the position of the route point on the basis of a user'"'"'s input and an environment model.

19. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus is a mine device.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a computer program for controlling a processing unit,

wherein the computer program comprises instructions for execution by the processing unit that determine a return route for a mining machine based on data from a drive route,

wherein the instructions comprise the following steps;

determining a route identifier for the return route,

determining as route points of the return route at least some route points of the drive route in a reverse order, wherein when determining route point data of the return route on the basis of route point data of the drive route, deleting additional control data associated with one or more route points of the drive route,

adding to the return route additional control data, the additional control data including control data that differs from control data associated with one or more route points of the drive route, and

storing the data determining the return route to be used for automatically controlling the mining machine.