Method and system for preemptive load weight for mining excavating equipment

• US 8,755,977 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Large Drives LLC
• Original Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Furem, Kenneth, Robertson, Daniel W., Jaeger, Julian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US13/919,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20140088838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 701/50, 702/173, 702/174, 373/48, 373/79, 374/44, 703/2
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 67/04 Loading land vehicles loading or unloading boats to or from land vehicles B60P3/10
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 1/00 General working methods with dredgers or soil-shifting machines methods for making embankments E02D17/18; methods for mining E21C
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/267 Diagnosing or detecting failure of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/08 for incorporation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/14 for weighing suspended loads G01G3/00 takes precedence; incorporation of weighing devices in cranes B66C1/40, B66C13/16

Abstract

Provided is a method and a system for preemptively determining a load weight for mining excavation equipment. Specifically, provided is a method in which an excavation surface is scanned to generate an excavation surface profile, an excavation plan is selected for the excavation surface profile, the excavation plan for the excavation surface profile is executed on the excavation surface utilizing a pre-emptive load weighing algorithm based on a plurality of drive signals of the mining excavation equipment, and a volume of a material to be excavated by the mining excavation equipment is determined based at least on the plurality of drive signals, the plurality of derivatives of drive signals, and the excavation surface profile.

Claims

1. A method for preemptively determining a load weight for mining excavation equipment, the method comprising:

scanning an excavation surface to generate an excavation surface profile;

selecting an excavation plan for the excavation surface profile;

executing the excavation plan for the excavation surface profile on the excavation surface utilizing a pre-emptive load weighting algorithm based on a plurality of drive signals of the mining excavation equipment; and

determining a volume of a material to be excavated by the mining excavation equipment based at least on the plurality of drive signals and the excavation surface profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scanning the excavation surface to generate an excavation surface profile comprises:

scanning an environment surrounding the excavation surface using a plurality of sensors; and

analyzing data generated by the plurality of sensors utilizing a pattern classification and recognition algorithm.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the scanning an environment surrounding the excavation surface using a plurality of sensors comprises:

determining a topography that may interfere with activity of the mining excavation equipment; and

determining one or more objects that may interfere with activity of the mining excavation equipment.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the pattern classification and recognition algorithm comprises at least one of:

a decision tree;

a Bayesian network;

a neural network;

a Gaussian process;

an independent component analysis;

a self-organized map;

or

a support vector machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting an excavation plan for the excavation surface profile comprises:

searching a database containing a plurality of predetermined excavation plans for one of more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile;

in response to identifying the one or more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile, calculating a likelihood of success for each of the one or more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile against the excavation surface profile; and

selecting an excavation plan having a highest calculated likelihood of success from the one of more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

re-assessing the excavation plan having the highest calculated likelihood of success by comparing the excavation plan having the highest calculated likelihood of success to past results from alternative digging procedures; and

storing in the database the excavation plan having the highest calculated likelihood of success in response to determining that results of executing the excavation plan having the highest calculated likelihood of success are superior to the past results from alternative digging procedures.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the selecting an excavation plan having a highest calculated likelihood of success from the one of more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile comprises:

in response to failing to identify one or more excavation plans in the database that match the excavation surface profile, generating an excavation plan based on the excavation surface profile for the excavation surface by;

subtracting an excavation trajectory equation from an excavation surface equation resulting in a difference equation;

determining intersection points of the difference equation using a quadratic formula; and

integrating the excavation surface with the intersection points as bounds; and

storing the generated excavation plan in the database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing the excavation plan for the excavation surface profile on the excavation surface utilizing a pre-emptive load weighting algorithm based on a plurality of drive signals of the mining excavation equipment comprises:

measuring the plurality of drive signals of the mining excavation equipment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the measuring the plurality of drive signals of the mining excavation equipment comprises:

measuring a hoist motor torque; and

measuring a hoist motor acceleration by comparing a first hoist motor speed associated with a first time to a second hoist motor speed associated with a second time, wherein the first time precedes the second time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a load of the material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment while the bucket is within the excavation surface by determining an effect of an excavating operation on at least one of the plurality of drive signals.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining a load of the material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment while the bucket is within the excavation surface comprises:

determining a position of the mining excavation equipment with respect to the excavation surface;

determining a derivative of a hoist motor speed;

determining a hoist position;

determining a crowd position; and

determining a position of the bucket.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining a load of the material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment while the bucket is within the excavation surface further comprises:

determining a decrease in the hoist motor speed relative to an amount of the material in the bucket of the mining excavation equipment while excluding a plurality of stall conditions based on determining a penetration depth into the excavation surface by the bucket.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an additional load of the material in the bucket of the mining excavation equipment as a consequence of the material falling into the bucket.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining an additional load of the material in the bucket of the mining excavation equipment comprises:

detecting, by a scanner, the material falling into the bucket; and

detecting an additional increase of the material in the bucket.

15. An apparatus for preemptively determining a load weight for mining excavation equipment, the apparatus comprising:

means for scanning an excavation surface to generate an excavation surface profile;

means for selecting an excavation plan for the excavation surface profile;

means for executing the excavation plan for the excavation surface profile on the excavation surface utilizing a pre-emptive load weighting algorithm based on a plurality of drive signals of the mining excavation equipment; and

means for determining a volume of a material to be excavated by the mining excavation equipment based at least on the plurality of drive signals and the excavation surface profile.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for selecting an excavation plan for the excavation surface profile comprises:

means for searching a database containing a plurality of predetermined excavation plans for one of more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile;

means for, in response to identifying the one or more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile, calculating a likelihood of success for each of the one or more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile against the excavation surface profile; and

means for selecting an excavation plan having a highest calculated likelihood of success from the one of more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for re-assessing the excavation plan having the highest calculated likelihood of success by comparing the excavation plan having the highest calculated likelihood of success to past results from alternative digging procedures; and

means for storing in the database the excavation plan having the highest calculated likelihood of success in response to determining that results of executing the excavation plan having the highest calculated likelihood of success are superior to the past results from alternative digging procedures.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for selecting an excavation plan having a highest calculated likelihood of success from the one of more excavation plans that match the excavation surface profile comprises:

in response to failing to identify one or more excavation plans in the database that match the excavation surface profile, means for generating an excavation plan based on the excavation surface profile for the excavation surface by;

subtracting an excavation trajectory equation from an excavation surface equation resulting in a difference equation;

determining intersection points of the difference equation using a quadratic formula; and

integrating the excavation surface with the intersection points as bounds; and

means for storing the generated excavation plan in the database.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for determining a load of the material in a bucket of the mining excavation equipment while the bucket is within the excavation surface by determining an effect of an excavating operation on at least one of the plurality of drive signals.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for determining an additional load of the material in the bucket of the mining excavation equipment as a consequence of the material falling into the bucket.