Extracting mined ore, minerals or other materials using sensor-based sorting
First Claim
1. A mining apparatus comprising:
- a chassis;
an articulable arm operably coupled to the chassis;
a bucket rotatably connected to the arm and defining an interior cavity,wherein the bucket is configured to receive ore comprising one or more minerals;
an electromagnetic sensor system associated with the bucket for collecting data related to the ore,wherein the electromagnetic sensor system comprises at least one active sensor coupled to the bucket, andwherein the electromagnetic sensor system is configured to;
generate source signals,apply the source signals to the at least one active sensor, andcollect a response to the source signals from the at least one active sensor in the presence of the ore; and
a data analysis system communicatively coupled to the electromagnetic sensor system and configured to;
compare the response of the at least one active sensor in the presence of the ore to the response of at least one reference sensor not in the presence of the ore, andanalyze the data to determine a content of the one or more minerals in the ore; and
a decision support system coupled to the data analysis system configured to provide an output related to sorting and processing ore in response to the content of the one or more minerals, the decision support system comprising a user interface and the user interface is configured to display a recommended action based on the content of the one or more minerals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of analyzing minerals received within a mining shovel bucket includes collecting data associated with ore received in the bucket, where the bucket includes at least one active sensor, where the ore includes one or more mineral, and where the ore is within a field of the active sensor. The method further includes determining a content of the minerals using the data, transmitting information relating to the content of the minerals to a decision support system, and sorting or processing the ore based on an output of the decision support system. Collecting data associated with the ores may include generating source signals, applying the source signals to the active sensor, collecting a response from the active sensor, and comparing the response with a reference or threshold. Other features are disclosed.
36 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A mining apparatus comprising:
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a chassis; an articulable arm operably coupled to the chassis; a bucket rotatably connected to the arm and defining an interior cavity, wherein the bucket is configured to receive ore comprising one or more minerals; an electromagnetic sensor system associated with the bucket for collecting data related to the ore, wherein the electromagnetic sensor system comprises at least one active sensor coupled to the bucket, and wherein the electromagnetic sensor system is configured to; generate source signals, apply the source signals to the at least one active sensor, and collect a response to the source signals from the at least one active sensor in the presence of the ore; and a data analysis system communicatively coupled to the electromagnetic sensor system and configured to; compare the response of the at least one active sensor in the presence of the ore to the response of at least one reference sensor not in the presence of the ore, and analyze the data to determine a content of the one or more minerals in the ore; and a decision support system coupled to the data analysis system configured to provide an output related to sorting and processing ore in response to the content of the one or more minerals, the decision support system comprising a user interface and the user interface is configured to display a recommended action based on the content of the one or more minerals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of analyzing minerals received within a mining bucket, comprising:
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collecting data associated with ore received in the bucket; wherein the ore includes one or more mineral, wherein the bucket includes at least one active sensor; wherein the ore is within a field of the at least one active sensor, and wherein collecting data associated with the ores comprises; generating source signals, applying the source signals to the at least one active sensor, collecting a response to the source signals from the at least one active sensor, and comparing the response of the at least one active sensor with a reference or threshold; determining a content of the one or more mineral using the data, transmitting information relating to the content of the one or more mineral to a decision support system comprising a user interface; sorting or processing the ore based on an output of the decision support system in response to the transmitted information relating to the content of the one or more minerals; and determining a recommended action based on the content of the minerals, and displaying the recommended action on the user interface. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of extracting materials, comprising:
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collecting mineral ore; classifying the mineral ores into a first group, a second group, and a waste group based on a grade of the mineral ore, wherein the first group has a higher grade than the second group, wherein the second group has a higher grade than the waste group; preparing each of the first group and the second group for sorting, wherein the preparing comprises separating, based on particle size, the first group and the second group into first subgroups and second subgroups, wherein the first subgroups have a smaller size particle size than the second subgroups, wherein the preparing further comprises coarse crushing and wet size classification; diverting the first subgroup of the first group and the first subgroup of the second group into a final product group; sorting the second subgroup of the first group into a first sub-subgroup and a second sub-subgroup based on grade, wherein the first sub-subgroup of the second subgroup of the first group has a higher grade than the second sub-subgroup of the second subgroup of the first group; diverting the first sub-subgroup of the second subgroup of the first group into the final product group; combining the second sub-subgroup of the second subgroup of the first group with the second subgroup of the second group to form a combined group; sorting the combined group into a first group and a second group based on grade, wherein the first group has a higher grade than the second group; diverting the first group of the combined group into the final product group; and diverting the second group of the combined group into the waste group.
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18. A mining apparatus comprising:
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a chassis; an articulable arm operably coupled to the chassis; a bucket rotatably connected to the arm and defining an interior cavity, wherein the bucket is configured to receive ore comprising one or more minerals; an electromagnetic sensor system associated with the bucket for collecting data related to the ore, wherein the electromagnetic sensor system comprises at least one active sensor coupled to the bucket, wherein the bucket comprises a first sidewall and a second sidewall, wherein the at least one active sensor comprises a plurality of active sensors, and wherein at least one active sensor is coupled to the first sidewall and at least one active sensor is coupled to the second sidewall, wherein the electromagnetic sensor system is configured to; generate source signals, apply the source signals to the at least one active sensor, and collect a response to the source signals from the at least one active sensor in the presence of the ore; and a data analysis system communicatively coupled to the electromagnetic sensor system and configured to; compare the response of the at least one active sensor in the presence of the ore to the response of at least one reference sensor not in the presence of the ore, and analyze the data to determine a content of the one or more minerals in the ore; and a decision support system coupled to the data analysis system configured to provide an output related to sorting and processing ore in response to the content of the one or more minerals.
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Specification