FATIGUE MONITORING & COLLISION AVOIDANCE
standard license-free frequencies, as well as in
the licensed 5.9 GHz dedicated short-range
communications (DSRC) frequency spectrum,
which prioritises safety over non-safety
applications, and is designed to perform in
extreme weather conditions including rain, fog,
snow, and heat. Modular and its customers will
also benefit from DENSO’s future product
enhancements and innovations as safety
technologies evolve.
“Combining Modular’s leading solutions with
DENSO’s V2V technology, including dedicated
short range communications (DSRC), will put the
latest advances from global intelligent
transportation systems into mines,” said Roger
Berg, Vice President, North America Research and
Development at DENSO. “The applications for
V2V technology extend far beyond automotive,
and we are confident our collaboration with
Modular will improve the mining environment
and contribute to safety in mines.”
DENSO, headquartered in Kariya, Japan, is a
leading global automotive supplier of advanced
technology, systems and components in the
areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics
and information and safety.
On current progress, Modular told IM: “We
have had much success and interest from CAS
after showcasing it at Mining Indonesia,
Exposibram and Expomineria, and have a number
of deployments worldwide. We believe that use
of the DSRC (Direct Short-Range
Communications) standard for vehicle-to-vehicle
communications is a game changer, as it allows
for the interoperability between systems that
mines are looking for. In addition to our collision
awareness system, Modular has also been
working closely with Komatsu on an active
control solution.”
Safety innovation from Hexagon
Truck-based safety systems, such as radars, warn
drivers of potential collisions, but they do not
acknowledge or alert people on the ground.
Personal Alert from Hexagon Mining the company
says bridges this gap and adds an important
layer of safety to traditional safety suites.
Personal Alert will be released in early 2018. It is
a small accident-avoidance device worn by field
personnel. Using Time of Flight technology in the
Ultra-Wide Band frequency, Personal Alert
communicates with a system of detectors
anchored to vehicles equipped with Hexagon
Mining’s Collision Avoidance System (CAS).
Anyone working around heavy machinery will
now be visible using Personal Alert. Operators
will “see” anyone within 50 m of their vehicle,
thus eliminating blind spots.
Similarly, in the busy, noisy environment
synonymous with mining equipment, personnel
wearing a Personal Alert tag will be alerted to
vehicles close by. Faced with imminent danger,
pedestrians are now
empowered to act,
regardless of the vehicle
operator.
Hexagon Mining has
also integrated fleet
management and
with
collision avoidance in
the latest release of its
Jigsaw FMS. Operators
and dispatchers are now
connected in real-time
A DYNAMIC, REAL-TIME COLLISION DETECTION SYSTEM
by using one interface
for two real-time
DYNAMIC
systems. Safety and
EXCLUSION ZONES
productivity are
OUTER BOUNDARY
improved because heavy
WARNING
and light vehicles are
PEER TO PEER
now seen and heard, no
DETECTION
matter their location in
FIXED
INFRASTRUCTURE
the mine.
WARNING
Jigsaw users can
USE ON ANY ASSET
expect
an improved user
(MACHINE, PERSON,
OBJECT)
experience, greater
oversight for
dispatchers, and quicker
communication of vital
SmartTech Australia
safety and operations
P +61 7 3216 0366
data. Users can make
E [email protected]
W SmartTechAustralia.com
sense of that data for
HOW CAN YOU AVOID
WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE?
46 International Mining | JANUARY 2018
Hexagon Mining’s Personal Alert
greater insight into how operator behaviour,
environmental conditions, and road conditions
affect mine safety and productivity.
The integration means an improved user
experience, greater oversight for dispatchers, and
quicker communication of vital safety and
operations data. Client demand for data about
safety incidents and their effect on productivity,
prompted the release of a consolidated system.
Besides anti-collision alerts, for which CAS is
used in more than 25,000 mine vehicles
worldwide, the latest version also alerts for
rollovers, potential obstacles, and over-speeding.
CAS symbols are integrated into the Jigsaw
platform so that users of both systems require
minimal training during the transition.
IM has already reported in some detail
previously on HxGN Mine VIS from Hexagon, a
new vehicle intervention system that detects and
prevents collisions by automatically slowing
down or even stopping a haul truck if an
imminent collision is detected. HxGN Mine VIS is
now being installed at Kumba Iron Ore, well in
advance of RSA government regulations that will
mandate mine operators to install vehicle
intervention technology by June 2019.
Wenco and V2X
The V2X collision avoidance system is being
supplied by Wenco but its development has been
a collaboration between Wenco and Yokohama
Research Labs, which is a division of Hitachi Ltd.
It’s actually based on the vehicle-to-vehicle
system for automobiles they developed, so
Wenco started working with them.
Wenco also added asset tracking to the V2X
platform. So, vehicles that are not running
Wencolite or Wencomine FMS already can add a
box to any other equipment they want to track.
They can use it for asset tracking only or they can
combine it with V2X. It turns the box into a low-
cost solution to track any vehicle on site and
provide collision avoidance as well. Any