2018
MINING SOFTWARE
Caterpillar MineStar team
echnology is at the forefront of mining,
now more than ever. Caterpillar is certainly
no stranger to the mining industry, nor
technology systems. The company has a deep-
rooted history with innovative technology
systems that have changed the face of mining
over the past few decades. There are countless
individuals at Caterpillar that have contributed
to the Cat mining technology solutions of today,
but a key group of people have been involved
for literally decades, bringing early thoughts
and brainstormed ideas that began on paper to
life in mining applications. This group is
nominated for induction into the International
Mining Hall of Fame: Mining Software Category.
T
The inductees are Craig Koehrsen, Michael
Murphy, Chuck Sahm, Carl Hendricks, Claude
Aboujaoude, Jason Gough, Josh Bynon and the
late Chuck Boen. Together, this group has over
45 patents and 150 combined years of
technology innovation at Caterpillar.
From the early days of GPS and data
collection systems, these people revolutionised
the machine control and guidance sector with
the advent of the VIMS and Terrain systems
(formerly known as Computer Aided
Earthmoving System (CAES) and AQUILA Drill –
the latter work by 2015 Surface Mining inductee
Jonathan Peck). These early technologies
provided a foundation for Cat technology systems
today, including comprehensive surface and
underground automation technologies at work in
mine sites around the globe. These systems that
have now joined forces make up Cat MineStar, the
mining industry’s broadest and most
comprehensive suite of technology products on
the market today.
Nearly 30 years ago, a small group of three
people were tasked with revolutionising the way
data was captured and transferred on Cat
machines. This product, soon to be known as
VIMS™, was the first product to use Windows in
an off-board application as opposed to the very
popular DOS systems of the day. VIMS had more
computing power than the moon missions at
that time, and this cutting edge technology,
generations later, is still a foundational data
system on Cat mining machines today.
The use of GPS was the next major milestone
for Cat technology products. As one of the first
companies to utilise GPS in machine control
systems, Caterpillar was again leading the
industry with technology. Decades later,
information systems and bandwidth have
evolved tremendously and Caterpillar has been
ready to adapt that evolution every step of the
way. In 1996 Caterpillar debuted the first
autonomous truck at MINExpo. At the time the
mining industry was not ready for such a radical
change, so the team kept working to perfect the
system until the market was ready to adopt.
Showing just how far things have come,
Fortescue Metals Group will soon become the
first iron ore operation in the world to have a
fully autonomous haulage fleet with the first Cat
789D model trucks fitted with Autonomous
Haulage Technology (AHS) recently going into
operation at its Cloudbreak operation in
Western Australia, adding to the autonomous
fleets at its other sites. This builds on
Fortescue’s autonomy capability, which began in
2012 when the company was the first in the
world to deploy Caterpillar autonomous haulage
on a commercial scale. The conversion of
Fortescue’s fleet to autonomy across all its mine
sites in the Pilbara will see 175 Cat trucks fitted
with AHS by mid-2020.
determine if mining trucks are achieving
predicted speed on grades, as well as cycling
and waiting at the loader in predicted time
ranges. With this data, operation managers can
investigate possible causes behind delays – Are
rough or slippery roads or tight corners forcing
operators to slow down? Is rolling resistance
higher than planned? Is visibility poor due to
dust or obscured views? – and make the
necessary adjustments.
The Detect capability set of Cat MineStar
includes a range of object detection
technologies to enhance safety by guiding
operators as well as autonomous trucks. In its
fullest form, Detect offers proximity awareness,
in which machines communicate with machines
to ensure proper space is allowed at all times.
The Health capability set monitors and
records information from sensors on each
mining machine and reports anomalies. Of
course the system generates summary reports
that turn data into useful information, which
enables planned maintenance and repair
scheduling.
Application of MineStar extends to many
types of equipment. For instance, the dozer, so
associated with Caterpillar, is a hardworking
machine essential in a multitude of operations.
But many of these applications can be
hazardous to operators – like under highwalls,
near slides or pushing to underground feeders
in stockpiles. Even in stable environments, the
act of operating a dozer takes a toll. Operators
face continual full body vibration and regular
exposure to dust and sand.
More than autonomous trucks Caterpillar now offers, under the Command
capability set of MineStar, three different
remote control systems for dozers: line-of-sight,
teleremote and semi-autonomous, the latter
proven at working sites in the US and Australia
amongst others.
The Cat autonomous trucks system makes full
use of the Fleet capability set of MineStar. Fleet
is the scheduling-and-assignment and materials
tracking system that makes best use of
sophisticated algorithms, which are updated
with real time information, to determine the
optimum assignment and route of each truck. Of Cat Terrain for drilling is another capability
set of Cat MineStar. Terrain for drilling keeps
operators in the cab, improves drilling accuracy,
provides feedback on variations in bench
geology, tracks drill and operator productivity,
and allows remote, real-time supervision of
drilling activity and blast planning.
course the system also tallies and
reports production and productivity of
each asset. Fleet also is in use at many
mines using operator-controlled
trucks. In addition to optimising routes
and ensuring material goes to the right
place, Fleet has proven effective in
reducing shift-change delays and in
optimising refuelling schedules.
In addition, Fleet can simulate
mining truck productivity and estimate
cost per tonne on various haul road
profiles. Mines can use these tools to
A semi-autonomous system, Command for
underground automates the tramming functions
of LHDs. The operator can control one or more
machines from an office or remote location,
enhancing safety and optimising production
between multiple machines. And today, a fully
autonomous system for LHDs is available.
What has been achieved with MineStar is
quite remarkable. The capability sets – Fleet,
Terrain, Detect, Health and Command – can be
used in combination or individually to allow
operations the flexibility and scalability required
to be more productive, efficient and safe.
Supplement International Mining | JUNE 2019 HoF 5