IM 2020 April 20 | Page 66

FLEET AUTOMATION AHS access Paul Moore spoke to the two leading global truck OEM providers of mining AHS solutions plus the two leading independent or “agnostic” players to get a true perspective of the market o get a true picture of the world of AHS in mining fleets, IM spoke to the leaders on a range of questions: the market, the technologies and the business cases. First up was Gary Cook, Commercial Manager – Surface Autonomy, MineStar Solutions at Caterpillar. As of February 2020, Caterpillar had more than 275 autonomous mining trucks running with 65.4 million kilometers travelled. Caterpillar customers have hauled more than 2 billion tonnes autonomously with Command for hauling. But he highlighted also that its customers have had n0 lost-time injuries associated with the operation of the trucks and added: “While customers have a variety of reasons for adopting technology, the two primary reasons are safety and productivity improvements, which in the end lower their total cost of production.” As far as improvements made since the first adopters, Cook says the Cat Command for hauling system continues to improve with each release. “We have an improved LIDAR, allowing us to detect obstacles better and run faster. We have two software releases per year and each release contains improvements based on customer feedback and operational observations by our on-site run teams. We continue to invest to improve the system and to deliver the safest and most efficient system available.” Asked about the maintenance strategy for an AHS truck, Cook says this is similar to a manually operated one. “There are a few more checks required for the technology layer, but that work is conducted during base machine maintenance. Maintenance on AHS trucks is conducted more frequently than on manually operated trucks due T 62 International Mining | APRIL 2020 to the higher utilisation of the automated machines. AHS trucks operate for more hours during a shift, have less idle time, and operate at higher average rates – which all contribute to greater productivity.” Trucks aside, Cook says they are already seeing remote control for excavators and wheel loaders, but full automation is not imminent. “Customer business drivers will ultimately determine how quickly ancillary equipment such as water trucks, wheel dozers and graders will become fully automated.” Another interesting aspect is how Caterpillar works with its dealers in AHS implementation and delivery. “Caterpillar dealers definitely share experiences with Command for hauling. We’ve held several technology events in Tucson that enable education and collaboration among both U&M is a pioneer in the contract mining world by pressing ahead with its own AHS solution on a Cat 777 truck (pictured), already proven at two customer sites in trials. Now it is going bigger with AHS applied on a Komatsu 730E dealers and customers. There is also extensive training for dealers on how to maintain the technology layer. These machines are sensor driven machines and require a broad understanding of the mechanical side as well as technology side to maintain them. Caterpillar provides dealers training through simulation schools and virtual reality sessions. In these sessions we can introduce faults or errors in the system for individuals to troubleshoot. This hands-on approach helps build muscle memory to quickly solve problems in the field.” In set-up terms, Cat Command for hauling system does require use of Cat Fleet for the FMS and Cat has network specifications along with Caterpillar validated networks that it shares with dealers and potential customers. Cook says Cat is in the process of validating LTE at its proving grounds near Tucson, Arizona and will be testing at a customer site soon. “We want to fully understand how the network will function in the multitude of situations and applications at a mine site before we introduce the functionality.” Moving on to the other big mining truck OEM and AHS solution provider, Komatsu, IM asked the company to compare an early autonomous truck from Codelco Gaby from the late 2000s to an AHS truck delivered today. The company cited improvements to safety systems and processes to reduce operational errors, improvements in vehicle integration (ie mixed fleet, manual and autonomous), improvements in navigation technology, single constellation GPS moving to multi-constellation GNSS, Improvements in communications technology, and 802.11b Wi-Fi moving to high-bandwidth mesh to 4G LTE. Talking V2X, Komatsu agreed it is becoming an increasingly important technology, and said As of February 2020, Caterpillar had more than 275 autonomous mining trucks running with 65.4 million kilometers travelled