SLOPE STABILITY MONITORING
RIEGL ready for a remotely operated future
Thomas Gaisecker, RIEGL Manager Mining Business Divisions, says the company is ready to play
its part in the fully remotly operated digital mine. Its main hardware lines (RIEGL VZ-i Series and
RIEGL VZ-4000/6000 Terrestrial Laser Scanners) can be easily integrated in any network
infrastructure by using LAN, Wi-Fi, and LTE-interfaces. This enables fully remote operation of its
scanners. Furthermore, the RIEGL VZ-i Series scanners allow installation of customised apps for
automatic data-acquisition and processing to derive automatic real-time results without any user
interaction.
Three mining relevant apps have just been released, enabling RIEGL customers to make just in
time system-relevant critical decisions, based on the results of these apps. The apps are named
SlopeAngle App, DesignCompare App, and Monitoring App.
Gasisecker states: “To optimise the real-time information flow, a mine-network is essential.
Operators of mining machines get the results from the apps running on the RIEGL scanner in realtime
and can optimise their work.” User specific schedules for scan data acquisition can be defined
within all these apps. The SlopeAngle App delivers the calculated slope-angle from the scan-data.
Critical slope-angles can be highlighted to support the operator of loaders to keep the slopeangles
of stockpiles and dump-areas within the defined limits. The operators derive the
information from the scanner on a web-browser on any device, which is connected to the mine
network. No software installation or processing of the data is necessary. Everything is processed
automatically within the app on the scanner.
The DesignCompare App calculates over-cut and under-cut to a given design-model. "Operators
of heavy equipment like digging machines can optimise their work. This can save a lot of money.
Under-cut is a waste of money, while over-cut is a safety relevant issue."
Finally, the Monitoring App was developed to calculate change-detection to a given referencescan.
This allows detecting movements of highwalls long before a human observer can see
anything. Interpreting the trends of movements over a time-series of scans allows estimation of
possible wall-failures. This gives enough lead-time to evacuate people and remove machinery from
the endangered areas.
"Integrating the RIEGL hardware into the mine-network and making use of the brand-new
developed apps is the real next step towards the full digital mine. RIEGL hardware and firmware
architecture is also open for developers. Using python scripting and C++ programming every
software programmer can develop apps for the RIEGL VZ-i series scanners."
Lastly the company has introduced the new GeoTec Plugin for its postprocessing software
products RiSCAN PRO/RiMINING. "This plugin enables geotechnical analysis of scan data by
providing the necessary statistical tools within an easy to use graphical interface. Besides the
calculation of dip-direction and dip-angle of rockfaces it allows analysing of discontinuities by
creating pole-plots and colourising the scan-data by clusters of similar orientation. This gives
specialists a better understanding of stability, joints, and faults of the analysed rockfaces.”
Screenshot from RIEGL SlopeAngle App web-browser. Critical slope-angles over 70° are
highlighted; markers can be set interactively to monitor these points over a time-series of scans
is one more way to ensure everyone gets home
safely,” said Nick Hare, President of Hexagon’s
Mining division. “It’s also a great example of our
autonomous connected ecosystems strategy –
connecting previously siloed processes in one
platform that will save lives.”
The single platform is part of the newly
released HxGN MineProtect Collision Avoidance
System (CAS) 4.6. It means mines can now receive
real-time equipment visualisation with timely
alerts about hazardous areas for people and
machinery. Workers and equipment are protected
from injury-threatening events by being
forewarned of no-go-zones.
No-go zones are identified in IDS GeoRadar’s
IBIS Guardian software, which creates geofenced
zones and hazard maps and is correlated with
radar alarms. Guardian’s integration with CAS 4.6
and complementary HxGN MineProtect solutions,
Personal Alert and Tracking Radar, ensures that
alarms are automatically triggered when a no-go
zone is approached.
Vehicle drivers immediately know which zone
they should avoid because the zone is closed
automatically. Mine management also benefits. In
the past, a geo tech would need to call the
supervisor and the supervisor would visit the
specific field and close the road. This could take
from 30 minutes to a couple of hours.
“Guardian can now improve risk management
being integrated with the HxGN MineProtect
portfolio,” said IDS GeoRadar President, Alberto
Bicci. “Vehicles and machinery are visualized in
real time on the 3D radar displacement map and
consequently traffic management, based on
slope hazards, can be further optimised through
real-time monitoring data from our
complementary solutions, Hydra-X, IBIS-FM and
IBIS-ArcSAR.”
Maptek laser tech ups safety at
Letšeng
Maptek says it laser scanner technology is ideal
for volumetric survey, geological and geotechnical
data analysis, and tactical and strategic slope
deformation monitoring. Letšeng Diamond Mine is
an open pit mine in the north of the Kingdom of
Lesotho. At 3,100 m above sea level, it is one of the
highest altitude diamond mines in the world, and
is famous for the production of large, top quality
diamonds. Two kimberlite pipes bearing low-grade
ore are currently being mined as consecutive
pushbacks via conventional mining methods.
Safety is very important to the operation, and
Letšeng is keen to embrace technical innovation to
ensure timely and accurate detection of unstable
slopes.
A Maptek XR3 laser scanner is used to acquire
point cloud data for geotechnical analysis,
volumetric calculations and rockfall assessment.
Compared with traditional methods, laser
scanning provides direct, detailed 3D geometric
mapping, quick and accurate measurements and
significantly faster data processing, as well as cost
reductions, says Maptek. Letšeng Geotechnical
Manager, Nkopane Lefu commented that the
system was very user friendly and that Maptek
staff provided responsive support.
The 3D technology can deliver the detailed and
dense data required for geotechnical analysis,
creating a high resolution point cloud over large
areas in several minutes. Laser scanning has
improved the mapping database because now all
76 International Mining | JULY/AUGUST 2020