MINING DRONES
laser scanners providing highly accurate data for comparison and calculation of excavation and filling volumes . This means they are especially useful for stockpile calculations in mining , with the acquired data providing information on material displacement and work progress .
A further important field of application for drones has been the acquisition of surveying data in change detection for monitoring of mining dumps .
Amon says the choice of the right UAV for a job depends primarily on some basic environmental characteristics , the aptitude of the UAV and factors such as which kind of sensors are to be carried on board , as well as how complex and extensive the area is .
“ These criteria will define payload capacity and flight time autonomy requisites of the UAV ,” he said . “ Furthermore , the different types of UAVs ( fixed wing , multi-rotor or helicopter type ) are chosen with regards to the specific topography of the area of survey .”
RIEGL offers a broad portfolio of LiDAR sensors and systems for different applications in open-pit mining , all of which are characterised by compact and rugged designs , high measurement capabilities and solid performance under adverse environmental conditions , according to Amon . This means they are ideally suited for applications in open-pit mines and dump sites .
Looking to product specifics , the RIEGL
miniVUX-2UAV LiDAR sensor provides an increased measurement rate up to 200,000 measurements / s and , thus , a dense point pattern on the ground for UAV applications requiring the acquisition of data from small objects . The 360 ° field of view allows complete acquisition of the environment , according to RIEGL .
With the miniVUX Series produced as extremely lightweight UAV LiDAR sensors , the system can be integrated into compact UAVs . They are offered as standalone payloads , but also as fully integrated airborne laser scanning systems with an INS / GNSS unit and camera ( s ).
For multi-rotor UAVs – a popular choice in mining – the RIEGL Integration Kit 600 comes as a
The RIEGL VUX-1UAV LiDAR sensor is the core component of the RiCOPTER , RIEGL ' s highperformance turnkey solution for professional UAS-based surveying user-friendly add-on to the RIEGL miniVUX-SYS airborne laser scanning system , providing a shockabsorbing mounting kit , the necessary power supply module and cabling for a smooth integration to , for example , a DJI Matrice M600 .
The RIEGL VUX-1UAV LiDAR sensor , a versatile and powerful sensor for general UAV-based surveying , provides data acquisition at 10 mm accuracy for ranges up to 920 m and operating flight altitudes up to 1,150 ft ( 351 m ) above ground level . It is the core component of the RiCOPTER ,
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24 International Mining | OCTOBER 2020