COLLISION AVOIDANCE reliability of HazardAvert ’ s electromagnetic ( EM ) fields . “ Once we set it up it doesn ’ t waver ; it is very predictable and most of our competitors cannot yet match that . In a highly mechanised mining environment where machines are often in close proximity to other machines and to people , if the fields vary you start getting a lot of false positives and warning alarms which will negatively impact productivity and employee morale . Even though our EM fields increase depending on speed , they remain consistent and predictable .” EM , while the backbone of the HazardAvert system , is one of several sensing technologies that Strata uses . On surface Strata ’ s system uses HPGPS with geofencing for longer range and fast-moving machines , and EM for close proximity . Underground , EM is the primary method as it works through dust , air curtains and even a certain amount of rock strata .
Interestingly Cillie said that some of the larger equipment OEMs have not shown the level of interest that might have been expected in offering PDS options , or at least the interface to allow the technology to be used . Part of this is related to SA just representing a small part of their global market share and partly them not wanting to take on the implied extra safety liability inherent in providing solutions . Also , most mines have mixed fleets underground , so it makes sense for the miner to fit one system of PDS across all their machines as it is easier to train personnel and safety technicians . Strata ’ s HazardAvert is OEM agnostic and works with any type and make of equipment , regardless of age . That said as ISO21815 comes in and becomes more of a global issue , it is likely the equipment OEMs will want to offer a factory fitted solution .
Hexagon VIS broadening its scope & functionality
To get an update on Hexagon Mining ’ s progress in surface mining Level 9 CAS technology rollout , IM spoke to HxGN MineProtect Portfolio Manager , Marcos Bayuelo . The company ’ s core offering is Vehicle Intervention System ( VIS ), an additional layer of safety on top of its Collision Avoidance System , ( CAS ) helping to avoid incidents , injuries , and fatalities . Mine VIS manages traffic in the pit and , by reacting when and if operators do not , it ensures safety rules are followed , including the vehicle taking action .
He comments : “ All VIS functionalities and features are now integrated with CAS , such as operator notifications for launch alarm , asset protect , brake alert . This allows our customers to understand if they had an incident that could have been avoided if VIS was installed , as well as current interventions before VIS is enabled . Customers can see the outcomes of intervention : how many over-speeding incidents , ramp alerts , near misses – and any actions that would have been taken automatically by the vehicle , avoiding an issue or reducing the consequences of it .”
Hexagon has also introduced a new way of
performing dynamic configurations , meaning the customer can now configure notifications in a more dynamic way : ie notifications can be configured as a dynamic voice output with specific words or phrases for dynamic unwanted situations . “ For example , a voice message ‘ Slow down ! Light vehicle in front ’ can be configured when an unwanted event of low criticality is detected , or a ‘ Stop light vehicle in the rear ’ if a high criticality situation is detected . This allows our customers to customise the Level 8 notifications to the site specifications and provide actionable directions to operators to enhance the decision-making of the final users , increasing the system adaptability , and effectiveness to enable operators to avoid accidents .”
In addition to the integration of CAS 4.6 with IDS Georadar , introduced in June 2020 , the system can now log vehicle encounters , enabling mine management and operations to understand risk exposition of their vehicles . “ Our customers can now measure traffic density and see the risk exposition of individual vehicles in the mine in relation to and interaction with other vehicles , as well to understand if risk locations are correlated to the traffic density of the place , enabling new ways to measure and normalise the risk to which our operators are exposed .”
CAS integration with Hexagon ’ s Operator Alertness System ( OAS ) also means one GPS antenna for positioning for both systems , as well providing external camera awareness ; a top view of the traffic and radar detections on a single screen for the operator , decluttering the cabin and enabling a single source of safety information . It also means capability to record video via external camera whenever there ’ s unwanted interaction , allowing real-time assessment and classification in control room ( for more on OAS see this month ’ s Fatigue Management article ). The company adds : “ We are trialling the benefits of a combined CAS-OAS at operations in South America and Australia with good results . Main benefits seen to date are video proof of near-miss collision events ( system confidence ), and cause and affect correlation between collision and fatigue .” MineEnterprise CAS Analytics also now means that KPIs can be monitored monthly , weekly , daily , ie top 10 , top-20 operators under risk , system availability , etc . A whole new set of dashboards includes the integration of OAS heat maps and collision avoidance data .
Recent CAS deployments include large copper mines in Peru and Chile , a large coal mine in western Canada , large coal mines in Australia and continued deployment at Anglo American ’ s Kolomela iron ore mine in South Africa .
Wenco on the CxS challenge
IM talked with Eric Winsborrow , EVP Corporate Strategy at Wenco International Mining Systems on the topic of where the industry is heading in terms of surface CAS . “ There is certainly a lot of momentum within in the industry toward deploying collision
awareness or collision avoidance systems ( CxS ). I deliberately use x to cover both cases , as the terms awareness and avoidance are often used without clarifying their critical differences . Awareness technologies provide operators with clear guidance on how to avoid a collision , while avoidance technologies intervene to apply that corrective action to equipment by providing braking signals to OEM trucks .”
Wenco argues that while technologies have levelled up in recent years , a key problem remains : “ How can us technologists provide a comprehensive CxS system that works effectively in any condition , at any speed , and within any proximity to ensure equipment , people , and objects in the environment consistently maintain clearance between each other ? The automotive industry has made great strides in this pursuit , but the mining industry has yet to fully adopt these most recent advances .”
Winsborrow comments : “ We all know the challenges that beset systems that solely rely on GPS . To address them , Wenco has made underlying changes to its hardware that allow for vehicle-tovehicle communications in GPS-deprived locations . We have now adopted the V2X-Locate standard and partnered with Oxbotica to provide SLAM technologies to our CxS and AHS technologies . Not only with V2X-Locate enhance connectivity between vehicles , it also allows us to improve our GPS data quality to DGPS . That improvement enables us to identify vehicle position with sub-one-metre accuracy , 95 % of the time .”
Of course , it surprises some people this technology remains immature even as certain sites have dozens of AHS trucks deployed . “ Why hasn ’ t it filtered down yet ? There are two reasons , really : Cost and the reluctance of mining companies to take on the risk of deploying critical safety technologies that are not yet mature . CxSes require a large investment and dedicated attention to maximise their value . Once a system is implemented throughout an organization , it proves difficult to change . Yet , even an immature CxS can contribute toward safety improvements through the extensive data these systems produce and the insights they can provide . AI / ML models can easily analyse all interaction data and provide insight to address the underlying risks of potential unwanted events - from risk-prone intersection and road design to fatigue and other behavioural issues with operators .”
Wenco says its view is very much aligned with overall EMESRT guidelines . “ We are actively looking to extend our safety portfolio to provide additional detection systems that address additional levels of control ( eg EMESRT Level 5 ) and include measurement and control of underlying factors that can cause potentially unwanted events , such as fatigue and distraction .”
IM
62 International Mining | JANUARY 2021