COLLISION AVOIDANCE
compared to global sales , you can see why there is a delay in having it implemented by the OEMs . We encounter two scenarios – where the OEM makes available an ISO 21815 interface and we can work with that directly . But with legacy machines where that upgrade has not been made , then we tend to work with a third party interface supplier like Nerospec or Engine Control Systems . They supply if you like the translating functionality whether that be ISO 21815 or some proprietary CAN BUS protocol . For a really old machine with no CAN BUS then you they may have to use some form of actuator and valve control to make it L9 active . The third party activity will likely reduce within five or so years as legacy machines are replaced with ISO 21815 equipped new machines .”
On Schauenburg , Croeser said it is currently busy with final development of its next generation SCAS PDS solution , ProXYmus . “ It is a highly accurate solution with a special focus on the coal market , especially for continuous miners . The problem to date has been that because of the close proximity of workers beside the unit and its type of sudden movements including non-linear , you need CAS with very high accuracy – centimetres instead of metres . Field trials will start early 2023 with the intent to have a commercial system by Q3 2023 . The much more accurate solution is not restricted to coal , in fact it will be our main new SCAS offering with equal application potential in the hard rock market as well .”
He added that the current SCAS II has been running for more than 10 years and that a lot of lessons have been learned . “ There are a lot of new PDS entrants in the market which is great in the sense of collective focus on safety as well as pushing the established players like us to push our technologies further . Customers can gradually replace SCAS II with ProXYmus by installing new hardware modules on existing machines as ProXYmus is designed to be backwards compatible .” responsibility of developing a CAS that will be good enough for these automated machines to roam in areas of the mine with conventional manned equipment as well as pedestrians . That ’ s our moonshot at Newtrax .”
To enable that , Cervinka emphasised that you need a functionally safe system with new perception technologies – the whole industry is well aware that current systems are nowhere near go enough to enable coexistence with automated equipment . Most of these have been designed mainly for low speed V2P interactions in mind , which are the main use cases in coal . “ It leads to some choices . We need to use technologies that will work at high speed – autonomous loaders operate at up to 32 km / h . In a V2V case , you are looking then at some very high effective closing speeds .”
He also talked about the importance of both measuring position accurately as well as considering situational context . Positioning data give info about objects and how fast they are moving but does not tell you what gear they are in , how much payload they are carrying , or if they are going uphill or downhill . These are all telemetry factors that might impact stopping distance and can be used to reduce nuisance alarms .
Newtrax ’ s CAS like some of the other systems on the market uses multiple radio frequency ( RF ) technologies to provide high-precision ranging . “ The key for us is to use technologies that allow us to see around corners otherwise it is just not good enough . And with our focus on automated high-speed BEVs in underground hard rock mines , we need proximity sensors that won ’ t be affected by metallic ore with conductive or magnetic properties , or by magnetic field interference from non-intentional radiators that happen at low frequency .”
Newtrax OptiMine CAS links intelligent cap lamps to a warning system inside the cab of underground mobile equipment – the hardware on the machine includes a tablet , a hub and proximity ranging sensors . The system provides the vehicle operator with a virtual view of any pedestrians in the immediate area of the machine , along with an escalating warning system for both as the distance between them narrows . This escalation transitions from a warning to vehicle intervention , where the vehicle automatically reduces speed and comes to a controlled stop should the system recognise the presence of any pedestrian wearing an intelligent cap lamp in the high-risk zone . The same technology is also designed to improve the safety of vehicle-to-vehicle interactions .
The cap lamps have a total of 10 different radios installed for communication , positioning and proximity detection . Since big mining houses with many mines have very heterogeneous communication and positioning networks including WiFi , LTE and leaky feeder , Newtrax had to offer a device that was network agnostic to enable corporate-wide roll outs . Cervinka also raised the point about how the firmware of these CAS systems will be updated – as it is impractical and unsafe to have hundreds or thousands of these CAS devices in a mine running on different versions and trying to upgrade them via spotty wireless coverage – its solution for that is intelligent cap lamp racks where when the cap lamp is on the rack it has a wired connection to the internet to enable quick and systematic firmware upgrades .
Newtrax has now demonstrated the capabilities of OptiMine CAS to most of the top tier underground miners and mining contractors in H2 2022 . It is also working with five early adopters , which include contractor Barminco plus miners Gold Fields and Sibanye-Stillwater . Sibanye-Stillwater has invested $ 17 million in OptiMine Collision Avoidance System ( CAS ) technology to reduce accidents , injuries and fatalities at its Stillwater PGM underground mining operations in Montana .
In South Africa , Gold Fields ’ Sven Lunsche , VP Corporate Affairs , told IM in July 2022 in relation
Newtrax ® readies for the robots
In September 2021 , Newtrax Technologies Inc , a wholly owned subsidiary of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions , introduced the next generation of the OptiMine ® digitalisation solution , which evolved to become OEM agnostic and include Collision Avoidance as a core functionality .
Newtrax CEO Alexandre Cervinka told IM : “ We are trying to unleash the robots – for Sandvik the future is autonomous and battery electric . What is hindering exponential growth in this sector today is the application scenario . Today , when you sell AutoMine equipped machines , or any other autonomous underground machines , they still have to operate in a segregated and gated area of the mine . We have the strategic
Epiroc takes CAS position with Mernok acquisition
As IM went to press , Epiroc agreed to acquire Mernok Elektronik ( Pty ) Ltd , a South Africa-based company that provides advanced collision avoidance systems for mining companies . With this acquisition , Epiroc will strengthen its position as a world-leading provider of automation and safety solutions for mining operations , it says . Mernok Elektronik is headquartered in Pretoria , South Africa . The company designs and produces proximity detection technologies and collision avoidance systems of the highest level ( EMESRT Level 9 ) applicable for either a single machine or an entire mixed fleet of machines regardless of manufacturer or type of equipment , it says . Mernok Elektronik ’ s customers are primarily in Africa , with its systems designed to significantly reduce the risk of vehicle accidents , strengthening operator safety as well as productivity . The company ’ s focus was initially vested in three main areas , namely mining applications , military applications and high-end industrial applications . In 2016 , it decided to re-focus the company to service only the mining sector . Back in 2019 , it teamed up with Booyco Electronics and Selectronic to bring new generation technology to the proximity detection system space . Mernok Elektronik has about 45 employees and revenues in the fiscal year ending February 28 , 2022 , of approximately ZAR80 million ($ 4.7 million ). The acquisition is expected to be completed in the March quarter of 2023 .
40 International Mining | JANUARY 2023