COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Hexagon ’ s CIO Rob Daw at IMARC 2022 in Sydney
but particularly in the APAC and LATAM regions , are now embracing and better understanding proximity detection and collision awareness . People are also seeing the benefits beyond just the main safety issue in terms of how it can improve bottom line and increase productivity . This includes CAS helping avoid tailgating and making sure you have the right distances between vehicles . But avoiding potential proximity risks also means optimising your mine design and haul roads as well as the traffic management system – and this all helps . Virtually eliminating any metal-on-metal contacts
between vehicles also means a maintenance and downtime saving .” From an operator point of view , in night shifts and foggy , dusty or snowy conditions , CAS combined with other technologies like Hexagon ’ s Reverse Assist gives them an extra feeling of security as well .
On the subject of CAS in AHS mines , Daw adds : “ Autonomous mining still means segregation today . Any light or other vehicles cannot mix with the autonomous trucks unless they are zoned in or out of the autonomous operating zone and even then , the trucks will still stop if they encounter a non-AHS vehicle as the AI does not yet exist for them to recognise it and automatically drive around it . By having an extra CAS layer across the fleet , the reality of mixing AHS and non AHS , in a sense an interoperable autonomous pit , moves closer .”
Daw also said the market is moving on from single truck or small deployments of CAS to whole fleets . “ It is a combination of market maturity with the industry need . Plus , with the work we have done with Anglo and others , the rest of the industry can now see how it looks and feels – and it is quite powerful to see a large mining truck automatically stopping – they can see that long term it is a no brainer .”
Daw also said Hexagon has a whole framework in place of how it rolls out CAS – and it is done in a very structured way . Before any Level 9 capability is added , a lot of work is carried out on Level 7 and 8 configurations at the site , making tweaks and adjustments specific to that site including its setup relative to road networks and intersections etc , before the vehicle intervention element gets introduced . A lot of effort goes into training and change management as well – emphasising to operators that it is still a last resort secondary safety layer and shouldn ’ t be relied upon to justify more risky driving behaviours .
Wabtec moves to Generation 3
In surface mining , there has been a rapid ramp up not only in collision avoidance interest but also actual installations at a fleet scale and not just trials . IM spoke to Mitch Tanzer , Global Commercial Director at Wabtec , to get more insight into what is happening in the market and how its own technology is evolving .
“ We have certainly seen more general interest and direct enquiries . The reasons for CAS interest still vary between mining groups and from region to region . For example , due to the imminent mandate and extensive testing and implementation in South Africa , CAS is relatively well understood in underground and surface operations . The market size is huge because all mines will likely have to have L9 CAS , surface and underground , by the end of 2023 . South Africa has many PDS / CAS suppliers , approaching 30 . Businesses offering PDS / CAS vary from established providers to small new entrants . Many , but not all , claim to offer L9 but in many cases are unproven .”
He adds : “ In Australia , we are seeing a greater level of maturity in understanding what the technology is capable of and not capable of doing . Australia is a well-developed AHS market . There is also interest in the potential of Level 9 CAS to theoretically enable the mixing of AHS and non-AHS machines and the relaxing of autonomous operating zones ( AOZ ). Miners want to be sure the AHS can communicate with CAS , and other technologies should this mixing become possible . The primary fleet OEMs have mainly focused on getting AHS to work more efficiently , moving tonnes . So far , that has meant a closed circuit . We believe this isn ' t what the mines want long term . No one has got close to solving this yet , but it ’ s coming .”
A classic example would be graders , water trucks , or light vehicles that need to operate on the same haul roads that the AHS trucks are using . Autonomous water trucks have been developed but are still in their infancy . Yes , an AHS truck will , or at least should , stop if it encounters a non-AHS vehicle – but the non-AHS vehicle has no CAS to protect it . It operates against potential collisions or near misses if it accidentally comes into close contact with the AHS truck . And these autonomous mines ( like any other mines ) are not protected against potential collision between non-AHS machines , whether a light vehicle to a grader or light vehicle to the dozer , dozer to dozer or anything else . Tanzer adds : “ These interactions mean that CAS will remain relevant in an AHS operation . We also see that more vehicles , AHS and non-AHS , will likely be equipped with smart cameras . This technology can detect and categorise fixed infrastructure , vehicle type , and people and monitor haul roads ’ conditions . But how does the vehicle take that data and make an informed decision ? That remains a challenge . Our view is that these cameras enhance CAS . They do not replace it .”
All eyes on South Africa for end-2023
It remains a fact that the main driver behind the collision avoidance system push in mining has been the expected mandating of the technology with Level 9 vehicle intervention in South Africa . This forms part of Chapter 8 of the Mine Health and Safety Act which laid out requirements for the whole mining industry in RSA to effectively have Level 9 compliant systems in place for trackless mobile machinery ( TMM ) – for which a deadline was initially set for June 2020 and has been suspended since then . So what is the situation today ? It is widely rumoured that the regulator ' s intention is to mandate this for end-2023 . For mandating to happen , an advisory note from the Mine Health and Safety Council ( MHSC ), which is a statutory body that advises the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy ( DMRE ) will be submitted to the Minister for consideration and if the Minister deems it fit , he will publish a gazette . The timelines for all these processes depend on the discretion of both the MHSC and the DMRE . Not only that but feedback from a recent engagement between the Chairperson of the CEO Zero Harm Forum of Minerals Council South and the Chief Inspector of Mines is that applying for exemptions will be permissible . Stanford Malatji , Head of
the Learning Hub at the Minerals Council South Africa also told IM : “ Our position is that should the suspension lifting take place earlier than end December 2023 member companies that cannot
comply should apply for exemption with a company specific action plan showing how they can comply . The Minerals Council will continue to support its members and engage at the highest level with all the key role players towards collision prevention system ecosystem readiness .”
34 International Mining | JANUARY 2023