COLLISION AVOIDANCE through PDS .”
Digitalisation gives Booyco Electronics the ability to upload and analyse this data in real time , so that it can inform on-mine decisions and enhance safety strategies . More than this , CAS can now contribute to emerging automated mine ecosystems . As autonomous mining is gradually rolled out in the sector , CAS can be relied upon to support this process with the necessary safety levels .
Lourens told IM : “ The effective application of collision prevention systems ( CPS ) requires different technologies to deal with the respective conditions of underground and opencast mining . Moreover , these technologies need to be integrated within a single CPS system where a mining operation has concurrent interaction requirements on both surface and underground . While surface mining can make use of global positioning systems ( GPS ) as a key enabling technology , underground operations must rely on other sensing technology , mainly on low frequency ( LF ) systems that can penetrate rock . In general , this means that it is easier to achieve a more holistic view of a surface operation – to determine the respective locations of trackless machinery and pedestrians . In the underground environment , the systems tend to give a more isolated view of relative vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian interactions .”
He adds : “ There are multiple other technologies that make a valuable contribution to CPS – and it is important that these are well integrated for maximum impact . In our system architecture Booyco Electronics is able to harness the value of various technologies in supporting safe working patterns . Radio frequency ( RF ), for instance , can be used to communicate data generated from GPS sources – helping to pinpoint where objects are , their direction and their proximity to each other on surface . In terms of potential collision scenarios , underground workings with bord and pillar layouts tend to be simpler as the roadways are developed with welldefined intersections . The travelling speeds of trackless equipment is usually also slower , ranging from 15-20 km / h up to 30 km / h . By contrast , surface vehicles can travel up to 40-50 km / hr , creating different challenges for CAS interventions . The intersection points on surface are also sometimes less defined and therefore require more sensing of the possible interactions .”
indurad ’ s radio & radar combination
After a recent competitive process managed by Hatch and BHP , the global miner in 2022 selected indurad to provide the Jansen potash mine in Saskatchewan with a next generation proximity detection system .
At the core of the solution will be a new indurad iProximity 5G solution utilising both its iRTT ( indurad Radio Transponder Tag ) and iSDR
( indurad Scanning Dynamic Radar ) to offer new levels of reliability , accuracy and scalability . Partner and subsidiary company xtonomy is working to apply the radio ( which uses precision UWB – Ultra Wide Band and reliable sub 1GHz ) and radar collision avoidance technologies on mobile assets . The companies believe that both the active ( radio transponder ) and passive ( radar ) systems should be combined to maximise safety . indurad uses radio and in this case also radar technology to provide proximity detection solutions for both mobile and fixed assets , while xtonomy , a subsidiary 100 % owned by indurad , focuses on advanced vehicle guidance up to full autonomy . Christian Riedel , xtonomy Managing Director , told IM : “ When it comes to collision avoidance , we are working in close collaboration . We are utilising some of the iRTT sensors with iProximity software and extending those with radar-based collision avoidance . Our strategy is to have a combination of technologies , to allow us to go beyond anything that is currently available .”
Dr Bernd Steyer , Project Manager at indurad adds : “ BHP had a clear agenda for Jansen to implement Level 9 . Our existing solution was EMESRT Level 9 ready , but our aspiration is delivering safety along with business continuity . iProximity 5G is our next generation offering to meet these requirements . The key elements are sub nanosecond synchronised vehicle antennas , optimal bandwidth utilisation and high