COLLISION AVOIDANCE
the past year , its Business Development Director Gabino De Diego told IM that the biggest recent update for its collision avoidance system is that it now is capable of even higher precision thanks to an updated 3D LIDAR . “ Previously the system we used had 300,000 points – today we have close to 1,000,000 points meaning we can get a much more accurate 3D map of the surroundings . We have also increased the precision of the RTKbased GPS , so we are now down to ± 30 cm in real mining situations , but we achieved ± 5 cm in lab based tests . Overall the system looks similar to two or three years ago but the actual capability has increased quite significantly thanks to these factors . Not only that but the CAS has been combined with more powerful processors , and the electronics have also been improved to make them more robust .”
Are there any differentiators for Torsa ’ s CAS ? “ We use both GPS and LIDAR as we partly wanted a fail safe if one of the technologies was not functioning . We also have V2V communication and can additionally implement ultra wideband [ UWB ].” De Diego added that it has also been working to differentiate its mining market offering by being able to present a one stop shop – combining CAS with attributes from the rest of the Torsa suite of solutions . An example is from the logistic side of its business , where it uses a system called Borea that consists of data loggers to measure temperature and
humidity , for example in warehouses . Now Torsa is working towards an integration of some of this capability with its CAS – for an integrated solution allowing you to make multiple measurements using the same hardware – ie a hub and antenna , all the data being real time within the same Torsa cloud platform . “ In mining you can for example connect a vibration sensor to the CAS so you get vibration data as well as CAS-based proximity data . You can also do this for temperature , for example . Being able to have a lot of sensors under one roof so to speak minimises integration headaches for mines . A proof of concept has already been tested at a foundry operation in Chile , combining CAS with temperature sensing .”
There is a lot of interest in having vibration monitoring for operators in mining – giving an indication of what they are exposed to , for example when a haul truck is being loaded . This can help prevent long term injury . Another option for addition to the CAS in mining is cab dust monitoring – providing dust ‘ heat maps ’ in real time , showing how dust is moving around the mine and from that optimise the amount of water sprinkling being carried out . This contributes to water conservation which is a key ESG goal of all mining companies today and especially those operating in arid regions .
Lastly some mines are also looking at opacity measurement – that is exhaust gas opacity to
assess engine health and levels of particulate matter . This can be used as a form of preventative maintenance . Major equipment OEMs have fixed recommended filter change points at certain levels of operating hours . Using measurements like opacity can help extend changes if the vehicle has not been encountering dirty conditions leading to significant cost savings . Equally it can indicate if the filter actually needs changing sooner than the recommended point if the machine has been operating in very dirty conditions .
Back to CAS , where does Torsa stand with EMESRT Level 9 capability and how does it see demand for Level 9 versus 7 to 8 ? De Diego : “ Yes , the Torsa CAS is Level 9 capable and uses the ISO21815:2 standard . We have just completed tests at the University of Pretoria for compliance with the Minerals Council MOSH Test Specification . Following some software updates we expect to have that certification in late 2023 or early 2024 .” He added that it has also carried out tests with equipment OEMs on PDIM compatibility and with independent Vehicle Intervention Controller leader SK Nerospec .
He added that on the topic of Level 9 necessity versus Level 8 , that the Torsa system includes a pop up allowing the operator to override the vehicle intervention part of the system if they wish . “ At the end of the day , the operator much always feel that they are in control of the
JANUARY 2024 | International Mining 59