COLLISION AVOIDANCE
up once it does reach WiFi coverage . It gives you the best of both worlds , enabling you to track offline and online ; plus , it enables you to have complete V2P collision avoidance protection with the same device .
Waghorn also said that what ' s unique is that it doesn ' t just tell the machine ' s operator that you are within their proximity warning zones ; it also provides the pedestrian with the same feedback . That is through a series of light indicators on the LCD display to provide awareness . If the pedestrian gets too close , it will interact with the control system of the vehicle and the CxS with Level 9 will initially slow down the vehicle and then stop it .
So , what differentiates it from other underground CAS offerings ? " There are several things that make this a distinctive solution compared to others . Non-reliance on infrastructure is just one of these . One of the other most powerful aspects of our technology is our ability to see around corners , so it is not just a line-of-sight product . And we are not limited by short-range protection . We utilise two independent-ranging technologies for different purposes . One technology offers high accuracy for short-range distances , while the other is designed for medium and long-range proximity sensing , allowing us to detect objects up to 120 meters away , even around corners . Our innovative solutions have moved away from outdated electromagnetic-based systems as the mining industry increasingly adopts battery electric vehicle ( BEV ) fleets , both presently and in the future . Battery machines have massive amounts of electromagnetic radiation which will interfere with any legacy magnetic systems ." The Cap Lamp 3.0 lamp , Waghorn said , was a major progressive step from the Cap Lamp 2.0 , which was designed for the initial rollout of Newtrax ' s MineProx proximity detection system with MineHop tracking .
This in itself was the first to be wholly designed and manufactured in-house by Newtrax at its Montreal base in Canada , along with local long-term component suppliers . Cap Lamp 3.0 , he says , is “ `a complete transformation from what has come before in terms of both sophistication and capability .”
Newtrax is equipping all the new Level 8 and Level 9 CxS installations with Cap Lamps 3.0 , including mining groups in the APAC region mentioned in previous articles by IM . “ These lamps are no longer prototypes and are now mass-produced , with thousands being manufactured annually . The current limitation to market availability is our production capacity . Although the system has yet to be commercially deployed on Sandvik BEVs at a fleet scale , it has been successfully tested and is compatible with different powertrains . Additionally , the Sandvik machines already have ISO21815 MIC access for seamless vehicle integration .
Nerospec ’ s neroHUB – configurability and consistency
Nerospec SK with its neroHUB universal interface for Trackless Mining Machines ( TMM ) and Collision Warning Systems ( CWS ) has been and remains the market leader in this niche . This is because the neroHUB as a Vehicle Intervention Controller ( VIC ) makes EMESRT Level 9 collision avoidance possible in a very consistent and reliable way . Of course PDS ( Proximity Detection System ) vendors and equipment OEMs today argue that due to the ISO21815 protocol a separate universal VIC is not required – but experience so far has often shown that because Nerospec ensures configurability and consistency across the fleet and on every single machine regardless of type or age with a high degree of customisation even when ISO21815 is not available – that it is the safe and in many cases the only option as well as giving the most consistent results that mines are looking for .
IM spoke to Eric Pohlmann , Nerospec SK CEO , beginning with some insight into the situation in South Africa since Level 9 was mandated in December 2022 . “ Of course , we have had a huge increase in activity as well as enquiries since the Level 9 mandating in South Africa . This includes numerous meetings with the mine owners and operators and with the PDS vendors themselves either separately or all together or in the same room . Sometimes the regulators are also present and in some cases the equipment suppliers . The discussions are all focused on what is being done and by when , plus who is taking responsibility for what . Some mines are going full steam ahead on it with a lot of drive and commitment , already with a well organised step by step deployment plan . In these cases the DMRE is mainly observing . Others have taken a more conservative stance and are basically trying to assess how far they need to go to reach compliance with everyone around the table . The DMRE actively encourages the big mines to get full fleets with Level 9 CAS running as soon as possible to act as an example to the rest of the industry and all those mines , particularly on surface , for whom it is a completely new prospect . Underground is less of an issue as the PDS market was already maturing there – both in metallic mines like platinum , gold and chrome but also in coal .”
He added that Nerospec has had a very significant neroHUB order intake in South Africa for its local Nerospec OSCON business since the mandating – it has more than doubled its business in the country in just a year . “ This is both surface and underground demand – traditionally we have been more underground focused but the stark need in the surface market for direct vehicle intervention means this is a very fast moving area for us .” In terms of where Level 9 demand is outside of South Africa : “ We see a lot of interest and pick up of discussion in Australia and we see this as the next big Level 9 market – because of the significant safety concerns there and also their capacity in terms of technology capability and the ability of their mine teams to deal with the change management that comes with these projects . Australia aside , we are working with a major miner in Canada on underground trials of our VICs , as well as with a Tier 1 miner in the US as well as on a fleet of 75 machines in Mongolia and have tendered for a large project involving over 100 machines in Brazil , just to mention a few ."
Interestingly , Pohlmann said that a lot of major miners , who know that Level 9 CAS will come in the near term – are actively going ahead and installing Nerospec VICs , and therefore making the vehicles ISO201815 prepared . This is happening before the actual CAS / PDS vendor
Epiroc ' s comprehensive offer post Mernok buy
In December 2022 , Epiroc announced it was to acquire Mernok Elektronik ( Pty ) Ltd , a South African company that provides advanced collision avoidance systems for mining companies - this was duly completed in February 2023 . But with so many PDS / CAS related companies active in South Africa , how does the Epiroc offering now stand out ? Andreas Prill , Acting BLM , Digitalisation at Epiroc told IM : “ The Epiroc CAS / PDS is very unique in the sense that it comprises of a number of sensors raging from low frequency , sub GHz RF , time of flight , GPS , cameras and radars which can be freely combined to achieve the highest level of safety for various environments like underground or surface operations and for the individual use cases a mine wants to address . We understand that there is not one technology when it comes to CAS / PDS which is why we have a very modular and very flexible system to achieve the highest level of safety .” Epiroc is also unusual among OEMs in also offering a factory fitted ISO21815-2:2021 CAS interface . The interface allows for third party systems to communicate with Epiroc ' s Rig Control System , RCS , in a completely new way . This enables a third party PDS added to the vehicle , when needed , takes interventional control of the machine to prevent accidents . The CAS interface can be ordered for the complete Epiroc RCS Loader fleet as well as for the Minetruck MT42 and Minetruck MT65 . The interface has been developed working closely with Vehicle Intervention Controller leader Nerospec SK .
62 International Mining | JANUARY 2024