COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Now you see me
In one of our most detailed dives into collision avoidance yet , Paul Moore reviews the situation post Level 9 mandating in South Africa , plus the latest on a range of technology suppliers
For some years now , South Africa has been the focus of collision avoidance technology , as the expectation was that EMESRT Level 9 intervention controls , where in the event of an impending collision , an electronic system will intervene and slow down the vehicle and if needed bring it to a stop , would be mandated . In late December 2022 , this finally happened when South Africa ’ s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy ( DMRE ) brought into law the Chapter 8 clauses of the Mine Health and Safety Act Regulations relating to Level 9 vehicle intervention for collision avoidance in trackless mobile machinery , both surface and underground . At a big picture level , as it was expected and rumoured for years , to finally have it mandated is generally seen as a good thing , as at least it provides some certainty and something to aim for .
While some mining companies were already on their collision avoidance system ( CAS ) Level 9 “ journey ,” especially some of the larger surface mines and most of the major underground mines , the mandating has meant a significant ramp up of CAS-related activity in South Africa . The situation is that inspectors want to see tangible progress with mines working directly with equipment OEMs and what in South Africa are generally called Proximity Detection System ( PDS ) and Collision Avoidance System ( CAS ) providers , to begin deployment , and if not they have the power to issue a Section 54 notice on the mine and shut it down . There are many PDS suppliers today – at least 20 – active in South Africa , with differences in the type of technology used , and whether they are focused on underground or surface – up until recently it has tended to be one or the other . While some of them are global , many of the PDS companies are quite small with limited resources .
The big equipment OEMs are also realising they have to act fast , not just for South Africa but as regulations affect the rest of the world so it is no coincidence that most of them have some kind of offering now whether through in-house development , but more often partnership or acquisition – Sandvik with Newtrax , Epiroc with Mernok , Komatsu with Wabtec etc . Caterpillar is also understood to be working on a CAS Level 9 offering with a partner company . The feeling is that long term , OEMs will start to look at offering factory-fitted collision avoidance systems . This will move the interoperability challenge away from the CAN-bus interface to vehicle-toeverything ( V2X ), which will ease the situation but also bring new challenges .
IM also understands that it is not entirely clear cut at what point the DMRE becomes officially satisfied that what a mine is doing is enough to ensure compliance and to manage its risk . There are rumours of contradicting instructions from inspectors to mines , for example depending on the region , such as Northern Cape versus the North West province . Also , the regulations make no mention of extension / exemption specifically related to collision prevention . They do make provision for extension applications in general , but again , it is not clear what factors will be considered during such an application for collision prevention .
Non-alignment on the right approach for mines – there is no set blueprint for how to introduce the technology – is also causing a lot of technical challenges , since there are a limited number of suppliers with limited resources for development and roll-out . Non-alignment and conflicting requirements only add to development lead times and difficulty in version control , leading to a risk of noncompliance and downtime . Interoperability remains a big issue , and a lot hangs on the wider take up of the ISO21815- 2:2021 protocol ( the latest version ) which allows communication between a machine and a connected device to allow the connected device to command the machine to slow down and / or stop . Third party Vehicle Intervention Control ( VIC ) specialists like Neropsec SK are also playing a key role .
Testing of MPI Level 9 CAS at a customer site in South Africa
One of the groups trying to bring more alignment is now globally regarded as the gold standard in testing for CAS Level 9 and that is the University of Pretoria ’ s Vehicle Dynamics Group . Herman Hamersma , its Senior Researcher told IM : “ Our main efforts have been twofold , one to get alignment across the industry , and two to test collision avoidance products for compliance to the Minerals Council SA ’ s MOSH CPS Test Specification .”
He adds on this test specification : “ The MCSA MOSH Test Specification is the guideline that was developed by the MCSA , with technical input from us , and other inputs relating to operational and manufacturing readiness etc from other industry experts . It is the recommended procedure to ensure that a mine complies with the regulations , but the mines have the freedom to follow their own path . In practice , we are seeing more and more mines instructing their suppliers to follow the MOSH CPS Test Specifications . I believe this is due to the extreme technical complexity of these systems . Mines are not geared to specify or quantifiably evaluate these systems , hence the reliance on the MOSH CPS Test Specifications . We can conduct all the verification tests specified in the MOSH CPS Test Specifications , and as an independent party , contribute to the due diligence expected of the suppliers and OEMs . Remember , at the end of the day , each mine carries the risk associated with their operation . They need to ensure that the risk is managed and that the inspector agrees with them . The MOSH CPS Test Specification is thus not a compulsory , mandated spec , it is a guideline that is considered to be reasonably practicable .”
He adds on the level of activity at the VDG : “ Our testing has ramped up significantly over the last six months . Mines are realising the value of having an independent third party conduct verification and validation tests of the products they rely on . The test results , although encouraging , clearly show the lack of product maturity . The interface between machine and collision avoidance system is currently the hot topic , but I expect the technical challenges to remain for the foreseeable future . Fail-to-safe is another technical challenge that is currently under the microscope . The technology is developing at breakneck pace .”
To get some insight into some of the PDS players involved , IM spoke to three leading South African based players – Minetec , MPI and Booyco – followed by an OEM view from Bell Equipment , the South African headquartered global supplier of mining and construction equipment , particularly known for its articulated
International Mining | JANUARY 2024