Dynamic power distribution for mining machinery

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine (23) located in a mine environment (200), the mining machine (23) being arranged to be connected to a local grid (20b), where the method comprises: determining (S1) a current location of the mining machine (24), where the determined location is within a mining area of a plurality of mining areas (A, B, C, D) within the mine environment (100); obtaining (S2) a maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine (23) within the mining area; and controlling (S3) the grid power consumption in the mining machine (23) based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to computer-implemented methods and apparatus for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine located in a mine environment. The present disclosure further relates to a mining control system for controlling a mine environment. Finally, the present disclosure generally relates to a computer program product. Background Art

[0002] Extractive machinery (e.g., head drilling rigs, production drills, loaders, transporters, dump trucks, rock bolting rigs, cable bolting rigs, and concrete spraying machines) are all involved in different stages of the extraction operation. Traditionally, extractive machinery has been powered by internal combustion engines. However, in recent years, growing environmental concerns have driven the extractive industry to reduce or phase out traditional internal combustion engines in favor of electric machines in order to reduce or eventually stop greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. In addition, the use of internal combustion engines in underground mines also poses problems for the miners' working environment due to the exhaust gases emitted.

[0003] The switch from fuel driven mining machinery to electric and battery powered machinery has increased the electrical energy consumption in the mine environment. As mining machinery may have high electrical consumption due to the nature of the operations performed, this places high demands on the electrical grid.

[0004] The available grid power in a mine environment may vary depending on the location within the mine environment. For example, an area located deeper in the mine environment may have lower available grid power than an area located higher in the mine environment, or vice versa. Similarly, an area located farther from a power source may have lower available grid power than an area located closer to the power source.

[0005] Because available grid power differs depending on location, a mining machine experiences different levels of available grid power when moving between different areas of a mine environment.When traveling between different areas of a mine environment, a mining machine may connect to different local grids located in different areas.

[0006] If too many machines are operated simultaneously in the same area of ​​a mine environment, the available grid power may not be sufficient to cover the power demand. This may result in costly downtime of the mining machine and / or power failures in the mining area or the entire mine environment. Therefore, it is important to control the power consumption of the mining machine in order to ensure safe and continuous mining operations so that the grid power consumption of the mining machine does not exceed a threshold that causes grid overload.

[0007] A proposed solution to this problem is to predict the power consumption of mining machines based on how much power each machine is expected to require during a specified time period. If the predicted power consumption exceeds a threshold consumption, power is limited to one or more mining machines in the mine environment so that the actual power consumption in the mine environment does not exceed the threshold power consumption during the specified time period.

[0008] However, one drawback of this solution is that it relies on collecting information from many machines to predict and control power consumption.Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods that reduce the complexity of controlling power consumption in a mining environment. Summary of the invention

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a computer implemented method and apparatus for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine, wherein the power consumption of the machine can be automatically limited depending on the location of the machine in a mine environment.

[0010] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-implemented method for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine located in a mine environment, the mining machine being arranged to be connected to a local grid, wherein the method comprises:

[0011] determining a current location of a mining machine, wherein the determined location is within a mining area of ​​a plurality of mining areas within a mine environment;

[0012] Obtaining maximum grid power consumption limits for mining machinery within the mining area; and

[0013] Grid power consumption in the mining machine is controlled based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit.

[0014] An exemplary effect of the computer-implemented method disclosed herein is that mining machines can continue to perform mining tasks with limited grid power consumption without overloading the grid. This results in more machines being able to perform their respective tasks simultaneously and reduces the risk of grid overload.

[0015] The grid power consumption in a mining machine should not be greater than the maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine. If the grid power consumption in a mining machine would be greater than the maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine, the local grid may be overloaded and thus cause power shortages for all machines connected to the same local grid.

[0016] Exemplary mining machines are, but are not limited to, rock drills, excavators, shovels, draglines, bulldozers, loaders, scrapers, skid steers, motor graders, off-highway dump trucks, haul trucks, tank trucks, water trucks, forklifts, transport trucks, cranes, conveying systems, sorters, crushers and / or utility vehicles.

[0017] In the context of the present disclosure, and in its most general interpretation, a local grid is a grid that provides power to an entire mine, i.e., represents the main grid of the mine. In the context of a mine environment, there may be multiple local grids connected to the main grid. Each local grid may differ from other local grids in terms of the mining consumers (e.g., machinery and components) included in the local grid. Such machinery and components may include electric mining machinery, battery chargers, batteries, and wires that provide a connection between the machinery and components of the local grid and the main grid. Such machinery and components may also include ventilation, lighting, and transportation vehicles operating in a mine or other type of mine environment.

[0018] In the context of the present disclosure, and in its most general interpretation, a mine environment is both the underground portion of a mine (e.g., mine tunnels) and the adjacent areas above ground that are part of the mine operations performed in the mine environment (e.g., mine entrances, maintenance areas, dead-end areas, etc.).

[0019] In one embodiment, obtaining a maximum grid power consumption limit for a mining machine may include obtaining available grid power in a mining area.

[0020] With such an exemplary embodiment, grid power consumption in a mining machine is adjusted depending on the grid power currently available in the mining area. Therefore, the mining machine can adapt the grid power consumption based on the current mining area where the machine is located.

[0021] In one embodiment, available grid power in a mining area may be determined based on at least one of a current state of grid power, a predetermined value for each mining area, and a scheduled duty cycle in the mining area.

[0022] In one embodiment, the mine environment may be an underground mine environment.

[0023] In one embodiment, the method may further include: obtaining a grid power consumption priority of the mining machine; and controlling grid power consumption in the mining machine based on the obtained grid power consumption priority.

[0024] By such an exemplary embodiment, better optimization possibilities are achieved, because a mining machine that performs a more important task can be given a higher maximum grid power consumption limit, i.e., a higher grid power consumption priority, than another mining machine that performs a less important task or a task that requires less power in the same mining area. Therefore, the available power in the local grid can be used more efficiently.

[0025] In one embodiment, the mining machine may be configured to perform work tasks in a mining area according to a work cycle, and wherein the grid power consumption priority is determined according to the work tasks to be performed and / or the work cycle of the mining machine.

[0026] In the context of the present disclosure, the duty cycle may be a predetermined duty cycle or a dynamically updated duty cycle, depending on the specific parameters of the working area. For example, if the mining machine is a rock drill, the duty cycle may be defined by an excavation plan in at least one mining area. The excavation plan may be, for example, but not limited to, a drilling plan, a charging plan, or an excavation plan. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other operations may also be performed.

[0027] In one embodiment, the method may further include changing the priority of grid power consumption of the mining machine during the working cycle in response to changes in the mine environment. With such an exemplary embodiment, the grid power consumption in the mining machine can be dynamically changed depending on the current state of the mining area. For example, if changes occur in the mining area that require a change in the grid power consumption of the mining machine, this can be performed before a grid overload occurs. Similarly, if conditions change so that the mining machine can be given a higher priority, the grid power consumption of the mining machine can be increased, resulting in more efficient use.

[0028] In one embodiment, the change in the mine environment may include a reduction in available grid power and / or the entry of additional mining machines having different grid power consumption priorities into the same mining area as the mining machine entering.

[0029] In one embodiment, the method may further include allocating different grid power consumption priorities to mining machines present in the same mining area depending on the working tasks of the mining machines according to the working cycles.

[0030] By means of such an exemplary embodiment, it is possible, for example, to ensure that the batteries present on board the mining machine are sufficiently charged to transfer the rock drilling rig in order to reach the next scheduled mining area.

[0031] By means of such an exemplary embodiment, it is also possible, for example, to ensure that the batteries present on board the mining machine are sufficiently charged to provide the mining machine with additional power in the next mining area according to the working cycle, so that the batteries can provide the mining machine with additional power in the next mining area beyond the local grid in the next mining area. As a result, the mining machine may utilize more power than is available to it from the local grid due to the maximum grid power consumption limit.

[0032] In one embodiment, the method may further include assigning a higher grid power consumption priority to a mining machine that is scheduled to travel to a mining area with a lower available grid power consumption limit. Through such an exemplary embodiment, a mining machine that is scheduled to travel to a mining area with a lower available grid power consumption limit can charge its battery (if any) in a mining area with a higher grid power consumption limit before traveling to the next mining area. This also results in a more efficient use of the available grid power in the mining area.

[0033] In one embodiment, the maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine may further depend on at least one of a charge state of the mining machine's power battery, a health state of the mining machine's power battery, and a work task according to a work cycle of the mining machine.

[0034] In one embodiment, controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine may include the steps of communicating between a mining control system and the mining machine, and controlling grid power consumption in the mining machine through manual adjustments by an operator of the mining machine and / or automatic adjustments received from the mining control system. The operator's manual adjustments may, for example, limit grid power consumption based on adjustments received from the mining control system.

[0035]

[0013] In another general aspect of the present disclosure, an exemplary mining control system is described in detail.

[0036] In one embodiment, determining the current location may be performed by any one of a wireless positioning system, a wire-based positioning system, and tag identification located in the mining area.

[0037] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine located in a mine environment, the mining machine being arranged to be connected to a local grid, wherein the apparatus comprises:

[0038] a positioning member configured to determine a current position of the mining machine;

[0039] a communication component configured to send the determined position to a mining control system and obtain from the mining control system a maximum grid power consumption limit for mining machinery within the mining area;

[0040] A controller configured to control grid power consumption in a mining machine, wherein the controller includes processing circuitry and memory, wherein the memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry,

[0041] The device is operable to:

[0042] determining a current location of a mining machine, wherein the determined location is within a mining area of ​​a plurality of mining areas within a mine environment;

[0043] Obtaining maximum grid power consumption limits for mining machinery within the mining area; and

[0044] Grid power consumption in the mining machine is controlled based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit.

[0045] The apparatus is applicable to any computer-implemented method for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine according to the present disclosure.The apparatus may be mounted on a mining machine.

[0046] As previously mentioned, in a mining context, the power grid is often at the edge of its capacity or even below standard in order to meet the power requirements of multiple simultaneous operations of mining machinery using electrical power. This is especially true in cases where the duty cycle of the operations implies that there is intermittent power demand in the grid. An exemplary effect of the device for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machinery disclosed herein is that grid power consumption in a conventional mining machinery connected to a local grid can be controlled, thereby ensuring more efficient use of the mining machinery without overloading the local grid.

[0047] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a mining machine comprising any apparatus for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine as disclosed herein.

[0048] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a mining control system for controlling at least one mining machine as disclosed herein located in a mine environment, wherein the system comprises:

[0049] A communication component is configured to receive information about the location of a mining machine within a mining area of ​​a plurality of mining areas within a mine environment and transmit the information to a device for controlling grid power consumption, wherein the information sent to the device includes information about a maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine within the mining area.

[0050] An exemplary effect of the mining control system disclosed herein is that multiple mining machines in a mining environment and their grid power consumption may be controlled, thereby reducing the risk of overloading a portion of the mining environment.

[0051] In one embodiment, the communication component may be further configured to receive information regarding a duty cycle of a mining machine in a mining environment; and

[0052] The system further comprises a control unit (CU) configured to assign grid power consumption priorities to the mining machines.Preferably, the grid power consumption priorities are determined based on a duty cycle of the mining machines in the mine environment.

[0053] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product comprising computer program code which, when executed, causes an apparatus according to the present disclosure to perform a computer implemented method for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine according to the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] The present disclosure will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to similar items in the various figures, and in which:

[0055] Figure 1 Schematic representation illustrating a mine environment.

[0056] Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating a method according to an example.

[0057] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating a method according to an example.

[0058] Figure 4 A schematic representation of an apparatus for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine located in a mine environment is illustrated.

[0059] Figure 5 A schematic representation of a mining control system for controlling at least one mining machine is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The detailed description with reference to the disclosed embodiments will be considered as an example of combining the above-mentioned specific features. It should be understood that other examples can be realized by combining other and / or fewer / more features than the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the figures disclose exemplary embodiments and not as exclusive combinations. It should also be noted in this context that, for simplicity, all figures are disclosed schematically unless otherwise described.

[0061] Figure 1 A schematic representation of a mine environment 200 is shown. Figure 1 The illustrated mine environment includes a power supply 20a and a plurality of local power grids 20b arranged in mining areas A, B, C, D. Figure 1 In the embodiment illustrated in , a plurality of local power grids 20b are located in underground mining areas A, B, C, D. However, local power grids may also exist above ground adjacent to above ground areas as part of the mine operation. An electrical device 21 is provided in an interface with one or more local power grids for managing power supply to one or more local power grids.

[0062] exist Figure 1 There are also multiple mining machines 23 in the mine environment illustrated in . Exemplary mining machines 23 are, but are not limited to, rock drills, excavators, shovels, draglines, bulldozers, loaders, scrapers, skid loaders, motor graders, off-road dump trucks, haul trucks, tankers, water trucks, forklifts, transporters, cranes, conveyor systems, classifiers, crushers and / or utility vehicles. The mining machine 23 may be electrically powered, powered by an electric hybrid system, or include batteries for transporting the mining machine between the local power grid 20b. If a battery is present, it may also help provide additional power for the mining machine to perform its tasks if the maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine is too low.

[0063] exist Figure 1 In the mining area C illustrated in FIG. 2 , there are two mining machines ( 23c1 , 23c2 ). However, it should be understood that other mining areas may also include more than one mining machine at the same time.

[0064] When the mining machine 23 is present in the mining area A, B, C, D, its current position is determined within the mine environment 200. Depending on the work tasks to be performed by the mining machine or other mining machines present in the same mining area, the mining machine 23 is given a maximum grid power consumption limit within the mining area according to the method for controlling grid power consumption disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0065] The mining machine 23 may be transferred between different mining areas A, B, C, D within the mine environment 200. As such, the mining machine may be transferred between different mining areas during a predefined work cycle and experience different maximum grid power consumption limits. Therefore, when entering a new mining area, the mining machine may be assigned a new grid power consumption based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit.

[0066] Figure 2 A flow chart of a method for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine 23 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method is a computer-implemented method for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine, comprising determining S1 a current location of a mining machine 23 located in a mine environment 200. The method is performed by an apparatus for controlling grid power consumption present on a mining machine.

[0067] The mining machine is arranged to be connected to a local power grid 20b. The local power grid 20b is connectable to a power source 20a. The method comprises determining S1 a current position of the mining machine, wherein the determined position is within a mining area of ​​a plurality of mining areas A, B, C, D within a mine environment 200. The method further comprises obtaining S2 a maximum grid power consumption limit of a mining machine 23 within the mining area. The method further comprises controlling S3 grid power consumption in the mining machine 23 based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit.

[0068] Determining S1 may be performed by any one of a wireless positioning system present in the mine environment, a wire-based positioning system, and a tag identification located in the mining area. The wire-based positioning system may be, for example, a position identification device present in a grid cable connecting the mining machine 23 to the local grid 20b. Therefore, the grid cable of the local grid may have a unique position identification device, thereby providing information about the location of the grid in the mine environment, and therefore providing information about the location of the mining machine connected to the grid cable.

[0069] The method further comprises the step of obtaining a maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machinery 23 within the S2 mining area, and the step of controlling S3 the grid power consumption in the mining machinery 23 based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit. The maximum grid power consumption limit obtained in step S2 therefore represents the maximum allowed grid power consumption in the mining machinery. As such, when the method controls the grid power consumption in the S3 mining machinery, the value of the grid power consumption should not be greater than the maximum grid power consumption limit. If the grid power consumption in the mining machinery is higher than the maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machinery obtained in step S2, the local grid 20b may be overloaded and fail.

[0070] The acquisition S2 of the maximum grid power consumption limit may be accomplished by wireless communication between the device for controlling grid power consumption of a mining machine located in a mine environment according to the present disclosure and a mining control system for controlling at least one mining machine. The control S3 may be performed by an operator of the mining machine through manual adjustments and / or automatic adjustments received from a mining control system according to the present disclosure.

[0071] Figure 2 The illustrated method may also include the further step of obtaining a grid power consumption priority of the mining machine and controlling the grid power consumption in the mining machine based on the obtained grid power consumption priority. The consumption priority may be obtained from the mining control system, Figure 2 Not shown.

[0072] Return to reference Figure 1, more than one mining machine 23c1, 23c2 may be present in the mining area C. Because different mining machines in the same mining area may have different grid power consumption priorities, the mining machines requiring the highest grid power are able to more efficiently utilize the available grid power without causing any power disturbances or overloads to the mining machines requiring less grid power. If the mining machine is to use battery power to transfer between the current mining area and the next mining area with lower available grid power, it may also be advantageous to assign a higher grid power priority to the machine so that the battery has enough power to transfer the mining machine to the next mining area and also contains enough power to supplement the available grid power in the next mining area when performing the task. Figure 1 In one exemplary embodiment not illustrated in FIG. 1 , mining machines that are already present and connected to the local power grid may receive different grid power consumption priorities in response to additional mining machines entering the same mining area. If the newly entered mining machine is to perform a work task that requires a large amount of grid power, the priority of the mining machines that are already present in the mining area may be reduced to allow the newly entered mining machine to have a higher maximum grid power consumption limit.

[0073] Figure 3 Flowchart showing another exemplary method for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine 23 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As explained in Figure 3 The method illustrated in includes determining S1 a current location of a mining machine, wherein the determined location is within a mining area of ​​a plurality of mining areas A, B, C, D within a mine environment 200. The method further includes obtaining S2 a maximum grid power consumption limit of a mining machine 23 within the mining area. Figure 3 In the embodiment illustrated in , controlling S3 the grid power consumption in the mining machine comprises the following steps: communicating S31 between the mining control system and the mining machine, and controlling S32 the grid power consumption in the mining machine by manual adjustments by an operator of the mining machine and / or automatic adjustments received from the mining control system.

[0074] Figure 4 A schematic representation of an apparatus for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine located in a mine environment is illustrated. Figure 4 The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 shows a method for controlling a device located in a mine environment 200 ( Figure 4 The mining machine 23 (not shown) Figure 4 The mining machine and the mine environment may be arranged according to the previously disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure. The mining machine is arranged to be connected to the local power grid 20b ( Figure 4). The device 40 includes a positioning component 41 to determine the current position of the mining machine. The positioning component 41 may be a device arranged to determine the position based on a wireless positioning system and a wired positioning system present in the mine environment, such as a position identification device present in a grid cable connecting the mining machine to the local grid. The determined position is within a mining area among multiple mining areas A, B, C, D within the mine environment 200. The device 40 further includes a communication component 42, which is configured to send the determined position to the mining control system and obtain the maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine (23) in the mining area from the mining control system. The communication component 42 can be selected from a wireless communication system such as a wireless communication component or a network-based communication system. The device 40 further includes a controller 43 including a processing circuit 431 and a memory 432. The memory 432 contains instructions executable by the processing circuit 431. As previously described in the present disclosure, the controller 43 is configured to control the grid power consumption in the mining machine 23 based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit received from the mining control system. When controller 43 receives information about the determined maximum grid power consumption limit from the mining control system, controller 43 controls grid power consumption in mining machine 23 via processing line 431 using instructions executable by processing circuitry.

[0075] The device 400 may be mounted on the mining machine 23, such as attached to the outside of the mining machine or inside the mining machine. The device 400 may be attached by screws or any other suitable attachment means.

[0076] When the mining machine is located in a mine environment, its current position in the mining area is determined by the device 40 for controlling the power consumption of the power grid in the mining machine 23 according to the present disclosure. The position determination can be performed in different ways such as tag identification located in the mining area, a wireless positioning system, and a wire-based positioning system. The device then sends the determined position to the mining control system and obtains the maximum power grid consumption limit of the mining machine in the mining area from the mining control system. The device further includes a controller configured to control the power grid consumption in the mining machine 23 based on the determined maximum power grid consumption limit received from the mining control system. This enables the mining machine to perform its tasks according to the working cycle without overloading the power grid because the power consumption of the mining machine is controlled by the device.

[0077] Figure 4An example computer program product 45 having a computer program including instructions thereon is also illustrated. The computer program product includes a computer readable medium such as a universal serial bus (USB) memory, a plug-in card, an embedded drive, or a read-only memory (ROM). The computer readable medium has stored thereon a computer program including program instructions. The computer program may be loaded into a processing circuit included in the device 40. According to some embodiments, the computer program may, when loaded into the device 40 and executed by the device 40, cause the device 40 to execute a program according to, for example, Figure 2 or Figure 3 The method steps of the method explained in are performed.

[0078] Thus, the computer program may be loaded into the apparatus 40, such as into a processing circuit included in the apparatus 40 ( Figure 4 ), and is configured to, when the computer program is executed by the processing circuit, cause an implementation for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine to be executed. For example, Figure 4 An example apparatus may be configured to perform a combination of Figure 2 or Figure 3 Describe the method steps.

[0079] Figure 5 A schematic representation of a mining control system 500 for controlling at least one mining machine 23 is shown. Figure 5 In FIG. 2 , the mining machine 23 is located in the mining area B of the mine environment 200. However, Figure 5 The example illustrated in FIG. 2 is only one example, and it should be understood that more than one mining machine may be present in the mine environment 200 or may also be located in other mining areas. The mining control system 500 includes a communication component 501 configured to receive information about the location of the mining machine 23 within the mining area B within the mine environment 200. The communication component is further configured to transmit the information to a ( Figure 5 (not shown) device, wherein the information sent to the device includes information about the maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machinery in the mining area.

[0080] The communication means 501 may be a wireless based communication system communicating via a mine network, or a wired based communication system connecting the control system 500 and a device for controlling grid power consumption of the mine excavation 23. Figure 5 In the embodiment illustrated in , the communication is performed wirelessly.

[0081] exist Figure 5In the example illustrated in , the system 500 further comprises a control unit CU configured to assign grid power consumption priorities to the mining machines 23. The communication means 501 may further be configured to receive information about a duty cycle of the mining machines 23 in the mine environment 200.

[0082] Because the mining control system 500 is capable of communicating with multiple devices for controlling the grid power consumption of the mining machines 23, the control unit CU can assign grid power consumption priorities to the mining machines based on the overall information collected from the multiple mining machines 23 and their corresponding working cycles, and thereby optimize the overall grid power consumption in the mine environment 200.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine (23) located in a mine environment (200), the mining machine (23) being arranged to be connected to a local grid (20b), wherein: The method comprises: Determining (S1) a current position of the mining machine (23), wherein the determined position is within a mining area of ​​a plurality of mining areas (A, B, C, D) within the mine environment (200); Obtaining (S2) a maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine (23) in the mining area; and The grid power consumption in the mining machine (23) is controlled (S3) based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Obtaining a maximum grid power consumption limit for the mining machine (23) includes obtaining available grid power in the mining area.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The available grid power in the mining area is determined based on at least one of a current state of the grid power, a predetermined value for each mining area (A, B, C, D), and a scheduled duty cycle in the mining area.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The mine environment (200) is an underground mine environment.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: Obtaining the power grid power consumption priority of the mining machine (23); as well as Grid power consumption in the mining machine (23) is controlled based on the obtained grid power consumption priority.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The mining machine (23) is configured to perform work tasks in the mining area according to a work cycle, and wherein the grid power consumption priority is determined according to the work tasks to be performed and / or the work cycle of the mining machine (23).

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising changing the grid power consumption priority of the mining machine (23) during the work cycle in response to changes in the mine environment.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The changes in the mine environment include a reduction in available grid power and / or the entry of additional mining machines (23c2) having different grid power consumption priorities into the same mining area as the mining machine (23c1).

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8 further comprises allocating different grid power consumption priorities to the mining machines (23c1, 23c2) depending on the work tasks of the mining machines (23c1, 23c2) present in the same mining area according to the working cycle.

10. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 9, further comprising assigning a higher grid power consumption priority to a mining machine (23) scheduled to travel to a mining area with a lower available grid power consumption limit.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine (23) further depends on at least one of the charge state of the power battery of the mining machine (23), the health state of the power battery of the mining machine and the work task according to the working cycle of the mining machine (23).

12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Controlling (S3) the power consumption of the power grid in the mining machine comprises the following steps: Communication (S31) is performed between a mining control system and the mining machine (23), and grid power consumption in the mining machine (23) is controlled (S32) by manual adjustments by an operator of the mining machine (24) and / or automatic adjustments received from the mining control system.

13. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Determining (S1) the current location is performed by any one of a wireless positioning system, a wire-based positioning system, and tag identification located in the mining area.

14. An apparatus (40) for controlling grid power consumption in a mining machine (23) located in a mine environment (200), the mining machine being arranged to be connected to a local grid (20b), wherein: The device (40) comprises: A positioning member (41) configured to determine a current position of the mining machine; A communication component (42) configured to send the determined position to a mining control system and obtain a maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine (23) within a mining area from the mining control system; and A controller (43) configured to control grid power consumption in the mining machine (23), wherein the controller (43) comprises a processing circuit (431) and a memory (432), wherein the memory (432) contains instructions executable by the processing circuit (431), Wherein, the device is operable to: Determining a current position of the mining machine (23), wherein the determined position is within a mining area of ​​a plurality of mining areas (A, B, C, D) within the mine environment (200); Obtaining a maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine (23) within the mining area; and Grid power consumption in the mining machine (23) is controlled based on the determined maximum grid power consumption limit.

15. A mining machine (23) comprising a device (40) according to claim 14.

16. A mining control system (500) for controlling at least one mining machine (23) according to claim 15 located in a mine environment (200), wherein: The system comprises: A communication component (501) is configured to receive information about the position of a mining machine (23) within a mining area among multiple mining areas (A, B, C, D) within the mine environment (200), and transmit the information to the device for controlling grid power consumption, wherein the information sent to the device includes information about the maximum grid power consumption limit of the mining machine within the mining area.

17. The mining control system (500) according to claim 16, wherein: The communication means (501) is further configured to receive information regarding a duty cycle of the mining machine in the mine environment; and The system further comprises a control unit (CU) configured to assign grid power consumption priorities to the mining machines (23).

18. A computer program product (45) comprising computer program code which, when executed, causes an apparatus (40) according to claim 14 to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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