Method, control node and computer program for aligning a feed beam in a drilling operation

Abstract

A method for aligning a feed beam (26) of a mining drill (10) in a mining environment (12) according to a drilling plan, the method comprising: acquiring a drilling meter indicative of an expected drilling location (36); acquiring sensor data from a sensor system (32) comprising at least one sensor, the sensor system (32) sensing the mining environment (12) and at least a feed beam (26) of the mining rig (10); generating a virtual mining model based on the acquired sensor data and the drilling plan; and generating a visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model. The virtual mining model includes a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of the mining environment (12) and at least a feed beam (26) of the mining drill (10) and a three-dimensional representation of an expected drilling location (36). The virtual mining model includes at least one coordinate system for establishing in real-time a positioning relationship of at least a feed beam (26) of the mining drill (10) with respect to the mining environment (12) to facilitate alignment of the feed beam (26) to enable the mining drill (10) to produce a borehole at an expected borehole location (36) according to a drilling plan.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments described herein relate to a method, a control node and a computer program for aligning a feed beam of a mining drill rig in a mining environment according to a drilling plan. BACKGROUND

[0002] A drill boom of a mining drill rig is typically mounted on a mobile carrier, e.g. a wheeled chassis, and has an articulated arm, a mounting at a distal end of the articulated arm on which a feed beam is mounted, and means for moving the articulated arm. The feed beam supports a device such as a rock drill and guides the drill rod when it is driven into the rock surface.

[0003] Various pivots and pivot control mechanisms enable an operator of the mining drill rig to position the feed beam in any desired position of the rock surface. For example, the feed beam can be positioned straight forward into the rock surface (in line with the boom), or at right angles to the boom into the top, bottom and sides of a tunnel in the mine.

[0004] Before performing a mining operation, a drilling plan is acquired or created. The digital drilling plan can be communicated to an operator of the mining drill rig, e.g. via wifi or USB, or can be created in the control system of the mining drill rig. The drilling plan indicates an intended drilling position, i.e. the drilling plan provides coordinates indicating a hole start position, a direction in which the hole is to extend through the rock mass, and a size of the hole, e.g. a length of the hole.

[0005] Before drilling, the mining drill rig is placed in a suitable position from which the area to be drilled can be reached. The feed beam of the mining drill rig is then translated and rotated until the correct position and direction required to provide a hole at the intended drilling position is achieved. The operator has to determine the direction of the feed beam in order to obtain the correct elevation angle (angle formed by the line of sight and the horizontal plane) and the correct azimuth angle (horizontal angle relative to the vertical direction). Once the alignment is completed, the mining drill rig is fixed in place and the rock drill starts drilling the hole required at the intended drilling position.

[0006] Ensuring the correct elevation angle is relatively simple, as the feed beam of the mining drill rig can be tilted very easily up or down to the correct elevation angle.

[0007] However, ensuring the correct azimuth angle is more problematic, and even small errors in the azimuth angle can result in the hole being rejected.

[0008] The alignment of the feed beam and the subsequent control of the mining drill rig can be performed by an operator located on the mining drill rig, in the cabin of the mining drill rig, or remotely from the mining drill rig, in a control room located remotely from the mining drill rig. In the latter case, the mining drill rig is typically equipped with one or more cameras so that the remotely located operator can watch live video in the control room. This creates a similar operating environment as operating the mining drill rig from the cabin of the mining drill rig and can ensure the health and safety of the operator.

[0009] During the alignment of the feed beam and the subsequent control of the mining drill rig, an important factor leading to accidents and injuries is a poor or limited view from the operator’s location. For example, a part of the mining drill rig can be moved to a position in front of the cabin window or camera, which obstructs the operator’s view. Likewise, a part of the mining drill rig can be moved to a position outside the operator’s or camera’s view. Thus, both the on-board and remote operators can experience a reduced perception of the drill rig to the environment when using the mining drill rig. SUMMARY

[0010] It is an object of the embodiments described herein to provide an improved method for aligning a feed beam of a mining drill rig in a mining environment according to a drilling plan.

[0011] The method comprises obtaining a drilling plan indicative of an intended drill hole location; obtaining sensor data from a sensor system comprising at least one sensor, the sensor system sensing at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment; generating a virtual mining model based on the obtained sensor data and the drilling plan; and producing a visual representation of the virtual mining model. The virtual mining model comprises a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment and a three-dimensional representation of the intended drill hole location. Furthermore, the virtual mining model comprises at least one coordinate system for establishing a positional relationship of at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig relative to the mining environment in real-time to facilitate alignment of the feed beam so that the mining drill rig is enabled to produce a drill hole according to the drilling plan at the intended drill hole location.

[0012] The method helps the operator to visualize the position and orientation of the feed beam and the boundary in the mining environment by presenting a realistic and accurate visual representation of the prevailing situation in the mining environment, which increases the operational safety. Thus, the method allows the operator to safely, reliably, and efficiently align the feed beam of the mining drill rig and perform complex mining operations that would otherwise not be possible due to poor or obstructed visibility. The method facilitates the production of drill holes according to the drilling plan, better tunnel profiles without overbreak, and good fragmentation, which is beneficial for subsequent operations in the mining process.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the virtual mining model can comprise a three-dimensional representation of the entire mining drill rig (i.e., a digital twin of the mining drill rig).

[0014] According to an embodiment, the visual representation comprises a viewing position and a viewing direction in at least one coordinate system corresponding to a position and a direction in the mining environment. Once the virtual mining model is generated, the operator can select any desired viewing position or viewing direction. For example, a view from inside the tunnel or from the rock surface can be used. According to an embodiment, the visual representation comprises a plurality of viewing positions and a plurality of viewing directions. The operator can move freely within the virtual mining model and can observe the mining rig and the machine environment from any desired perspective, i.e. from a viewing position and / or a viewing direction, which otherwise can be difficult or impossible to achieve.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the method comprises presenting the visual representation of the virtual mining model on a display, e.g. a monitor, or in a virtual reality (VR) device, e.g. a VR headset, thereby creating a VR environment for the operator.

[0016] Alternatively, the method comprises acquiring a live camera or video feed from the sensor system and providing the visual representation of the virtual mining model within the live camera or video feed, or superimposing the visual representation of the virtual mining model on the live camera or video feed and presenting the combined live camera or video footage and the visual representation of the virtual mining model on a display, thereby creating an augmented reality (AR) environment for the operator. In this way, relevant information is added to the sensor data acquired from the sensor system.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the method comprises acquiring at least one control input from the operator to move at least the feed beam of the mining rig in response to the operator observing the visual representation of the virtual mining model, and updating the visual representation of the virtual mining model based on the at least one control input, such that the updated visual representation comprises any one or both of an updated viewing position and an updated viewing direction in the at least one coordinate system. The at least one control input can be used to control the mining rig and / or to control what is to be observed in the visual representation of the virtual mining model.

[0018] The at least one control input acquired from the operator can be associated with one or more virtual operations performed by the operator in the virtual mining model, and the one or more virtual operations can correspond to one or more operations to be performed by the feed beam of the mining rig in the mining environment.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the at least one coordinate system comprises at least one of the following coordinate systems: a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, a spherical coordinate system. The Cartesian coordinate system can be used to position at least a part of the mining rig at a precise location in the mining environment. The spherical coordinate system can be used to align the feed beam of the mining rig with an intended drilling position.

[0020] According to embodiments, the method comprises indicating, in the visual representation of the virtual mining model, a predicted position of the borehole based on the current position and orientation of the feed beam of the mining drill rig. An operator observing the predicted position of the borehole can then move the feed beam of the mining drill rig until the predicted position of the borehole coincides with the intended borehole position.

[0021] According to embodiments, generating the virtual mining model comprises: obtaining one or more relative distances between one or more sensors of the sensor system and a reference point on the feed beam of the mining drill rig; estimating one or more distances to the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment based on the obtained sensor data and based on the one or more relative distances between the one or more sensors of the sensor system and the reference point on the feed beam of the mining drill rig; and determining one or more positions associated with the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment based on the one or more distances to the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment, wherein the one or more positions are determined relative to a reference point of the feed beam of the mining drill rig.

[0022] According to embodiments, the drilling plan comprises information about at least one of: a hole start position of the intended borehole, a direction of the intended borehole, a size of the intended borehole, a hole end point, a length of the intended borehole, an azimuth angle of the intended borehole, an elevation angle of the intended borehole. The drilling plan can comprise any relevant information about one or more boreholes to be made in one or more mining environments.

[0023] According to embodiments, the method comprises determining, using the sensor system, whether a collision between the mining drill rig and an object or a person in the mining environment is imminent and providing, when sensor data indicative of the collision being imminent is obtained from the sensor system, at least one of: a warning, an alarm, an automatic stop for preventing at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig from moving and a control input for automatically reducing the speed of a moving part of the mining drill rig. The warning or alarm can be a visual, an audible or a haptic warning or alarm or any combination thereof.

[0024] According to embodiments, the method comprises presenting, with the visual representation of the virtual mining model, additional data related to the virtual mining model (e.g. data about one or more real-time operations of the mining drill rig, data about previous operations of the mining drill rig in the same mining environment, data about the mining environment, real-time data about objects or persons in the mining environment).

[0025] According to embodiments, the sensor system comprises one or more of: a laser scanner such as a rotating laser scanner, a plurality of two-dimensional cameras, a time-of-flight, a triangulation or an interferometry sensor, a white light digitizer, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, a satellite sensor, a structured light three-dimensional scanner, a photogrammetry device, an infrared sensor, a hand-held sensor or any other suitable sensor.

[0026] According to an embodiment, the sensor system comprises a plurality of two-dimensional cameras, and wherein generating the virtual mine model comprises deriving a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment based on a plurality of two-dimensional images captured by the plurality of two-dimensional cameras.

[0027] According to an embodiment, generating the virtual mine model comprises deriving information about one or both of at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment based on a combination of sensor data acquired from at least two different sensors in the sensor system.

[0028] According to an embodiment, the method comprises presenting at least a portion of the mining drill rig and / or at least a portion of the mining environment as at least partially transparent in the visual representation of the virtual mine model. In this way, the operator can see through any obstructing portions of the mining drill rig and the mining environment when aligning the feed beam of the mining drill rig and / or when using the mining drill rig.

[0029] The embodiments described herein also relate to a control node configured to facilitate alignment of a feed beam of a mining drill rig in a mining environment according to a drilling plan. The control node is configured to perform a method according to any of the embodiments of the method described herein.

[0030] The control node is configured to: acquire a drilling plan indicative of an intended drill hole location; acquire sensor data from a sensor system comprising at least one sensor, the sensor system sensing at least a feed beam of a mining drill rig and a mining environment; generate a virtual mine model based on the acquired sensor data and the drilling plan; and produce a visual representation of the virtual mine model. The virtual mine model comprises a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment and a three-dimensional representation of the intended drill hole location. The virtual mine model comprises at least one coordinate system for establishing a positional relationship of at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig relative to the mining environment in real-time to facilitate alignment of the feed beam to enable the mining drill rig to produce a drill hole at the intended drill hole location according to the drilling plan.

[0031] The embodiments described herein also relate to a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method according to any of the embodiments of the method described herein.

[0032] The embodiments described herein also relate to a carrier comprising the computer program wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, optical signal, electromagnetic signal, magnetic signal, electric signal, radio signal, microwave signal and computer readable storage medium.

[0033] Definitions

[0034] The term "mining drill rig" as used herein means a tool that performs work on material used in an underground, underwater, or open-pit mining or civil engineering environment. The mining drill rig can be a power machine powered at least partially by compressed air, hydraulics, and / or electricity. The mining drill rig can be stationary or mobile, including, for example, a wheeled or tracked mobile carrier. The mining drill rig can include a cabin. The mining drill rig can be a drill rig that includes a rock drill that operates by using a reciprocating impact or by using a rotary abrasion. The mining drill rig can be one of the following:

[0035] a surface drill rig or a tunnel drill rig for drilling blast holes in a mine or a tunnel of a construction site to advance a roadway face,

[0036] a rock reinforcement drill rig for installing rock bolts and rock nets,

[0037] a production drill rig for drilling long holes or medium holes for blasting,

[0038] a pick device for removing loose rock from a rock surface, and

[0039] a shotcrete device for reinforcing a rock surface by spraying a layer of concrete or resin on the rock surface.

[0040] The term "drill hole" as used herein means any hollow location of any shape or size in a solid or surface. The drill hole can be a tunnel or a cavity that houses rock bolts or explosives.

[0041] The term "mining environment" as used herein refers to any location where geological material (e.g., metallic ore, coal, gemstone, limestone, chalk, rock salt or clay, oil, natural gas, or water) is to be extracted. The mining material can be extracted from an ore body, vein, or bed. In addition, the term "mining environment" means any civil engineering site where construction or excavation work is being performed (e.g., a construction site where a building, road, and / or bridge is being constructed). The mining environment can be an underground, underwater, or open-pit mine or civil engineering site. The mining environment can include a series of roads or tunnels and spaces. It can contain one or more infrastructure objects (e.g., lighting elements and support beams) for supporting mining or civil engineering operations. Various mining operations (e.g., drilling and blast holes and reinforcing tunnels) can be performed in the mining environment.

[0042] The term "drilling plan" as used herein means information that indicates how a drill hole to be performed extends through three-dimensional space. The drilling plan can indicate a hole start location.

[0043] The term "feed beam" used in this text means a non-flexible profiled beam mounted on an arm or jib of a mining drill rig that supports and guides the mining drill rig. The mining drill rig can be a rock drill, an anchor device for reinforcing rock strata by installing rock anchors or cables, a ripper hammer for loosening rock, or a shotcrete drill for reinforcing rock surfaces by spraying concrete layers onto the rock surface.

[0044] The expression "visual representation of the virtual mining model" used in this text means a schematic or realistic depiction of the mining environment and at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the intended drilling position in the form of an image or a graph. The visual representation can be detailed or non-detailed, or it can comprise a combination of detailed and non-detailed parts. This serves as a basis for simulating the alignment of the feed beam with the intended drilling position according to the drilling plan. In embodiments, the visual representation of the virtual mining model is a digital image created by a processor (e.g., a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing).

[0045] The term "real time" used in this text essentially means the actual time when a process or an event takes place. Any real-time condition mentioned in this text can refer to ensuring sufficiently fast updates so that the operator can observe the changes in the position and / or orientation of at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig and / or the mining environment in the visual representation of the virtual mining model and has time to control the mining drill rig in a safe manner. In some embodiments, real time means that the visual representation is representing the snapshot state of the mining drill rig not earlier than a certain time period, i.e., the visual representation of the virtual mining model is updated with a sufficiently high frequency to ensure safe operation related to the operating speed of the mining drill rig and components of the mining drill rig, the time for signaling and signal processing, the time for generating the virtual mining model, and the time for visualizing the virtual mining model. The visual representation update frequency can be at least 10 Hz, or at least 20 Hz, or at least 30 Hz, or at least 40 Hz, or at least 50 Hz, or at least 60 Hz, or at least 70 Hz, or at least 80 Hz, or at least 90 Hz, or at least 100 Hz, or at least 110 Hz, or at least 120 Hz.

[0046] The expression "sensing at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig" means that a sensor system comprising at least one sensor is configured to sense the position of at least one part or parts of the feed beam of the mining drill rig, or the position of the entire mining drill rig. In addition, the expression means that a sensor system comprising at least one sensor is configured to sense the orientation of at least one part or parts of the feed beam of the mining drill rig, or the orientation of the entire mining drill rig.

[0047] The term“sensing the mining environment” means that the sensor system comprising at least one sensor is configured to sense the position of any one or more parts of the mining environment related to the operation of the mining drill rig, e.g. the position of the walls, the roof and / or the sides of the tunnel, the position of the ore layer and / or the position of persons or objects, e.g. vehicles and devices in the mining environment.

[0048] The same sensor system comprising at least one sensor can be used for sensing both at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig and the mining environment. Alternatively, a first sensor system component comprising at least one sensor can be used for sensing at least the feed beam of the mining drill rig, and a second sensor system component comprising at least one sensor can be used for sensing the mining environment.

[0049] The term“operator” means a human or an automatic control node that utilizes programmed logic to automate the operation of the autonomous mining drill rig and the image recognition software to interpret the visual representation of the virtual mining model. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0050] The embodiments described herein will be further explained in the following with reference to the enclosed schematic drawings by way of non-limiting examples, in which:

[0051] Figure 1 a mining drill rig, a mining environment and a control node using a method according to embodiments described herein are shown,

[0052] Figure 2 a visual representation of a virtual mining model is shown,

[0053] Figure 3 a picture that can be presented to an operator is shown,

[0054] Figure 4 is a picture showing an augmented view presented according to embodiments described herein, and

[0055] Figure 5 is a flow chart showing a method according to embodiments described herein.

[0056] It should be noted that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that certain features, for clarity, can be shown exaggerated in relation to others. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] Figure 1A mining drill 10 in a mining environment 12 is shown schematically. The illustrated mining drill 10 includes a mobile carrier 14 on which is mounted a cabin 16 for housing an operator 18. Alternatively or additionally, the mining drill 10 can be operated remotely from a control node 20 (e.g., a control room). The mining drill 10 and / or the control node 20 include a transmitter for communicating with at least one sensor of a sensor system 32. The control node 20 can be configured to communicate with one or more mining drills 10.

[0058] The mining drill 10 includes a boom 22 that is fixed to the mobile carrier 14. Although the illustrated example relates to a single-boom mining drill, one or more booms 22 can be mounted on a single mobile carrier 14 of the mining drill 10. The boom 22 has an arm 24 (e.g., a telescoping arm and / or an articulated arm) that can include a mounting device. The mining drill 10 includes devices to raise, lower, invert, rotate, and / or slide the arm 24 in a conventional manner relative to its mounting. A feed beam 26 is mounted on the arm 24 (e.g., on the mounting device at a distal end of the arm 24), whereby the operator 18 can place the feed beam 26 in any desired position and in any desired orientation.

[0059] The sensor system 32 includes at least one sensor for sensing at least the feed beam 26 of the mining drill 10 and the mining environment 12. The at least one sensor of the sensor system 32 can be located in any suitable location (e.g., on the cabin 16, on the boom 22, and / or on the feed beam 26 of the mining drill 10). A sensor can be located at each joint of the mining drill 10.

[0060] Additionally or alternatively, the at least one sensor of the sensor system 32 can be located in any suitable location in the mining environment 12 (e.g., on a wall 30, a ceiling, and / or a floor of a tunnel, and / or on a vehicle operating in the mining environment 12, and / or on a person and / or object in the mining environment 12 (e.g., on the operator 18)). Any suitable sensor and any suitable sensing technology can be used. Any type of multiple sensors and / or one or more sensing technologies can be used.

[0061] According to an embodiment, the at least one sensor of the sensor system 32 is placed in one or more locations such that the sensor system 32 has a complete or near-complete view of the environment around the mining drill 10 (i.e., a view of one or more portions of the mining drill 10 and a portion of multiple portions of the mining environment 12) that is necessary to enable the operator 18 to safely perform a particular mining operation.

[0062] Before performing a mining operation (e.g., drilling at least one borehole in a wall 30 of a tunnel), an operator 18 must align a feed beam 26 of a mining drill rig 10 to ensure that each borehole is drilled at an intended borehole location. The operator 18 can do so using a visual representation 34 of a virtual mining model generated using a method according to embodiments described herein from a cabin 16 of the mining drill rig 10 and / or from a remotely located control node 20. The visual representation 34 can be presented to the operator 18 via at least one display unit (e.g., a screen of a computer, a handheld device (e.g., a mobile phone, a VR or AR headset or glasses), or any other suitable display device).

[0063] Figure 2 An example of using a visual representation 34 of a virtual mining model generated according to embodiments described herein is shown. However, for illustrative purposes, Figure 2 A two-dimensional visual representation of a virtual mining model is shown instead of a three-dimensional visual representation as required by embodiments described herein.

[0064] The method according to embodiments described herein comprises acquiring a drilling plan (e.g., a digital drilling plan). The drilling plan can indicate one or more intended borehole locations 36, hole start positions 36s, hole end points 36e, and a length of each borehole.

[0065] Figure 2 An intended rock bolt pattern to be installed in a rock surface 30 is shown, whereby two boreholes must be provided in intended borehole locations 36 shown by dashed lines in Figure 2 Each borehole can be 2 to 6 meters long.

[0066] The method comprises acquiring sensor data from a sensor system 32 that senses the mining environment 12 and at least the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10, generating a virtual mining model based on the acquired sensor data and the drilling plan, and producing a visual representation 34 of the virtual mining model.

[0067] Although Figure 2 A two-dimensional visual representation 34 is shown, but the virtual mining model generated by embodiments described herein comprises a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of at least the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 and the mining environment 12 and a three-dimensional representation of each intended borehole location 36. The virtual mining model comprises at least one coordinate system for establishing a positional relationship of at least the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 relative to the mining environment 12 in real-time to facilitate alignment of the feed beam 26 to enable the mining drill rig 10 to generate boreholes according to the drilling plan at the intended borehole locations 36.

[0068] A spherical coordinate system can be used to establish the orientation of the feed beam 26 relative to the intended borehole location 36. One or more instruments for measuring angles (e.g., a protractor (not shown)) can be included in the visual representation 34 of the virtual mine model to indicate the degree of orientation of the feed beam 26 and the degree of orientation of the intended borehole location 36.

[0069] A Cartesian coordinate system can be used to establish the distance of at least a portion of the feed beam 26 relative to a reference point (e.g., the distance 38 between the tip of the feed beam 26 and the borehole start location 36s).

[0070] For example, the method includes generating a virtual mine model by acquiring one or more relative distances between one or more sensors of the sensor system 32 and reference points on the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10. The method also includes estimating one or more distances from the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 and the mining environment 12 based on the acquired sensor data and based on the one or more relative distances between the one or more sensors of the sensor system 32 and the reference points on the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10. The method further includes determining one or more locations associated with the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 and the mining environment 12 based on the one or more distances from the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 and the mining environment 12, wherein the one or more locations are determined relative to a reference point of the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10.

[0071] The operator 18 can provide at least one control input for controlling at least the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 and / or for controlling what is to be observed in the visual representation 34 of the virtual mine model. The at least one control input can be acquired from the operator 18 by any suitable means (e.g., using a joystick, voice commands, a touchscreen, a touchpad, buttons, levers, or gestures in a non-virtual environment or a VR or AR environment). While inputting the control input, the operator 18 can continue to observe the mining drill rig 10 and / or the mining environment 12 from any suitable perspective while operating the mining drill rig 10.

[0072] The position and orientation of at least the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 relative to the mining environment 12 is established in real-time, and the visual representation 34 is updated in real-time to facilitate alignment of the feed beam 26 so that the rock drill 28 of the mining drill rig 10 is able to produce a borehole at the intended borehole location 36 according to the borehole plan.

[0073] The at least one control input acquired from the operator 18 can be associated with one or more virtual operations performed by the operator 18 in the virtual mine model, wherein the one or more virtual operations correspond to one or more operations to be performed by the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 in the mining environment 12.

[0074] According to embodiments, methods according to embodiments described herein may be used to train an operator 18 and / or an automated control node 20 of an autonomous mining drill rig 10 to align a feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 in a mining environment 12 according to a drilling plan.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the method may include indicating to the operator 18 that no real-time updates of the visual representation 34 can be provided. This may be accomplished by an alarm, warning, or automatic stop to prevent further movement of at least the feed beam 26 of the mining rig 10 until the visual representation of the virtual mining model is updated.

[0076] Figure 2 The visual representation 34 of the virtual mining model is shown as taken from a particular viewing position and viewing direction at a distance from the mining drill rig 10. However, the operator 18 may select a visual representation 34 that includes a different viewing position and viewing direction. For example, the operator 18 may select a Figure 2 The first viewing position and the first viewing direction indicated by the first arrow 33 in FIG. 1 correspond to the viewing position and the viewing direction of the operator 18 in the cabin 16 of the mining drill rig 10. The operator 18 may then select Figure 2 The second observation position and the second observation orientation shown by the second arrow 35 in FIG. 5 correspond to the observation position and the observation orientation outside the rock in the direction along the expected drilling position 40 .

[0077] Any portion of the mining drill rig 10 and / or the mining environment can be rendered at least partially transparent in the visual representation 34 of the virtual mining model to assist the operator 18 in aligning the feed beam 26 according to the drilling plan. The feed beam 26 and / or the boom 22 and / or the arm 24 and / or the rock to be drilled can, for example, be rendered at least partially transparent. According to an embodiment, only the outline of at least the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 can be shown in the visual representation 34 of the virtual mining model.

[0078] Any viewing position and viewing direction within the virtual mining model is possible, for example, from any part of the mining drill rig 10 (e.g., from inside the cabin 16, from the top of the cabin 16, from the innermost end or the outermost end of the feed beam 26) or from any part of the mining environment 12 (e.g., from outside the mining drill rig or from the rock surface 20).

[0079] Methods according to embodiments described herein may include presenting a plurality of viewing positions 33 and / or a plurality of viewing directions to the operator 18 on one or more display units.

[0080] Optionally, the method according to embodiments described herein comprises indicating a predicted position 40 of a borehole based on a current position and direction of the feed beam of the mining drill rig 10 in the visual representation 34 of the virtual mine model.

[0081] The method according to any of the embodiments described herein can comprise presenting additional data 42 related to the virtual mine model with the visual representation 34 of the virtual mine model. Such additional data 42 can be presented in real time. The additional data 42 can relate to the borehole being drilled or one or more boreholes that have previously been drilled in the same mining environment and can thereby provide feedback to the operator about one or more of the following: the rate of penetration of the rock drill 28 of the mining drill rig 10, the fragmentation or compaction of the rock mass, the stability of the surrounding rock mass, the location of a fracture zone in the rock mass and where additional rock reinforcement can be needed.

[0082] According to embodiments, the method comprises using the sensor system 32 to determine whether a collision between a part of the mining drill rig 10 and an object 46 or a person in the mining environment is imminent and providing at least one of the following when sensor data indicative of the collision being imminent is acquired from the sensor system 32: a warning, an alarm, an automatic stop for preventing at least the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 from moving and a control input for automatically reducing the speed of the moving parts of the mining drill rig 10. Thereby, an improved collision avoidance is provided as the operator 18 can utilize the depth perception to observe the three-dimensional mining environment 12 even if the operator 18 is not on the mining drill rig 10.

[0083] Figure 3 Information that can be presented to the operator 18 at least during alignment and / or use of the mining drill rig 10 to prevent accidents or collisions is schematically illustrated.

[0084] Figure 3 The position of the mining drill rig 10, which is shown as a part being partially transparent, and the position of an object, e.g. a vehicle 46, in the mining environment is illustrated. However, for illustrative purposes, Figure 3 A two-dimensional visual representation of a part of the virtual mine model is illustrated instead of the three-dimensional visual representation required by the method described herein. The mining drill rig 10, the mining environment 12 and any person or object 46 in the mining environment 12 would be presented in three dimensions to the operator 18, which would provide an enhanced drill rig perception of the environment.

[0085] The mining drill rig 10 does not necessarily need to carry all of the processing resources (i.e. hardware and / or software) required to perform the methods according to the embodiments described herein. At least a portion of the processing resources required can be located at one or more locations external to the mining drill rig 10 (e.g. at one or more remotely located control nodes 20). The mining drill rig 10 will only need to contain the processing resources required to communicate with the at least one control node 20. This provides a cleaner and safer environment for the processing resources (which can extend the working life of the processing resources) and will result in a reduction in the weight that the mining drill rig 10 needs to carry (which in turn will reduce the energy consumption when moving the mining drill rig 10 and thereby result in a reduction in fuel costs).

[0086] Figure 4 is a photo of an enlarged view of the mining environment presented to the operator using the methods according to the embodiments described herein. The three-dimensional digital model of the mining drill rig is provided in the camera or video image seen by the operator.

[0087] According to embodiments, the augmented view can be additionally augmented by the method of providing one or more audio and / or haptic signals during the alignment process to indicate when correct alignment has been achieved and / or to indicate whether the feed beam is moving in the correct or incorrect direction to achieve correct alignment.

[0088] Figure 5 The basic steps of the methods according to the embodiments described herein are shown, as are optional steps (shown by dashed lines). It should be noted that the steps of the methods described herein do not necessarily have to be performed consecutively or in the order in which they are described or presented in Figure 4 . The steps can be performed in any suitable order, and certain steps can be performed simultaneously.

[0089] Once the first borehole has been created at the first intended borehole location, the feed beam 26 of the mining drill rig 10 or the entire mining drill rig 10 can be moved to a different location in the mining environment 12 and the feed beam 26 can be aligned so that the mining drill rig 10 can create a second borehole at a second intended borehole location. If the borehole plan previously obtained has indicated the intended borehole locations for a plurality of boreholes or all of the boreholes to be drilled in the mining environment 12, there is no need to obtain a borehole plan each time a borehole is drilled.

[0090] Further modifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for aligning a feed beam (26) of a mining drill rig (10) in a mining environment (12) according to a drilling plan, the method comprising: obtaining a drilling plan indicating intended drill hole locations (36); acquiring sensor data from a sensor system (32) comprising at least one sensor, the sensor system (32) sensing the mining environment (12) and at least the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10); generating a virtual mining model based on acquired sensor data and a drill plan; as well as generating a visual representation of the virtual mining model (34), wherein the virtual mining model comprises a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of the mining environment (12) and at least the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) and a three-dimensional representation of the intended drilling location (36), and The virtual mining model includes at least one coordinate system for establishing in real time the positioning relationship of at least the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) relative to the mining environment (12) to facilitate alignment of the feed beam (26) so that the mining drill rig (10) can produce a borehole at the expected borehole location (36) according to the drilling plan.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The visual representation (34) includes a viewing position (33) and a viewing direction in the at least one coordinate system corresponding to a position and direction in the mining environment (12).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The method comprises: presenting the visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model on a display or in a virtual reality (VR) device thereby creating a VR environment for an operator (18), or A live camera or video feed is acquired from the sensor system (32) and the visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model is provided within the live camera or video feed, or the visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model is superimposed on the live camera or video feed and the combined live camera or video footage and the visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model are presented on a display, thereby creating an augmented reality (AR) environment for the operator (18).

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The method comprises: responsive to an operator (18) observing the visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model, obtaining at least one control input from the operator (18) to move at least the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10); and The visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model is updated based on the at least one control input such that the updated visual representation (34) includes any one or both of an updated viewing position (33) and an updated viewing direction in the at least one coordinate system.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The at least one control input obtained from the operator (18) is associated with the operator (18) performing one or more virtual operations in the virtual mining model, and wherein the one or more virtual operations correspond to one or more operations to be performed by the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) in the mining environment (12).

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The at least one coordinate system comprises at least one of the following: Three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, Spherical coordinate system.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: A predicted location (40) of a drill hole is indicated based on the current position and orientation of the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) in the visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein Generating the virtual mining model includes: obtaining one or more relative distances between one or more sensors of the sensor system (32) and a reference point on the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10); estimating one or more distances from the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) and the mining environment (12) based on the acquired sensor data and based on the one or more relative distances between the one or more sensors of the sensor system (32) and the reference points on the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10); and One or more positions associated with the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) and the mining environment (12) are determined based on the one or more distances from the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) and the mining environment (12), wherein the one or more positions are determined relative to the reference point of the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10).

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The drilling plan includes information about at least one of: a hole start position (36s) of an intended borehole, a direction of the intended borehole, a size of the intended borehole, a hole end point (36e), a length of the intended borehole, an azimuth of the intended borehole, and an elevation of the intended borehole.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The method comprises: using the sensor system (32) to determine whether a collision between the mining drill (10) and an object (46) or person in the mining environment (12) is imminent; and Upon acquiring sensor data from the sensor system (32) indicating that a collision is imminent, providing at least one of: a warning (44), an alarm, an automatic stop for preventing movement of at least a feed beam (26) of the mining drill (10), and a control input for automatically reducing the speed of a moving portion of the mining drill (10).

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The method comprises: Additional data (42) related to the virtual mining model is presented using the visual representation (34) of the virtual mining model, for example, data regarding one or more real-time operations of the mining drill (10), data regarding previous operations of the mining drill (10) in the same mining environment (12), data regarding the mining environment (12), and real-time data regarding objects (46) or people in the mining environment (12).

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The sensor system (32) includes one or more of the following: Laser scanners such as rotating laser scanners, Multiple 2D cameras, Time-of-flight, triangulation or interferometry sensors, White light digitizer, Light Detection and Ranging LIDAR Sensors, Satellite sensors, Structured light 3D scanner, Photogrammetry equipment, infrared sensor, Handheld sensor.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The sensor system (32) includes a plurality of two-dimensional cameras, and wherein generating the virtual mining model includes deriving the combined three-dimensional real-time representation of the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) and the mining environment (12) based on a plurality of two-dimensional images captured by the plurality of two-dimensional cameras.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein Generating the virtual mining model includes deriving information about one or both of at least the feed beam (26) of the mining drill (10) and the mining environment (12) based on a combination of sensor data acquired from at least two different sensors in the sensor system (32).

15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The method includes rendering at least a portion of the mining drill (10) and / or at least a portion of the mining environment (12) in the visual representation (34) as at least partially transparent.

16. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The virtual mining model comprises a three-dimensional representation of the entire mining drill rig (10), i.e., a digital twin of the mining drill rig (10).

17. A control node (20) configured to facilitate alignment of a feed beam (26) of a mining drill rig (10) in a mining environment (12) according to a drilling plan, wherein The control node (20) is configured to: obtaining a drilling plan indicating intended drill hole locations (36); acquiring sensor data from a sensor system (32) comprising at least one sensor, the sensor system (32) sensing the mining environment (12) and at least the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10); generating a virtual mining model based on the acquired sensor data and the drilling plan; and generating a visual representation of the virtual mining model (34), wherein the virtual mining model comprises a combined three-dimensional real-time representation of at least the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) and the mining environment (12) and a three-dimensional representation of the intended drilling location (36), and The virtual mining model includes at least one coordinate system for establishing in real time the positioning relationship of at least the feed beam (26) of the mining drill rig (10) relative to the mining environment (12) to facilitate alignment of the feed beam (26) so that the mining drill rig (10) can produce a borehole at the expected borehole location (36) according to the drilling plan.

18. The control node (20) according to claim 17, wherein The control node (20) is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 16.

19. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the actions of any one of claims 1 to 16.

20. A carrier comprising a computer program according to claim 19, wherein The carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal and a computer-readable storage medium.

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