An intelligent stepped mining and ecological restoration integrated system and method suitable for a limestone mine

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of surveying and mapping geographic information and geological engineering technology, and specifically relates to an intelligent stepwise mining and ecological restoration integrated system and method suitable for limestone mines. The system comprises: a geological transparent perception module for generating a transparent geological model; a mining-ecological collaborative design module for synchronously generating stepwise mining parameters and ecological restoration reserved parameters, wherein the stepwise mining parameters include blasting parameters, and the ecological restoration reserved parameters include weak blasting area parameters; a stepwise intelligent mining execution module for completing drilling, charging and detonation operations and forming a weak blasting area in a predetermined area; an ecological restoration collaborative execution module for implementing immediate ecological restoration operations; and a data communication and closed-loop control center. The present application actively shapes ecological restoration physical structures such as shallow grooves, planting grooves and rough slope surfaces through weak blasting areas, realizes the synchronization of blasting forming and ecological restoration, and is suitable for intelligent mining and green mine construction of limestone open-pit mines.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of mining and ecological restoration technology, specifically relating to an integrated system and method for intelligent stepped mining and ecological restoration suitable for limestone mines. Background Technology

[0002] Limestone open-pit mines typically employ bench blasting. Current blasting operations primarily focus on ore and rock breaking efficiency, ease of loading and transportation, and safety control of blasting vibrations and flyrock. However, mine ecological restoration, especially the revegetation of final slopes, is often implemented as a separate or ancillary process after mining operations have concluded. This sequential approach of mining first and restoration later leads to a severe disconnect between blasting design and ecological restoration design in terms of objectives, parameters, and timelines.

[0003] Specifically, the existing technology has the following shortcomings: First, the slope morphology formed by blasting is not conducive to subsequent ecological restoration. The optimization goals of traditional blasting parameters such as hole spacing, row spacing, charge quantity, and detonation sequence focus on controlling the percentage of large blocks, root base ratio, over-excavation / under-excavation, and blasting vibration. The slope surface formed by blasting is often too smooth or excessively fragmented, lacking a pre-designed physical structure to provide stable adhesion and growth for the restoration substrate, such as topsoil and planting bags. This necessitates subsequent restoration relying heavily on mechanical slope trimming, secondary excavation of planting trenches, or reinforcement with mesh, which is not only costly and prolongs the construction period but also results in insufficient bonding strength between the restoration substrate and the rock surface, making it prone to slippage and loss.

[0004] Secondly, the blasting parameter design has failed to adequately adapt to the coupling relationship between complex geological conditions and ecological needs. Limestone mines often develop joints, fissures, weak interlayers, and anomalous water-bearing zones, resulting in significant spatial differences in the blastability of the rock mass. Currently, although some technologies attempt to conduct zonal blasting based on geological survey results, their core objectives remain limited to improving the matching degree between the fracturing effect and geological conditions, and reducing the damage to slopes caused by blasting vibrations. The blasting process does not proactively and quantitatively create functional physical spaces for ecological restoration actions in advance. In other words, the restoration is still a passive adaptation to the post-blast terrain, rather than allowing the blasting to actively generate structures conducive to restoration.

[0005] Furthermore, there is a lack of a collaborative mechanism that incorporates ecological restoration needs as a design constraint for blasting parameters. Chinese patent CN111248053A discloses a method for ecological restoration of steep, terraced slopes in open-pit quarries, which achieves restoration through steps such as drilling and blasting to reduce the terrace size, constructing retaining walls, and covering with soil and planting. In this method, blasting is only a means of reducing the terrace size; soil covering and planting are carried out on the new terrain after blasting, representing a typical separation of restoration and blasting. Another type of technology, while achieving terrain reshaping through zoned blasting and establishing a correlation model between blast block size and soil uniformity, essentially still forces reclamation work to match the blasting results, rather than ensuring that blasting serves the structural needs of reclamation from the design stage.

[0006] In summary, current technologies generally view blasting as a purely mining method and ecological restoration as a passive remedial measure. There is a lack of a method that can proactively constrain and optimize blasting parameter design by incorporating the physical structural requirements of ecological restoration, and simultaneously generate blasting execution plans and ecological restoration contingency plans. This results in limestone mines, especially those with thin soil layers, poor water retention, and difficult vegetation restoration, generally facing the problems of repeated restoration, continuous investment, and long remediation cycles.

[0007] Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field to provide an integrated system and method that can achieve multi-objective collaborative design of blasting and fracturing, slope stability and ecological restoration based on geological transparency perception, and directly shape the physical structure of ecological restoration using blasting energy, so as to solve the problem of the disconnect between mining and restoration and achieve true mining as restoration. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This invention aims to solve the problems of disconnect between blasting and ecological restoration in existing technologies, and the unfavorable vegetation restoration of blasted slope shapes. It provides an intelligent stepped mining and ecological restoration integrated system and method suitable for limestone mines.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: The system includes: The data communication and closed-loop control center is used to complete data aggregation, command parsing, and task scheduling. The geological transparency sensing module is connected to the data communication and closed-loop control center. It is used to collect data on the three-dimensional morphology of the mine surface, the internal structure of the rock mass, drilling construction feedback and mining disturbance monitoring, and generate a transparent geological model based on the data, and send the transparent geological model to the data communication and closed-loop control center. The mining-ecological collaborative design module is connected to the data communication and closed-loop control center. It is used to obtain the transparent geological model from the data communication and closed-loop control center and synchronously generate stepped mining parameters and ecological restoration reserved parameters based on the transparent geological model to form a collaborative mining operation plan. The stepped mining parameters include blasting parameters, and the ecological restoration reserved parameters include at least weak blasting zone parameters for forming the preset physical structure for ecological restoration. The stepped intelligent mining execution module is connected to the data communication and closed-loop control center. It is used to receive mining instructions from the collaborative mining operation plan issued by the data communication and closed-loop control center, and to complete drilling, charging and detonation operations according to the mining instructions, so as to realize stepped mining of limestone mines and form the weak blasting zone in the predetermined area. The ecological restoration collaborative execution module is connected to the data communication and closed-loop control center. It is used to receive the restoration instructions in the collaborative mining operation plan issued by the data communication and closed-loop control center, and to carry out real-time ecological restoration operations for the weak blast zone and the preset ecological reserved structure after mining is completed.

[0010] Furthermore, the mining-ecology collaborative design module includes: An ecological reserved structure design unit is used to determine the location and size of the weak blast zone, planting trough, rough slope, horse trail cover zone, vegetation bag receiving zone, and anchor bolt auxiliary hole; wherein, the weak blast zone refers to the spatial structure of the area that is predetermined in the mining design stage and formed into a shallow groove, rough rock surface, or planting trough after blasting by reducing the charge amount, changing the charge section, setting air gaps, using decoupled charges, adjusting the delay sequence, or implementing pre-fracture control.

[0011] Furthermore, the stepped intelligent mining execution module includes: The intelligent drilling unit receives the three-dimensional coordinates, depth, diameter and inclination parameters of the borehole, and automatically moves to the designed hole position through the positioning system to drill, while recording the drilling speed, resistance curve, actual hole depth and hole position deviation in real time. The on-site mixed explosives unit is used to perform continuous charging, segmented charging, air-gap charging or decoupled charging according to the mining requirements of different rock mass units, and to reduce the amount of explosives or increase the air gap in the weak explosive zone. The digital electronic detonator networking unit is used to read the unique code of each detonator and bind it to the borehole parameters; The delayed detonation control unit is used to implement inter-row detonation, V-type detonation, or pre-fracture detonation according to the collaborative mining operation plan.

[0012] Furthermore, the ecological restoration collaborative execution module includes: The topsoil spraying unit is used to spray a topsoil mixture containing plant seeds, water-retaining materials, binding materials, and improved substrate according to the remediation work card; A planting bag filling unit is used to place planting bags in the shallow grooves or planting troughs formed in the weak burst area; The repair quality monitoring unit is used to determine the construction quality through soil thickness sensors, spray flow meters, or drone images. The vegetation maintenance feedback unit is used to collect data on vegetation coverage, bare area, erosion marks, and substrate loss, and to generate suggestions for respraying or replanting.

[0013] Furthermore, the data communication and closed-loop control center includes a feedback optimization unit, which is used to feed back blasting effect, slope damage, vegetation coverage and soil stability data to the mining-ecology collaborative design module for correcting subsequent blasting and restoration plans.

[0014] The method includes the following steps: Step S1: Establish a unified spatial coordinate benchmark for the mining area and obtain three-dimensional surface morphology data of the area to be mined through UAV photogrammetry; Step S2: Use ground-penetrating radar, borehole construction feedback and microseismic monitoring to obtain information on the internal structure of the rock mass, rock mass integrity and mining disturbance; Step S3: Integrate surface morphology data, underground exploration data, borehole data, and rock mechanics parameters to establish a transparent geological model; Step S4: Divide the calculation units based on the transparent geological model, and assign each unit attributes such as rock hardness, joint density, water content, slope protection level, and ecological restoration requirements; Step S5: Based on the mining crushing target, safety control target, slope stability target, and ecological restoration suitability target, simultaneously generate stepped mining parameters and ecological restoration reserved parameters; wherein, the stepped mining parameters include blast hole layout, charge structure, and detonation sequence, and the ecological restoration reserved parameters include the location and control parameters for forming a weak blasting zone; Step S6: The intelligent drilling rig automatically positions the borehole according to the digital drilling plan and feeds back the actual hole position, hole depth, inclination angle and drilling resistance data to the control center; Step S7: The mixed explosives equipment implements differentiated explosive loading according to the rock mass properties and ecological reservation requirements of the area where each borehole is located, and reduces the amount of explosives or sets air gaps in the weak explosive zone; Step S8: The digital electronic detonators are detonated according to the set delay sequence, forming regular steps, weak blast zones, planting troughs, or rough slopes in the mining area. Step S9: After detonation, assess the mining effect using drones, vibration monitors, and blast pile image recognition systems; Step S10: Immediately after cleaning up the debris, carry out topsoil backfilling, topsoil spraying, planting bag filling, or netting revegetation on the final slope, walkway, weak explosion area, or planting trough.

[0015] Further, in step S7, the charge amount of the differentiated charge is calculated according to the following formula: Q=K·a·b·h; where Q is the charge amount per hole, K is the explosive consumption per unit, a is the hole spacing, b is the row spacing, and h is the step height; for the weak blast zone, the explosive consumption K is taken as 30% to 50% of the K value of the mining area other than the weak blast zone.

[0016] Furthermore, the method also includes step S11: continuously monitoring vegetation coverage, soil thickness, slope erosion and slope displacement, and feeding the monitoring data back to step S5 to correct subsequent step mining parameters and repair parameters; when the vegetation coverage is lower than a preset threshold, generating a respraying or replanting instruction.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: This invention takes the physical structural requirements of ecological restoration as the active constraint and optimization target of blasting parameter design, which changes the traditional model of mining first and then restoring. It realizes the multi-objective collaborative design of blasting and crushing, slope stability and ecological restoration, and transforms blasting operations from a simple means of crushing rocks and ore to a spatial shaping means that simultaneously serves slope stability and ecological restoration.

[0018] This invention utilizes the key technical unit of the weak blasting zone to actively form pre-set physical structures such as shallow grooves, planting troughs, and rough slopes during the blasting process, which are conducive to the attachment of ecological substrates and the growth of vegetation. This significantly reduces the workload of subsequent mechanical slope repair and secondary excavation, lowers repair costs, and improves the bonding strength between the repair substrate and the rock surface.

[0019] This invention constructs a transparent geological model by fusing multi-source data such as UAV mapping, ground-penetrating radar, borehole construction feedback, and microseismic monitoring. This transforms the design of blasting parameters from an experience-based approach to a data-driven approach, improving the matching degree between blasting parameters and actual geological conditions, and reducing the rate of large blocks and the rate of foundation damage.

[0020] This invention allows for immediate backfilling with topsoil, spraying with topsoil, or filling with vegetation bags after blasting and debris removal, seamlessly connecting the blast site with ecological reconstruction, shortening the exposure time of limestone slopes, and reducing the risk of weathering and soil erosion. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein... Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the modular structure of the intelligent stepped mining and ecological restoration integrated system described in this invention; Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the intelligent stepped mining and ecological restoration integrated method described in this invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the site layout for the mining-ecological collaborative operation described in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the formation of the weak explosive zone and the ecological reserve structure described in this invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the closed-loop feedback control logic described in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0023] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are schematic diagrams, not actual pictures, and should not be construed as limiting the invention. To better illustrate the embodiments of the invention, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product dimensions. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0024] Example 1 I. System Overall Architecture like Figure 1 As shown, this invention provides an integrated intelligent stepped mining and ecological restoration system suitable for limestone open-pit mines. With a data communication and closed-loop control center as the core, it connects the geological transparency perception module, the mining-ecology collaborative design module, the stepped intelligent mining execution module, and the ecological restoration collaborative execution module into a unified operating system.

[0025] In terms of data flow, the geological transparency perception module sends the pre-blast surface topography, internal rock structure, borehole feedback, and microseismic monitoring data to the data communication and closed-loop control center; the data communication and closed-loop control center pushes the processed data to the mining-ecological collaborative design module; after the mining-ecological collaborative design module generates a collaborative operation plan, the control center parses it into drilling instructions, charging instructions, detonation instructions, and repair instructions, and issues them to the corresponding execution equipment.

[0026] In the workflow, the system first completes transparent geological modeling and collaborative scheme design, and then sequentially implements intelligent drilling, differentiated explosive charges, digital electronic detonator initiation, post-blast assessment, and immediate ecological restoration. After restoration is completed, the system continues to collect feedback data such as vegetation coverage, soil stability, and slope displacement for parameter correction in the next work cycle.

[0027] II. Geological Transparency Sensing Module The geological transparency sensing module is used to acquire multi-source geological information before, during, and after blasting operations, and to fuse this multi-source geological information to form a transparent geological model that can be used for blasting design and ecological restoration design. Specifically, this module includes the following units: Reference network establishment unit: A unified spatial coordinate reference is established through GNSS or Beidou measurement control points, so that UAV imagery, ground-penetrating radar profiles, borehole coordinates, microseismic event locations and post-blast slope models can be registered in the same coordinate system.

[0028] 3D surface scanning unit: This unit acquires point clouds, orthophoto maps, and digital elevation models of the mining area through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry. The UAV can automatically fly along a preset route to acquire high-resolution images of the mining benches, end slopes, access roads, and work platforms, generating 3D surface models at the centimeter level or meeting engineering design accuracy requirements.

[0029] Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) detection unit: Horizontal and vertical survey lines are arranged along the slope of the bench to be blasted, used to identify joints, fissures, weak interlayers, cavities, or water-bearing anomalies within the rock mass. Depending on the detection depth and resolution requirements, a high-frequency antenna (100MHz-500MHz) can be selected to identify shallow fissures (detection depth ≤5m), or a low-frequency antenna (25MHz-50MHz) can be selected to identify deeper structural surfaces (detection depth 10-30m).

[0030] Drilling feedback unit: Used to collect actual borehole location, depth, inclination angle, drilling speed, and drilling resistance curves. The drilling resistance curve can serve as supplementary information for judging the hardness, fracturing degree, and fracture development of local rock masses.

[0031] Microseismic monitoring unit: Used to record the occurrence time, magnitude, source location and energy distribution of microseismic events during blasting, thereby determining the range of disturbance and potential damage to the preserved rock mass caused by the blasting.

[0032] Multi-source data fusion unit: The above data is registered, cleaned, denoised and 3D modeled in a unified coordinate system, and different rock mass units in the model are assigned attributes such as hardness level, joint density, water-bearing state, rock mass integrity, compressive strength and elastic modulus.

[0033] III. Mining-Ecology Collaborative Design Module The mining-ecology collaborative design module is used to generate collaborative solutions that simultaneously meet the needs of ore and rock fracturing, slope stability, and ecological restoration based on a transparent geological model. This module may include a data preprocessing unit, a blasting effect prediction unit, a multi-objective parameter optimization unit, an ecological reserved structure design unit, a restoration scheme matching unit, and a human-computer interaction review unit.

[0034] Data preprocessing unit: used to divide the mining area into multiple calculation units and configure attributes such as rock mass hardness, joint development degree, water-bearing state, distance to adjacent retaining slopes, slope protection level and ecological restoration requirements for each calculation unit.

[0035] Blasting effect prediction unit: used to predict block size distribution, large block rate, base rate, over-excavation / under-excavation, peak vibration velocity, and slope damage indicators corresponding to different borehole parameters, charge structure, and detonation sequence. The prediction can be trained or calibrated based on historical blasting data, field monitoring data, and transparent geological models.

[0036] The multi-objective parameter optimization unit, with ore crushing quality, safe vibration control, slope stability, and ecological restoration suitability as joint objectives, outputs borehole location, depth, spacing, row spacing, over-depth, charge quantity, charge structure, and delayed detonation parameters. The optimization method can employ machine learning prediction, genetic algorithms, Monte Carlo simulation, or rule-based reasoning.

[0037] Ecological reserved structure design unit: used to determine the location and size of the weak blast zone, planting trough, rough slope, horse trail cover zone, vegetation bag receiving area, and anchor bolt auxiliary holes. The weak blast zone refers to a spatial structure, such as a shallow groove, rough rock surface, or planting trough, that is pre-determined during the mining design phase and, after blasting, is designed to be more suitable for ecological substrate attachment or vegetation planting than the surrounding rock surface by reducing the charge amount, changing the charge section, setting air gaps, using decoupled charges, adjusting the delay sequence, or implementing pre-fracture control.

[0038] The restoration scheme matching unit matches restoration methods such as topsoil spraying, netting spraying, planting bags filling, or soil covering planting based on the slope gradient, rock fragmentation degree, slope roughness, soil thickness requirements, rainfall erosion risk, and plant type.

[0039] The human-computer interaction review unit is used to display the borehole layout, charge structure, detonation network, weak blast zone location, and remediation operation plan to blasting engineers, geological engineers, and ecological restoration engineers. After review and confirmation, the system submits the collaborative plan to the data communication and closed-loop control center for instruction parsing and distribution.

[0040] IV. Stepped Intelligent Mining Execution Module The tiered intelligent mining execution module is used to transform the digital solutions generated by the mining-ecology collaborative design module into on-site blasting operations. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the module preferably includes an intelligent drilling unit, an on-site explosive mixing unit, a digital electronic detonator networking unit, a delayed detonation control unit, and a post-detonation effect evaluation unit.

[0041] The intelligent drilling unit receives the three-dimensional coordinates, depth, diameter, and inclination parameters of the borehole. Using a high-precision positioning system such as RTK-GNSS with a positioning accuracy of ±2cm, it automatically moves to the designed borehole position and automatically adjusts the drill arm angle according to the designed inclination. During drilling, the unit records the drilling speed, resistance curve, actual borehole depth, and borehole position deviation in real time, and transmits the data back to the data communication and closed-loop control center.

[0042] On-site mixed explosive units: Depending on the mining requirements of different rock mass units, continuous charging, segmented charging, air-gap charging, decoupled charging, or bottom-reinforced charging can be implemented. For locations requiring ecological reserve structures (i.e., weak blast zones), the on-site mixed explosive unit can reduce the charge amount, for example, to 30%–50% of the charge amount in the main blast zone; increase the air gap, for example, with an air gap length of 0.5m–1.5m; change the position of the charge segment or coordinate with pre-splitting detonation to create shallow grooves or rough surfaces in the corresponding areas.

[0043] Digital electronic detonator networking unit: used to read the unique code of each detonator and bind the detonator code with the borehole coordinates, charge structure and delay time to form an electronic ledger.

[0044] Delayed detonation control unit: Implements inter-row detonation, V-shaped detonation, wave-type detonation, or pre-splitting detonation according to the collaborative mining operation plan to control the blasting direction, vibration superposition, slope forming quality, and ecological reserved structural morphology. For example, when it is necessary to form a weak blast zone, the detonation delay time of this area can be set to be 100-200ms later than that of the adjacent main blast zone, so that the weak blast zone forms a loose and fractured surface after the main blast zone is thrown.

[0045] Post-blast effect evaluation unit: used to obtain the blast pile shape, slope profile, block size distribution, over-excavation and under-excavation amount, peak vibration velocity and weak blast zone forming quality after blasting, and feed the evaluation results back to the data communication and closed-loop control center.

[0046] V. Ecological Restoration Collaborative Implementation Module like Figure 3As shown, the ecological restoration collaborative execution module is used to implement immediate restoration based on post-blast slope measurement data and pre-set ecological reserved structures after blasting. This module is not a post-repair device independent of the blasting system, but rather is coupled with the tiered intelligent mining execution module in terms of spatial location, operation time, and data control. The figure shows the layout of the mining-ecological collaborative operation site, including the distribution of pre-blast survey and modeling equipment (UAVs, ground-penetrating radar), intelligent drilling and blasting equipment (intelligent drilling rigs, mixed explosives trucks), post-blast repair equipment (hydroseeding machines, vegetation bags), and the data communication and closed-loop control center (command center).

[0047] In terms of timing, the ecological restoration collaborative execution module is preferably activated immediately after blasting, hazard assessment, and debris removal, such as within 12 hours after blasting, to reduce the time the slope is exposed and mitigate the risks of weathering, erosion, and soil loss. In terms of space, this module prioritizes operations in weakly blasted areas, planting troughs, walkways, rough slopes, or terminal slopes created by blasting.

[0048] Topsoil management unit: Based on the mining progress, topsoil stripping, temporary storage, backfilling path planning and zoned backfilling are realized so that the topsoil stripped in the early stage can be backfilled into the planting trough, horse trail cover area or slope matrix layer in a timely manner.

[0049] Hydroseeding unit: Spray a mixture of topsoil containing plant seeds, water-retaining materials, binding materials, fertilizer, and improved substrate according to the restoration work card. For limestone slopes that are alkaline and have poor water retention, select pioneer plants that are drought-resistant, tolerant of poor soil, and alkali-resistant.

[0050] Vegetation bag filling unit: Place the vegetation bags in weak burst areas, shallow grooves or reserved positions on the walkway to improve substrate stability and vegetation rooting ability.

[0051] Netting revegetation unit: Used for slopes with large gradients (e.g., >60°) or high degree of rock fragmentation, it forms a stable revegetation layer through the combination of anchor bolts, netting and spraying substrate.

[0052] Repair quality monitoring unit: assesses construction quality using soil thickness sensors, spray flow meters, equipment positioning systems, and drone imagery.

[0053] Vegetation maintenance feedback unit: used to collect data on vegetation coverage, bare area, erosion marks and substrate loss, and generate suggestions for respraying, replanting or reinforcement.

[0054] VI. Data Communication and Closed-Loop Control Center like Figure 5 As shown, the data communication and closed-loop control center connects the above modules to form a unified data, command, and feedback control platform, realizing closed-loop feedback control. This center includes: Equipment access unit: Used to connect drones, ground-penetrating radar vehicles, intelligent drilling rigs, mixed explosives vehicles, detonators, sprayers, transport vehicles and monitoring sensors to the same local area network or dedicated communication network.

[0055] Central database: used to store point cloud data, imagery, radar profiles, borehole data, explosive charge data, detonator data, vibration monitoring data, and repair quality data.

[0056] Data platform: used for cleaning, deduplication, spatiotemporal registration, format conversion and modeling of multi-source data.

[0057] Command parsing unit: breaks down the collaborative design scheme into drilling commands, charging commands, detonation commands, and repair commands, and sends them to the corresponding devices respectively.

[0058] Task scheduling unit: Arranges on-site equipment to enter or leave the work area according to the work sequence, equipment location, safety status, and repair window.

[0059] Status monitoring unit: Real-time display of drilling rig location, drilling progress, explosive loading status, detonator network status, post-blast slope model, repair equipment location, and repair quality indicators.

[0060] Feedback optimization unit: Feeds data such as blasting effect (large block ratio, root base ratio, over- and under-excavation volume, etc.), microseismic event density, slope damage (such as slope displacement), vegetation coverage, and soil stability to the mining-ecological collaborative design module for the correction of the next round of blasting and restoration plans.

[0061] The feedback optimization unit feeds back the post-blast assessment results (such as the comparison between actual and designed block size, large block rate, root base rate, and over- or under-excavation volume) and ecological restoration effects (such as vegetation coverage, soil loss, and erosion traces) to the mining-ecological collaborative design module. Specifically: the blasting effect analysis subunit calculates the deviation between the actual blasting parameters and the design parameters and diagnoses the causes; the ecological restoration effect analysis subunit assesses the vegetation growth and matrix stability after restoration; the scheme correction subunit generates optimization suggestions for the next round of operations based on the above analysis results, including blasting parameter correction: adjusting the perforation parameters, charge amount, and detonation sequence; and restoration process optimization: adjusting the topsoil ratio, spraying thickness, and planting bag spacing, thereby forming a complete closed-loop control logic.

[0062] VII. Control methods for weak blast zones and ecological reserve structures like Figure 4 As shown, the weak-blast zone is a key technical unit connecting blasting operations and ecological restoration operations in this invention. The weak-blast zone can be set in stepped walkways, the middle of a slope, the transition zone of the final slope, or the slope area requiring topsoil spraying. The weak-blast zone and ecological reserve structure of this invention can be configured with different typical size parameters according to ecological restoration needs. Weak blast zone (shallow groove): depth 0.3~0.8m, width 1.0~1.5m, spacing 2.0~4.0m, suitable for topsoil spraying; Planting troughs: depth 0.5–1.0m, width 1.5–2.5m, spacing 3.0–6.0m, suitable for topsoil spraying and planting bag filling; Rough slope: Surface roughness Ra≥5cm, unevenness 5~20cm, roughness ratio≥1.3, suitable for soil adhesion; Horse trail soil covering space: 2.0-4.0m wide, suitable for soil covering planting; Planting bag arrangement area: hole spacing 1.0-1.5m, hole depth 0.4-0.6m, suitable for fixing planting bags; Anchor bolt auxiliary hole positions: hole spacing 1.0~1.5m, hole depth 2.0~3.0m, suitable for wire mesh reinforcement.

[0063] The above dimensional parameters can be adjusted according to the actual rock mass conditions and ecological restoration goals.

[0064] In one specific implementation, the system reduces the linear charge density of the boreholes corresponding to the weak blast zone, for example, to 30%–50% of the conventional charge density, causing the area to form a shallow groove or a relatively rough rock surface after blasting. The shallow groove can serve as a planting trough for backfilling topsoil, setting up planting bags, or accommodating a topsoil spraying layer.

[0065] In another specific implementation, the system reduces the coupling effect of blasting energy by using air-spaced or decoupled charges, so that the rock mass around the weak blast zone does not become excessively fragmented, while forming a rough slope surface suitable for soil adhesion.

[0066] In another specific implementation, the system controls the direction of crack propagation and the range of blasting damage near the final slope by pre-splitting detonation or adjusting the delayed detonation sequence, for example, delaying the detonation time of the weak blast zone by 100-200ms compared to the main blast zone, thereby keeping the slope stable and forming a paved area or anchor bolt auxiliary holes in a predetermined area.

[0067] For limestone with different lithologies, the control parameters for the weak blasting zone can be adaptively adjusted. For example, for hard limestone with a compressive strength >80MPa, the reduction ratio of the charge in the weak blasting zone can be controlled at 20%–30%; for medium-hard limestone with a compressive strength of 30–50MPa, the reduction ratio can be controlled at 40%–60%. The above numerical ranges can be dynamically optimized through field tests or machine learning models.

[0068] As an alternative or supplementary option, the surface three-dimensional scanning unit may also employ airborne LiDAR or a ground-based three-dimensional laser scanner to acquire topographic data. The ground-penetrating radar detection unit may also be replaced by shallow seismic exploration or high-density electrical resistivity tomography; this invention does not impose any limitations on this.

[0069] like Figure 2 As shown, this invention provides an integrated method for intelligent stepped mining and ecological restoration in limestone mines, comprising the following stages: The first stage is pre-blasting perception and modeling, which involves acquiring multi-source data through UAV mapping, ground-penetrating radar detection, borehole construction feedback, and microseismic monitoring to establish a transparent geological model; the second stage is collaborative design and scheme generation, which involves synchronously generating blasting parameters and ecological restoration reserved parameters based on the transparent geological model; the third stage is intelligent drilling and blasting execution, which includes intelligent drilling, differentiated charges, and digital electronic detonators for detonation; the fourth stage is post-blasting assessment and immediate restoration, which involves immediately carrying out restoration operations such as topsoil backfilling and topsoil spraying after assessing the mining effect; and the fifth stage is continuous monitoring and feedback optimization, which involves feeding monitoring data back to the next cycle to form a closed-loop optimization.

[0070] Specifically, the method includes the following steps: Step S1: Establish a unified spatial coordinate benchmark for the mining area and obtain three-dimensional surface morphology data of the area to be mined through UAV photogrammetry; Step S2: Use ground-penetrating radar, borehole construction feedback and microseismic monitoring to obtain information on the internal structure of the rock mass, rock mass integrity and mining disturbance; Step S3: Integrate surface morphology data, underground exploration data, borehole data, and rock mechanics parameters to establish a transparent geological model; Step S4: Divide the calculation units based on the transparent geological model, and assign each unit attributes such as rock hardness, joint density, water content, slope protection level, and ecological restoration requirements; Step S5: Based on the mining crushing target, safety control target, slope stability target, and ecological restoration suitability target, simultaneously generate stepped mining parameters and ecological restoration reserved parameters; wherein, the stepped mining parameters include blast hole layout, charge structure, and detonation sequence, and the ecological restoration reserved parameters include the location and control parameters for forming a weak blasting zone; Step S6: The intelligent drilling rig automatically positions the borehole according to the digital drilling plan and feeds back the actual hole position, hole depth, inclination angle and drilling resistance data to the control center; Step S7: The mixed explosives equipment implements differentiated explosive loading according to the rock mass properties and ecological reservation requirements of the area where each borehole is located, and reduces the amount of explosives or sets air gaps in the weak explosive zone; Step S8: The digital electronic detonators are detonated according to the set delay sequence, forming regular steps, weak blast zones, planting troughs, or rough slopes in the mining area. Step S9: After detonation, assess the mining effect using drones, vibration monitors, and blast pile image recognition systems; Step S10: Immediately after cleaning up the debris, carry out topsoil backfilling, topsoil spraying, planting bag filling, or netting revegetation on the final slope, walkway, weak explosion area, or planting trough.

[0071] For the specific implementation of the above steps S1-S10, please refer to Examples 2 to 5.

[0072] Example 2 This embodiment constructs a transparent geological model according to Embodiment 1. In the area of ​​the bench to be mined in a limestone open-pit mine, GNSS control points are first set up to establish a unified measurement coordinate system. A UAV performs oblique or orthophoto measurements of the area to be mined along a preset flight path. The flight altitude can be set within the range of 100m to 300m according to accuracy requirements, and the image forward overlap and lateral overlap can be set to approximately 80% and 70%, respectively. Orthophoto maps, digital elevation models, and 3D point cloud models are generated using the 3D modeling software Pix4D.

[0073] Subsequently, the ground-penetrating radar vehicle deployed horizontal and vertical survey lines along the slope of the bench to be blasted, probing the internal structure of the rock mass. Depending on the required depth and resolution, a high-frequency antenna (200MHz) could be used to identify shallow fissures and weak interlayers, while a low-frequency antenna (40MHz) could be used to identify deeper structural surfaces. After filtering, gain adjustment, and anomaly identification, the probe data generated a geological profile containing joints, fissures, cavities, and water-bearing anomalies.

[0074] During drilling operations, the intelligent drilling rig collects real-time data on drilling speed, drilling resistance, actual hole depth, and hole inclination, using this data as supplementary information on changes in rock hardness and the degree of local fracturing. For critical slope preservation areas, microseismic sensors can be deployed to monitor blasting disturbances and obtain the location, energy, and density distribution of microseismic events. The control center integrates this data in a unified coordinate system to form a transparent geological model.

[0075] This system is not only applicable to limestone mines, but can also be extended to other similar hard rock mines, such as granite and dolomite. The communication methods between the modules can employ 5G private networks, industrial wireless networks, MQTT, OPC UA, or TCP / IP protocols; this invention does not impose any limitations on these methods.

[0076] Example 3 This embodiment demonstrates the generation process of a mining-ecological collaborative scheme. First, the blasting engineer inputs the bench height (e.g., 15m), design slope angle (e.g., 45°), mining boundary, and final slope location into the system. The system identifies the lithology, joint development, and water-bearing state of different areas based on a transparent geological model, and divides the area to be blasted into multiple calculation units.

[0077] The mining-ecological collaborative design module uses the following as joint constraints: large block ratio (target ≤ 5%), root base ratio (target ≤ 3%), peak vibration velocity (target ≤ 1.5 cm / s), slope flatness (target ± 0.3 m), slope safety factor (target ≥ 1.2), planting trough forming quality, and topsoil adhesion conditions to calculate hole spacing, row spacing, hole depth, and charge structure.

[0078] Specifically, for a given calculation unit, the charge per hole is calculated using the following formula: Q = K·a·b·h; where Q is the charge per hole (kg), K is the explosive consumption per unit (kg / m³), a is the hole spacing (m), b is the row spacing (m), and h is the step height (m). The value of K is determined by referring to tables or empirical formulas based on the rock hardness, joint density, and water content of the unit in the transparent geological model.

[0079] For areas with relatively intact rock masses and high hardness, the charge can be increased appropriately; for areas with developed fissures or near the retaining slope, the charge can be reduced or air gaps can be set; for the planned ecological restoration area, i.e. the weak blasting zone, the linear charge density should be set at 30% to 50% of that in the conventional area, and space should be reserved for planting troughs.

[0080] The system synchronously generates an ecological restoration work card. The ecological restoration work card may include work coordinates, restoration area, topsoil thickness, spacing of planting bags, anchor bolt location, plant configuration scheme (e.g., Amorpha fruticosa + Virginia creeper + tall fescue) and maintenance requirements.

[0081] Example 4 This embodiment demonstrates intelligent drilling and blasting execution and the formation of a weak blast zone. The control center issues drilling commands to the intelligent drilling rig. The intelligent drilling rig automatically travels to the designed hole position based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the blast hole, and adjusts the drill arm angle through high-precision positioning (RTK-GNSS, positioning accuracy ±2cm) and an automatic leveling system. After drilling is completed, the actual hole position, hole depth, inclination angle, and drilling resistance data are transmitted back to the control center. The control center uses this data to check the deviation between the designed hole position and the actual hole position. If the deviation exceeds 10cm, an alarm is triggered and corrections are made.

[0082] During the charging phase, the on-site mixed explosives truck automatically dispenses and charges explosives in stages according to the borehole number and charging design sheet. For homogeneous rock mass areas, continuous charging can be used; for areas with a large chassis resistance line, reinforced charging can be carried out at the bottom of the borehole; for locations near the final slope or ecological reserved structures (weak blast zones), air-spaced charging, decoupled charging, or reduced charging amount can be used to control blasting damage and the formation of weak blast zones.

[0083] After the digital electronic detonators are implanted, the system reads the unique code of each detonator and binds it to the corresponding borehole coordinates, borehole depth, charge structure, and delay time. By setting a micro-delay detonation sequence with an interval of, for example, 25ms, the system controls the direction of rock and ore throwing and the superposition of vibrations, so that a regular step outline is formed after the blast, and planting troughs and rough slopes are formed in the predetermined area.

[0084] Example 5 This embodiment demonstrates real-time ecological restoration and feedback optimization. After blasting, the control center initiates a rapid drone inspection to obtain data on the blast pile shape, slope outline, and formation of weak blast zones. Once debris removal is completed and safety is confirmed, the ecological restoration collaborative execution module dispatches hydroseeding machines, transport vehicles, soil covering equipment, or vegetation bag construction equipment to the corresponding work area based on the ecological restoration operation card.

[0085] For planting troughs formed in walkways or areas with weak blasting, the system prioritizes backfilling with the previously stripped and preserved topsoil, with a topsoil thickness of ≥30cm. Depending on the slope conditions, fill the troughs with PP planting bags with a diameter of 20-30cm. For steeper rocky slopes (slope >60°), netting or topsoil spraying can be used, spraying a substrate containing seeds of Amorpha fruticosa, Virginia creeper, or other drought- and alkali-tolerant plants onto the slope surface to a thickness of 8-15cm. The mass ratio of this substrate can be: peat moss: biochar: water-retaining agent: grass seeds: binder = 60:15:5:3:2. During the spraying process, the spraying flow meter, soil thickness sensor, and equipment positioning system provide real-time feedback on the operation quality.

[0086] After repairs are completed, drones conduct regular weekly or monthly inspections and use image recognition algorithms to calculate vegetation coverage, exposed area, erosion marks, and substrate loss. If the coverage of a certain area falls below a preset threshold, the control center can generate instructions for re-spraying, replanting, or reinforcement. If the weak blast zone of a certain step is not sufficiently formed, the charge structure and delay sequence are adjusted in the design of the next step, such as increasing the air gap length or further reducing the charge amount. This forms a dynamic closed-loop optimization for continuous mining.

[0087] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent step-by-step mining and ecological restoration integrated system suitable for limestone mines, characterized in that, include: The data communication and closed-loop control center is used to complete data aggregation, command parsing, and task scheduling. The geological transparency sensing module is connected to the data communication and closed-loop control center. It is used to collect data on the three-dimensional morphology of the mine surface, the internal structure of the rock mass, drilling construction feedback and mining disturbance monitoring, and generate a transparent geological model based on the data, and send the transparent geological model to the data communication and closed-loop control center. The mining-ecological collaborative design module is connected to the data communication and closed-loop control center. It is used to obtain the transparent geological model from the data communication and closed-loop control center and synchronously generate stepped mining parameters and ecological restoration reserved parameters based on the transparent geological model to form a collaborative mining operation plan. The stepped mining parameters include blasting parameters, and the ecological restoration reserved parameters include at least weak blasting zone parameters for forming the preset physical structure for ecological restoration. The stepped intelligent mining execution module is connected to the data communication and closed-loop control center. It is used to receive mining instructions from the collaborative mining operation plan issued by the data communication and closed-loop control center, and to complete drilling, charging and detonation operations according to the mining instructions, so as to realize stepped mining of limestone mines and form the weak blasting zone in the predetermined area. The ecological restoration collaborative execution module is connected to the data communication and closed-loop control center. It is used to receive the restoration instructions in the collaborative mining operation plan issued by the data communication and closed-loop control center, and to carry out real-time ecological restoration operations for the weak blast zone and the preset ecological reserved structure after mining is completed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, The mining-ecology collaborative design module includes: An ecological reserved structure design unit is used to determine the location and size of the weak blast zone, planting trough, rough slope, horse trail cover zone, vegetation bag receiving zone, and anchor bolt auxiliary hole; wherein, the weak blast zone refers to the spatial structure of the area that is predetermined in the mining design stage and formed into a shallow groove, rough rock surface, or planting trough after blasting by reducing the charge amount, changing the charge section, setting air gaps, using decoupled charges, adjusting the delay sequence, or implementing pre-fracture control.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein, The stepped intelligent mining execution module includes: The intelligent drilling unit receives the three-dimensional coordinates, depth, diameter and inclination parameters of the borehole, and automatically moves to the designed hole position through the positioning system to drill, while recording the drilling speed, resistance curve, actual hole depth and hole position deviation in real time. The on-site mixed explosives unit is used to perform continuous charging, segmented charging, air-gap charging or decoupled charging according to the mining requirements of different rock mass units, and to reduce the amount of explosives or increase the air gap in the weak explosive zone. The digital electronic detonator networking unit is used to read the unique code of each detonator and bind it to the borehole parameters; The delayed detonation control unit is used to implement inter-row detonation, V-type detonation, or pre-fracture detonation according to the collaborative mining operation plan.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein, The ecological restoration collaborative execution module includes: The topsoil spraying unit is used to spray a topsoil mixture containing plant seeds, water-retaining materials, binding materials, and improved substrate according to the remediation work card; A planting bag filling unit is used to place planting bags in the shallow grooves or planting troughs formed in the weak burst area; The repair quality monitoring unit is used to determine the construction quality through soil thickness sensors, spray flow meters, or drone images. The vegetation maintenance feedback unit is used to collect data on vegetation coverage, bare area, erosion marks, and substrate loss, and to generate suggestions for respraying or replanting.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein, The data communication and closed-loop control center includes a feedback optimization unit, which feeds back data on blasting effects, slope damage, vegetation coverage, and soil stability to the mining-ecological collaborative design module to correct subsequent blasting and remediation plans.

6. An intelligent step-by-step mining and ecological restoration integrated method suitable for limestone mines, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step S1: Establish a unified spatial coordinate benchmark for the mining area and obtain three-dimensional surface morphology data of the area to be mined through UAV photogrammetry; Step S2: Use ground-penetrating radar, borehole construction feedback and microseismic monitoring to obtain information on the internal structure of the rock mass, rock mass integrity and mining disturbance; Step S3: Integrate surface morphology data, underground exploration data, borehole data, and rock mechanics parameters to establish a transparent geological model; Step S4: Divide the calculation units based on the transparent geological model, and assign each unit attributes such as rock hardness, joint density, water content, slope protection level, and ecological restoration requirements; Step S5: Based on the mining crushing target, safety control target, slope stability target, and ecological restoration suitability target, simultaneously generate stepped mining parameters and ecological restoration reserved parameters; wherein, the stepped mining parameters include blast hole layout, charge structure, and detonation sequence, and the ecological restoration reserved parameters include the location and control parameters for forming a weak blasting zone; Step S6: The intelligent drilling rig automatically positions the borehole according to the digital drilling plan and feeds back the actual hole position, hole depth, inclination angle and drilling resistance data to the control center; Step S7: The mixed explosives equipment implements differentiated explosive loading according to the rock mass properties and ecological reservation requirements of the area where each borehole is located, and reduces the amount of explosives or sets air gaps in the weak explosive zone; Step S8: The digital electronic detonators are detonated according to the set delay sequence, forming regular steps, weak blast zones, planting troughs, or rough slopes in the mining area. Step S9: After detonation, assess the mining effect using drones, vibration monitors, and blast pile image recognition systems; Step S10: Immediately after cleaning up the debris, backfill the slope with topsoil, spray the topsoil, fill the planting bags, or hang netting to restore the greenery on the final slope, walkway, weak explosion area, or planting trough.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, In step S7, the charge amount of the differentiated charge is calculated according to the following formula: Q=K·a·b·h; where Q is the charge amount per hole, K is the explosive consumption per unit, a is the hole spacing, b is the row spacing, and h is the step height; for the weak blast zone, the explosive consumption per unit K is 30% to 50% of the K value of the mining area other than the weak blast zone.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein, It also includes step S11: continuously monitoring vegetation coverage, soil thickness, slope erosion and slope displacement, and feeding the monitoring data back to step S5 to correct subsequent step mining parameters and repair parameters; when the vegetation coverage is lower than the preset threshold, generating a respraying or replanting instruction.

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