Method for measuring the height of fallen ore raw materials in a mine.

JP2026166535APending Publication Date: 2026-10-14NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2025059516
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-03-31
Publication Date
2026-10-14

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Benefits of technology

【0015】 本発明の落鉱原料の落鉱山高さ測定方法によれば、原料を搬送するベルトコンベア設備から落鉱した原料により形成される落鉱山の高さの測定精度を向上させることができる。

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Abstract

To provide a method for measuring the height of a rock formation formed by rocks that have fallen from a belt conveyor system used to transport raw materials, thereby improving the accuracy of measurement. [Solution] A method for measuring the height of a fallen mine 11a formed by raw materials that have fallen from a belt conveyor system 10 that transports raw materials such as coal, coke, or ore, wherein light is shone from the side of the fallen mine 11a using a LiDAR 12, which is a light detection and distance measuring device, and the apex and height of the fallen mine 11a are determined using the point cloud data of the LiDAR 12, wherein the LiDAR 12 is positioned in a plan view such that the angle between the apex of the fallen mine 11a and the light source 12a of the LiDAR 12 with respect to the raw material transport direction F of the belt conveyor system 10 is in the range of 45° to 135°, and the measurement is taken.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for measuring the height of a fallen material pile formed by raw material that has fallen from belt conveyor equipment that conveys raw materials such as coal, coke, or ore.

Background Art

[0002] In ironmaking processes (particularly ironmaking processes), coal, coke, or ore are used as raw materials, and these raw materials are conveyed between a plurality of processing facilities using conveying equipment that includes a plurality of belt conveyor facilities and a plurality of transfer facilities, so the cumulative distance of raw material conveyance by the belt conveyor facilities is very long. This belt conveyor equipment usually includes a head pulley and a tail pulley, and a belt (endless belt) that is looped between the head pulley and the tail pulley and driven to circulate, and the upper surface of the belt on the carrier side where the raw material is placed becomes the lower surface on the reversed return side after the raw material is conveyed.

[0003] When using belt conveyor equipment, the raw material (mainly raw material powder) adhering to the lower surface of the return-side belt that has been reversed after raw material conveyance may peel off from the belt and fall. There are various causes for this peeling and falling of raw material from the lower surface of the belt, for example, peeling and falling occurs due to contact between the belt and the rolls that support the belt. In addition, peeling and falling of the raw material also occurs due to belt vibration and the like, which occurs according to the dryness of the raw material adhering to the belt.

[0004] In this way, when raw material falls from the lower surface of the belt onto the floor surface, a fallen material pile (deposited pile) is formed below the belt. When the height of the pile exceeds a certain level, the top of the fallen material pile comes into contact with the belt or the like and interferes with the raw material conveying work, so it is necessary to periodically remove the formed fallen material pile. Specifically, inspectors of the belt conveyor equipment periodically walk along the belt conveyor equipment to check the height of the formed fallen material pile. However, as described above, since the belt conveyor equipment covers a long distance, the load of inspection work is very large. Therefore, various devices are being considered to reduce the burden of inspection work by accurately measuring the height of the ore spill formed by the raw materials that have fallen from the belt conveyor equipment.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for measuring the height of a raw material pile in a raw material yard by irradiating it with laser light from the side using a depth sensor. However, when this technique is applied to measuring the height of a pile of fallen material in a belt conveyor system, the height of the fallen material may be overestimated, indicating room for improvement in the accuracy of height measurement. Patent Document 2 proposes a technique for estimating the height of a pile of raw materials, such as coal, coke, or ore, by using machine learning (image AI) on images of the area or outline of the pile. This makes it possible to measure the height even when it is difficult to distinguish between the color of the raw material being transported and the color of the shadow area of ​​the transport equipment where the pile is formed. However, there was room for further improvement in the accuracy of the height measurement. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 105669 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-181006 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for measuring the height of a fallen raw material deposit, which enables improved accuracy in measuring the height of a fallen deposit formed by a fallen raw material deposit from a belt conveyor system that transports raw materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The inventors investigated the deposits formed by raw materials that have fallen from a belt conveyor system and found that these deposits are formed beneath the belt conveyor system, specifically below the belt. For example, they can form on the columns supporting the frame of the belt conveyor system or in the area between adjacent columns. When deposits are formed near columns, the inventors observed that they tend to cling to the columns (alongside them). Thus, the inventors discovered that when measuring the height of deposits formed beneath a belt conveyor system using the technology described in Patent Document 1, the height of the deposits is frequently overestimated due to factors such as recognizing the columns as part of the deposit.

[0009] Furthermore, the inventors have found that the technology described in Patent Document 2 may result in errors at the top of the collapsed mine (insufficient understanding of the height position of the top) and errors at the bottom of the collapsed mine (insufficient understanding of the zero position of the height), indicating that there is room for improvement in the accuracy of height measurement. Specifically, regarding the top of the collapsed mine, the measurement accuracy may decrease due to mixing with patterns and other elements that may exist in the background of the top, and regarding the bottom of the collapsed mine, the zero position of the height of the collapsed mine may be misidentified at the boundary between the collapsed mine and the floor surface.

[0010] Furthermore, the inventors have discovered for the first time that when measuring the height of a fallen mine, the peak of the mine is sometimes determined by considering the fallen minerals (mostly granular) falling from the conveyor belt, which can also lead to an overestimation of the mine's height.

[0011] Therefore, the inventors conducted further intensive research and found that by using LiDAR, a device for detecting and measuring distance using light, and irradiating light from the side of the fallen mine to collect point cloud data, noise can be suppressed when determining the top of the fallen mine, and the accuracy of determining the floor position can be improved when determining the lower part of the fallen mine, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the zero position of the fallen mine height. Furthermore, by positioning the LiDAR so that, in a plan view, the angle between the top of the fallen mine and the imaginary line connecting the top of the fallen mine and the LiDAR's light source with respect to the raw material transport direction of the belt conveyor equipment is in the range of 45° to 135°, and measuring the fallen mine, it is possible to reduce the influence of, for example, background noise from the belt conveyor equipment and the fallen mine clinging to the pillars, thereby reducing the overestimation of the fallen mine height, and thus completing the present invention.

[0012] The present invention, conceived by the inventors, is as follows: [1] A method for measuring the height of a mine collapse formed by a raw material that has fallen from a belt conveyor system that transports raw materials, such as coal, coke, or ore, This method involves irradiating the collapsed mine from the side using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device, and using the point cloud data from the LiDAR to determine the top and height of the collapsed mine. A method for measuring the height of a fallen ore deposit, characterized in that the LiDAR is positioned in a plan view such that the angle formed by a virtual line connecting the apex of the fallen ore deposit and the light source of the LiDAR with respect to the raw material transport direction of the belt conveyor equipment is in the range of 45° to 135°.

[0013] [2] The method for measuring the height of a fallen ore deposit of a fallen ore deposit according to [1] above, characterized in that the surface to be measured by the LiDAR is a part of the floor surface on which the belt conveyor equipment is installed and on which the raw material is expected to fall, and is an area where the fallen ore deposit is expected to be formed.

[0014] [3] The method for measuring the height of fallen ore material according to [1] or [2] above, characterized in that the height of fallen ore is determined multiple times by the LiDAR within multiple periods of a period of 1 second or more, and the height of fallen ore for each period is determined using the lowest value among the multiple heights of fallen ore obtained within each period. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention's method for measuring the height of a fallen mine from a belt conveyor system that transports raw materials, it is possible to improve the accuracy of measuring the height of a fallen mine formed by the fallen raw materials. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram of a method for measuring the height of fallen ore material according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a graph showing the results of measurements of the mine collapse height using LiDAR. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The present invention relates to a method for measuring the height of a fallen mine formed by a fallen mine from a belt conveyor system that transports raw materials such as coal, coke, or ore. The method involves irradiating the fallen mine from the side using a LiDAR, which is a light detection and distance measurement device, and determining the top and height of the fallen mine using the LiDAR's point cloud data. The LiDAR is positioned such that, in a plan view, the angle between the top of the fallen mine and the LiDAR's light source, with respect to the raw material transport direction of the belt conveyor system, is in the range of 45° to 135°.

[0018] The present invention provides a method for measuring the height of a fallen ore deposit, which is formed by the ore that has fallen from a belt conveyor system used to transport the raw materials. This method improves the accuracy of measuring the height of the fallen ore deposit. Therefore, for example, it virtually eliminates the need for workers to check the height of the fallen ore deposit, thereby reducing the workload.

[0019] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. (1) Regarding "a method for measuring the height of a fallen ore pile formed of raw material that has fallen from a belt conveyor facility that conveys raw material which is coal, coke or ore" This is the prerequisite condition of the present invention. The fallen ore pile that is the target of height measurement in the present invention is formed of raw material that has fallen from the belt conveyor facility that conveys the raw material. Specifically, the raw material that remains adhering to the raw material placement surface of the carrier-side belt after raw material conveyance falls from the lower surface of the return-side belt to the area below it, so that the pile is formed below the belt (so as to overlap with the belt in plan view) (see Figure 1). The raw material is coal, coke or ore, and examples of the ore include, in addition to iron ore which accounts for approximately 80% or more of the usage amount, limestone, peridotite, silica rock, dolomite ore, and the like.

[0020] (2) Regarding "a method of irradiating light from the side of the fallen ore pile using LiDAR which is a measurement device for light-based detection and ranging, and grasping the apex and height of the fallen ore pile using the point cloud data of the LiDAR" LiDAR is a measurement device for laser light-based detection and ranging. By using this LiDAR, noise can be suppressed when grasping the apex of the fallen ore pile, and when grasping the lower portion of the fallen ore pile, the accuracy of grasping the floor surface position is improved, so that the accuracy of grasping the zero position of the height of the fallen ore pile can be improved.

[0021] (3) Regarding "arranging the LiDAR for measurement such that, in plan view, the angle formed by the virtual line connecting the apex of the fallen ore pile and the light projection port of the LiDAR with respect to the raw material conveyance direction of the belt conveyor facility is in the range of 45° or more and 135° or less" In plan view, the LiDAR can be arranged on either one or both of the two sides with the raw material conveyance direction of the belt conveyor facility as the center line. Even if the LiDAR is arranged on only one side for measurement, the measurement can be performed with sufficient accuracy.

[0022] Here, if the LiDAR is positioned such that, in a plan view, the angle formed by the imaginary line connecting the apex of the fallen mine and the LiDAR's light source with respect to the raw material transport direction of the belt conveyor equipment (hereinafter also simply referred to as "the angle formed by the imaginary line with respect to the raw material transport direction") is outside the above range (a range of 0° or more and less than 45°, or a range of more than 135° and less than or equal to 180°), it may become difficult to distinguish the apex of the fallen mine from the belt conveyor equipment in the background (for example, the columns supporting the frame), and situations in which the height of the fallen mine is overestimated occur frequently. In addition, the accumulation of fallen minerals clinging to the columns is substantially different from the height of the fallen mine, so if such accumulation is included in the determination of the height of the fallen mine, it may lead to an unnecessary increase in the frequency of cleaning. The angle formed by the imaginary line with respect to the raw material transport direction is preferably in the range of 60° or more and 120° or less.

[0023] The reason the LiDAR's light-emitting port was used as the reference position for the imaginary line is that the measurement reference position (zero-meter position: the starting point of light irradiation) of the LiDAR is defined for each type of LiDAR, and for some types, the reference position is not clear. This light-emitting port refers to the outer surface of the LiDAR from which light is emitted when irradiating a target object, and specifically, for example, it can be the outer surface of the lens cover located in front of the LiDAR's measurement reference position. Depending on the type of LiDAR, the distance between the LiDAR's measurement reference position and the light emitter may be up to, for example, about 5 cm. However, since the LiDAR used in this invention has a long measurable distance (distance to the fallen mine) of up to, for example, 30 to 50 m, a difference of about 5 cm is not considered to affect the accuracy of measuring the height of the fallen mine.

[0024] Furthermore, arranging LiDARs to satisfy the above-mentioned positional relationship is possible if the approximate location where the landslides are formed is known in advance. The location where the landslides are formed may differ each time the landslides are cleaned and removed, but it is unlikely that new landslides will form in a completely different location. Therefore, it is possible to position the LiDARs away from the belt conveyor equipment so that the angle of the imaginary line with respect to the raw material transport direction is within the range of 45° to 135°.

[0025] (4) Preferred Embodiment 1 When measuring the height of a mine collapse using LiDAR, it is preferable to define the measurement target area of ​​the LiDAR as a region where a belt conveyor is installed, which is part of the floor surface where the raw material collapses, and where it is assumed that a mine collapse will form. Note that a function for setting such a measurement area is generally included in commercially available LiDAR systems. In this way, by setting a more detailed area on the LiDAR to measure the height of the fallen mine, the influence of background noise from conveyor belts and other equipment, as well as the mine clinging to the pillars, can be reduced, and the accuracy of measuring the height of the fallen mine can be further improved.

[0026] (5) Preferred embodiment 2 When measuring the height of a falling rock, it is preferable to perform LiDAR-based rock height detection multiple times within multiple cycles with a period of 1 second or more, and determine the rock height for each cycle using the lowest value among the multiple rock heights obtained within each cycle. This prevents misrecognition of the peak of the falling rock (overestimation) due to the detection of raw materials in the process of falling. Specifically, by performing rock height detection multiple times within a single measurement cycle (single measurement period), and determining the rock height using the lowest value among the multiple rock heights obtained within this measurement period, it is possible to prevent misrecognition of the peak of the falling rock and improve the accuracy of rock measurement.

[0027] By determining the height of the falling rock two or more times within a single measurement cycle, the position of the raw material during its descent is virtually eliminated, thus improving measurement accuracy. Our findings indicate that performing the measurement five or more times is preferable, as the minimum height of the falling rock remains virtually unchanged. However, there is no particular upper limit; for example, it could be around ten times.

[0028] As described above, it is preferable that the measurement cycle be 1 second or longer. This prevents the falling material from being measured multiple times during its fall, even when, for example, soil-like material is falling in clumps (falling in multiple particles), and allows the height of the fallen rock to be measured after the material has fallen, thus avoiding misidentification of the peak of the fallen rock. On the other hand, there is no particular upper limit, but it is preferable that it be 1 day or less, more preferably 12 hours or less, and even more preferably 1 hour or less. This allows for reliable distinction between the growth of the fallen rock height itself and measurement errors during measurement.

[0029] Here, the method of using the lowest value among the multiple rockfall heights obtained within each period may, for example, be to use the lowest value directly as the measurement result, or to use the average of multiple or all values ​​including the lowest value as the measurement result, or to use the average of the lowest value and the next lowest value as the measurement result. In other words, it includes cases where the lowest value is used as part of the calculation for determining the rockfall height. Furthermore, any of the values ​​obtained, including the lowest value, can be used to determine the relationship between the representative value at the measurement time and the collapsed mine height, and this relationship can be graphed. The value calculated from the trend (approximation line or curve) of the change in the collapsed mine height can then be used as the collapsed mine height. Alternatively, any of the values ​​obtained, excluding the lowest value, can be used to calculate the collapsed mine height. These methods make it possible to further improve measurement accuracy.

[0030] The embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the method for measuring the height of a fallen mine of raw materials according to one embodiment of the present invention is a method for measuring the height of fallen mines 11a to c formed by raw materials that have fallen from a belt conveyor equipment 10 that transports raw materials such as coal, coke, or ore. The method involves irradiating light from the side of the fallen mines 11a to c using a LiDAR 12 and determining the vertices and heights of the fallen mines 11a to c using the point cloud data of the LiDAR 12. In Figure 1, multiple fallen mines 11a to c are formed under the belt conveyor equipment 10, but the measurement method is the same, so here we will explain the case of measuring fallen mine 11a.

[0032] The belt conveyor equipment 10 for transporting raw materials comprises a head pulley 13 and a tail pulley 14, a belt 15 that is wound between the head pulley 13 and the tail pulley 14 and circulates, a tension pulley 16 for adjusting the tension of the belt 15, a carrier roller 17 that supports and guides the belt 15 on the carrier side 15a, and a return roller 18 that supports and guides the belt 15 on the return side 15b. The equipment is such that the upper surface of the belt 15 on the carrier side 15a, on which the raw materials are placed, becomes the lower surface on the inverted return side 15b after the raw materials have been transported.

[0033] First, the LiDAR 12 is positioned such that, in a plan view, the angle formed by the imaginary line L connecting the apex of the fallen mine 11a and the light-emitting port 12a of the LiDAR 12 with respect to the raw material transport direction F of the belt conveyor equipment 10 (belt 15) is in the range of 45° to 135°.

[0034] Next, in order to have the LiDAR 12 read the area where the fallen ore 11a is formed, the area to be measured by the LiDAR 12 is set to be a part of the floor surface G where the belt conveyor equipment 10 is installed and where the fallen ore 11a is expected to be formed. Although it is preferable to make this setting, subsequent operations may be performed without making this setting.

[0035] After the LiDAR12 has finished setting the surface to be measured, multiple laser beams are shone from the LiDAR12 in a grid pattern, and the shape of the fallen mine 11a is determined based on the reflection time of each light beam from the fallen mine 11a. This light irradiation of the fallen mine 11a is performed intermittently, and the shape of the fallen mine 11a is determined each time light is irradiated.

[0036] During this process, the LiDAR12 is used to determine the height of fallen mines multiple times within several cycles with periods of 1 second or more. The lowest value among the multiple fallen mine heights obtained within each cycle is used to determine the fallen mine height for each cycle.

[0037] When the height of the collapsed rock, as measured by LiDAR12, reaches a preset height, the worker will recognize a warning, such as an alarm issued by an alarm sound emitter or a warning display on the screen, and remove the collapsed rock. This virtually eliminates the need for workers to check the height of the collapsed rock, thereby reducing the workload. [Examples]

[0038] Next, we will describe examples taken to confirm the effects and benefits of the present invention.

[0039] 1. Experimental conditions (Specifications of the belt conveyor equipment) Conveyor width: 1800mm, Conveyor length: 72m, Conveying speed: 120m / min (Types of raw materials) Sintering raw materials containing various grades of iron ore (Location of mine collapse) On the floor surface, approximately 0.5 to 2.5 meters away from the return roller located on the head pulley side of the belt conveyor equipment, in the direction of conveyor travel.

[0040] (LiDAR) 3D LiDAR YVT-35LX manufactured by Hokuyo Electric Co., Ltd. (LiDAR placement) When the height of the fallen rock formation below the belt reaches 5-10 cm, position the LiDAR so that the distance (plan view) from the top of the fallen rock to the lens surface (light source) is 10 m. (Measurement method using LiDAR) Measuring the height of the fallen mine in 1mm increments.

[0041] 2. Examples First, we will explain the results of measuring the height of the fallen ore material under the experimental conditions described above and the following shooting conditions. (Shooting conditions) The LiDAR was positioned so that the angle between the virtual line L and the raw material transport direction F was 90° (perpendicular to the raw material transport direction). Without setting a target surface for measurement on the LiDAR, the mine drop height was measured 10 times at 0.5-second intervals. The results are shown in Figure 2. The actual measured height of the rockfall, as determined using a measuring tape, was 40 cm.

[0042] Figure 2 confirms that the first and sixth measurements taken using LiDAR were higher than the actual measured values. The same measurements were performed four more times (a total of five measurements), and the measured values ​​were 40-42 cm, which is equivalent to the 2nd to 5th and 7th to 10th measurements shown in Figure 2. If this range is considered correct, the accuracy rate obtained by dividing the number of correct answers (8 times + 10 times x 4 times at 0.5-second intervals = 48 times) by the total number of measurements (10 times x 5 times at 0.5-second intervals = 50 times) is over 95% (96%), which is an improvement over the accuracy rate of 90% described in Patent Document 2 (see paragraph

[0068] ).

[0043] As shown in Figure 2 for the first and sixth measurements, the phenomenon of measured values ​​being higher than the actual measured values ​​occurs regularly, albeit infrequently. Our investigation revealed that this is due to false detection, where the falling material is detected and the pile is recorded as excessively high. Therefore, we found that the measurement error can be further reduced by adopting the lowest value from the 10 measured values ​​as the height of the falling pile. Furthermore, when the measurement time was extended (the number of measurements was increased) and measurements were taken for more than one day (cycle exceeding one day), the height of the fallen rock grew by another 2-7 cm, and in some cases it was difficult to distinguish between the growth of the fallen rock itself and measurement errors. The same trend was observed when other raw materials, such as coal and coke, were transported.

[0044] Next, we will explain the results of measuring the height of the fallen ore material under the experimental conditions described above and the shooting conditions shown in Table 1. These shooting conditions were changed when the type of ore used as sintering material was changed.

[0045] [Table 1]

[0046] The "period" shown in Table 1 refers to one measurement period in which the height of the fallen mine is determined multiple times using LiDAR. Within this period, the height of the fallen mine is determined multiple times at the time intervals indicated in the column. Specifically, Invention Examples 1 to 3 have a measurement period of less than 1 second, while Comparative Example 1, Invention Examples 4 and 5 have a measurement period of 1 second or more.

[0047] The evaluations shown in Table 1 were performed using the following method. The difference between the measured height h of the collapsed mine, measured using LiDAR, and the actual measured value (true value of the collapsed mine) h0, measured separately using a measuring tape, was calculated as the error rate. The average of the number of measurements shown in Table 1 was then calculated to determine the average error rate for one measurement cycle. Error rate (%)=(h-h0) / h0×100

[0048] In this case, the measured value h was never smaller than the actual measured value h0. The above measurements were performed multiple times (2 to 5 times), and the average of the calculated error rates was compared against the following criteria and recorded in the evaluation column.

[0049] ×: Average error rate of 20% or more ○: Average error rate of 5% or more, but less than 20% ◎: Average error rate less than 5%, greater than 0% ☆: Average error rate 0%

[0050] In the invention examples 1 and 2 shown in Table 1, the angle formed by the virtual line L with respect to the raw material transport direction F is within the appropriate range (45° to 135°). Therefore, the effects of background noise from equipment such as belt conveyors and fallen lumber clinging to the pillars can be reduced, and the average error rate can be reduced to less than 20%. On the other hand, in comparative example 1, the angle formed by the virtual line L with respect to the raw material transport direction F is outside the appropriate range. Therefore, even though the number of height checks was increased to 10, the average error rate was large, exceeding 20%, due to the effects of background noise and fallen lumber clinging to the pillars.

[0051] In Invention Example 3, the measurement target surface was set during the LiDAR measurement, which further eliminated the influence of background noise and other factors compared to Invention Examples 1 and 2, resulting in an average error rate of more than 0% but less than 20%.

[0052] In Invention Examples 4 and 5, the measurement cycle was set to 1.0 second or longer, which prevented misidentification, for example, when soil-like material falls in clumps, as the peak of the fallen mine, thus reducing the average error rate to less than 5%. In particular, Invention Example 5 increased the number of height measurements to five, so the minimum height of the fallen mine remained virtually unchanged, resulting in an average error rate of 0%.

[0053] Although highly accurate measurement results were obtained in Invention Examples 1 to 5 shown in Table 1, there were rare instances during the measurements where data with large measurement errors, such as those shown in Figure 2, were obtained.

[0054] As described above, by using the method for measuring the height of the fallen ore deposits, the accuracy of measuring the height of the fallen ore deposits formed by the fallen ore from the belt conveyor equipment can be improved. For example, it becomes largely unnecessary for inspectors to confirm the height of the fallen ore deposits, thereby reducing the workload.

[0055] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited in any way to the configurations described in the embodiments described above, and includes other embodiments and modifications that can be considered within the scope of the matters described in the claims. For example, the scope of the present invention also includes cases in which some or all of the above embodiments and modifications are combined to constitute the method for measuring the height of the ore fall of the ore fall material of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0056] This invention is industrially useful because it can improve the accuracy of measuring the height of a rockfall formed by rocks that have fallen from a belt conveyor system used to transport raw materials. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10: Belt conveyor equipment, 11a~c: Fallen mine, 12: LiDAR, 12a: Floodlight port, 13: Head pulley, 14: Tail pulley, 15: Belt, 15a: Carrier side, 15b: Return side, 16: Tension pulley, 17: Carrier roller, 18: Return roller

Claims

1. A method for measuring the height of a mine collapse formed by raw materials that have fallen from a belt conveyor system that transports raw materials such as coal, coke, or ore, This method involves irradiating the collapsed mine from the side using a LiDAR (Li-DAR) device, which is a light-based detection and distance measurement device, and using the point cloud data from the LiDAR to determine the top and height of the collapsed mine. A method for measuring the height of a fallen ore deposit, characterized in that the LiDAR is positioned such that, in a plan view, the angle formed by a virtual line connecting the apex of the fallen ore deposit and the light source of the LiDAR with respect to the raw material transport direction of the belt conveyor equipment is in the range of 45° to 135°.

2. The method for measuring the height of a fallen ore deposit for a fallen ore deposit according to claim 1, characterized in that the measurement target surface for the LiDAR is set to be a part of the floor surface on which the belt conveyor equipment is installed and where the fallen ore deposit is expected to be formed.

3. A method for measuring the height of a fallen ore source according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the LiDAR is used to determine the height of the fallen ore multiple times within multiple periods of a period of 1 second or more, and the lowest value among the multiple fallen ore heights obtained within each period is used to determine the height of the fallen ore for each period.

Citation Information

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