Cable REEL with integrated storage for electric mining machine

Abstract

A battery electric mining vehicle capable of selective operation between a battery and AC power supplied by a cable includes a cable reel designed to provide a suitable length of cable for a mining vehicle while ensuring that the overall form factor or footprint of the vehicle is unchanged from a battery-only configuration. A cable reel with integrated storage is integrated and mounted within the body of the vehicle without the need for any extension of the platform. The cable reel enables for use of a relatively light cable for fluent handling while meeting the power demands of the tools in heavy duty operations. The cable reel has a drum diameter that is close to the flange diameter to provide a cable support surface on its exterior and a storage hollow on its interior.

Description

CABLE REEL WITH INTEGRATED STORAGE FOR ELECTRIC MINING MACHINERELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims the benefits of priority of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 602,891 ; entitled “CABLE REEL WITH INTEGRATED STORAGE FOR ELECTRIC MINING MACHINE”; and filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on November 27, 2023; the content of which is incorporated herein by referenceTECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to electric powered vehicles, particularly to a cable reel for heavy duty electric vehicles and machines used in mining and construction environments.BACKGROUND

[0003] Increasingly machines for both surface and subsurface mining used to drill, excavate, transport or process ore and rock are electric powered. The power sources for the machines may be battery power or power supplied by a cable from a power grid. One type of machine used in mining is a drill for drilling holes into rock. Depending on the environment, a drill of this type may be driven by a pneumatic circuit or a hydraulic circuit that controls percussive hammers. This task is power intensive and is generally performed using power supplied by a cable from an AC or DC power source to a motor mounted on the machine. Depending on the environment, the motor may be a synchronous permanent magnet motor that is inverter driven, or may be an induction motor with suitable drive systems. When a drilling operation is completed, the machine may move to another drilling location on battery power. This movement is generally called tramming. In both surface and subsurface environments, it is often necessary to enable use of both cable power and battery power.

[0004] Selecting the cable for AC or DC power in these environments requires consideration of several parameters such as the required power, potentiallyvarying voltage levels of the electric power supply, the operational range of the machine limited by the length of cable; and the space available onboard the machine for storing the cable. Many of these parameters are competing factors and require compromise in one aspect to achieve another aspect. A customary cable reel stores the cable in on the reel in several layers as seen in FIG. 9. With the high power demands of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) drill rig, the BEV must be configured to accommodate both a battery and a cable electric supply onboard, which leads to space constraints for the components necessary for selective battery and cable power operation. It has been customary to provide an extension platform to accommodate a conventional electric cable reel onboard. This results in a larger vehicle footprint as well as weight and balance considerations.

[0005] A suitable solution for providing selective battery and cable power to an electric machine or vehicle which does not substantially increase the size or footprint of the vehicle is needed.SUMMARY

[0006] To fulfill the need of providing a suitable length of cable for a mining vehicle while ensuring that the overall form factor or footprint of the vehicle is unchanged from a battery-only configuration, a cable reel with integrated storage is disclosed which is mounted within the body of the vehicle without the need for any extension of the platform. The cable reel enables the use of a relatively light cable for fluent handling while meeting the power demands of the tools in heavy duty operations.

[0007] An aspect of the disclosure is to provide an electric vehicle for mining with a cable reel assembly to power a tool attached thereto. The cable reel assembly includes a reel having flanges defining a central drum with an access side and an attachment side. The drum provides a cable winding surface on its exterior and a hollow in its interior to provide integrated storage on the reel.

[0008] Another aspect of the disclosure is an electric vehicle for mining or construction that comprises a frame, a ground engaging mechanism attached to and supporting the frame such as wheels with tires, or continuous tracks, and a vehicle body attached to the frame. The body includes a control cabattached to the frame at one end with a battery mount area provided at the other end of the body. A tool is attached and supported by the frame and operatively coupled to the vehicle. Integrated to the body is a cable reel assembly attached to the frame for selectively supplying direct electrical power to the tool. The cable reel assembly comprises a cable reel comprising a pair of flanges defining an access side facing an exterior of the body, and an attachment side of the reel facing an interior of the body. The reel also includes a central drum extending between the flanges and defining a transverse dimension of the reel. The drum provides a cable winding surface on its exterior, and a hollow in its interior to provide integrated storage on the reel for mounting operating components of the vehicle, and includes a drum bearing aperture at its center. The cable reel assembly also includes a cable reel mechanism disposed on the attachment side and operatively coupled to the cable reel via the drum bearing; and a strut mounted to the frame and supportively coupled to the cable reel mechanism.

[0009] Another aspect of the disclosure is to provide a cable reel with a pair of flanges defining an access side and an attachment side of the reel, and a central drum extending between the flanges to define a transverse dimension of the reel. The drum provides a cable winding surface on its exterior and a hollow in its interior to provide integrated storage on the reel. The drum includes a drum bearing aperture at its center for attachment to a drum bearing of a drive mechanism. The cable reel comprises a cabinet in the hollow that is accessible from the access side. The dimensions of the reel result in a volume of the hollow that is not much less than the volume of the entire reel to provide storage for other onboard components of the machine. Another way to define this is to state that the outer diameter of the drum, which forms the cable supporting surface, is not much less than the diameter of a flange of the reel. In this way, the drum is designed to have a single layer of cable wound on it to enable use of a smaller cable and fluent handling. The attachment side of the reel includes a structural wall onto which components may be mounted, and may be attached to a reel mechanism onboard the machine. The reel mechanism may be integrated to the body of the machine and contain the components and connections necessary to control and drive the reel.

[0010] Another aspect of the disclosure is a cable reel assembly that includes the cable reel described above and the reel mechanism as well as a support strut.

[0011] Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the disclosed system will be, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description and this summary, be within the scope of the disclosed system, and be protected by the following claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The disclosed system can be better understood with reference to the following figures and description. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosed system. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example embodiment of an electric mining machine.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective top view of an integrated cable reel mounted within the rear area of the electric mining machine.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a side view of the integrated cable reel of FIG. 2.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the integrated cable reel shown in isolation.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the reel of FIG. 4 viewed from the opposite side.

[0018] FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the reel of FIG. 4.

[0019] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the reel of FIG. 4 taken along line A-A.

[0020] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional drill rig with a cable reel mounted on a platform.

[0021] FIG. 9 is a rear view of a prior art drill rig with a cable reel mounted on a platform.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present disclosure is directed to a battery electric vehicle for mining or other heavy duty applications including an electric cable reel designed to be integrated onboard the mining machine and provide the power demands of the operation, convenient cable management and stay within the footprint of the machine without the need for an extended platform or the like.

[0023] As described above, several competing parameters must be considered in these environments, with the cable size and capacity being an important one. In the types of environments in which a mining machine is used with direct AC or DC power via a cable for operating the tool such as a drill, a balance is struck between the power requirements of the machine and the cable type and size. In terms of power requirements generally when the power level of a machine is less than about 500kW, machines are powered by an AC power supply that does not exceed 1000V. This is advantageous because exceeding 1000V may require different licensing for electric work, larger components due to increased insulation clearances, and more expensive components. It is advantageous therefore to balance the factors to stay below 1000V. Also, the voltage level of electric supply can vary, and the higher voltage means a lower current at same power output therefore enabling use of a smaller cable. Fluent cable handling is a key feature for the ease of operation of a machine. Fluent cable handling is highly depending on cable size, as the smaller the cable, the easier it is to handle.

[0024] Another important parameter is the size of the vehicle or machine. It will be understood that the terms “vehicle” or “machine” as used herein, shall refer to any type of vehicle. It will also be understood that the disclosed systems have particular applicability to mining and construction vehicles, and even more particularly to electric mining machines. Electric mining machines are generally powered by onboard battery packs as well as a cable power supply from a grid for high demand use of the tools. The cable power may be AC or DC. The machines can be drill rigs, load-haul-dump (LHD) machines, scalers, graders, scoops, rock breakers, cutters, haulers, or a combination. In general, electric mining machines are heavy duty vehicles engineered for the challenging environments and sometimes must operate in limited spaces. The machines generally include a tool end, heavy-duty wheels with tires orcontinuous treads or track plates, an operator area, controls, and the motors and other components to enable selectable power either from an onboard battery or direct cable power. An exemplary machine described in the present disclosure is a self-contained, crawler-mounted down-the-hole drill rig built for demanding high-capacity production drilling applications in surface mining and large quarry applications.

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a drill rig vehicle or machine 10 having a main body 12 supported on a support structure or frame 14 that is connected to a set of ground engaging continuous treads 16. A control cab 18 is positioned at a front end 20 of body 12. Cab 18 may be configured for manned and unmanned use and may have sufficient space for a human operator. Understandably, in certain drill rigs, the cab 18 may be optional. Rearward of cab 18 is the main body area containing the durable main components for driving, controlling, and supplying power to machine 10. This main area terminates in a rear end 22 of body 12. Forward of cab 18 is tool end 24 of the machine, in this instance comprising a boom 26 connected to frame 14 and having at least one hydraulic hammer 28 mounted in moveable relation to the boom.

[0026] Machine 10 may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or electrically powered, and may comprise a battery within body 12. The battery packs employed in electric mining machines are heavy-duty, high powered battery packs which are comprised of multiple battery modules contained in a pack housing. Each module is comprised of multiple cells. The modules are equipped with an array of operational sensors and are provided with electronic components to provide data from the sensors to a separate maintenance network. Sensors can include temperature sensors, timing devices, charge level detection devices, and other monitoring devices which can be employed to provide an operations center with accurate, real-time data regarding the performance of the module and its performance history. Details of exemplary battery packs and battery management systems and the associated data generation and monitoring can be found in U.S. Patent No. 9,960,396 issued on May 1 , 2018, titled “Module Backbone System;” and in U.S. Patent No. 10,063,069 issued on August 28, 2018, titled “Module Maintenance System.”

[0027] One of the goals of BEV mining machines is to supply the necessary power to the tools while maintaining as compact a form factor as possible for efficiency and for maneuverability. It will be understood that the terms form factor and footprint may be used in similar ways to connote the overall compactness of the machine. As discussed above, in these machines, it will be preferable to provide both onboard battery power as well as direct power as selected by the operator. For example, operating the drill tool is power intensive and it will be preferable to employ direct power supplied from a source via cable. A challenging aspect in design of electrified surface drill rigs are the compromises necessary to ensure that all of the components are onboard while keeping the machine compact. In addition, the cable should cause as little inconvenience as possible. Cable handling is seen as an obstacle in new electrified surface drill rigs which heretofore have been diesel engine powered. Coupled with the compactness requirement, the cable should be as long as possible to provide range, and as fluent as possible to provide ease of handling.

[0028] Conventional cable reels used on prior art machines are illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. As seen in those figures, a conventional cable reel generally required an extended platform onto which it is mounted. In the machine of FIG. 8, it can be seen at the rearward end that an extended platform is provided on the support structure for the purpose of mounting a cable reel. Similarly, in the machine of FIG. 9, the support structure is extended rearward to enable a large cable reel to be mounted at the rear end. The cable reels used in the machines shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are typical cable reels having a central drum whose diameter is significantly less than the diameter of the flange to enable multiple layers of cable to be wound on the drum. While this conventional design maximizes the length of the cable, for some cables, multiple layers of windings around the drum may cause problems with overheating of the cable. In addition, the need for an extended platform to mount the cable reel enlarges the machine. In some instances, instead of an extended platform, the conventional reel may be amounted on another boom or arm attached to the support structure, also enlarging the overall form factor of the machine. Additionally, in some instances, the cable reel is provided on a separate following piece such as a trolley which requires management ofanother piece during operation. All of these conventional solutions are undesirable, and it is important to maintain a compact form factor that can accommodate all of the components of a BEV onboard. For example, the machine may require various high powered converters (e.g., AC / DC converters, DC / DC converters, DC / AC converters) to properly condition the electric power received either from the cable or from the battery to electric power suitable for the drive system of the tool. Additionally power electronics such as inverters, chargers and the like must be accommodated on a form factor or footprint that makes the machine transportable on the road by a truck trailer.

[0029] Referring to machine 10 of FIG. 1 , these requirements are met with a cable reel that integrates storage while still providing a suitable cable length that can be integrated within the footprint of body 12. As seen in FIGS. 2-3, cable reel 30 has been designed to integrate into body 12 at rear end 22 without requiring any extensions. This is accomplished by the design of reel 30 with a drum that accommodates many of the components of the machine. Cable reel 30 becomes part of body 12 and is supported on frame 14. Reel 30 has a central drum 32 which is enlarged compared to conventional reels and is configured to house various components in the storage spaces in the drum. Drum 32 provides a cable winding surface 33 which supports cable C, and defines an outer diameter of drum 32. When reel 30 is mounted, it has an access side 34 and an opposite face being an attachment side 36. Access side 34 is accessible for serviceability. FIGS. 4-7 illustrate the reel in isolation to better illustrate its structure.

[0030] The geometry of cable reel 30 that enables it to be integrated into body 12 but still provide sufficient cable length is a drum 32 that has a diameter that is close to the diameter of access side flange 38 and attachment side flange 40. Cable C is wound around drum 32 in a single layer. The enlarged drum 32 results in a hollow 42 formed in the reel which is a volume that is substantially defined by the drum and extends to the attachment side flange 40 so as to provide a largely cylindrical volume.

[0031] This hollow 42 is advantageously employed as an integrated storage area into which various required components shown schematically as W, X, Y, Z may be mounted on shelves 35. As seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, other areas ofthe hollow may be closed off with covers 39 even from the access side to securely house other components, sensors or wiring. Various components or connections may be stored in the hollow, and the configuration of the hollow may vary depending on the needs. As seen in FIG. 3, the actual components may be positioned in any desirable configuration to fully use the space provided by the hollow. While FIGS. 4 and 6 illustrate schematically one possible configuration, numerous variations are possible in the arrangement of the shelves, the covers and connections. Generically the hollow may be called a cabinet or house a plurality of cabinets, such as the areas covered by covers 39, into which components may be securely attached or inserted. Among possible variations are wheel and spoke, arcuate or combinations of shapes of cabinets within the hollow to make maximum use of the space within the drum portion of the reel. For weight and balance considerations, other variations of cabinets are also possible. By integrating storage into the reel in this manner, all of the components that may be displaced by positioning the reel on the body without enlarging the frame are accommodated into the hollow defined by the reel.

[0032] A guide member 44 may be positioned over a top portion of reel 30 to ensure that cable C is wound or unwound in a controlled manner. The guide may move sidewards across the drum in synchronous with drum rotation ensuring that the guide is at the point where the cable is to be wound or unwound on the drum. Sideward movement of the guide can be arranged e.g. by a screw or chain. An extended arm 46 with a guide 47 at the end of the arm guides the cable and keeps the cable away from the tracks when turning the vehicle.

[0033] An exemplary cable reel may have the following dimensions to provide the necessary space within the hollow of the drum.Outer flange diameter: 2400 mm Drum outer diameter to the cable winding surface 33: 2300 mm Drum inner diameter, defining the hollow: 2160 mm Transverse of the reel: 1000 mmThickness of the attachment wall: 180 mmLength of cable wound in a single layer on the drum: approximately 180 m. This may be calculated by determining the circumference of the drum multiplied by the number of windings of the cable in a single layer. This is exemplary embodiment, the calculation is n x ddrum x 25 = 180 m.

[0034] The unique geometry of cable reel 30 may be described in quantifiable terms in several ways. One way is to define the total volume of a cylinder that is defined by the flange diameter and the transverse dimension of the reel. Namely, Fldfiange x transverse = total volume of reel. And compare this volume to the approximate volume of hollow 42. Namely, flddrum x transverse = approximate volume of the hollow. The volume of the hollow may be defined as greater than 50% of the volume of the reel. And preferably greater than 70% ranging to even 95%.

[0035] Another way to describe the geometry of the reel is to compare the diameter of the flange to the outside diameter of the drum, the surface onto which cable C is wound. The drum diameter is preferably greater than 90% of the flange diameter to define the relative think area onto which a single layer of cable C may be wound.

[0036] Any number of definitions are possible to describe the enlarged drum of the reel and its proportion to the reel as a whole. The enlarged drum provides cabinet storage to integrate multiple components and wiring necessary for operation of the machine without requiring enlargement of the machine or its frame.

[0037] As for the attachment side, it can be seen in FIG. 5, that a drum bearing 60 is provided in the center of drum 32 and is attached to a reel mechanism 62 supported on a strut 64. While attachment side 36 is illustrated as comprising a solid wall-like member, wall 37, it is with in the purview of the disclosure to use a perforated member, spaced spokes or employ a latticed structure or the like as a cage to reduce the weight of the attachment side of the reel.

[0038] It will be understood that the electrical and control connections between reel mechanism 62 and the reel may be accomplished in the area of the drum bearing or may be integrated into the storage structure of the reel. In other words, any number of the cabinets in the hollow may be configured withelectrical, control or data connectors to easily connect a component housed therein to the machine.

[0039] In this way the cable reel fulfills the requirements of providing a suitable length of cable by taking advantage of the large diameter drum. By reeling cable C in only one layer, any risk of overheating is also eliminated which enables the use of a smaller cable without the added heat insulation. A smaller cable enables more fluent handling.

[0040] While the illustrated embodiment is a drill rig for surface mining, it will be understood that the principles of this disclosure are applicable to machines for subsurface mining as well. The form factor of the vehicle is an important factor for subsurface applications since the machines are operating in confined spaces. There may be situations and tools in subsurface mining where it is advantageous to have AC power supply to the tool via cable instead of relying on battery power. The integration of the cable reel into the body of the machine provides selective power options without sacrificing maneuverability due to increased size of the machine to accommodate a conventional cable reel on an extension. It will also be understood that although a drill is illustrated as the tool, it is exemplary and any type of tool may be used on a machine of this type with AC power available to power the tool.

[0041] While various embodiments have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the embodiments. Although many possible combinations of features are shown in the accompanying figures and discussed in this detailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed features are possible. Any feature of any embodiment may be used in combination with, or substituted for, any other feature or element in any other embodiment unless specifically restricted. Therefore, it will be understood that any of the features shown and / or discussed in the present disclosure may be implemented together in any suitable combination. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the attached claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWe claim:1 . An electric vehicle for mining comprising: a frame; a ground engaging mechanism attached to and supporting said frame; a vehicle body attached to said frame, said body including a control cab attached to said frame at one end thereof, and a battery mount area provided at the other end thereof; a tool attached supported on said frame and operatively coupled thereto; a cable reel assembly attached to said frame and integrated with said vehicle body for selectively supplying direct electrical power and battery power to said tool, said cable reel assembly comprising: a cable reel comprising a pair of flanges defining an access side and an attachment side of said reel, a central drum extending between said flanges and defining a transverse dimension of said reel, said drum providing a cable winding surface on its exterior, and a hollow in its interior to provide integrated storage on said reel, wherein said drum includes a drum bearing aperture at its center; a cable reel mechanism disposed on said attachment side and operatively coupled to said cable reel via said drum bearing; and a strut mounted to said frame and supportively coupled to said cable reel mechanism.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said flanges of said cable reel defines a flange diameter, and said drum of said cable reel defines a drum diameter, wherein said drum diameter is greater than 80% of said flange diameter.

3. The electric vehicle of claim 2, wherein said drum diameter is greater than 95% of said flange diameter.

4. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a volume of said hollow is greater than5. The electric vehicle of claim 4, wherein the volume of said hollow is greater than 90% of the volume of said cable reel.

6. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said cable reel further comprises a structural shelf in said hollow for attachment of a component, and accessible from said access side.

7. The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said attachment side of said cable reel includes a wall forming a backing to said hollow.

8. A cable reel assembly for an electrically powered heavy duty machine, said cable reel assembly comprising: a cable reel comprising a pair of flanges defining an access side and an attachment side of said reel, a central drum extending between said flanges and defining a transverse dimension of said reel, said drum providing a cable winding surface on its exterior, and a hollow in its interior to provide integrated storage on said reel, wherein said drum includes a drum bearing aperture at its center; a cable reel mechanism disposed on said attachment side and operatively coupled to said cable reel via said drum bearing; a strut supporting said cable reel mechanism and configured to be mounted to a support structure of said machine.

9. The cable reel assembly of claim 8, wherein said flanges define a flange diameter, and said drum defines a drum diameter, wherein said drum diameter is greater than 80% of said flange diameter.

10. The cable reel assembly of claim 9, wherein said drum diameter is greater than 95% of said flange diameter.11 . The cable reel assembly of claim 8, wherein a volume of said hollow is greater than 70% of a volume of said cable reel.

12. The cable reel assembly of claim 11 , wherein the volume of said hollow is greater than 90% of the volume of said cable reel.

13. A cable reel for an electrically powered heavy duty machine, the cable reel comprising: a pair of flanges defining an access side and an attachment side of said reel; a central drum extending between said flanges and defining a transverse dimension of said reel, and providing a cable winding surface and defining a hollow in said drum to provide integrated storage on said reel, wherein said drum includes a drum bearing aperture at its center.

14. The cable reel of claim 13, further comprising a cabinet in said hollow accessible from said access side.

15. The cable reel of claim 13, wherein a volume of said hollow is greater than 70% of a volume of the reel.

16. The cable reel of claim 15, wherein the volume of said hollow is greater than 90% of the volume of the reel.

17. The cable reel of claim 13, wherein said flanges define a flange diameter, and said drum defines a drum diameter, wherein said drum diameter is greater than 80% of said flange diameter.

18. The cable reel of claim 17, wherein said drum diameter is greater than 95% of said flange diameter.

19. The cable reel of claim 13, further comprising a structural shelf in said hollow for attachment of a component, and accessible from said access side.

20. The cable reel of claim 13, wherein said attachment side includes a wall forming a backing to said hollow.

Images