Flexible Conveyor Path Control for Continuous Miner Plunge Tunnels
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Solution Overview
Problem
In underground coal mining, existing methods face challenges in safely and efficiently forming and maintaining plunge tunnels while avoiding adjacent equipment and 'ribs' using continuous miners and flexible conveyor systems, particularly in navigating angled and curved paths without disassembling and reassembling fixed conveyors.
Innovation Solution
A mining system comprising a continuous miner, a flexible conveyor system with ground-engaging conveyor modules, a path planner, and a controller that plans and controls the path of the continuous miner and conveyor modules to avoid collisions, allowing for unmanned operation and continuous coal transport without disassembly of fixed conveyors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed conveyor system is used to transport coal, then coal transport is reliable, but the system cannot adapt to changing mining paths and requires disassembly and reassembly when paths change
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into multiple modular conveyor modules that can be independently positioned and configured. Each module can be separately controlled to navigate around obstacles and adapt to changing paths without requiring complete disassembly of the entire conveyor system.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system transitions from a fixed, static configuration to a dynamic, movable configuration. The conveyor modules can be repositioned along the roadway using drive mechanisms, allowing the system to dynamically adapt to changing mining paths while maintaining continuous coal transport capability.
2Productivity
If the continuous miner operates at high speed to increase productivity, then coal extraction efficiency improves, but the risk of collision with adjacent equipment or ribs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors that continuously monitor the position of the continuous miner and conveyor modules relative to the roadway geometry and adjacent equipment. This real-time feedback enables the control system to detect potential collisions and automatically adjust the mining path or speed to prevent collisions while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses path planning algorithms to pre-calculate safe mining paths that avoid obstacles before the continuous miner begins operation. By planning the path in advance and preparing the conveyor system configuration beforehand, the system can operate at high speeds without compromising collision avoidance reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible conveyor system is made more maneuverable to navigate curves and corners, then path adaptability improves, but the system complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is segmented into multiple independently controllable modules, each equipped with its own drive and steering mechanisms. This segmentation allows each module to navigate curves and corners independently, providing high path adaptability while distributing the control complexity across multiple simple, standardized modules rather than one complex centralized system.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a mining system. The system includes a continuous miner for forming plunge tunnels from a roadway. A flexible conveyor system is coupled to the continuous miner for conveying mined material from the plunge tunnels. A controller is provided for controlling the continuous miner and the flexible conveyor system to travel along a predetermined path. Advantageously, the controller may control the drive and steering (including turning maneuvers) of the continuous miner and each conveyor module of the flexible conveyor system along the predetermined path to avoid striking either any adjacent equipment (e.g. another conveyor), or the ‘ribs’ of a plunge tunnel being mined.