Centralized Drill Rig Shutdown for Multi-Site Mine Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
The control of multiple drill rigs at a mine site is challenging due to communication difficulties, potential collisions, and safety risks arising from human error, noise, and unforeseen circumstances, necessitating improved control systems.
Innovation Solution
A remote control system with a deactivation control that enables simultaneous shutdown of autonomous drill rigs at multiple sites via a centralized control centre, utilizing a drill shutdown module to disable functions such as power or fuel supply upon command.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple drill rigs operate autonomously on a single bench, then productivity increases, but safety risks increase due to potential collisions and human error
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized control system acts as an intermediary between multiple autonomous drill rigs and operators. The system receives commands from operators and distributes them to appropriate drill rigs, while also monitoring drill rig locations and statuses to prevent collisions and unsafe operations. This intermediary layer enables coordinated autonomous operation without direct operator-control-loop delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system continuously receives feedback from drill rigs regarding their positions, operational status, and environmental conditions. This real-time feedback enables the system to dynamically adjust commands, prevent collisions between drill rigs, avoid already-drilled holes, and respond to unsafe conditions immediately, thereby maintaining safety while enabling autonomous operation.
2Ease of operation
If drill operators communicate via radio in noisy environments, then coordination is possible, but communication latency increases leading to delayed responses
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces radio communication with an electronic digital communication network connecting operators, control systems, and drill rigs. This substitution eliminates the latency and reliability issues of radio communication in noisy environments, enabling instant transmission of commands and status information between all system components.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized control system serves as an intermediary that consolidates communication between operators and multiple drill rigs. Instead of operators communicating directly with each drill rig via radio, all communication passes through the control system, which routes commands efficiently and eliminates the need for repeated radio transmissions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If drill rigs are controlled manually by operators, then flexibility is maintained, but human error increases safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
Drill rigs operate autonomously by executing commands from the control system without requiring continuous manual intervention. The autonomous operation reduces human error while maintaining operational flexibility through programmable control logic that can adapt to different drilling patterns, bench configurations, and operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system uses real-time feedback from drill rigs and the environment to make autonomous decisions, replacing human judgment with automated decision-making logic. This feedback-driven autonomous operation maintains adaptability to changing conditions while eliminating human error, as the system consistently applies safety rules and operational parameters without fatigue or distraction.
4Reliability
If a centralized control system manages multiple drill rigs across multiple sites, then safety control is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized control system is designed as a universal platform that can manage multiple drill rigs across multiple mine sites through a single interface. The system handles diverse functions including command distribution, location monitoring, collision prevention, and coordinated shutdown across sites, reducing the need for separate control systems at each location and simplifying overall system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are a control method and system. The system includes: a deactivation control; a control centre controller for storing an association between the deactivation control and a selected set of mine sites; a plurality of autonomous drill rigs, each drill rig having a drill shutdown module to disable a function of the respective drill rig upon receipt of a deactivation command; and a mine site controller associated with each mine site, each mine site controller being coupled to all autonomous drill rigs located at the respective mine site with which the mine site controller is associated. Activating the deactivation control transmits a deactivation command from the deactivation control to the control centre controller. The control centre controller forwards the deactivation command to a mine site controller associated with each mine site in the set of mine sites for distribution to all autonomous drill rigs at that mine site.