ROBOTIZATION OF POINT-ATTACK MINING MACHINES FOR THE PURPOSE OF SELECTED AUTOMATED ORE WORKING.

Informazioni relative al progetto

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: MA1M0053

Progetto chiuso

Data di avvio 1 Gennaio 1988

Data di completamento 31 Ottobre 1990

Finanziato da

• Research programme (EEC) on materials (raw materials and advanced materials), 1986-1989

Costo totale € 0,00

Contributo UE Nessun dato

Coordinato da

ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Spain

Obiettivo

THE AIM OF THE RESEARCH IS TO AUTOMATE THE SELECTIVE WORKING OF ORES.

THE INTENDED AIMS OF THIS RESEARCH ARE:

- IN THE SHORT TERM A REDUCTION IN FIRST COSTS AND AN INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY ON SITE AS RESULT OF IMPROVED MACHINE PERFORMANCE AND LOWER ORE DILUTION.

- IN THE MEDIUM TERM: GREATER MINE SAFETY OWING TO THE ROBOTIZATION OF WORKING MACHINES ENABLING STAFF TO BE MOVED AWAY FROM WORKING ZONES WHICH ARE, AS A MATTER OF COURSE, DANGEROUS.
A roadheader may well be considered as a robot from the mechanical point of view: it is basically a manipulator with 2 degrees of freedom (the horizontal and vertical movements of the cutting boom), mounted on a free-steered platform. The cutting head could be considered as the robot tool. The robotics approach to the roadheader automation problem is a natural step after analysing its operation. Even more, the fully automated roadheader should be considered as an intelligent robot, as it would be capable of adapting to the environmental variations, redefining the task dynamically, this being different from the typical standard industrial robot that performs the same task repetitively (eg a welding robot). The investigations tested the possibilities of transforming a typical roadheader machine into an intelligent robot, performing a selective cutting operation.

The goal of the project is, basically, to study the feasibility of an automated system able to control the selective cutting operation of a roadheader working in an underground potash mine. For this purpose, the following specific goals were defined: evaluation of different techniques suitable for ore identification at the face in normal operation, development of data processing tools capable to produce a face map representing ore distribution in the face, development of a cutting plan generator taking into account selectivity, room cross section, and cutting head dimensions, design and implementation of an adequate control system for the roadheader, with all required sensors and actuators, development of control software to conduct a cutting test and finally test of the whole system operation inreal conditions under human supervision. A research project on automation of a roadheader in selective cutting operation has been carried out. it implies the recognition of minerals and its distribution at the cutting face, as well as automatic generation and execution of adequate cutting trajectories. The case study is a potash mine in northeastern Spain. Computer vision was selected as the most convenient sensing technique to provide an ore distribution map. A complete system has been developed to perform online image processing and boom control at the face.
THE RESEARCH IS DIVIDED INTO SIX PHASES:

PHASE 1: SELECTION OF SITES WHERE AUTOMATIC ORE DETECTING TECHNIQUES MAY BE USED.

PHASE 2: DEFINITION OF THE SENSORS ENABLING ORE TO BE DISTINGUISHED FROM STERILE MATERIAL ON A FACE BY MEANS OF A DIFFERENCE IN COLOUR, HARDNESS, OR RADIOACTIVE EMISSION (URANIUM).

PHASE 3: INSTALLATION OF SENSORS ON AN EXPERIMENTAL MACHINE AND LINKAGE WITH A DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM.

PHASE 4: ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA DURING IN SITU MEASURING SEQUENCES - RELIABILITY TESTS - DETERMINATION OF SIGNAL THRESHOLDS ENABLING INTERFACES TO BE DETECTED.

PHASE 5: SIGNAL PROCESSING - PREPARATION OF AN INTERFACE DETECTION SOFTWARE - PREPARATION OF SOFTWARE TO OPERATE THE WORKING HEAD - LINKING OF THE TWO SOFTWARES - SIMULATIONS.

PHASE 6: DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDUSTRIAL PROTOTYPE - LONG-TERM TESTS IN A SPANISH POTASH MINE.

Campo scientifico

• natural sciences › computer and information sciences › software
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › electronic engineering › control systems
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › electronic engineering › signal processing
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › electronic engineering › sensors
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › electronic engineering › robotics

Programma(i)

• FP1-RAWMAT 3C - Research programme (EEC) on materials (raw materials and advanced materials), 1986-1989

Argomento(i)

Data not available

Invito a presentare proposte

Data not available

Meccanismo di finanziamento

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinatore

ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

• Contributo UE: Nessun dato
• Indirizzo: 1,Alenza 1 ; 28003 MADRID ; Spagna
• Costo totale: Nessun dato

Partecipanti (1)

Centre d'Etudes et Recherches des Charbonnages de France (CERCHAR)

Francia

• Contributo UE: Nessun dato
• Indirizzo: 33 Rue de la Baume ; 75008 Paris
• Costo totale: Nessun dato