Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTINUOL1S MINING
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a system for
continuously mining coal in a highwall and more
particularly to such a system having a substantially
automatic seauential control for a continuous miner and a
combination articulated haulage/tramming conveyor and a
load-out and control vehicle for use with the miner and the
l0 conveyor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Coal is typically found in substantially
horizontal seams extending through rock strata such as
limestone, sandstone or shale. Surface mining and
underground mining are the primary methods used to mine
coal. Surface mining may be strip mining which involves
the removal of the overburden by means of a drag line or
other earth moving equipment to fully expose the coal seam
for recovery. However, strip mining is limited by the
depth of the overburden, which eventually makes strip
mining impractical. When the depth of the overburden makes
strip mining impractical, a large quantity of coal may
remain in a seam. Recovery of this coal i~~ accomplished by
highwall mining wherein an entry or a hole: is initiated at
the exposed pace of the seam at the highwall, and mining
follows the seam inwardly from the highwa7.l. A method and
apparatus of mining a highwall are disclosed in United
States Patents Nos. x,364,171; 5,232,269; 5,261,729 and
5,112,111, respectively entitled "Apparatus and Method for
Continuous Mining"; "Launch Vehicle for Continuous Mining
Apparatus"; "Apparatus for Continuous Mining"; and
"Apparatus and Method for Continuous Mining", which are
owned by Mining Technologies, Inc. Early highwall mining
technology included mobile conveyors such as disclosed in
United States Patent No. 4,957,405, entitled "Apparatus for
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Mining". A control for a continuous miner and a trailing
conveyor which may be used in highwall mining .is disclosed
in United States Patent No. 5,185,935, entitled "Method and
Apparatus for Separation Measurement and Alignment System".
A combination haulage and tramming conveyor is disclosed in
United Kingdom Patent No. 1,373,170, entitled "Plate
Conveyor".
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a substantially
fully automated system for highwall mining. The operation
of the equipment in the system is computer controlled and
the system is capable of automatically mining in excess of
1,000 feet into a highwall and approximately 500 feet
underground.
The highwall system includes a continuous miner
followed by a combination articulated haulage/tramming
conveyor (hereinafter "tramming conveyor") and a load-out
and control vehicle (here=nafter "load-out vehicle") for
transferring mined coal from the tramm:ing conveyor to
2 0 trucks or to another conveyor ; f or housing the equipment
for controlling and monitoring the operation of the system
and the electric power equipment. The rear end of the
continuous miner is operatively connected to the inlet or
inby end of the tramming conveyor by an arrangement which
constantly measures (1) the distance betwa_en the rear end
of the continuous miner and the inby end of the tramming
conveyor and (2) the angle between the continuous miner
discharge conveyor boom on the miner and the tramming
conveyor. The upper portion of the tramming conveyor has
a substantially U-shaped cross section with a bottom pan
and spaced sidewalk . A continuous conveyer chain having
spaced flights for transporting the mined coal from the
inby end to the outby end extends along the upper surface
of the bottom pan on the tramming conveyor. The tramming
conveyor includes hydraulic jacks spaced along each edge
for raising and lowering the conveyor relative to the
ground. The edges of the tramming conveyor may be raised
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simultaneously or independently depending upon conditions
in the mine such as the seam pitch. When the tramming
conveyor is in the raised position, it is in the conveying
mode to transport mined coal rearwardly to the load-out
vehicle. When the tramming conveyor is lowered by
retracting the hydraulic jacks until the chain on the
return side contacts the ground or the mine floor, the
conveyor is in the tramming mode for movement along the
mine floor. In this regard, the outer edge of each chain
flight is provided with outwardly extending lugs or studs
to facilitate tramming the conveyor. Typically, the
tramming conveyor will tram at approximately 55 feet per
minute and convey at approximately 1~5 feet per minute.
The system provides substantially complete
automation. An operating technician is located in the cab
in the load-out vehicle which functions as the control
center for the entire system as it houses the computer
controls, the electric power equipment, the main power
control, the hydraulic pump station, the power cable reel
and the operating technician's work station with the
computer readout information screens. :3pecial electric
controls made by Allen-Bradley are used to sequence the
operation of the continuous miner, the tramming conveyor,
and the load-out vehicle as mining progresses continuously
into the hole. As mining progresses, information is
provided to the screens in the load-out vehicle from a ring
laser gyroscope, inclinometers and gamma detectors which
monitor the operation o' the continuous miner. In addition
to the operating Technician, a worker is available to
supervise the loading of the mined coal into trucks or onto
a conveyor.
Workers are not rec_ruired at the entry end of the
hole being mined which is an important safety feature in
the event of a methane or a dust explosion within the hole.
The only time a worker is required at. the entry end of the
hole is when the continuous miner is initially started to
enter the highwall face.
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The advantageous features of the system include
a continuous ventilation tube which extends from the load-
out vehicle throughout the length of the tramming conveyor
and the continuous miner to provide either fresh air or an
inert gas to the face being mined. A fan is located on the
load-out vehicle to deliver the air or the inert gas
through the ventilation tube to the face. The system is
not subject to methane or dust explosions because methane
and dust accumulation will be controlled by providing inert
gas through the ventilating tube.
A safety feature included in the control system
provides that, if the continuous miner shuts down for any
reason, the movement of the tramming conveyor chain is
immediately stopped so that the direction of travel of the
chain can be reversed. The hydraulic jacks are retracted
until the chain rests on the mine floor and movement of the
chain is restarted to pull the tramming conveyor and the
continuous miner rearwardly out of the hole.
The highwall mining system can operate with
approximately 1,000 feet of tramming conveyor working in
conjunction with a modified J 14 CM continuous miner
manufactured by Joy Manufacturing Company located in
Franklin, Pennsylvania, which has a boom with a center
discharge conveyor for moving mined coal from the pan at
the face to the rear end of the continuous miner. The boom
for the discharge conveyor extends rearaardly past the rear
end of the continuous miner and terminates above the
receiving end of the tramming conveyor.
in operation, the system provides a substantially
~0 continuous method o~ mining rather than a r emote controlled
cyclical mining method. continuous mining according to the
method of the invention is accomplished by the computer
operated controls which operate the system in response to
preprogrammed instructions in accordance with conditions
3determined by continuously monitoring information provided
by sensors on the continuous miner. The computers are
programmed to sec_ruentially operate the continuous miner to
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cut, load and convey the mined coal. Thus, the rotating
cutting head, which is pivotally mounted on the forward end
of the pivotally mounted cutting head booms, sumps in at
the top of the coal seam, shears downwardly through the
seam, sumps in at the bottom of the seam and shears
upwardly through the seam in a continuous sequential
multiple step operation. This method of operation of the
rotary cutting head continues until the continuous miner
has advanced into the seam a preset distance from the inby
end of the tramming conveyor. The preset distance of
advance by the continuous miner is determined in accordance
with the length of the boom for the discharge conveyor on
the continuous miner in order to maintain an overlap of the
outby end of the discharge conveyor on the continuous miner
with the inby end of the tramming conveyor.
When the preset distance is reached, the outby
end of the discharge conveyor on the continuous miner will
be located substantially; at the inby end of the tramming
conveyor. At this point, the chain on the tramming
conveyor must reverse its direction and tram forwardly to
close the gap with the rear end of the continuous miner.
This sequence of operation is repeated throughout the
length of the hole. When the computer signals the tramming
conveyor to tram for~rardly toward the rear of the
2~ continuous miner, the discharge conveyor o:n the continuous
miner is automatically stopped and the tramming conveyor
continues to run ~n the conveying mode for a period
cuff icient to clear the inlet end of the top chain located
in the hopper section w~ minimize spillage behind the
3o continuous miner when the tramming conveyor is reversed to
tram toward the rear end of the continuous miner. The
computer then signals the tramming conveyor to retract the
jacks and lower to the around and tram forwardly until the
inby end reaches the desired position close to the rear end
35 of the continuous miner. The hydraulic jacks are then
extended to raise the tramming conveyor into the conveying
mode wherein mined coal is transported rearwardly to the
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load-out vehicle. As soon as the entire length of the
tramming conveyor is raised off the ground by the hydraulic
jacks, the continuous miner is started and mining
continues.
A complete understanding of ~he invention will be
obtained from the following description when taken in
connection with the accompanying drawing figures wherein
like reference characters identify like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a broken perspective of a highwall
mining system;
Fig. 2 is a schematic elevation of a portion of
a highwall mining system;
Fig. 3 is a perspective of the 7.oad-out vehicle;
Fig. 4 is a schematic side elevation of a portion
of the tramming conveyor;
Fig. 5 is a schematic of an eight pan section of
the tramming conveyor;
Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the tramming
conveyor in the conveying mode;
Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the tramming
conveyor in the tramming mode;
Fig. 8 is a broken perspective of a rear corner
of the continuous miner;
Fia. 9 is a schematic plan of the continuous
miner;
Fia. 10 is a schematic elevation of one side of
the front end of the continuous miner showing gamma ray
sensors;
Fig. 11 is a schematic plan of the connections
between the rear end of the continuous miner and the inby
end of the tramming conveyor;
Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of the power
distribution system fer the tramming conveyor drive motors;
Fig. 13 is a schematic plan of the data
communication highways in the mining system;
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Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of the computer
control portion of the mining system;
Figs. 15A and 15B are block diagrams showing the
details of the processors in the computer control system
shown in Fig. 14;
Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram of the
miner/tramming conveyor spacing controls;
Fig. 17 is a flow diagram for the overall
operation of the continuous miner processor; and
l0 Fig. 18 is a flow diagram ~'or the overall
operation of the tramming conveyor processor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBGDIMENTS
Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings show a highwall
mining system H including a continuous miner 1 mounted on
crawlers 2 and having a rotary cutting head 3 with cutting
bits 4 on the circumference and the ends thereof. The
rotary cutting head is mounted on the distal ends of
cutting head booms .. whim are pivoted to the frame of the
continuous miner so that they can be raised and lowered to
shear the complete vertical face of a coal seam at the
inner end of a hole. The continuous miner is a J 14 CM
manufactured by the Joy Manufacturing Company located in
Franklin, Pennsylvania with substantial modifications and
additions according to the invention. However, other
continuous miners may be used with appropriate
modifications. r central discharge conveyor 9 extends
rearwardly from a front end loading pan 10 to the rear end
of a boom 11 extending beyond the rear end of the
continuous miner. The rear end of central discharge
conveyor 9 is located over hopper section 24 at the inby
end of tramming conveyor 20. The mined coal on loading pan
10 of continuous miner 1 is moved onto central discharge
conveyor 9 by a plurality of rotating sweep arms which are
well-known to those skilled in the art. The central
discharge conveyor transports the coal to the hopper
section of Cramming conveyor 20 which transports the coal
rearwardly out of the hole.
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Tramming conveyor 20 has a continuous chain 21
with spaced flights 22. The chain is moved along the
conveyor pan by electric motor driven sprockets 23 to
transport mined coal rearwardly out of the hole when the
tramming conveyor is in the raised position ("conveying
mode") shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. When the tramming
conveyor 20 is in the lower position ("tramming mode")
shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, it trams along the mine
floor as determined by the direction of travel of chain 21.
The length of the tramming conveyor is determined by the
distance between the face of the coal seam and the location
of load-out vehicle 30. The Cramming conveyor has a
plurality of eight pan drive sections 25 as shown in Figs.
4 and 5 of the drawings. A single drive section is
described in detail hereinafter. As shown in Fig. 1 of the
drawings, the tramming conveyor has a hopper section 24 at
the inby end which has high angled side walls in order to
contain the mined coal which is deposited on chain 21 by
central discharge conveyor 9 on continuous miner 1. This
hopper section supplies the mined coal to the rearwardly
located sections of the tramming conveyor for continuous
transport away from the continuous miner to load-out
vehicle 30. As will be understood by those skilled in the
art, the hopper sect:.on and the other sections of tramming
conveyor 20 accept continuous chain 21 which is moved along
the conveyor pan by spaced sprockets 23 which are driven by
electric motors 26 in accordance with the arrangement shown
in Fig. 4 of the drawings.
With reference to Fig. 4, each electric drive
motor 26 is connected to one end of a drive shaft 27 by a
universal joint 23. The opposite end of each drive shaft
is connected to a sprocket 23 by a second universal joint
28 to rotate the sprocket. The chain is provided with
spaced flights 22 and lugs or studs 29 extend outwardly
from the outer edge of each flight to provide traction
during tramming.
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As shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, each eight
pan drive section includes a drive pan at one end
containing a sprocket 23. A jack par. having hydraulic
jacks is located adjacent to the drive pan, and a motor pan
is located adjacent the other side of the jack pan. Drive
shaf t 27 which extends from motor 26 on the motor pan to
sprocket 23 on the drive pan passes over the jack pan. A
second jack pan is located on the opposite side of the
motor pan and an intermediate pan is located adjacent to
the jack pan. A second combination of a jack pan and an
intermediate pan is located downstream of the intermediate
pan, and another jack pan is located adjacent to the
intermediate pan. As is apparent, every alternate pan in
the section is a jack pan having the hydraulic jacks for
raising and lowering tramming conveyor 20.
The load-out vehicle 30 is located at the outby
end of tramming conveyor 20 and includes an operator cab 31
mounted on caterpillar tracks 32. ThE~ controls and
computer screens are all located at the operator station in
cab 31 so that they can be constantly monitored by the
operator. Load-out vehicle 30 includes an outlet conveyor
C on one side for transmitting mined coal from the outby
end of tramming conveyor 20 onto a transverse conveyor 33
located perpendicular to the tramming conveyor and the
outlet conveyor for transpcrting the coal laterally into
trucks or onto a stationary belt conveyor (not shown). The
load-out vehicle also supports electric power transformers,
a cable reeler 34 which carries coils of power cable bundle
50 and maintains the cable relatively 'taut while the
tramming conveyor and the continuous miner move relative to
the load-out vehicle. As explained hereinafter, the end of
the power cable bundle at the continuous miner is
maintained under tension to minimize the sag in the cable
between continuous miner _, and trailing tramming conveyor
20.
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The load-out vehicle includes a blower (not
shown) located in a housing 35 on the roof which blows
cooling air downwardly through a conduit 36 to a main
transformer housing 37 located in the lower portion of the
vehicle. It has been determined that this cooling air is
essential to maintain the main electric power transformers
at a sufficiently low temperature to permit substantially
continuous operation of the transformers.
Power cable bundle 50, data communication
cable bundle 64 and cooling fluid conduits 36 are shown in
Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings as passing, respectively,
through support and clamping brackets 38 and 39 located
within housings 37 on tramming conveyor 20 to protect the
cables and conduits from accidentally being cut as mining
progresses.
The end of power cable bundle 50 opposite cable
reeler 34 extends into a coffin box 51 located on the left
rear corner of continuous miner 1 above a water cooled
electrical control housing 55 as shown in Fig. 8 of the
drawings. The power cable follows a v-shaped path in the
coffin box returning toward the rear end of the continuous
miner where it is directed downwardly through a chimney 56
into control housing 55 for connection to the controls for
the continuous miner. The chimney has removable side
panels to provide access to the power cable terminals
located therein. The portion of power cable 50 located
within coffin box 51 is attached to one end of an inelastic
tension wire 52 by a retaining collar 53. The other end of
inelastic tensicn wire 52 is connected to a take-up reel 57
mounted on a drive shaft 58. Tension on wire 52 is
maintained by a constant torque hydraulic motor 54 which
drives shaft 58 of take-up reel 57. The tension on wire 52
is transmitted to the end portion cf power cable bundle 50
to prevent the power cable from lying cn the ground between
;~ continuous miner 1 and Cramming conveyor 20 where it could
be cut during movement of the Cramming conveyor. The entry
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opening into coffin box 51 is provided with an elastic seal
59 to prevent dust and dirt from entering the coff in box.
Fig. 11 of the drawings shows a distance
measuring arrangement extending between the rear end of
continuous miner 1 and the inby end of tramming conveyor
20. Additionally, tramming conveyor 2o is steered from the
continuous miner to maintain the desired angle between the
discharge conveyor boom on the continuous miner and the
tramming conveyor. The continuous miner carries a
rotatable drum 70 which is connected to a speed reducer 71
by a rotary shaft 72 which is driven by a hydraulic motor
73. A distance measuring motor or rotary encoder 74 is
also supported on rotary shaft 72. A wire rope 75 extends
from drum 70 through a dashpot indicator (not shown) which is in
alignment with the pivot for conveyor boom 11 to determine
the angle of conveyor boom 11 relative to the tramming
conveyor. wire rope 75 also extends through vertical and
horizontal wire rope guides 76 and horizontal pivoting
guides r7 which are mounted on an arm extending from the
dashpot. The signals from the dashpot are transmitted to
the controls in the cab of the load-out vehicle.
The opposite end of wire rope 75 is connected to
a microswitch 79 on tramming conveyor 20 by a toggle block
78 to control steering hydraulic cylinders (not shown) for
2~ the tramming conveyor. Thus, the length of wire rope 75
controls the distance between the rear end of continuous
miner 1 and the inby end of tramming conveyor 20. A pair
of safetv chains 80 are connected between the rear end of
continuous miner 1 and the inby end of tramming conveyor 20
to insure that the gap between the rear of the continuous
miner and the trammina conveyor does not exceed a preset
distance which would result in broken cables and conduits.
Fig. 9 of the drawings shows the continuous miner
with an onboard exhaust fan 85 for exhausting dust and
5 methane from the area adjacent to the coal face.
Ventilation air passes to continuous miner 1 through the
ventilation tube 19 and control housing 55 is shown at the
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left-hand rear corner of the continuous miner. A radio
receiver 86 is shown at the rear of the continuous miner
and heat exchangers 87 and 88 for the continuous miner
hydraulic system are located forwardly of the control
:. housing. The control housing SS includes a temperature
measurement device 89 to ensure that the temperature does
not exceed a preselected maximum.
The automatic operation of the highwall mining
system, including the continuous miner, the tramming
conveyer, and the load-out vehicle, is controlled by a
computer processor-based system distributed throughout the
miner, the tramming conveyor and the load-out vehicle.
Additional arrangements are provided to enhance the
operation, safety and reliability of the mining system.
The control scheme and other elements in the mining system
are based on the primary goal of recovering the system if
something does go wrong while the continuous miner and the
tramming conveyor are in a hole. Also, normal continuous
operation of the mining system requires only a single
operator in load-out vehicle 30, which is located on the
bench out of the hole in a highwall mining operation. The
controls for the highwall mining system are illustrated in
Figs. 12-18, with continued reference to Figs. 1-11
discussed above.
As discussed above in connection with Figs. 4 and
5, articulated tramming conveyor 20 has a plurality of
pivotally connected drive sections. Each drive section has
eight connected pans including an electric motor, located
in a motor pan, which drives a conveyor drive -sprocket
located in a drive pan. Electrical power is supplied to
the electric motor in each drive section, and rather than
rely upon a single power line to supply the electrical
power far all of the drive motors and lose the ability to
move the tramming conveyor if the single power supply is
3~ lost, the invention includes a distributed power supply
having a plurality of separate power lines which supply
separate drive motors located in the different drive
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sections. It is preferred that each electrical power line
supply power to electric motors in spaced apart, separate
drive and non-sequential sections along the length of the
tramming conveyor, preferably evenly spaced along the
length of the tramming conveyor. In this manner, if one or
more electric power lines is lost, with an attendant loss
of power to some of the electric drive motors, the tramming
conveyor will still have sufficient operating drive motors
spaced along its length. Even with only a fraction of the
drive motors receiving electric power, tramming conveyor 20
can be trammed out of the hole for inspection and repair.
Although any number of separate power lines
greater than a single line can be provided, the embodiment
shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings includes four separate and
independent power lines identified as power bus A, power
bus B, power bus C, and power bus C. Each of the four
power lines supplies operating power to one-fourth of the
drive motors. As shown, eacr. power line is connected to
the drive motor in every fourth drive section along the
length of the conveyor. Fig. 12 shows only a small length
of the tramming conveyor including twelve drive sections
identified by reference numbers 101 through 112. As shown,
power bus A is connected and supplies electrical power to
the drive motor in the f it s t, f fifth and ninth drive
sections 101, 105 and 109, respectively. Similarly, power
bus B is connected to and supplies electrical power to the
second, sixth and tenth drive sections 102, 106 and 110,
respectively; power bus C ~s connected t.o and supplies
electrical power to the thiru, seventh and eleventh drive
~0 sections 10~, 107 and 111, respectively; and power bus D is
connected to and supplies electrical power to the fourth,
eighth and twelfth drive sections 104, 108 and 112,
respectively. This distribution of the power lines and
connections to the drive motors in every fourth drive
section is repeated thraughout the length of tramming
conveyor 20.
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The automatic operation and computer control
features of the present invention are illustrated in
connection with Figs. 13-18 of the drawings. Fig. 13
illustrates a highwall mining operation. From the initial
formation of hole 114 through highwall 115 in the coal or
other mineral seam 116, the continuous miner is located
underground and becomes progressivel~r~ more difficult to
reach if problems develop. As the c:~ntinuous miner
progresses into coal seam 116, more and more of the
tramming conveyor extends along the length of and is
enclosed within hole 114. The load-out vehicle is always
located out of hole 114, beyond highwall 11.5, in a readily
accessible location. The main focus ai the control system
of the present invention is to include redundancy where
appropriate, to provide safety backups, and to physically
locate the computers and control programs in appropriate
areas. While the continuous miner has, as discussed
hereinafter in mare detail, its own computer physically
located thereon for control of the miner and other aspects
of the system, other computers are located in cab 31 on
load-out vehicle 30 and at the rear of tramm,ing conveyor 20
in normally accessible locations. Data communication
between the computer on the continuous miner and the other
computers is provided by a pair of parallel, hardwired data
highways, referred to as a pri~nar~; or 'first data highway
118 and a secondary backup data highway 120. In addition,
a coaxial cable 122 extends from the load-out vehicle,
along the Cramming conveyor, to a video camera (not shown)
located cn the for~aard portion of continuous miner 1. This
coaxial cable 122 is normally used to provide the operator
in the load-out vehicle with a means for visually
inspecting the mining operation. As discussed hereinafter
in more detail, if either of the first or second data
highways 118 or 120 fail, radio cont=of signals can be sent
into hole 11~ and propagate along coaxial cable 122, which
provides a transmission path to a radio receiver 86 on the
continuous miner. The physical location of radio receiver
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86 on the continuous miner is shown in Fig. 9. This
additional backup data communication system permits the use
of a hand-held radio controller for providing manual
control signals to the mining system.
The arrangement of the computers and data flow
paths of the overall system is shown in Fig. 14 of the
drawings. The continuous miner has a miner computer 126
along with a stored operating program 128 for miner
computer 126 located thereon. Miner computer 126 is used
to control a number of inputs and output: 130 associated
with the continuous miner. The trammin~g conveyor also
includes a conveyor computer 132 along with an associated
operating program 134. Similar to miner computer 126,
conveyor computer 132 controls a number of inputs and
outputs 136 along the length of tramming conveyor 20. An
inby hand-held controller 138 can provide direct, manual
control of the inputs and outputs 136 on the tramming
conveyor, and an outby hand-held controller 140 can
communicate with the conveyor computer 132 and provide
manual control of the inputs and outputs 136 on the
tramming conveyor. The first or primary data highway 118
extends between miner computer 126 and conveyor computer
132. Similarly, the second or backup data highway 120
extends between miner computer 126 and ccrnveyor computer
2:, 132. Load-out vehicle ~0 includes its own computer 142
along with an associated operating program 144.
The load-out vehicle also includes operating
panels 146, a programming computer 148 and a graphic
interfacing camputer 150, each receiving data from and/or
supplying data to load-out vehicle computer 142. Operating
panels 146, programming computer 148 and graphic interface
computer 150 are controlled by a load-out vehicle operator
or a computer technician referred tc as "human interfacing"
152 in Fig. 14. The programming computer 148 is used only
for initial programming of the cperating programs (128, 134
and 144) and computers (i26, 132 and 142) on continuous
miner 1, tramming conveyor 20, and load-out vehicle 30 and
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is not used thereafter in controlling the normal operation
of the highwall mining system. Two-way data flow path 154
is provided between conveyor computer 132 and load-out
vehicle computer 142. Since the load-out vehicle is under
control of a human operator, through operating panels 146,
a hand-held controller is not needed to control the load-
out vehicle. However, hand-held controller 156, including
extended antenna 158 and radio transmitter 160, provides
optional control communication along coaxial cable 122 to
radio receiver 86 located on the continuous miner as
discussed above. Radio receiver 86 provides control
signals directly to miner computer 126.
Details on the inputs supplied to and outputs
controlled by miner computer 126, conveyor computer 132 and
load-out vehicle computer 142 are shown in Figs. 15A and
15B of the drawings. For convenience, miner computer 126
and its associated aperating program 128 ahown in Fig. 14
are referred to collectively as a miner processor 162 in
Fig. 15A. Similarly, conveyor computer 132 and its
associated operating program 134 in Fig. 14 are referred to
collectively as a conveyor processor 164 in Fig. 15B and
load-out vehicle computer 142 and its associated operating
program 144 are referred to collectively as a load-out
vehicle processor 166 in Fig. 15B. Processors 162, 164 and
166 can be Allen Bradley programmable logic controllers cr
other commercially available processors.
Referring ~o Fig. 15A, inclinometers 163 provide
signals on relative machine position to miner processor
162. These inclinometers 163 provide readings on body
pitch, body roll, ~stter head, cutter head offset and
gathering pan positions. Ring laser e-~,~roscopes 165 mounted
on the continuous miner provide a2imut:h and position
signals to miner processor 162. Various overload sensors
and current transducers 168 on the continuous miner provide
information on the motor status to miner processor 162,
including information on the cutter motors, gathering head
motors, traction moors, hydraulic motor and ventilation
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fan motor. A rotary encoder or distance measuring motor 74
on the continuous miner provides a ~;ignal to miner
processor 162 on the distance between the rear end of the
continuous miner and the inby end of the tramming conveyor.
S The location of rotar;a encoder 74 on the continuous miner
is shown in Pict. 1~ of the drawings. A roof gamma ray
sensor 91 and a floor gamma ray sensor 90 shown in Fig. 10
of the drawings provide signals to a passive gamma ray
processor 170 which., in turn, provides signals on the
location of the roof and the location of the floor to miner
processor 162. These signals are used to keep the
continuous miner properly positioned within the coal seam
during normal operation. A radio receiver 86 on the
continuous miner receives radio wave signals from
transmitter- 160 connected to hand-held controller 156 as
described above. The radio wave signals received by the
radio receiver are processed by a demultiplexer 172 which
supplies control signals to miner processor 162. Various
120 volt AC input signals 175, also referred to as
housekeeping signals from the continuous miner, are
supplied to miner processor 162 to give information on
emergency stops, machine status and the like. The
continuous miner also receives information from conveyor
processor 164, operating panels 146 and graphic interface
computer 150.
As a result or all of the information supplied to
miner processor 152 and ,in accordance with the program
stored therein, output signals are supplied to various
motor contactcrs 176 and hydraulic solenoids 178 on the
continuous miner. The :,rotor co,~.tactors 176 supply
electrical power to and oontrol cutter motors, miner
conveyor motors, miner tram motors, a hydo~aulic motor and
ventilation fan motors along tube 19. Hydraulic solenoids
178 supply hydraulic fluid to and control the cutter head,
gathering head, conveyor boom and stab shoe. In addition,
miner processor 162 supplies data to conveyor processor 164
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as well as to operating panels 146 and to graphic interf ace
computer 150.
Referring now to Fig. 15B of the drawings,
conveyor processor 164 receives signals from overload
sensors and from current transducers 130 which reflect the
status of the drive motors and ventilation fan motors along
the length of Cramming conveyor 20. In addition, when
operating in a manua'y mode, conveyor processor 164 receives
and responds to control signals from inby hand-held
controller 138 or outby hand-held controller 140. ~~arious
120 volt AC inputs 182, referred to as housekeeping signals
from the conveyor, supply information on emergency stops,
machine status and the like to the conveyor processor.
Conveyor processor 164 also receives information from miner
processor 162, operating panels 146, and load-out vehicle
processor 166.
As a result of all of the information supplied to
conveyor processor 164 and in accordance with the program
stored therein, output signals are supplied to various
motor contactors 184, which supply electrical power to and
control the drive motors and ventilation fan motors along
the_ length of the tramming conveyor. In addition, conveyor
processor 164 supplies output signals to hydraulic
solenoids ld6 which supply hydraulic ~luid to control the
steering pistons, a transmission shift, and hydraulic jacks
16 located along the length of Cramming conveyor 20. also,
conveyor processor 164 supplies control signals to miner
processor ;6~, graphic interface computer 150, load-out
vehicle processor 166 and operating panels 146.
3 0 ~yi t continued ref erence tc F'ig . 15B of the
drawings, 'goad-out vehicle processor 166 receives signals
from overload sensors and current :ransducers 188 which
reflect the status of its conveyor motors, hydraulic motor
and power center motor. In addition, a joy stick 190 on
load-out vehicle 30 supplies a tramming control signal to
load-out vehicle processor 166. various 12o volt AC input
signals 192, also rezerred to as housekeeping signals from
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the load-out vehicle, are supplied to load-out vehicle
processor 166 to give information on emergency stops,
machine status and the like. Load-out vehicle processor
166 also receives control signals from conveyor processor
., 164 and, through the operating panels 146, from miner
processor 162.
As a result of these signals and the program
stored therein, load-out vehicle processor 166 generates
output signals which are supplied to motor contactors 194
which supply electrical power to and operate the conveyor
motors, hydraulic motor and power distribution center fan
on load-out vehicle 30. in addition, load-out vehicle
processor 166 supplies output signals to hydraulic
solenoids 196, which supple hydraulic fluid to and control
the tram, diverter gate, cab level, and conveyor raising
and lowering mechanisms on the load-out vehicle. Load-out
vehicle processor 166 also supplies control signals to
operating panels 146 and to graphic interface computer 150.
With the processor arrangement described above,
the mining system of the invention, including the
continuous miner, tramming conveyor and load-out vehicle,
can be used to mine coal. and move the mining equipment
along a hole or back out of the hole in accordance with one
or more various modes o~ cperation, as dictated by either
5 the human operator cr by certain automatic controls. In
the automatic mining mode of operation, which is the
intended normal operation of the system, the continuous
miner will continuously move along the coal seam in a
particular path and ccnvev the mined coal to the tramming
~0 conveyor which rill, in the conveying mode of operation,
move the coal along the length of the hole to the load-out
vehicle. The distance measuring step motor or rotary
encoder %~ on the continuous miner will continuously
indicate the spacing between the rear end o.f the continuous
.... miner and the inby end of the tramming conveyor. When the
spacing becomes too great, the tramming conveyor shifts to
the tramming mode of operation wherein the conveyor stops
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moving coal and trams the conveyor toward the rear end of
the continuous miner, at which point the conveying mode
commences.
Referring to Fig. 16 of the drawings, as certain
move up logic 198 in miner processor 162 determines that
the inby end of tramming conveyor 2o has reached the
maximum preselected distance from the rear end of the
continuous miner, miner processor 162 sends a control
signal to conveyor processor 154 which initiates the
tramming mode of operation of the tra:mming conveyor.
Watchdog logic 200 in conveyor processor 164 will double
check the position information supplied from miner
processor 162 to insure that tramming conveyor 20 does not
run into the rear end of continuous miner 1.
The various modes of operation of miner processor
162 and conveyer processor 164 are shown in the flowcharts
of Figs. 17 and 1~0, respectively. In the automatic mining
or "auto mine" mode of operation, control signals supplied
from inclinometers 163 and ring laser gyroscopes 165, as
well as control parameters previously supplied from the
operator on the load-out vehicle, will enable miner
processor 162 to properl~,J and automatically mine a coal
seam and stay within the seam, Although the roof and floor
gamma ray sensors 91 and 90 could be used to automatically
~5 mine the coal and ensure that the continuous miner stays
within the seam, it ~~s presently preferred to use the roof
and floor gamma sensors 91 and 90 merely to provide
information tc the operator for making proper initial
settings and interim modifications for overall operation.
~0 In this manner, the continuous miner cuts a smooth floor
that is advantageous fer subseauent operation of the
tramming conveyor, rather than allowing the continuous
miner to fellow irregularities which occur in the boundary
between the coal seam and strata in the roof and floor. As
35 shown in Fig. 17 of the drawings, in the auto mine mode of
operation, the continuous miner sumps ~n at the top of the
seam, shears down, sumps in at the bottom of the seam,
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CA 02389736 2002-07-10
checks the distance to the inby end of the tramming
conveyor, and then either shears up, or both shears up and
moves the tramming conveyor forwardly, before returning to
the initial step of Bumping in at the top of the seam.
However, it should be understood that the miner can be
operated according t~ ather seauences if desired.
Referring 'o Fig. 18 of the drawings in the "auto
convey" mode of operation for conveyor processor 164, which
is used when the continuous miner is in the "auto mine"
mode of operation, conveyor processor 164 will, as
primarily controlled by miner processor 162, send signals
to extend the hydrau'wic cylinders in jacks 16 to raise the
tramming conveyer above the mine floor to convey mined coal
to the load-out vehicle. when conveyor processor 164
receives a particular command from miner processor 162, as
dictated by the spacing between the rear e:nd of continuous
miner 1 and the inby end of tramming conveyor 20, which is
detected by rotary encoder .4 on the continuous miner, the
conveyor on the continuous miner will stop conveying coal
to the tramming conveyor for a defined period of time. The
tramming conveyor will continue to convey coal rearwardly
toward load-out vehicle 30 for a predetermined period of
time sufficient to provide a clear area on the top of the
chain in the tramming conveyor in the hopper section and
hydraulic racks 16 will be retracted to lower the tramming
conveyor to the mine floor. The conveyor. processor will
provide a move-up command which reverses the direction of
operation of the chain in the tramming conveyor to tram the
entire convenor forwardly toward the rear end of the
continuous miner until a preset minimum spacing is
achieved. The steps of continuously mining, moving the
continuous miner forward, conveying the mined coal to the
load-out vehicle, interrupting the conveying of coal from
the continuous miner to the tamming conveyor, tramming the
Cramming conveyor forwardly toward the rear end of the
continuous miner and thereafter resuming conveyance of
mined coal from the continuous miner to the load-out
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vehicle are serially repeated as the entire mining system
progresses into the hole.
Conveyor processor 164 can also operate tramming
conveyor 20 in an "auto forward" mode of operation as shown
in Fig. 18 of the drawings. This mode of operation is used
when the continuous miner is being advanced along the bench
or into an entry under manual control. In this mode of
operation, the tramming conveyor merely follows along
behind the continuous miner at a preselected distance
therefrom. The miner processor is operated in a manual
control mode of operation (see Fig. 17) by manual control
input signals from load-out vehicle ..G. In addition, the
tramming conveyor can be controlled :.n a manual control
mode of operation, :n a stand-alone mode or with manual
control inputs from the load-out vehicle. In the stand-
alone mode of operation, the tramming conveyor is
controlled by outby hand-held controller 140 supplying
control signals tc conveyor computer a32, or by inby hand-
held controller 138 which directly controls the inputs and
outputs 136 on the tramming conveyor.
Two additional and important modes of operation
are provided for the continuous miner and the tramming
conveyor in accordance with the invention. As described
above, parallel data highways 118 and 120 are provided
between miner computer 12E and conveyor computer 132.
Normal data communications are provided over primary data
highway 118, although the system continuously monitors to
determine that both data high~,~ays 118 and 120 are operating
properly. ;f one of data highways 118 or 1.20 is lost, for
any reason, miner processor 162 and conveyor arocessor 164
are automatically switched to an automatic reverse mode of
operation. In this mode of operation, all mining and
conveying are stopped, and all systems are operated over
the remaining, Functional data highway to permit the
;~ continuous miner and the tramming conveyor to be reversed
out of the hole. This reverse mode of operation, with all
mining stopped, will occur if one of the data highways
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CA 02389736 2002-07-10
fails which indicates a problem under which normal mining
operations relying on only the remaining data highway is
not advisable. In this manner, it is possible to safely
back the complete mining system out of the hole under
either normal computer control or manual control so that
inspection and repair can be made.
In the event that both data highways 118 and 120
fail, conveyor computer 132 is switched to a mode of
operation completely controlled by miner computer 126 and
miner computer 126 is switched to a radio remote controlled
mode of operation. Under this control mode, both the
continuous miner and the tramming conveyor stop all normal
operations and wait to receive contrcl signals supplied
from radio receiver 124 tc miner computer 126. As
described above, a hand-held controller 156 transmits radio
control signals over coaxial cable X22 and these signals
are propagated in the air along the hole, particularly at
the continuous miner, and received by radio receiver 86 on
continuous miner i. Miner computer 126 will then control
the operation of continuous miner I and tramming conveyor
20 as dictated by the control signals transmitted by hand-
held controller 156 manually operated near the load-out
vehicle.
Load-out vehicle processor 166 operates only in
2a manual mode of operation ~.~ith panel ~snd control cab
inputs. The load-out vehicle processor 166 monitors all
essential onboard functions and reports status data to the
other processors and to graphic interface computer 150.
Graphic interface computer 150 provides graphic man/machine
interfacing for machine control, It displays status and
operating screens and permits the operatcr to override
programmed, calculated mining parameters to cover unusual
situations. Operating panels 146 provide a means for the
operator to aupply desired mining parameters to miner
processor 162 and .to display the status of various
operating junctions. Miner processor 162 also monitors all
essential onboard functions and reports status and position
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data to the other processors and to graphic interface
computer 150. It also calculates all mining parameters and
acts as the "master" controller when communicating to the
other processors during the automatic mining mode of
.. operation. Conveyor processor 164 also monitors all
essential onboard functions and reports status data to the
other processors and to graphic interfac;e computer 150.
Conveyor processor 164 functions as a "slave" controller to
miner processor 16~ except when it is operating in the
manual or stand-alone modes of operation.
The mining process is started by a
mechanic/electricialocating the continuous miner on the
bench at the desired entry into the highwall hole. Remote
control by radio receiver b6 is used to position the
1:, continuous miner in the correct heading and at the
appropriate lateral spacing from the preceding or adjacent
highwall hole. After the continuous miner is in position,
the operating technician in the load-out vehicle is advised
by radio or the like that the system is ready to be
controlled by the computer operation. The operating
technician initiates the computer controls to fully
automate the mining cycle. The computers are programmed to
cut, load, and convey the mined coal automatically. The
continuous miner automatically sumps in at the top of the
2~ seam, shears down, sumps in at the bottom of the seam and
shears up in a con~tnuous c~,~cle. The miner is programmed
to continue that cycle until it advances a preset distance
from the inby end ~~ the tramming conveyor. When that
preset distance is reached, the end discharge of the boom
3C nor discharge conve~,lor 9 on continuous miner 1 is located
at the inby end ~_ tramming conveyor 20 above hopper
section 24. The trimming conveyor is automatically moved
up close to the rear end of the continuous miner. The
mining cycle is then repeated until it is ~ime to advance
.... the tramming conveyor. The location of the boom on the
continuous miner relative to the inby end of the tramming
conveyor is monitored by the computer system so that mined
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CA 02389736 2002-07-10
coal is transferred with a minimum of spillage. During the
tramming conveyor advance sequence, the continuous miner is
programmed to cut in the shear up cycle which permits the
area below the rotary drum in front of the pan to function
as a bunker or a storage space for mined coal. This allows
the cutting head on the continuous miner to continue to cut
coal while tramming conveyor 20 is advancing toward the
rear end of the continuous miner and not conveying coal
rearwardly out of the hole. When the computers signal the
l0 tramming conveyor to advance, miner discharge conveyor 9 is
automatically stopped while tramming conve.~ror 20 continues
to run just long enough to clear the top of the conveyor
chain at the inby end in hopper section 24 to prevent
spillage behind the continuous rr~iner. The computers then
signal the Cramming conveyor to retract hydraulic jacks 16
and lower the conveyor so t:~at the chain 21 contacts the
ground in the tramming mode, advances toward the continuous
miner, and extends hydraulic hacks 16 to raise the conveyer
into the conveying mode to enable the mined coal to be
conveyed toward load-out vehicle 30. As soon as the entire
return side of the conveyor chain 21 is off the ground,
tramming conveyor 20 and continuous miner discharge
conveyor 9 are started and the mining cycle is repeated.
Mining navigation and coal duality are constantly
monitored :~v gamma detectors 90 and 91, inclinometers 163
and gyroscope 165 cn continuous miner _. Data from these
instruments are supplied to miner processor 162, as
discussed above, where the data are analyzed. Miner
processor X62 automatically signals continuous miner 1 if
any adjustments are needed t-o keep the continuous miner in
the seam and on azimut::.
Self-diagnostics are incorporated into the
controls ~or system protection and to improve
troubleshooting speed. The coolant system temperatures on
the continuous miner are monitored at the inlet and the
outlet.. she eiectr ical contr of boxes in the continuous
miner and the Cramming conveyor are also monitored to
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CA 02389736 2002-07-10
assure safety and early detection of potential problems.
Motor currents are monitored for all conveyor drive motors
and warning lights signal the operator of impending
overload conditions. Similarly, motets on the continuous
miner are monitored, including the miner pump motor,
gathering head motors, cutter head motors and tram motors,
in order to alert the operator of potential problems.
System electric current is monitored at the load-out
vehicle power center and cooling fans are automatically
started as required. Critical mining sequence functions,
such as miner heading and pitch, are displayed for the
operating technician's constant review. The status of the
equipment within the mining cycle is continuously displayed
a5 the system cycles through the continuous miner's top
sump, shear down, bottom sump and shear up steps.
data acrnaisition system is provided in load-out
vehicle processor 166. The data acquisition system
provides a history of key operating parameters for the
entire mining system. Since every step taken by the mining
system is controlled by a computer, every step can be timed
and recorded. This data acquisition system is in essence
a real time, time study automatically generated for the
entire system. It records the number of shear downs and
shear ups, fcr examnie, and the average 'time and maximum
time it takes for these cycles. These times, in addition
to the recordation of ~he sump distances for both top and .
bottom sumps, can provide an instantaneous review of the
machine performance and a comparison mith established
cutting records.
While one embodiment of the invention is
described in detail herein, i~ will. be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that various modifications and
alternatives to the embodiment can be deveicped in light of
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CA 02389736 2002-07-10
the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the
particular arrangements are illustrative only and are not
limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be
given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and
all equivalents thereof.
