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Patent 2612983 Summary

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(12) Patent: (11) CA 2612983
(54) English Title: ARRANGEMENT FOR POSITIONING ROCK DRILLING RIG ON DRILLING SITE
(54) French Title: PROCEDE D'IMPLANTATION D'UN APPAREIL DE FORAGE DE ROCHES SUR UN SITE DE FORAGE
Status: Expired and beyond the Period of Reversal
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • E21C 35/06 (2006.01)
  • E21D 9/00 (2006.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • EILO, ERKKI (Finland)
  • SAELENIEMI, TOMMI (Finland)
  • KOSKELAINEN, JUSSI (Finland)
(73) Owners :
  • SANDVIK MINING AND CONSTRUCTION OY
(71) Applicants :
  • SANDVIK MINING AND CONSTRUCTION OY (Finland)
(74) Agent: NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT CANADA LLP/S.E.N.C.R.L., S.R.L.
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued: 2012-12-18
(86) PCT Filing Date: 2006-06-27
(87) Open to Public Inspection: 2007-01-04
Examination requested: 2008-01-23
Availability of licence: N/A
Dedicated to the Public: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Yes
(86) PCT Filing Number: PCT/FI2006/050280
(87) International Publication Number: WO 2007000492
(85) National Entry: 2007-12-20

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
20055356 (Finland) 2005-06-29

Abstracts

English Abstract


The invention relates to a method for positioning a rock drilling rig to a
drilling site and a rock drilling rig. In positioning the rock drilling rig
(1) is driven to the positioning station (12) such that its carrier (2) is at
desired distances from wall surfaces (13) surrounding the drilling site. For
positioning the rig is provided with distance measuring devices (11).
Navigation is not started until positioning has been performed and in
navigation the location of the rock drilling rig is linked to the coordinate
system of the drilling site.


French Abstract

L~invention concerne un procédé d~implantation d~un appareil de forage de roches sur un site de forage, et un appareil de forage de roches. Lors de son implantation, l~appareil de forage de roches (1) est amené jusqu~à un poste d~implantation (2) de façon à placer son support (2) à des distances souhaitées des surfaces de paroi (13) entourant le site de forage. L~appareil de forage de roches (1) est équipé de dispositifs de mesure de distance (11) utilisés pour réaliser son implantation. La navigation ne commence qu~une fois l~implantation réalisée et s~effectue en associant la position de l~appareil de forage de roches au système de coordonnées du site de forage.

Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


9
CLAIMS:
1. A method for positioning a rock drilling rig on a drilling site, the method
comprising:
driving the rock drilling rig (1) to a drilling site (10) and positioning a
carrier (2)
thereof in relation to wall surfaces (13) surrounding the drilling site (10),
wherein the
rock drilling rig is positioned in a selected positioning place;
performing post-positioning navigation in which the positioning place of the
rock
drilling rig (1) is remotely linked to a predetermined coordinate system of
the drilling site
(10) based on the selected positioning place of the rock drilling rig prior to
navigation
and linked to a drilling plan (14) where at least the directions (16) of holes
to be drilled
are determined;
initiating the drilling of the holes according to the drilling plan (14) after
the
navigation, wherein movements of a drilling unit to drill holes according to
the drilling
plan are based on distances from the selected positioning place of the
predetermined
coordinate system;
positioning of the rock drilling rig (1) before starting navigation into the
selected
positioning place, the position of which is determined based on the distance
between
the rock drilling rig (1) and wall surfaces (13a, 13b, 13c) of the drilling
site (10);
determining a location of the carrier (2) of the rock drilling rig (1) by
means of at
least one distance measuring device (11a, 11b, 11c) having a quantitative
output in
relation to the wall surfaces of the drilling site (10); and
positioning the carrier (2) into the selected positioning place according to
the
determined quantitative output of the at least one distance measuring device
(11a, 11b,
11c).

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:
determining the position of the positioning place (12) of the rock drilling
rig in the
drilling plan (14).
3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, comprising:
displaying at least one measurement result of the distance measuring devices
(11) at least on one user interface (18); and
driving the rock drilling rig (1) manually to the positioning place (12)
taking into
account the selected positioning place information (12) and the distance
measurement
results.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:
defining the position of the positioning station (12) as distance values from
the
wall surfaces (13) of the drilling site (10).
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:
measuring with a first laser distance measuring device (11a) a distance
between
the carrier (2) and the wall surface (13a) ahead; and
measuring with a second and a third laser measuring devices (11b, 11c)
distances between the carrier (2) and at least one lateral wall surfaces (13b,
13c).
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein when the drill
unit (4)
reaches to drill the holes (14) of the drill plan, the holes are first
verified by a control unit
of the rock drilling rig prior to drilling.

11
7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , comprising:
determining, after the navigation, a vertical (B) position of the carrier (2)
by
means of at least two distance measuring devices (11d, 11e).
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:
determining after the navigation a vertical (B) position of the carrier (2) by
means
of at least two distance measuring devices (11d, 11e)
using at least one distance measuring device (11a) employed in the positioning
for detecting post-navigation changes in the vertical (B) position of the
carrier (2).
9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:
after the rock drilling rig has been driven manually to the drilling site
driving the rock drilling rig (1) automatically to the positioning station
(12) steered
by a control unit (30).
10. A rock drilling rig comprising:
a movable carrier (2);
at least one drill boom (3) with a drill unit (4) comprising a feed beam (5),
feeding
means (7) and a rock drill machine (6);
at least one control unit (30), in which is stored a drilling plan (14) in
which at
least the direction (16) of holes to be drilled are determined;
a navigation system which is arranged to link the rock drilling rig (1) to a
predetermined coordinate system of the drilling site (10) based on a selected
positioning
place of the rock drilling rig prior to navigation; and
at least one distance measuring device (11) having a quantitative output for
determining a location of the carrier (2) in relation to one or more wall
surfaces (13)

12
surrounding the drilling site (10),
wherein the control unit (30) comprises at least one user interface (18),
wherein the at least one measurement results of the distance measuring devices
(11) is arranged for display to an operator in the at least one user
interface, and
before starting navigation the rock drilling rig (1) is arranged to be driven
in the
positioning place (12) that depends on the distance between the rock drilling
rig (1) and
wall surfaces (13a, 13b, 13c) of the drilling site (10); and
wherein the control unit controls the movements of the drill unit according to
the
drilling plan based on distances from the selected positioning place of a
predetermined
coordinate system.
11. The rock drilling rig of claim 10, wherein
the control unit (30) is given at least one positioning place (12) information
wherein the distances between the carrier (2) and the wall surfaces (13)
surrounding the
drilling site (10) are determined, and
wherein the control unit (30) is arranged to display the information of the
positioning place to the operator in the user interface (18).
12. The rock drilling rig of any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein
the control unit (30) is arranged to accept initiation of navigation only
after
positioning the rock drilling rig (1) to the positioning place (12).
13. The rock drilling rig according to any one of claims 10 to 12 further
comprising at
least one vertical distance measuring device to measure vertical distance of
the carrier
from a floor or roof of the drilling site, wherein the vertical distance
measuring device
detects if jacks holding the carrier in place have sunk into the floor surface
of the mine.

13
14. The rock drilling rig according claim 13 wherein the carrier contains
jacks that
adjust the vertical position of the drilling rig based on outputs from the
vertical distance
measuring device.
15. The rock drilling rig of any one of claims 13 to 14, wherein the
coordinate system
is adjusted to correspond to any deviation in the vertical distance from the
floor or roof
surface.
16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the step of
positioning
the rock drilling rig before starting navigation includes positioning further
based on the
distance between the rock drilling rig and a floor or roof surface of the
drilling site.
17. The method according to claim 16. further comprising, after the initial
positioning
of the drill rig, monitoring the vertical distance between the rock drilling
rig and the floor
or roof surface of the drilling site.
18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising adjusting jacks on
the
carrier to adjust the vertical position of the drilling rig in response to
deviation in the
vertical distance between the rock drilling rig and the floor or roof
19. The method of any one of claims 17 to 18, further comprising adjusting the
coordinate system to any deviation in the vertical distance from the floor or
roof surface
of the drilling site.

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


CA 02612983 2007-12-20
WO 2007/000492 1 PCT/F12006/050280
ARRANGEMF-ieFT FOR POSITIONING ROCK DRILLING RIG ON DRILLING SITE
BACKGROUND OF THE [N\/ENTiDN
[0001] Tl~re iravention relates tc a method for-.positiLning a rock drill-
ing rig om a drilfing site, tÃae rnethod comp.rÃsing' driviriq the i-ock
drilling rig to Ei
drillin7 site =~nd positioning the carrier the,eot in relation to wall suE-
Fac;s sLar-
rourrding the drilfink--i site; performing post-positioning naviclatiori ir]
Uvhicla the
location oi a mine vehicle is linked to a coordinate syst.ern of the drilling
site
and to a drilling plan where at least the directions of faales to bl- clriilod
are de-
termined; and initiatir-ig the drilling of t}ac holes ac:.cordir?g to the
drilling plan
after tPau rtav3gatÃon.
[00021 The invc-r Etic}n alse, relates to a rock dr illinc~ riia cor;rlar
ising; a
movable carrier; at least orae dr-i!l boom with a drill Lrnit corrrprising ~~
1'eed
boarii, fe;edina, means and a rock drill machine; at least one control unit,
in
whic;fl it is possible to store a drilling plan in wfiit;h at least the
direction of lioles
to be drillud are determinecJ; and mearis for linking the rock driCling r-io
to the
conrdllic3t.:, s)%sterii of the Cdrlillnt'~ site by r7lwans of navigation.
[00031 Currently a rock cirillirra rig is positiuned such that an oper;;-
t.c>r ctrivLs the rig to a drilling site r_isirig visual pcrsitioning
estimation. After clriv-
iny the rock drilling ric, to place and fitting the ;acks against tf-ie ar
oUnd, it is
possible to peri'orrri navi;ati:?n, in which the location of the rock drilling
rig is
linked to a coordinate sysFem provided for the drilling sit-e. Navigation
rriay b~perfoi-med sucfi that on the drilliny site there is Li separate laser
that is directed
to a known Iocatioii in a tunnel. Thereafter the location of the c.arrier or
t}ie diill
e,init of the rock drilling rig is determined with respect to the laser. This
can be
cforae by mearis of sights irr the drill unit, for instance, Alternatively, on
a carr-rUr
there is arr~.arigec# in accordance witii DE puiilicatio'n 3,902, i2ra laser
receiver
that deteMlrnes the location of th carrier uurrng navigation, Lwhereatter a
con-
trol unit o3 the drilling rig may amend tiae coordination systerii in vievv
ol' tlie
location of the cirillirae rig. Current solutions have a dravvbac.l; ti-rat
the act.uai
location oi' the rock drilliria rig ori the drilling site is not '1ouncl out
urrtil ira the
course of navigatiori at the earlie.st. If the rravicdatiQn reveals that the
rock drill-
ing rig is positioned on the drilling site sucfi that it is not possible to
clrill all the
holes of the clrillina rliari. t.he iacks nlust be lowered, the car rier must
bc: rf.posi-
tioned aricl the rig mUst be navic,atect again. ProbleMils resulting 'frorn
erroneo~.s
positioning ma{<ethe drilling considerably slower anci riiore diffici.ilt.

CA 02612983 2007-12-20
WO 2007/000492 2 PCT/F12006/050280
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004) The object of the present invontior-i is to provide a nLvei ancl
improved method fcr, positioning a rock driliing rig vn adriliirig sitc, anda
roC-k
drilling ria.
[0005] The method of the invention is characterized by using as a
basis ÃoÃ- tho positionirg of the rock ~_lriliina rig apositianing station wi
ticli c!o-peFids ori the distance between ttie rock dr ilfing rig and wall
surfac4s of tllo
drillirig sito; deteuMining durirtg positioning ttio location of the carrier
of the roc},
drill:rsia rig by r3iearis of at least one distance r;ELasuring device in
relation to the
wall surfaces of t~)e drilling site; and positioning tli-e rock drillir;g rie
into apUsi-
tioning station for navigation.
[0006] The rock drillinc, r-ig of the ir-ivention i7 c,[iaractcrized by corr-
prising at least orie distance mea:7uring device for determining the Iocation
of
the carrier in relation to wall surfaces surrounding the driliing site; the,
controi
unit comprising at least one Lrsor intorface; a.rrar7ging tiie reactings of
the dis-f.ance measuring cievice to be ciisplayob to the operator at least in
orre 3iser
interface; anct arranging the rock driilirtg rig to be cirivPri to
apositioning station for r,tavidation. [00071 The idea of the inver -ition is
that tlie, rock drilling riq 1-fas a pc?-
sltioi3lnC station V1+heCe it is U1'li,fen before navigation may be started.
The [JoSi-
iicniri7 station is eletonmined in relation to wall surfaues :Urrounding the
drilling
sit.e. The rock dr-illiny r-ig corrprises orio c3r n-)aro c;i;:Aance
rrieasuring dovicos;
bv rrmeans oT whic.ii t}ie location of tl o carrÃer in refation to th~ ~vall
surfaces
rnay be determined dur:ng positionina.
[0008] The invontion lias an advantage that the rock driliing rig n -lay
be positioned in a ccrrec:t lplace sLic;i that the. plannr;cl drifl holes can
be urille;d
therewith. ThUs it is possib1e to avoid situationts where tl-ie rig must be
ropo;:i-
tioned and navigated again due to erroneous origir?al positionirÃg. FUrthe:,
when the carrier is positioned i,ol"rectly irt vitLV of the boonl reaull,
Czrill units
may be rnoved efficioritlv and qr.iiokly. The positioning arranc7Ã:ment of tho
in-
v~r~~tior~ is relativeiy si;~~pli~ to it7iplc>ment and it does ri;~E require
any c:ompfi-
catod systems. ln addition, the inveÃ7tiari n-iay bo ap)_?{ied to the
existirrg rock
drilling rigs.
[0009] The idea of one ernbodliment of tEie invention is that at least
t}irpe laser range finders are Lised for ctisianss/ measurirzct.

CA 02612983 2007-12-20
WO 2007/000492 3 PCT/F12006/050280
[0010] The idezy of ont, ar;aUodiment of the invention is that a posi-
tioning station of tile rocis drilling rig is determined in connection with a
clriflirig
r;fai7.
[0011] Ttie idea of cr-i embodiment of the invention is tilat aposi-
tiorririg station of the rock dril(ing rig is determined ira a sepaxate fi1.L,
wherefrom
it rnay be rFwtrioved and displayed to tf-ie operator.
[0412] T7-rle ide:a of one eÃanLoclimt:rrt of the invention is to determine
-3 positioning station as distances fror wall surface5 of the ariiling 5it.c.
The
distances may be indicated to tf-ic operator by tiEeans of a dispiay device,
for
irastanc.ea
[0013] Tiae idea of one eiaabodiriaont of the invention is to verify cov.
eragu areas of t}io drill Units prior to dri[ling, It is thrJs checked that
the drill Ur-tit
rcactae-s to drill the holes assignerJ to be drilled with said drill r_.nit in
the drilling
pfan.
[0414) The idea of one emt:}odiialcr t of thle irivr-:ntiori is to
dc.terrnirae
a+t:er navigation tiis vertical position of the carrier by me-aras of at least
uiic dis-
tance measuring device. For this task it is possible tc? use separata
veriica[iy
directed distance ra7uas3..rrrrag devices or, aiterriatively, ri is possible
tiD r_isc at
least one distance Ã-taoasuririg device Lrsaci fior positioning aiid able to
be turned
fron-, horizo rital direction to verticai ciirectiora. Vertical rail-
astisrerr'ieÃat makes it
possible to deiect whether the ca!-ilE.r' moves dillrfrig drilling, for
i,astar,ce, as a
result of sinking jacks. Inclination of tiip- carric-r may be rrieasLirrd by
tiairÃg a
plurality of upwardly or downwardly directed distance moaSE,ring edevices or
one ar riiore irii,iirarzrrietors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TF-iE DRAWINGS
10015] In the following sorne embodir~ic-rats of t}ie invention will be
described in greater cietaii in conne.tion witi=a tlae attwachcd drawings, iri
which
Figure 1 a sefaenraatic side view of a rocl* dr-illing rig in accordance
with the irivontior, wiiich rig is positioned on a dr-il[ing sit-e and
riuvigatect in a
coordinate sysirvraa of the drilling s'tte,
Figure 2 is -a schera~latic. tot) vieW Of an arrangement in aUcordarice
tvith thle invention fGrctekerra-iining t}ae locatiora of the rock driflirig
rig ori tiae drill-
ing si:e,
Figurc. 3 is a schematic view of a drilling plan,

CA 02612983 2007-12-20
WO 2007/000492 4 PCT/F12006/050280
Figure 4 is a ScilE.tliativc view of a i,,Oritrol tlrlit arld a L1Ser
interface
thereof, and
F!{iClfe 5 is a 5cherllatlr view t]f c~rl arrangement for t"t'3GfnItOrlrlq the
vertical position of ti7e rock cirihling rig during drilling.
[0016] For the sake of clarity, 5criie embcdirnents of the invention
are Presented iri a simplified rnanner iti the figures. Like refer-erice
??imerafs
refer to like parts in th fictures.
DETAIt..ED DESCR1tDTION OF SC3i1~~ EMBODIMENTS OF THE IN~ENTION[(3017] A r-ock
drillina rig 1 of Figure 1 comprises aÃ-ricvable carrier
2, at least orie efrili boom 3 and a drill ziriit 4 arranaed on the drill bQom
3. Tiie
clrill unit 4 comprises a feed bearn 5, onto which there is arranged a rock
drill
machine 6 that mlay be moved on the feed beam 5 by rrrearis of a teedirig de-
vice 7. The rock drill machine 6 cori~iprises at lea>t orie percussien device
~ivherewith it is possible to give irnpact impulses tc a tae( 8 c.oriiected tc
the
rock drill machine 6, arid by the effect of said iriipact iÃiiptilses thle
tool breaks
rock and creates ~~ drill hole. In carinection with the (.,arrier 2 there
riiav also be
jacks 9, by mear7s of which the rock drillina rig 1 driv:.n to a drillina site
'10 may
be set to a~!euired pasition, typically to a horizeÃ-ital r)oSitior for
javigatic}n arlLA
driÃlirig. The rock dr:ilirig Ã-ig 1 may adc4itionaily comprise apluraiity of
distance
r-reasL:rirag devices i i, such as laser range finders, which may be
!ithlized in
pes,itioning thiee, rock drilling rig 1.
[0018] In Figure 2 the rccPs drilling rig 1 is driven to the ciril[irrL7 site
10, ir, this case in, the rear of a ttinr rel. Tic rock driilir-ic,f ricr 'f
anay be positioned
ir~~ a predetermined positioning statiori 12, where tlie car-rier 2 i~.~ at
predeter-t-nir-lrrci distances X, Y aÃici Z fà eÃi-r wall surfaces '1,'-)a, 'i
.3b, 1'Jc; ;,OM fiÃlirig the
drilling site 10. Durirrg potiiticiiinii the distance between the carrier 2
and the
rear wail 13a may be rreasurer~i with a first c~=sf~:~nce measuriÃ-~c~ device
'i-1a,
further, the distarice betn,7een the carrier and the side wahis, 13b, 13'c: r-
nay be
rneasured withi a second and a thir'd distance measuring devices 11 b ar7ci '[
1 c.
Not until the carrieF 2 has been positioned in a determiried positioning ; t
tion
i2 are tf-ie [ac1:s 9 set Fgairisfi the ground and navigation is initiated to
link the
accurate lc4cat;orE of the rock dri[ling rig 1 to 'Ãhie coordinate sy5tem of
the drill-
ing site '1 0. In sorne cases measurement of distarices to the wa!f surfaces
13
rnay be carried out by rne.:ans of only one distance n-tL asuring aevice 11,
or ~.~rt
the ofiher hand, there May be more thar4 three distaiic;e riieaSuring Llevices
i1.

CA 02612983 2007-12-20
WO 2007/000492 ~ PCT/F12006/050280
The distance ryieasÃjr ing device. 11 may be arranged tO WM to predetermined
measurement positions or it rr.~ay rotate sricch thai. it measures distances
in a
Pirrra[ity (Dt directions.
[0019] Figure 3 shows a clrif!ir;g plar 14, in which there rnay be de-
terrnired the directions 'I~.~ of dri91 hoies and the (ncatioÃjs of starting
points 15-
For instaÃice in so-called fonyholti drilling, in wl=iich tP-ie iioEes rnay be
dr-il[ed in a
fan-shaped puttern, it rnay Le sufficient t}-tat the dr-ilEina plan 14 only
determines
the hole directioris 16. In addition, tiie drilling plan 14 rnay also
raeterrinine apositi7ning statiori ci trle rock driiliriLt rig i as
measurements in directions X, Y
and Z. A planned focatior-i of the rock drillirig rig iri the positionirig
station may
be illustrated on the tarilliric; plan '14 by a syriibol 17. Vtdfieri t1he
drifling plan 14
is deaigned the symbol 17 Ãnay be piaced in the drilling plan '14, wl3ereafFer
Li
design program may calculate distaÃices in directions X, Y arid 1for ti-le
posi--
tioning si:atic3ri and Ãnay a,-range tÃieÃii to be part of tlte dri(iing plan
'14 or to be.
a separate file that Ãnay be retrievec: in the rneÃnory of tiie control unit
30 of tl-ie
tucic drilling rig 1. T}ie drillirrg plar7 '14 ,nay also be clisplayed on tÃle
display cle-
vice of tlie control uriit 30 of the rock drilfirig rig If . Pr-ior to
positionirrg tiie op-
Gratmr rnay retrieve adÃ-illir-ig plan 14 created for each dril,irig cut onto
the dis-
play of the control !iriit- Readings of the distance meas rlring devices 11
may be
r+isplayecl to the operator on cornmon or separate display cievives. By
nic}nitor-
irig the readings of tl-ie display devices and by c,cMIparing tEierr7 witf-,
the posi-
tion?n,a station 12 indicated in the drilling plan 14, it is possible to drive
the rock
drilling rig 1 in a sLrffic:iently, aaccurate rrianr7er- to ttle planrleci
location or-i thle
drillirig site 10. F=or- ineasurernents of tlie positioning station 14' in
directions X,
Y and Z there rnay be deterriiir-ed tolerances within, t,Ajl-iich t}ie carrier
2 dr-iveri
in the posi'tioning station r11L.1st be located before naviaaiion may start.
[00201 Figure 4 shows a riser interface 18, ori the display 19 of
which appear PfanrÃed distances between the positioning station 12 and rock
walls 13. The r.iser interface 18 may also preserit at the same time or at
differ-
erit times readings of the distance rnea5 ring c{evices 11. The Ãiser-
interface 18
may tUrther indicate, with a sLritable indicator 20 or- ir, some otlier
manrier, t}-ie
distances in i.iirections X, Y aiid Z that still deviate fro111 the pr-
ecletermined dis-
tances. After the carrier 2 f-ias been driven to a determined positioning
station
the conttoi_ unit '30 ÃTiay acknowledge by rneans of the user interface 18
trie
positioning and pertnit the initiation ; of navic ation. This can be done
visually or

CA 02612983 2007-12-20
WO 2007/000492 6 PCT/F12006/050280
by a sour-id signal, for iristar-Ece. FLir-ldher, the coÃitr ol uriit 30 aÃid
the raser inter-
face 18 n~iay he arranced to gr.Ãide the olperator to carry oLrt the
positionincl.
[0021] It is also possihle to aÃ_?tomate the driving of the rock drillirig
rig I to the positioriing stati+Dn 12. In that case the control unit 30 may be
~.~rc.
vided with a steering rriade that may he switched on after the niire vehicle 1
has 'irst f3ee~ driven close to the drilling site ~~C~. Thereafter the
coritrof Ã~riit 30
r-na,yr steer the rock drilling rig I ar.Ãtornaticaily to a rxei etermirÃed
positiorzing
st,aticn 1-4, set the :; rrier 2 in a horizontal position by mearrs of the
jacks 9 by
Utilizing e ciir7OrTrete-r 21 and thereafter allovv iriitiGtion oi'
navigation.
[0022] The positioning station 12 may be detei-mirred in advance, for
iriWtance, in t ci.~nnection with dra~vlng 1-jp the drilling pi~an, as
described in the
-above, or the positioning station '12 rr-Ãay be determined oÃi the basis of
t1he Up-
erator's experience, t.he Liser instrLictiOns of the rock drilling rig or
sorrÃe other
guide?ines.
[00231 Figure 5 shows the rock drilling rig 1 in a driilirig situation. On
the carr ier 2 of the rock driifirig ria-i 1 there may be a PlLÃrality of
distance ri7eas-
uririg devices 11 directecl to a surface confining the dril[ing site 10 iri
the verti-
cal direction during drilling, i.e. a roof surface '1 'Dd, or alternatively, u
floor sur-
face 1 3e. By monitoring the vertical movements of the carrier by means of
Efiese distance measuring devices I I ii is possible to detect if the jacks 19
sink
in the fileor- suriace 13e, for instance. In situaticrrs where all jacks 9
sink in the
floor surface 1 3e, a vertic al movement B is riot necessarily detected f3y
means
o-F inclination measuring device 21 or the like, because the carrier riiay
then
retairi its hnrizorÃtc I~.~osition. Instead, by mear,s of each distance
measuring
device 11 it is possible to detect deviatinris from ttie original measurement
re-
sults and thr.Ãs it is possible to detect both inclination and vertical
transfer of the
.rrarged one or more individual laser
carrier 2. Oti the carrier 2 there may be a
measuring devices I ld fixedly pointing upwardly or downwardly or
alternatively
in connection with the distance measuring device 11 b used in positioriing
there
mery be arranged a distance measurin: device lle pointing upwardly 01,
downwardly, whereby the distance n-reasuri~g devices llt3 and I'ie corÃstitUte
a kind of measuring unit 31. In scme cases tille bearn of the laser
rneasr.iring
device rriay be diverted with a prism, frt-ini hor id onta! direction A to
vertical di-
rection B after tiie carrier 2 h-as >;?eerl drrven to the positioning station.
Yet an-
other option is that the distance measuring device 11a rised fcr positior:irig
is
a
l'roC1ged on the carrier 2 by means of a turning member 22 SLlch that it nlaY'
ba

CA 02612983 2007-12-20
WO 2007/000492 7 PCT/F12006/050280
E! ÃÃr?ed in direction C.: to q herizontal A nntWasuring position and ta a
vertica- ! B
measuring position in accordaÃice vvitii a rneasuriÃ,g operation to be
carrieci out
at any paÃfiicr-riar time. It is also possible thiat just oi-ie distance r-
teasLÃririg de-
vice 11 is arranged to rr-Ãcnitor ti-ie vertical B positiori of the rock
drilling ri~g '1 se,
Els to detect the sinking of the rig and that orie or ri-3ore c.linometeÃ-s 21
are ar-
rancted to monitor the inclination ot the carr-ier 2. Monitoring resUtts nl;~y
he
conveyed from the distarice rneasrÃtinct device 11 and the clinometer 21 ta a
control uÃiit 30 for anafyzirig. If the measurements detect a change in t.fte
verti-
cal B positiorà of the rock driiiirÃg rig, the position may be corrected by
adiust:ing
tiie iacks 0. FÃir Yner, it is possible to carry out new navigation ii
substantial
changes have taken place in tile vertical position. The control unit 350 may
be
c3fral3ged to r;C3tiiy the oC1C'rdtor of a change in the vertical position and
t?e con
troi unit may further suggest to the operator a ;ack reset or a riew navig
ati~.~n. It
is also possible that nri the basis of tÃie changed vertical pc?siiion
adjustments
will be made in the control unit to the coordinate sysÃGt-n to be used. It is
further
possible that the control unit is arranged tc, perform the above-described ad-
justment operations automat.iccai[y after a ciiange exceeding the
predetermined
conditions irE the verticai positioÃ-Ã lias taken place. The rÃ7onitoririg of -
iiie ve rii-
cal posl$Iorl arld the relating measUrlrlci devices need r1oi r]ecessarEi}f be
asso-
ciated with the positirvninrt of the positioning station but they Ã-i-Ãay be
utiiizeci
inclependent3y.
[0024] 1t should be r3oted t[iat the locaticaÃi of ti-ie positioning sta'LioÃ~
~i-t,ay depend on the excavation ÃT?ethod 3.sed. 9ri typical ttÃnne!iing the
rock drifl-
ina rig is to be positioned on the centre line of thu tunnel. Alternatively
the posi-
tionirÃO st<itiorà iiiay be determined ora a horder of the drilling site, for'
iristance,
in situations where the rear of the tunnel will be excavated in two or r-r7ore
sta gus. Deterrniriation of the positiariirig station may also take into
accor.:nt ob-
stacles as well as rock driliirÃ, and rriiniriq apparatuses fulirx] on the
drilling
sitt ...
[00251 The invention is not .[imited ta tunnel driEt drilling alonr-., brIt it
Mny be Utilized in any rock drilling mwthod, in whicfi there is a r-ieed for
posi-
tioning a rock drilliÃig Ã-ig to a predetermined driilinc:Ã sttE?tioÃ~ for
drilling holes de-
termined in the drilling plan.
[0026] ir, soriie cases features of the present docLÃÃiierit may be
iliseci assuch irrespective of other featu.res. On tlie otl-ler hand, features
nf the

CA 02612983 2007-12-20
WO 2007/000492 8 PCT/F12006/050280
pÃ-esent docun-ient may be combined, where necessary, to provide variaLis
co,rblriations.
[0027] The di'awin,s and the relatir-ig description are con[v iritL rided
to iilustrate tE-ie inventive id<a. The details of the h tver,tion niaV vary
within the
scope of the clair?is.

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

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Event History

Description Date
Time Limit for Reversal Expired 2015-06-29
Letter Sent 2014-06-27
Grant by Issuance 2012-12-18
Inactive: Cover page published 2012-12-17
Inactive: Final fee received 2012-09-21
Pre-grant 2012-09-21
Notice of Allowance is Issued 2012-05-15
Letter Sent 2012-05-15
Notice of Allowance is Issued 2012-05-15
Inactive: Approved for allowance (AFA) 2012-05-08
Amendment Received - Voluntary Amendment 2012-02-07
Inactive: S.30(2) Rules - Examiner requisition 2011-08-31
Amendment Received - Voluntary Amendment 2011-06-01
Inactive: S.30(2) Rules - Examiner requisition 2010-12-03
Amendment Received - Voluntary Amendment 2010-07-14
Inactive: S.30(2) Rules - Examiner requisition 2010-01-15
Letter Sent 2008-04-04
Inactive: Cover page published 2008-03-19
Inactive: Notice - National entry - No RFE 2008-03-13
All Requirements for Examination Determined Compliant 2008-01-23
Request for Examination Requirements Determined Compliant 2008-01-23
Request for Examination Received 2008-01-23
Inactive: First IPC assigned 2008-01-18
Application Received - PCT 2008-01-17
National Entry Requirements Determined Compliant 2007-12-20
Application Published (Open to Public Inspection) 2007-01-04

Abandonment History

There is no abandonment history.

Maintenance Fee

The last payment was received on 2012-05-22

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  • the reinstatement fee;
  • the late payment fee; or
  • additional fee to reverse deemed expiry.

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Fee History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Paid Date
Basic national fee - standard 2007-12-20
MF (application, 2nd anniv.) - standard 02 2008-06-27 2007-12-20
Request for examination - standard 2008-01-23
MF (application, 3rd anniv.) - standard 03 2009-06-29 2009-05-26
MF (application, 4th anniv.) - standard 04 2010-06-28 2010-05-20
MF (application, 5th anniv.) - standard 05 2011-06-27 2011-05-24
MF (application, 6th anniv.) - standard 06 2012-06-27 2012-05-22
Final fee - standard 2012-09-21
MF (patent, 7th anniv.) - standard 2013-06-27 2013-06-17
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
SANDVIK MINING AND CONSTRUCTION OY
Past Owners on Record
ERKKI EILO
JUSSI KOSKELAINEN
TOMMI SAELENIEMI
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Description 2007-12-20 8 1,116
Drawings 2007-12-20 3 129
Abstract 2007-12-20 1 72
Representative drawing 2007-12-20 1 25
Cover Page 2008-03-19 1 55
Claims 2007-12-20 3 303
Claims 2010-07-14 4 111
Claims 2011-06-01 5 171
Claims 2012-02-07 5 174
Representative drawing 2012-11-28 1 19
Cover Page 2012-11-28 2 54
Acknowledgement of Request for Examination 2008-04-04 1 177
Notice of National Entry 2008-03-13 1 195
Commissioner's Notice - Application Found Allowable 2012-05-15 1 163
Maintenance Fee Notice 2014-08-08 1 172
PCT 2007-12-20 5 107
Correspondence 2012-09-21 2 67