A method for estimating a level of stress that a mine truck is subjected to. The mine truck includes a frame; a container for carrying payload supported by the frame; and at least one sensor, the at least one sensor delivering signals being dependent on a force acting on the mine truck. The method includes for at least a first position of the frame, estimating a level of stress that said at least a first position is subjected to in response to a force acting on the mine truck, wherein said at least a first position is a position being different from the position of said at least one sensor; and estimating said level of stress utilising a model representation of the level of stress for said at least a first position wherein said model representation output said estimated level of stress utilising sensor signals from said at least one sensor as input signals.

A mined material transport vehicle includes: a vehicle main body capable of moving forward and rearward; and a loading platform provided on the vehicle main body, wherein the loading platform includes: a conveyor provided on the vehicle main body and having a conveying surface capable of conveying a mined material in a conveying direction extending in a forward-rearward directions; a pair of movable flaps that extend in the conveying direction on both sides in a vehicle width direction of the conveying surface, form a storage space together with the conveying surface, and are rotatable about lateral axial lines extending in the conveying direction; and lateral cylinders for rotating the movable flaps about the lateral axial lines.

A mined material transport vehicle includes: a vehicle main body capable of moving forward and rearward; and a loading platform provided on the vehicle main body, wherein the loading platform includes: a conveyor provided on the vehicle main body and having a conveying surface capable of conveying a mined material in a conveying direction extending in a forward-rearward directions; a pair of movable flaps that extend in the conveying direction on both sides in a vehicle width direction of the conveying surface, form a storage space together with the conveying surface, and are rotatable about lateral axial lines extending in the conveying direction; and lateral cylinders for rotating the movable flaps about the lateral axial lines.

The present disclosure relates to a system and a method of controlling the movement of a tracked mobile mining machine having one or more articulated vehicle units. The control system works by taking input from manual or automated input means, the input serving as a set operating value for at least one driving parameter. The controller generates control signals, which are sent to regulating means that actuate the motor of the mobile mining machine. Using sensors on the machine, actual values of the driving parameter are measured in real-time and fed to the controller for comparison with the original set values. Any difference in the values is compensated for when the controller sends control signals to the regulating means causing readjustment of the driving parameter of the mining machine. The control system is applicable to crawler-driven powered vehicle units to ensure synchronous crawler movement for both linear and non-linear paths.

The present disclosure relates to a system and a method of controlling the movement of a tracked mobile mining machine having one or more articulated vehicle units. The control system works by taking input from manual or automated input means, the input serving as a set operating value for at least one driving parameter. The controller generates control signals, which are sent to regulating means that actuate the motor of the mobile mining machine. Using sensors on the machine, actual values of the driving parameter are measured in real-time and fed to the controller for comparison with the original set values. Any difference in the values is compensated for when the controller sends control signals to the regulating means causing readjustment of the driving parameter of the mining machine. The control system is applicable to crawler-driven powered vehicle units to ensure synchronous crawler movement for both linear and non-linear paths.

The present invention relates to a mining system. The system includes a continuous miner for forming plunge tunnels from a roadway. A flexible conveyor system is coupled to the continuous miner for conveying mined material from the plunge tunnels. A controller is provided for controlling the continuous miner and the flexible conveyor system to travel along a predetermined path. Advantageously, the controller may control the drive and steering (including turning maneuvers) of the continuous miner and each conveyor module of the flexible conveyor system along the predetermined path to avoid striking either any adjacent equipment (e.g., another conveyor), or the “ribs” of a plunge tunnel being mined.

The present invention relates to a mining system. The system includes a continuous miner for forming plunge tunnels from a roadway. A flexible conveyor system is coupled to the continuous miner for conveying mined material from the plunge tunnels. A controller is provided for controlling the continuous miner and the flexible conveyor system to travel along a predetermined path. Advantageously, the controller may control the drive and steering (including turning maneuvers) of the continuous miner and each conveyor module of the flexible conveyor system along the predetermined path to avoid striking either any adjacent equipment (e.g., another conveyor), or the “ribs” of a plunge tunnel being mined.

The present invention relates to a mining system including a continuous miner. The continuous miner mines material and includes a miner navigation system. The mining system further includes a flexible conveyor system for receiving the mined material from the continuous miner. The flexible conveyor system includes a conveyor navigation system. The mining system further includes control means for controlling the miner navigation system and the conveyor navigation system so that the flexible conveyor system receives the mined material from the continuous miner. Preferably, the flexible conveyor system need not be coupled to the continuous miner, and can be extracted separately in the event of a cave-in on the miner.

The specification discloses a driverless haulage vehicle (10,32,43,44,45) for use within an underground mining operation including a unitary support chassis (11) having a first end section (15), a second end section (16) and a central section (50) located between said first and said second end sections (15,16), haulage vehicle transport means (51) including a first wheel assembly (52), associated with and supporting the first end section (15), a second wheel assembly (53) associated with and supporting said second end section (16) of the unitary support chassis (11), and a third wheel assembly (54) associated with and supporting the central section (50) of the unitary support chassis (11), steerage means (55) carried on said driverless haulage vehicle (10,32,43,44,45) for directing said vehicle along a transport path with an underground mine, the steerage means (55) including said first wheel assembly (52) and said second wheel assembly (53), said steerage means (55) further including a sensor set from which sensor data is generated representing internal status of the driverless haulage vehicle (10,32,43,44,45), and/or environmental status within which the driverless haulage vehicle (10,32,43,44,45) is operating, and controllable activators (27) to control steering movements of said first wheel assembly (52) and said second wheel assembly (53) whereby driving steering, wheels (13) of the first wheel assembly (52) are directed oppositely to wheels (13) of the second wheel assembly (53).

The present invention relates to a mining system. The system includes a continuous miner for forming plunge tunnels from a roadway. A flexible conveyor system is coupled to the continuous miner for conveying mined material from the plunge tunnels. A controller is provided for controlling the continuous miner and the flexible conveyor system to travel along a predetermined path. Advantageously, the controller may control the drive and steering (including turning maneuvers) of the continuous miner and each conveyor module of the flexible conveyor system along the predetermined path to avoid striking either any adjacent equipment (e.g. another conveyor), or the ‘ribs’ of a plunge tunnel being mined.