An underground drill comprising a frame, a drill carriage, an anchor assembly, a multi-axis input device, an electronic controller, and a mode selector. The drill carriage and the anchor assembly are operably connected to the frame. The electronic controller is configured to receive input from the multi-axis input device and produce a corresponding output signal. The mode selector has an anchor mode, wherein the output signal actuates the anchor assembly, and a drill mode, wherein the output signal actuates the drill carriage.

A boom for supporting a drilling and bolting tool includes a first portion including a first end and a second end, a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end; a second portion including a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end supported for translational movement relative to the first portion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, the distal end configured to support the drilling and bolting tool; an actuator for moving the second portion relative to the first portion parallel to the longitudinal axis; and a fluid passage for conveying pressurized fluid between the first end of the first portion and the drilling and bolting tool adjacent the distal end of the second portion, the fluid passage positioned within the first portion and the second portion.

A blast plan control system and method used to control a drill and blast event is disclosed. The system and method customizes results for specific conditions. The system can receive certain inputs, such as conditions of the area to be blasted and the desired rock fragment size, and use these inputs to output a plurality of blast plans characterized by a set of characteristics that achieve the desired fragmentation size. A user can select a blast plan for execution from the plurality of blast plans. When the control system receives a selected blast plan, the control system can generate a work order for the selected blast plan and communicate the work order to operators and/or drilling equipment associated with execution of the drill and blast event. The operators and/or drilling equipment can then prepare for and execute the selected blast plan.

A Ground drilling device having a drilling carriage and a sled movable back and forth on the drilling carriage, wherein at least one gear is present for the drive of the sled, whose rotary movement is transformed into a linear movement by means of a rack, wherein a force relieving pathway is provided to relieve the gear of a radially introduced force.

A system, method, and apparatus can identify groundwater as a drilling machine drills a drill hole. Presence or not of groundwater can be continuously monitored as the drilling machine drills the drill hole using one or more groundwater or moisture sensors to detect moisture or water content of cuttings from the drill hole. Such data from the sensor(s) can be processed to determine the presence or not of groundwater and associate the determination with the corresponding location within the drill hole. A mapping or logging of the drill hole can be generated with the location or locations where the presence of groundwater is identified.

Apparatus and methods for preparing a blast hole in a rock face during a mining operation are disclosed. An exemplary method comprises: deploying a first tool toward the blast hole in the rock face via a common tool outlet of a feed unit using a first tool station of the feed unit; retracting the first tool from the common tool outlet using the first tool station of the feed unit and retaining the first tool in the first tool station; and while the first tool is retained in the first tool station, deploying a second tool toward the blast hole in the rock face through the common tool outlet of the feed unit using a second tool station of the feed unit.

A method for generation of a boom trajectory for automated boom positioning includes the steps of receiving target pose data indicative of at least target position of a first boom object of the boom for positioning a work machine of the mine vehicle to a target pose in accordance with a mine work plan, receiving geometry data of the first boom object, the geometry data being mapped with start pose data indicative of the start position and orientation of the first boom object, receiving obstacle data, selecting trajectory generation locations for the first boom object, and generating, before starting positioning of the work machine for the target pose, a positioning trajectory for each of the selected trajectory generation locations on the basis of the target pose data, the geometry data, the start pose data, and the obstacle data.

A method for mounting a roll of protective mesh material to an underground rock drilling machine comprising at least one drilling boom. The method comprises at least the following steps: inserting a first end of a first bar from a first lateral side of the roll of protective mesh material into a center of the roll of protective mesh material, fastening the first bar directly or indirectly to the drilling boom, inserting a first end of a second bar from a second lateral side of the roll of protective mesh material opposite the first lateral side into the center of the roll of protective mesh material, fastening the second bar directly or indirectly to the drilling boom in a location that is spaced apart from the first bar, securing the roll of protective mesh material against autonomous unrolling.

A drilling machine, including a drill and a boom, are used for drilling boreholes in the face of a mine. A sensor may scan the mine and create a virtual environment representing the mine based on that scan. The drilling machine may include a computer for moving the drill and the boom from a first position to a second position based at least partially on evaluation of the kinematic redundancy of the drill and boom. This may be used to avoid a collision in moving the drill and boom from the first position to the second position.

A cutting assembly is provided for a rock excavation machine having a frame. The cutting assembly includes a boom, a cutting device, and a plurality of fluid actuators. The boom includes a base portion and a movable portion. The base portion is configured to be supported by the frame, and the movable portion is supported for sliding movement relative to the base portion in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the base portion. The boom includes a wrist portion pivotably coupled to the movable portion at a pivot joint. The cutting device is supported on a distal end of the wrist portion. The fluid actuators are coupled between the base portion and the wrist portion. The fluid actuators are operable to move the movable portion and the wrist portion parallel to the longitudinal axis, and are also operable to bias the wrist portion against cutting loads exerted on the cutting device.