Disclosed herein are a control method and system. The system includes: a deactivation control; a control centre controller for storing an association between the deactivation control and a selected set of mine sites; a plurality of autonomous drill rigs, each drill rig having a drill shutdown module to disable a function of the respective drill rig upon receipt of a deactivation command; and a mine site controller associated with each mine site, each mine site controller being coupled to all autonomous drill rigs located at the respective mine site with which the mine site controller is associated. Activating the deactivation control transmits a deactivation command from the deactivation control to the control centre controller. The control centre controller forwards the deactivation command to a mine site controller associated with each mine site in the set of mine sites for distribution to all autonomous drill rigs at that mine site.

Disclosed herein are a control method and system. The system includes: a deactivation control; a control centre controller for storing an association between the deactivation control and a selected set of mine sites; a plurality of autonomous drill rigs, each drill rig having a drill shutdown module to disable a function of the respective drill rig upon receipt of a deactivation command; and a mine site controller associated with each mine site, each mine site controller being coupled to all autonomous drill rigs located at the respective mine site with which the mine site controller is associated. Activating the deactivation control transmits a deactivation command from the deactivation control to the control centre controller. The control centre controller forwards the deactivation command to a mine site controller associated with each mine site in the set of mine sites for distribution to all autonomous drill rigs at that mine site.

A method for real-time presentation of information to an operator of a mining operation, the information relating to at least a first stone block to be removed from an exploitation site, the method comprising capturing with a camera a video stream of the mining operation of the first block, recognizing the first block in the video stream; extracting image data of the first block from the video stream; determining, based on the image data, at least one parameter of the first block, obtaining, based on the parameter, information related to the mining operation; and visualizing the video stream in real time to the operator on a display, the video stream comprising an image of the first block, wherein visualizing the video stream comprises using augmented reality techniques to visualize the image of the first block in an accentuated manner, and overlay the video stream with the information.

A method for real-time presentation of information to an operator of a mining operation, the information relating to at least a first stone block to be removed from an exploitation site, the method comprising capturing with a camera a video stream of the mining operation of the first block, recognizing the first block in the video stream; extracting image data of the first block from the video stream; determining, based on the image data, at least one parameter of the first block, obtaining, based on the parameter, information related to the mining operation; and visualizing the video stream in real time to the operator on a display, the video stream comprising an image of the first block, wherein visualizing the video stream comprises using augmented reality techniques to visualize the image of the first block in an accentuated manner, and overlay the video stream with the information.

Respective embodiments disclosed herein include methods and apparatuses (1) for surveying a mine bench or other material body using at least seismic data obtained via geophone and measurement module data synchronized via a wireless link; (2) for generating hyperspectral panoramic imaging data of a blast hole or other borehole; or (3) for allowing a neural network to facilitate a differential blast design that targets a first bench part more weakly than the differential blast design targets a second bench part (along the same mine bench) at least partly based on data indicative of a much higher concentration of a valuable material in the second bench part than in the first.

The present invention is a hydraulically operated splitting device with a piston cylinder unit comprising an extending chamber and a retracting chamber in which a piston is supported, displaceable in an extending direction and a retracting direction, allowing the extending chamber and the retracting chamber to be impinged with pressurized hydraulic medium for moving the piston at a displacement speed, a cylinder housing at which a plurality of pressure pads is supported, displaceable perpendicular to the extending direction and the retracting direction, a wedged lance connected to a piston rod of the piston and mobile with said piston, which engages wedge-shaped pressure areas of the pressure pads complementary to the wedged lance, and moves the pressure pads perpendicular to the extending direction and the retracting direction, a lubrication unit by which lubricant can be inserted from a lubricant reservoir to an area between the wedged lance and the pressure pads, with the splitting device comprising a protective unit by which the displacement speed can be reduced depending on the fill level of the lubricant in the lubricant reservoir.

The present invention is a hydraulically operated splitting device with a piston cylinder unit comprising an extending chamber and a retracting chamber in which a piston is supported, displaceable in an extending direction and a retracting direction, allowing the extending chamber and the retracting chamber to be impinged with pressurized hydraulic medium for moving the piston at a displacement speed, a cylinder housing at which a plurality of pressure pads is supported, displaceable perpendicular to the extending direction and the retracting direction, a wedged lance connected to a piston rod of the piston and mobile with said piston, which engages wedge-shaped pressure areas of the pressure pads complementary to the wedged lance, and moves the pressure pads perpendicular to the extending direction and the retracting direction, a lubrication unit by which lubricant can be inserted from a lubricant reservoir to an area between the wedged lance and the pressure pads, with the splitting device comprising a protective unit by which the displacement speed can be reduced depending on the fill level of the lubricant in the lubricant reservoir.

A method for real-time presentation of information to an operator of a mining operation, the information relating to at least a first stone block to be removed from an exploitation site, the method comprising capturing with a camera a video stream of the mining operation of the first block, recognizing the first block in the video stream; extracting image data of the first block from the video stream; determining, based on the image data, at least one parameter of the first block, obtaining, based on the parameter, information related to the mining operation; and visualizing the video stream in real time to the operator on a display, the video stream comprising an image of the first block, wherein visualizing the video stream comprises using augmented reality techniques to visualize the image of the first block in an accentuated manner, and overlay the video stream with the information.

A method for real-time presentation of information to an operator of a mining operation, the information relating to at least a first stone block to be removed from an exploitation site, the method comprising capturing with a camera a video stream of the mining operation of the first block, recognizing the first block in the video stream; extracting image data of the first block from the video stream; determining, based on the image data, at least one parameter of the first block, obtaining, based on the parameter, information related to the mining operation; and visualizing the video stream in real time to the operator on a display, the video stream comprising an image of the first block, wherein visualizing the video stream comprises using augmented reality techniques to visualize the image of the first block in an accentuated manner, and overlay the video stream with the information.

Respective embodiments disclosed herein include methods and apparatuses (1) for surveying a mine bench or other material body using at least seismic data obtained via geophone and measurement module data synchronized via a wireless link; (2) for generating hyperspectral panoramic imaging data of a blast hole or other borehole; or (3) for allowing a neural network to facilitate a differential blast design that targets a first bench part more weakly than the differential blast design targets a second bench part (along the same mine bench) at least partly based on data indicative of a much higher concentration of a valuable material in the second bench part than in the first.