Apparatus And Method For Orientating, Positioning And Monitoring Drilling Machinery

Abstract

A drilling machinery orientation apparatus, including an orientation device permanently affixed to, and integral with a structure of, a drilling machine at a point of integration. The orientation device comprises orientation means capable of determining at least an azimuth of a drill rod of the drilling machine prior to drilling a drill hole and determining a change in the azimuth of the drill rod when drilling the drill hole.

Claims

1-18. (canceled)

19. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus, comprising a positioning device permanently affixed to, and integral with a structure of, a drilling machine at a point of integration, wherein the positioning device comprises positioning means capable of determining: at least a position of a drill rod of the drilling machine prior to drilling a drill hole; and a change in the position of the drill rod when drilling the drill hole.

20. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the point of integration provides that: a one-to-one relationship exists between the positioning means and the drill rod such that: when an orientation of the drill rod is changed, an orientation of the positioning means stays fixed relative to the orientation of the drill rod; and when the drill rod is moved, a position of the positioning means stays fixed relative to the position of the drill rod; and the positioning means does not rotate when the drill rod is rotated about an elongated axis of the drill rod during operation of the drilling machine.

21-23. (canceled)

24. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the positioning means employs a positioning technology capable of determining a position relative to a fixed reference point of known position.

25. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the positioning technology is an inertial navigation system.

26. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according claim 19 wherein the positioning means calculates an absolute position.

27. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the positioning means employs a wireless positioning technology.

28-30. (canceled)

31. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the positioning means uses a leaky feeder network.

32. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according to claim 19 wherein position data generated by the positioning means is available in real-time.

33. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the position data is used for partial autonomous control of the drilling machine, or a part thereof.

34. A drilling machinery positioning apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the position data is used for full autonomous control of the drilling machine, or a part thereof.

35. A drilling machine comprising a positioning apparatus according to claim 20 incorporated into the drilling machine

36. A method of calculating an initial position of a proposed drill hole, the method comprising the steps of: incorporating a positioning apparatus into the drilling machine; powering up the drilling machine and the positioning means of the positioning apparatus; and adjusting a position of the drilling machine and a drill mast of the drilling machine until data provided by the positioning means shows that a drill rod of the drilling machine is at a desired position.

37. A drilling machinery orientation system, comprising two or more positioning apparatuses, each positioning apparatus integrated into a drilling machine, wherein: the positioning apparatuses are each disposed at a position wherein they are separated from one another by known distances; and the position of each positioning apparatus is used to determine an azimuth and dip angle of the drilling machine, or a part thereof.

38. A method of determining an initial orientation of a proposed drill hole, the method comprising the steps of: applying a drilling machinery orientation system; powering up the drilling machine of the orientation system; moving the drilling machine to a required position; and adjusting an azimuth and dip angle of a drill mast of the drilling machine until data calculated using the orientation system indicates that a drill rod of the drilling machine is at a required orientation for the proposed drill hole.

39-48. (canceled)

49. A drilling machine, said machine comprising: a positioning apparatus an orientation apparatus comprising an orientation device permanently affixed to, and integral with a structure of, the drilling machine at a point of integration, wherein the orientation device comprises orientation means capable of determining at least an azimuth of a drill rod of the drilling machine prior to drilling a drill hole and a change in the azimuth of the drill rod when drilling the drill hole; and a monitoring device permanently affixed to and integral with a structure of the drilling machine at a point of integration, wherein the monitoring device comprises monitoring means for monitoring the drilling machine, or part thereof.

50. A method of surveying a drill hole, the method comprising the steps of: maneuvering a drilling machine, wherein the drilling machine comprises a positioning device; and an orientation apparatus, the orientation apparatus comprising: an orientation device permanently affixed to, and integral with a structure of, the drilling machine at a point of integration, wherein the orientation device comprises orientation means capable of determining at least an azimuth of a drill rod of the drilling machine prior to drilling a drill hole and a change in the azimuth of the drill rod when drilling the drill hole; and a positioning apparatus being incorporated into the drilling machine, such that a position of the drill rod of the drilling machine is adjacent to a collar point of the drill hole; and an orientation of the drill rod is aligned with the collar point; the method further comprising the steps of: determining the drill rod position using the positioning apparatus; determining an orientation of the drill rod using the orientation apparatus; inserting a survey tool into the drill hole; moving the survey tool along the course of the drill hole one or more times; and using data readings made by the survey tool, and the drill rod position and orientation, to calculate survey data for the drill hole.

51. A method of surveying a drill hole according to claim 50, wherein dead reckoning is used to calculate the survey data.

52. A method of drilling one or more drill holes and, subsequently, surveying the, or each, drill hole, the method comprising the steps of: (a) manoeuvring a drilling machine, wherein the drilling machine comprises: an orientation apparatus, the orientation device comprises orientation means capable of determining at least an azimuth of a drill rod of the drilling machine prior to drilling a drill hole and a change in the azimuth of the drill rod when drilling the drill hole; and a positioning apparatus incorporated into the drilling machine, such that a position of the drill rod of the drilling machine is adjacent to a collar point of a first drill hole; and an orientation of the drill rod is aligned with the collar point; (b) determining and recording the drill rod position using the positioning apparatus; (c) determining and recording a drill rod orientation using the orientation apparatus; (d) drilling the first drill hole using the drilling machine; (e) repeating steps (a) to (d) for each subsequent drill hole; and (f) for at least one drill hole drilled: inserting a survey tool into the drill hole; moving the survey tool along the course of the drill hole one or more times; and using data readings made by the survey tool, and the recorded drill rod collar position and orientation for the drill hole, to calculate survey data for the drill hole.

53. A method according to claim 52, wherein dead reckoning is used to calculate the survey data.

54. A method according to claim 52, wherein the drill rod collar position and orientation recorded for each drill hole is stored using an electronic storage means permanently affixed to, and integral with the structure of, the drilling machine.

55-70. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0197] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0198] FIG. 1 shows an elevated side view of a drilling machine that comprises an orientation apparatus in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a positioning apparatus in accordance with one further aspect of the present invention and a monitoring apparatus in accordance with one further aspect of the present invention;

[0199] FIG. 2 shows a partial enlarged side view of the drilling machine of FIG. 1;

[0200] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a blast mining operation wherein a method for drilling a plurality of blast drill holes is being performed in accordance with one further aspect of the present invention;

[0201] FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of a blast mining operation wherein a conventional method for drilling a plurality of blast drill holes is being performed, as is known in the art; and

[0202] FIG. 5 shows a further schematic representation of the blast mining operation shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0203] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a drilling machine 10 comprising a structure 12 that includes a drill boom 14, drill mast 16 and rotation unit 18. The drill mast 16 and rotation unit 18 are adapted to receive and rotate a drill rod, shown schematically in the Figure by reference numeral 20.

[0204] In accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drilling machine 10 comprises an orientation device (not shown) that is permanently affixed to, and is integrated into the structure 12 of, the drilling machine 10 at a point of integration.

[0205] The orientation device is capable of determining an azimuth of the drill rod 20 prior to drilling a drill hole in a rock body. Further, the orientation device is capable of determining any changes to the azimuth of the drill rod 20 when the drilling machine 10 is being used to drill the drill hole.

[0206] The point of integration, preferably, provides that there is a one-to-one relationship between the respective azimuth and position of the orientation means and the drill rod 20. In this arrangement, when the orientation of the drill rod 20 is changed (for example, when the azimuth of the drill rod 20 is adjusted in order to align the drill rod 20 with the direction of a proposed borehole), the orientation of the orientation means stays fixed, at all times, relative to the drill rod's 20 orientation.

[0207] Further, the orientation means is also always at a position that is fixed relative to the drill rod 20. Therefore, when the position of the drill rod 20 is changed (for example, when the drill rod 20 is moved so that it is adjacent to a collar point of the proposed borehole), the position of the orientation means relative to the position of the drill rod 20 does not change.

[0208] The point of integration also provides that, when the drilling machine 10 is being used to drill a borehole and the drill rod 20 is rotating, the orientation means does not rotate.

[0209] As shown in the Figure, the point of integration is, preferably, a position located underneath the drill rod 20, as shown schematically by reference numeral 22.

[0210] Alternatively, the drill mast 16 is the point of integration.

[0211] Alternatively, the rotation unit 18 is the point of integration.

[0212] It will be appreciated, however, that further alternative points of integration are possible, provided always that a one-to-one relationship exists between the respective orientation and position of the orientation means and drill rod 20 as and when the drill rod 20 is maneuvered during drilling operations.

[0213] The orientating means, preferably, comprises at least one gyroscope sensing means (not shown) and control electronics (not shown). Preferably, the gyroscope sensing means is capable of determining the orientation of the drill rod 20 with respect to a grid reference angle. Preferably, the grid reference angle is true north.

[0214] The gyroscope sensing means, preferably, comprises a mutually orthogonal fibre-optic gyroscope (not shown). The gyroscope sensing means may, alternately, comprise a set of mutually orthogonal Micro Electronic Mechanical System (MEMS) Devices (not shown). Further, the orientation means additionally comprises at least one set of mutually orthogonal accelerometers (not shown) for measuring a dip angle of the drill rod 20.

[0215] Having the orientation means permanently affixed to, and integrated into, the structure 12 of the drilling machine 10 means that the operator may retrieve orientation data on demand, repeatedly and in quick succession.

[0216] As mentioned above, current methods used in mining and drilling require several steps and time-consuming manual interventions to take each orientation measurement. Standalone orientation devices that are externally mounted to a drilling machine—for example as disclosed in Patent No. 2012101210—must be re-attached, powered up and re-calibrated for each measurement.

[0217] Manual orientation methods require a human surveyor to substantially pre-prepare the relevant mining or drilling site—for example, by calculating and marking physical tide-lines—and make use of slow prism/theodolite based surveying techniques requiring significant human attention for each measurement.

[0218] In contrast to the prior art, the integrated and permanently affixed orientation means comprised in the present invention allow for fully automated measurements to be taken without any human intervention at all. Essentially, the data is available to a human drilling operator, or an automated drill control system, in real-time which considerably reduces the cycle time between each drill hole.

[0219] Further, having real-time access to orientation data enables the present invention to be used in conjunction with autonomous control systems. The invention may, for example, be used in conjunction with a partial autonomous control system, whereby the orientation data is used by one or more control systems that drive and operate parts of a drilling machine in combination with a human operator. Alternatively, the invention may be used in conjunction with a fully autonomous control system whereby drilling machinery parts are driven and operated solely by one or more control systems.

[0220] It is known that many commercially-available north seeking gyroscopes have a limited tilt operating range of no more than plus or minus 90° degrees. That is, once calibrated, the gyroscope is capable of providing accurate azimuth readings provided that it is not tilted at an angle of any more than plus or minus 90° degrees away from its calibration angle about a linear axis running tangential to, and perpendicular to the longitude of, the earth's surface at the calibration point.

[0221] For externally-mounted orientation devices, such as disclosed in Patent No. 2012101210, this does not present a problem as the device may be mounted to the drilling machine at a position where the operator can guarantee that the gyroscope's tilt operating angle will not be exceeded. For example, the operator can guarantee this if the device is mounted on the top of the drill rod once the rod has been positioned approximately near to the intended drill hole collar point.

[0222] However, as disclosed above, the gyroscope sensing means used in the present invention are permanently affixed to, and incorporated within, the structure 12 of the drilling machine 10. The drill mast 16 may readily need to be tilted at an angle that causes the gyroscope sensing means to be tilted outside of its 90° degree operation window. Therefore, the gyroscope sensing means used in the present invention preferably has a tilt angle operation window of up to and including plus or minus 180° degrees.

[0223] Alternatively, the gyroscope sensing means used in the present invention may comprise one or more conventional gyroscopes, each having a 90° degree tilt angle operating range, and control electronics (with related firmware) that enable azimuth readings to be measured accurately at any tilt angle by combining and processing the data received from each of the gyroscopes.

[0224] In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the drilling machine 10 comprises a positioning device (not shown) that is permanently affixed to, and is integral with the structure 12 of, the drilling machine 10 at a point of integration.

[0225] The positioning device comprises positioning means (not shown) capable of determining a position of the drill rod 20 of the drilling machine 10 prior to drilling a drill hole in a rock body. Further, the positioning means is capable of determining any changes to the position of the drill rod 20 when the drilling machine 10 is being used to drill the drill hole.

[0226] Like the point of integration for the orientation means, the point of integration for the positioning means, preferably, also provides that a one-to-one relationship exists between the respective orientation and position of the positioning means and drill rod 20 as and when the drill rod 20 is manoeuvred during drilling operations.

[0227] The positioning means, preferably, comprises a positioning device that calculates a position in three-dimensional space. The positioning device, preferably, employs a positioning system that is capable of determining a position relative to a fixed reference point of known position such as, for example, an inertial navigation system (not shown).

[0228] Alternatively, the positioning system calculates an absolute position in three-dimensional space.

[0229] The positioning device, preferably, uses a positioning technique based on a wireless technology that can operate effectively in an underground environment where, for example, a satellite navigation technology, such as GPS, will not operate.

[0230] Preferably, the wireless technology is a UHF radio wave based positioning technology (not shown). Alternatively, the wireless technology uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology (not shown). Alternatively, the wireless technology comprises a mesh network (not shown). Alternatively, the positioning technology comprises a leaky feeder network, also known as a “radiating cable” network (not shown).

[0231] It will be appreciated, however, that other positioning technologies that calculate an absolute or relative position in three-dimensional space in an underground environment may be used for the purposes of the positioning means in the present invention.

[0232] In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the drilling machine 10 comprises two or more of the positioning devices integrated into the drilling machine 10. In this embodiment, the positioning devices are each integrated into parts of the drilling machine 10 at positions that are known distances apart from one another. These positions are then used to determine, via trigonometric calculation, the orientation of the respective drilling machine parts that they are mounted to relative to one another. This methodology may, therefore, be used to calculate an orientation of the drill rod 20 of the drilling machine 10 in lieu of the dedicated orientation means permanently affixed to, and incorporated within the structure 12 of, the drilling machine 10. Equally, this methodology may be used to verify any drill rod 20 orientation readings made using the dedicated orientation means.

[0233] Conversely, it will, further, be appreciated that the orientation data obtained using the dedicated orientation means may be combined with position data calculated by one of the positioning devices in order to calculate the position of the other positioning device. This enables any position data obtained using the other positioning device to be verified.

[0234] In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the drilling machine 10 comprises a monitoring device (not shown) that is permanently affixed to, and is integral with the structure 12 of, the drilling machine 10 at a point of integration.

[0235] The monitoring device comprises monitoring means (not shown) for detecting and measuring relative displacements in position and angular orientation, including displacements caused by vibrational energy in the form of longitudinal and/or compression waves.

[0236] The point of integration for the monitoring device provides for a high sensitivity transmission path for vibration signals to the monitoring means.

[0237] The monitoring device, preferable, comprises at least one set of mutually orthogonal accelerometers (not shown).

[0238] The set of mutually orthogonal accelerometers used by the monitoring means are, preferably, the same as those used by the orientation means. Alternatively, the set of mutually orthogonal accelerometers used by the monitoring means will be different to the set used by the orientation means.

[0239] The monitoring means may additionally comprise at least one microphone device (not shown) for detecting the volume and/or timbre of sound waves generated by the drilling machine 10 or rock face being worked on.

[0240] Having the monitoring means permanently affixed to, and integrated within, the structure 12 of the drilling machine 10 allows the monitoring means to detect and measure a wide range of physical forces and/or phenomena that may act on or be experienced by the drilling machine 10 or rock face being worked on.

[0241] Being in close proximity and contact with the drilling machine 10 means that subtle vibrations caused by, for example, failing mechanical parts, may be detected easily. Similarly, it may also be desirable to detect when certain activities or events have occurred, or will occur, in respect to a particular drilling procedure. For example, when core samples are drilled using a diamond-based drill, a distinctive shock energy wave is generated when lock-in of the core tube is achieved.

[0242] Further, distinctive shock energy, vibrations and sound waves are often generated when an active drill breaks through to the intersection of an open void in the rock body or encounters broken ground or rock strata. The integrated monitoring means used in the present invention allow such events to be detected effectively and relayed to the drilling operator.

[0243] Further, the monitoring means used in the present invention are advantageously situated at a safe distance away from mechanical parts and conditions that might cause them to fail; for example, the excessive levels of vibration, heat and cold, moisture and dust commonly encountered at a drill head, especially in the case of hard rock drilling.

[0244] The integrated orientation, positioning and monitoring means comprised in the present invention dramatically reduces the amount of time that is consumed between drill holes. This, in turn, enables a vast range of drilling capabilities and methodologies not previously envisaged or possible which may be applied in a wide variety of above and below ground drilling commercial operations including, but not limited to, development, exploration and cover-hole drilling operations.

[0245] The present invention also, in particular, provides significant improvements in blast mining. In blast mining operations, explosive charges are used to dislodge, breakup and/or excavate rock body that may be desired (e.g., ore body in mining operations) or undesired (e.g., in tunnelling operations).

[0246] Typically, a tunnel or small area (known as a “Stope” in certain types of underground blasting operations) is firstly excavated from an area underneath or near to the ore or other rock body to be removed. A drilling machine will then be moved into the Stope area and used to drill a series of drill holes each extending substantially upwards into the ore body in a radial pattern away from the drilling machine's position.

[0247] Once drilled, the series of drill holes will commonly resemble a fan pattern in the ore body. Each drill hole has an initial entry point (its collar point) and an end point (its toe point). Explosives are then inserted into each of the toe points and detonated to dislodge and remove the rock body material. The ore body material is then transported away from the Stope and processed.

[0248] The position and orientation of each drill hole toe point is of critical importance. Misaligned and poorly positioned drill holes and toe points have drastic consequences for a blast mining operations and may cause problems such as: [0249] “over break”—whereby an incorrect blasting pattern causes unwanted non-core material to be removed by mistake. The non-core material dilutes the mined materials resulting in increased production costs through unnecessary bogging, transportation and crushing, etc.; [0250] “under break” whereby an incorrect blast leaves part of the ore body intact resulting in additional required drill and blast time and production costs; [0251] “bridging”—whereby the blast fails to clear all material, and a large section is left partially suspended in or above the Stope. Additional drill and blast is required to facilitate the removal of the suspended material. This is often conducted via expensive remote-controlled methods due to increased safety risks; and [0252] “fragmentation”—whereby incorrect blasting leads to either too many fines being generated or large fragments of core material that cannot be easily transported. These large fragments must be broken up by secondary blasting, which costs further time and money.

[0253] A large number of blast drill holes, each having a very precise position, direction and length, must made for each detonation. Measuring an accurate initial drill hole orientation and position for these purposes is still far too time consuming using existing methods and apparatuses.

[0254] Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic representation of a method for drilling a plurality of blast drill holes 26 holes in a pre-determined blasting pattern, according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

[0255] As shown in the Figure, a Stope 28 is disposed substantially underneath an ore body 30 that is to be mined. A drilling machine 32 having the orientation and positioning means of the present invention incorporated into the drilling machine 32 is, firstly, manoeuvred into the Stope 28.

[0256] The drilling machine 32, and a drill mast 34 of the drilling machine 32, are then further manoeuvred until the orientation and positioning means show that a drill rod 36 of the drilling machine 32 is orientated and positioned correctly at the collar point 38 of the first drill hole.

[0257] The positioning means may measure an absolute position in three-dimensional space or, alternatively, relative to a fixed reference point 40 of known position. Once aligned and positioned, a first drill hole in the blasting pattern is then drilled according to its desired length. These steps are then repeated until a plurality of drill holes 42 have been drilled according to the required blasting pattern. Each drill hole will comprise a toe point 44 wherein explosive charges will be laid and detonated. As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of drill holes will commonly form a pattern in the ore body 30 that resembles a fan.

[0258] Having the orientation and positioning means permanently affixed to, and integrated within the structure of, the drilling machine 32 allows the plurality of drill holes 42 to be drilled rapidly and with a high degree of accuracy. Accurate position and alignment data is available to the drilling operator, in real-time, immediately after each hole has been drilled.

[0259] The invention also allows a drilling operator to adapt the drill hole blasting pattern. The operator may, for example, need to modify the pattern in order to deal with one or more obstacles or impediments present in the rock body while drilling. Equally, the on-demand access to real-time orientation and position data enabled by the present invention allows autonomous and/or remote controlled systems to adapt the blasting pattern according to any obstacles and impediments that may be encountered during drilling.

[0260] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, there are shown alternative depictions of a blast mining operation wherein an obstruction 46 present in the ore body material 30 has been encountered during drilling. The obstruction 46 could, for example, be a ground support apparatus that has been previously installed into a rock face 48 of the Stope 28, such as a rock bolt or mesh plate, or an area of particularly hard rock.

[0261] Because of the obstruction 46, a drill hole in the pre-defined fan drilling pattern cannot be drilled. As disclosed above, present methodologies used in tunnelling and mining do not permit accurate orientation and positioning drill rod data to be calculated quickly and without significant human intervention. Because of this, in the situation shown in FIG. 4, in order to avoid the obstruction 46 the drill operator would typically drill an alternative drill hole 50, without re-positioning the drilling machine 32. The alternate drill hole 50 will have an alternative collar point, and resultant alignment and course. This causes the alignment and position of the toe point of the alternative drill hole 50 to be significantly different to the alignment and position initially planned, which can have severe consequences for the blasting operation.

[0262] As shown in FIG. 5, in contrast to prior art methodologies, the present invention enables the drilling operator to quickly recalculate an alternative course for the drill hole, effectively on-the-fly, and reposition and realign the drill rod 36 at a new collar point 52 without external human intervention and only minimal delay to the blasting operation. As shown in the Figure, this allows the operator to create the toe point 54 that was originally intended by creating a drill hole having an alternative course. The set of toe points 44 according to the intended fan blasting pattern can, therefore, be achieved regardless of obstructions encountered.

[0263] It will be appreciated that the method disclosed herein for drilling a plurality of blast drill holes is of general application and may be used for a wide variety of above and below ground blasting operations. This includes (but is not limited to) Stope blasting, development, exploration and cover hole drilling operations.

[0264] It will further be appreciated that the drilling methodologies enabled by the present invention are not limited to blast mining. In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of surveying a drill hole. The method comprises the steps of manoeuvring the drilling machine 10 such that a position of the drill rod 20 of the drilling machine 10 is adjacent to a collar point of the drill hole, and such that an orientation of the drill rod 20 is aligned with the collar point. The position and orientation of the drill rod 20 is then determined using the, respectively, positioning apparatus and orientation apparatus of the present invention. A survey tool (not shown) is then inserted into the drill hole and moved along the course of the drill hole one or more times. Data readings made by the survey tool, and the drill rod 20 position and orientation, and then used to calculate survey data for the drill hole, preferably by dead reckoning.

[0265] In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of drilling one or more drill holes and, subsequently, surveying the, or each, drill hole. The method comprises the steps of manoeuvring the drilling machine 10 such that a position of its drill rod 20 is adjacent to a collar point of a first drill hole, and such that an orientation of the drill rod 20 is aligned with the collar point. The position and orientation of the drill rod 20 is then determined using the, respectively, positioning apparatus and orientation apparatus of the present invention. The first drill hole is then drilled using the drilling machine 10. This process is then repeated for each subsequent drill hole (if any) that needs to be drilled. After a drill hole, or each drill hole, has been drilled, a survey tool is inserted into the drill hole and moved along the course of the drill hole one or more times. Data readings made by the survey tool, and the recorded drill rod 20 position and orientation for the drill hole, and then used to calculate survey data for the drill hole, preferably by dead reckoning.

[0266] In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adaptively drilling a plurality of drill hole toe points, each toe point having a position and orientation according to a pre-determined drilling plan. The method comprises the steps of manoeuvring the drilling machine 10 and its drill mast 16 such that a position of the drill rod 20 is adjacent to a collar point of a first drill hole in the pre-determined drilling plan, and such that an orientation of the drill rod 20 is aligned with the collar point. The first drill hole is then drilled using the drilling machine 10. These steps are then repeated in order to drill each subsequent drill hole in the pre-determined drilling plan.

[0267] In respect to any obstruction that is encountered while drilling an individual drill hole in the pre-determined drilling plan, an alternative drill hole collar point, initial orientation and course for the individual drill hole is calculated. The drilling machine 10 and its drill mast 16 are then further manoeuvred until the orientation and positioning means indicate that the drill rod 20 is orientated and positioned correctly for the alternative drill hole collar point and initial orientation. The alternative drill hole is then drilled which avoids the obstruction and forms the toe point originally intended according to the pre-determined drilling plan.

[0268] In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an alternative method for adaptively drilling a plurality of drill hole toe points in a rock body, each toe point having a position and orientation according to a pre-determined drilling plan. The method comprises the steps of manoeuvring the drilling machine 10 and its drill mast 16 such that a position of the drill rod 20 is adjacent to a collar point of a first drill hole in the pre-determined drilling plan, and such that an orientation of the drill rod 20 is aligned with the collar point. The first drill hole is then drilled using the drilling machine 10. These steps are then repeated in order to drill each subsequent drill hole in the pre-determined drilling plan.

[0269] During this process, an individual drill hole, and a corresponding drill hole toe point, in the pre-determined drilling plan may need to be changed. For example, an alternative drill hole may need to be drilled in order to avoid one or more obstructions that are, or will be, encountered in the rock body. In this case, an alternative drill hole is formed by calculating an alternative toe point for the individual drill hole, and calculating an alternative drill hole collar point, initial orientation and course for the new drill hole and toe point. The drilling machine 10 and drill mast 16 re then further manoeuvred until the orientation and positioning means indicate that the drill rod 20 is orientated and positioned correctly according to the alternative drill hole collar point and initial orientation. The alternative drill hole is then drilled to form the alternative toe point.

[0270] Before a drill hole in the pre-determined drilling plan is drilled in this method, the rock face of the rock body is, preferably, scanned at the drill hole's collar point using scanning means to determine whether or not any obstructions are present and likely to stop or hinder the drilling of the drill hole and the formation of the toe point. The scanning means used, preferably, comprises a laser, ultra-sonic, infra-red, radar or camera based scanning technology.

[0271] The drilling methods enabled by the present invention, as described above, may be applied in a wide variety of above and below ground drilling commercial operations including, but not limited to, development, exploration and cover-hole drilling operations.

[0272] Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.