Safety Solutions That Improve Operator Performance

The features and technologies designed to improve safety also help operators, supervisors, and maintenance achieve top performance metrics

By Jesse Morton, Technical Writer

Safety features and solutions can help goose productivity. Often, they improve the situational information available to operators and supervisors. Or they simplify the operability of a machine or process. Better situational awareness and simplified operation both translate to improved performance metrics, to include increased availability. Recent innovations from top suppliers illustrate how safety improvements can lead to productivity improvements.

Drive Control Tech Adds Value

Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas said numerous enhancements to AC-3 trucks and EX-7 mining excavators promote safer operation.

“The AC drive control technology used on AC-3 rigid trucks uses sensor inputs for precise wheel motor control and enhanced safety,” said Ken Lesko, manager, mining applications. “This enables enhanced braking capability, cruise control, auto retarding control and slide/slip and skid control,” he said. “This adds value by providing greater control for the operator,” reduced operator fatigue, and safer operation. Other technologies help prevent collisions.

AC drive control technology controls “dynamics such as speed, pitch and yaw,” said Fred Warner, senior manager, pre/post-sales technical support. “Sensor inputs in conjunction with the drive control technology enable precise wheel motor control and enhanced safety.”

The list of benefits offered is long and topped by improved braking capability. “The AC drive control enables the driver to stop the truck using the electric brake pedal only, except for in emergencies,” Warner said. “The AC drive control system applies the service brakes automatically just before stopping,” he said. “This results in easy operation and a longer time between service brake intervals.”

Auto Cruise Control and Auto Retarding Control assist the operator in maintaining a constant speed. “Auto Cruise Control keeps vehicle speed constant within a set range by limiting the minimum vehicle speed,” Lesko said. “Auto Retarding Control keeps vehicle downhill speed constant within the set range by limiting maximum vehicle speed.”

The drive control system reacts to slips, pitch, and skidding. “The system uses speed sensors on the front and rear wheels to sense slipping or locking of the rear wheels when traveling on slippery or frozen roads,” Warner said. “It adjusts to the torques of the wheel motors accordingly, bringing the truck back to stable operation.”

The system assesses pitch on bumpy roads or due to abrupt stops. “It adjusts the torques of the wheel motors accordingly for increased comfort and less spillage,” he said.

When it senses oversteer or understeer, it adjusts wheel torque to minimize skidding. “This is accomplished through speed sensors, steering angle sensors, lateral acceleration and dual brake sensors,” Warner said. “The resulting stability results in smoother operation.”

The optional Aerial Angle peripheral vision system helps detect objects and prevent collisions. It has two modes.

“Stationary Mode detects obstacles within the vicinity when the machine is stationary during dumping, loading and when it is parked,” Lesko said. “Forward Mode warns the operator of the possibility of collisions while traveling.”

In Stationary Mode the six views offered include side views and a bird’s-eye view. “This system lets the operator check for outside obstacles on the screen without leaving the machine,” he said. “The camera places markers on the screens as it detects obstacles.

Close objects trigger red. “The color of the machine’s icon will turn red when an obstacle comes underneath the machine to warn the operator,” Lesko said. “Yellow markers indicate obstacles farther away.”

Forward Mode uses millimeter-wave radar to determine the distance to an object. “An audible and visual warning is activated when another machine or obstacle comes too close,” he said. “A first warning is followed by a second warning with greater intensity if the operator doesn’t take corrective action.”

The warning activation distance is relative to the current gross laden weight of the vehicle. “During forward travel the system detects wheel rotation direction and enables or disables the warning accordingly,” Lesko said. “The system includes a function to detect and inform the operator of any dirt or debris on the front of the millimeter wave radar.”

Hitachi excavators feature an onboard inclinometer that helps the operator work within set limits.

“Two predetermined safety limits provide extra assurance and confidence,” Warner said. “If the first safety limit is exceeded, the operator receives a visual alert prompting corrective action,” he said. “The alert escalates to an audible alarm once the second safety limit is breached.”

Metrics on the excavators can be monitored and assessed for opportunities to improve uptime and maintenance. “The ConSite feature allows customers to monitor machine operation, improve inspections, detect earlier issues with hydraulic pumps and oil, indicate incorrect operation, and more,” Lesko said. “ConSite Plus adds the additional capability of remote monitoring to provide quick feedback to a customer on any issues with the machines.”

The drive control technology traces its history to the early 1960s and the Shinkansen Series 0 trains, which used a DC Drive System. “By the early 1990s this was updated to an AC Drive System with GTO technology,” Warner said. “By the end of that decade the current AC Drive System design using IGBTs was developed.”

The current generation of drive control technology “provides the best fuel economy, vehicle control and ease-of-maintenance available,” he said. “And Hitachi Construction Machinery continues to lead with technologies such as Autonomous Haul Systems (AHS), and Trolley Ready trucks.”

RMC Improves Safety, Efficiency

Komatsu continues to invest in the development of Remote Management Centers (RMCs) for both longwall and room-and-pillar applications. “The most thrilling advancement is the Joy Longwall Command and Control (LCC),” said Toby Cressman, lead product manager, room and pillar. “This cutting-edge technology empowers operators to oversee the automated mining process and issue commands to the Joy shearer.”

LCC enables the transition from remote operations to remote management operations, said Colten Leviere, shearer engineer, Komatsu. “This shift is not just about the use of technology, but also about a transformation in the operator’s role.”

Remote management operations employ a higher level of automation. “The operator’s role evolves from controlling individual machine functions to managing the overall system with the assistance of automation,” Cressman said. “This dynamic significantly advances machine safety systems, allowing for more efficient and effective mining process management.”

An RMC can be sited underground or on the surface, and employs two operators. One operator manages the section’s operations. The the other monitors the machines and the overall system.

“They work together, using multiple screens within the control room, to ensure the smooth operation of the section,” he said. “The screens display a wide variety of information, including but not limited to machine HMI, the mine SCADA system, a variety of cameras, and the interface to the LCC.”

The LCC uses the Shearer Command and Control (SCC) suite. “The LCC provides the operator with a cross-browser compatible SCC web app via a URL,” Leviere said.

“On the SCC, the operator is provided an interface with graphical animations, images, charts, and data via a websocket to operate the high-level automated functions built into the Faceboss Control System via REST API,” he said. “The current generation of Shearer Faceboss Controls offers many features that enable remote operation, such as Advanced Shearer Automation, Height-Based Pitch Steering, REST API Web Server support, 3D Anticollision, Auto Duck, and advanced state table building tools.”

Recent upgrades to the RMC “have elevated our control system to the next level,” said Matt Beilstein, shearer group leader, Komatsu. “The quantity and quality of features have enabled successful remote operations for customers.”

The list of benefits provided is topped by improved safety. “The few operators that still need to be at the face can stand further back and remain in the fresh air,” Cressman said.

“The LCC communicates with the Faceboss control system via high-speed ethernet and uses a REST API interface, as well as other technologies, to simultaneously control the machine and display real-time operational information,” he said. “Underground operators remain protected by existing systems like the Remote Motion Monitoring (RMM) system, which is built into the shearer’s handheld transceiver (HHX) and the PRS proximity detection system.”

RMM detects when the HHX is dropped or motionless and immediately halts the shearer. “The PRS proximity detection system prevents shield movement when operators are within an unsafe distance from an automated shield,” Cressman said. “These features are critical in providing an environment where equipment running in an autonomous state can continue to operate where manual tasks are still required.”

Using advanced automation, the RMC also offers efficiency and productivity gains. “This drives consistent revenue streams and instills confidence in operators to conduct their work in a secure manner,” he said. “Mines that have adopted RMCs have also seen increased cutting time between shift changes and have cut less reject material.”

Automation features decrease training time, Beilstein said. “Given the challenging climate around current workforce availability and high turnover rates, RMCs help mines shorten operator learning curves and maintain levels of performance and productivity.”

Improved operation of the shearer decreases dust. “With increasing compliance requirements, RMCs are poised to gain popularity, especially as certain regions implement stricter dust regulations,” he said. “Not only do we reduce the number of operators on the front lines, but those who remain physically present can work in fresh air.”

Evolutionary predecessor solutions to the LCC include “remote operations and the advanced floor steering method, or pitch steering, where corrections were applied on the face,” Cressman said. “This iteration was limited by line of sight and lacked the tools necessary to measure the current steering trajectory of the pan line.”

That prompted the development of the Face Mapper. “This Faceboss feature enables the operator to walk behind the AFC and push in clean air to relay the in-seam position to the surface operator,” he said. “The LCC was created to offer a holistic view of the longwall, allowing the operator to make data-driven decisions to steer the system.”

Early adopters of the LCC said it solved unique challenges. “A customer knew they were transitioning into lower seams and implemented an RMC with LCC to gain operational experience and develop capabilities as part of their change management plan,” Cressman said.

“This enabled them to transition smoothly from the high seam into the low seam with limited impact on their mine productivity,” he said. “The capabilities of the RMC and LCC proved effective in mitigating productivity setbacks and accelerating the mine’s transition.”

Future development of the LCC may include integrating seam-detection technology. “Currently, in most applications, we still require a single person standing in the fresh air, spotting where the seam is going and feeding these inputs back into the LCC,” Beilstein said. “From there, we hope to continue to grow our automation features to reduce the number of scenarios that require input from operators sitting in the RMC.”

Customer feedback from the field is constantly being incorporated into development plans, and the future is bright for the LCC, Cressman said.

“The upcoming generation brings lifelong exposure to technology and familiarity with touchscreen interfaces to the industry,” he said. “This truth, paired with an emerging pull for technologically enabled solutions, provides an opportunity for a step change in the mining industry.”

Location Intelligence Solution Offers Optionality

Inpixon said it is the only supplier that offers a “full-stack” location intelligence solution for deep underground mines and remote surface mines.

The solution offers all components from processor chip to the digital twin, while allowing customers to scale their adoption as needed, said Jason Witkowsky, senior sales manager. Customers can start with “chips and chip modules for integration into third-party products to make them location aware, with fast time-to-market,” he said. They can progress “to a comprehensive, ready-to-use software platform that incorporates Inpixon and third-party tags and sensors into an easy-to-use map and management console.”

Available hardware for basic proximity detection or collision avoidance applications uses “small radio frequency-emitting chips that are integrated into helmets, cap lamps, safety vests, and more,” said Dr. Norman Dziengel, senior product manager, Inpixon. “Or the chips can be used in tags that are about the size of a deck of cards and affixed to vehicles, loaders, equipment, or a worker’s belt or vest,” he said.

No infrastructure is required. The tags transmit data packets to other tags.

“The two use what’s called time-of-flight calculations to determine the distance between the two tags,” Dziengel said. “Calculations can be done many times per second and are accurate within about a meter, even for moving objects,” he said. “The result is typically displayed on a screen or communicated with a light or sound, thus warning when two devices are too close to one another.”

In this configuration, no tag-to-tag data is sent to the server.

At the top level of real-time location (RTL) tracking, infrastructure is deployed. “The tags emit RF blinks that are picked up by sensors, also called anchors, installed on the ceiling,” Dziengel said. “The RF signal data is then sent to an on-premise or cloud server that calculates the locations using the time difference of arrival (TDoA) method,” he said. “Results are displayed on a local management console that presents reports and real-time movements on a map.” The RTL system (RTLS) “gives management visibility to know where everything is at all times, and to analyze movements, chokepoints, alarm history and so forth.”

Depending on the level of the RTLS, data packets can be used for three purposes. “First, to measure distances between vehicles and people to give direct feedback to the vehicles and people at risk,” Dziengel said. “Second, tracking workers to get the location information back to the server and mapping application,” he said. “Third, communication of event or message data, such as distress calls or blast clearance confirmations to and from the management team.”

A comprehensive Inpixon RTLS offers dimensional location data that reveals if a worker is in a specific area, where specifically they are in that area, where they are on a 3D mine map, and where they are in relation to specific equipment.

“Inpixon’s offering is unique in several respects,” Dziengel said. For example, “it is powered by patented inventions such as symmetrical double-sided two-way ranging (SDS-TWR), which is used for mining-safety applications involving distance between two objects.”

Further, Inpixon offers Chirp spread spectrum (CSS), “which is often an excellent choice in harsh industrial conditions, because it is low power, long range, and robust against interference,” he said. “Its low-power characteristics make it possible to configure worker tags to transmit their data bursts no more frequently than needed, which extends battery life.”

With long-range capabilities, less infrastructure is required, “making it more affordable than some alternative technologies,” Dziengel said. “And the robustness of the signal means data transmission integrity is high, even in challenging RF environments with lots of reflection and absorption.” Inpixon’s 2.4-GHz chirp is ideal for body tags, “because it radiates through the body better than some alternative technologies.”

Chirp delivers accuracy to 1 m. Inpixon also offers ultra-wideband tag technology that offers “precision to about 30 cm,” he said.

Also supporting incremental RTLS technology adoption, “the Inpixon platform is technology agnostic, capable of supporting more than 10 different location-based technologies, including UWB, Chirp, BLE, GPS, Wirepas, and RFID,” Dziengel said. “This allows the Inpixon solution to be configured to support a wide range of use cases and to meet very specific customer needs, ultimately allowing a customer to future-proof their investment.”

Inpixon RTLS technology has been adopted by customers around the world.

One customer, “ATUT, installed Inpixon location technologies in coal mines such that a server receives location information and live sensor data every second,” Witkowsky said. “A panic button on the tag allows workers to alert the mine management of an emergency situation.”

The miner benefits from cost savings tied to low infrastructure requirements. “The spacing between Inpixon anchors can be from 200 to 400 m, depending on the number of obstructions and tunnel width,” he said. “Even tens of km of mining tunnels are covered cost-effectively in this way.”

Another customer, “Schauenburg Systems, uses Inpixon’s platform as part of its Smart Mine platform, which facilitates tracking, ventilation automation, fleet management, lamp assignment, tagboard and reports, evacuation, collision awareness, and call for assistance,” Witkowsky said.

“They display locations on a map and allow customers to add rules to these locations, such as zone-dependent alerts, analytics of dwell time, or compliance surveillance in reports,” he said. The rules can be modified as needed. “They can also connect the platform to their own databases and backbones.”

Elsewhere, an integrated mining operations platform used by Meglab “integrates data from Inpixon Chirp spread spectrum-enabled asset tracking and personnel safety devices, as well as a wide variety of IoT sensor data from other sources, and brings it all together in a sophisticated, thoughtful manner,” Witkowsky said. “It can not only increase situational awareness and worker safety but also deliver productivity increases and cost reductions through automation like ventilation-on-demand and traffic prioritization.”

Inpixon began engineering chips in 2003, and developed ranging and collision avoidance capabilities in 2005. In 2008, the supplier introduced location and RTLS products. “In 2014, it added TDoA capabilities; followed by extended technologies and tools in 2016, and an integrated IoT platform in 2021,” he said. “In more recent years, Inpixon extended its UWB portfolio and capabilities, expanded third-party integrations, and offered its platform as a white-label solution for partners to private-label.”

To date, customer feedback shows advanced RTLS technology is revolutionizing underground work environments, Witkowsky said. “Deployed effectively, location technologies can not only enhance safety but also result in more tons hauled to the surface, every shift.”

Vision AI Helps Operators, Supervisors, Maintenance

Matrix Design Group said the new OmniPro Vision AI can help protect personnel from machines and deliver key information to supervisors. “The data provided by OmniPro can not only improve collision awareness but also deliver equipment maintenance insights through reporting for supervisors that can help identify equipment misuses,” said Chris Adkins, mining manager.

Introduced in December, 2023, “OmniPro Vision AI’s award-winning Visual Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) technology helps reduce blind-spot pedestrian- and vehicle-collision incidents with powerful new features,” Matrix Design Group said.

Hardware is comprised of cameras and a compact networking device that routes data to a web-based platform.

The small cameras can be situated to capture and “provide data from equipment interactions as they occur,” Matrix Design Group said. “Each camera can generate up to five fully customizable alert zones applied to different objects and perform different actions.” The cameras adjust “if the vehicle is in low-light conditions and when it transitions from light to darkness.”

Each camera features a Gorilla Glass Lens Cover. “A sensor reports if a camera is blocked or obstructed,” Matrix Design Group said. The camera housing is “rugged and water resistant.”

Capable of using Wi-Fi, LTE, and GPS, the cameras send data to OmniPro Hub.

“OmniPro Hub is a centralized networking device that serves as a point of connectivity to multiple devices,” Matrix Design Group said. The device “provides power and direction to Vision AI cameras,” it said. “OmniPro Hub delivers data to InFocus.”

OmniPro InFocus is “a web-based application that provides 24/7 access to software tools and a dashboard with real-time metrics and analytics for the AI devices,” Matrix Design Group said. The application offers “essential operational insights and intelligence to make the best decisions for the operation.”

The OmniPro Vision AI system is “available with Level-4 machine integration and an in-cab monitor,” the supplier said.

The system’s “award-winning visual artificial intelligence technology helps to bring your mine site to zero incidents.” That result stems from the speed, the customizability, the alerts, and the reporting capabilities of the system.

The system offers a comparatively “fast identification rate and computing system,” Matrix Design Group said. It has a “high-speed in-bound image-processing rate. The fast processing rate “minimizes false positives and nuisance alerts that often desensitize workers to alarms.”

Custom zones are defined to match the specifications of the application. “OmniPro Vision AI allows for fully customizable zones and the ability to work in low-light and all-weather conditions,” Matrix Design Group said. Those capabilities make it “suitable for a wide range of equipment applications and operating environments.”

Alerts can be configured for optimal effect. Triggers include pedestrians, vehicles, and other objects. The system requires no tags. “Operating without the need for personal wearable devices or tags, OmniPro Vision AI is capable of identifying individuals wearing PPE and pedestrians in any posture, including standing sideways, crouching, kneeling, or in partial view,” Matrix Design Group said. “OmniPro Vision AI allows for visual and audible zone breach alerts for both equipment operators and pedestrians, and easily integrates with OEM controls for slowing and disabling machine movement.”

Data captured and assimilated by the system, “including zone breach incidents and timestamped photos, are recorded and stored for future reference and reporting,” the supplier said. “Essential reporting, including average daily breaches per machine and trending breaches over time, is available, along with custom reporting and analytics.”

These benefits combine to help ensure the safety of personnel and the availability of machines. “When a one-second error can mean the difference between a near miss and a lost-time injury, you need the most advanced, accurate collision avoidance system working for your team,” Matrix Design Group said. OmniPro Vision AI “is an easy solution for your powered haulage and equipment program compliance plan.” Additionally, it is “fully supported by Matrix’s outstanding field service team.”