Patent Application
20140076049
The present invention relates to strata monitoring devices and specifically to electronic strata monitoring devices. It has been developed specifically to monitor strata in mines and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use.
In this specification unless the contrary is expressly stated, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge; or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
In an underground mining environment movement of the strata that defines the roof and/or ceiling of a particular tunnel within the mine can result in collapses within the mine. As such there is a need to monitor the movement of the strata to determine the likelihood of movement and the danger of collapse of a portion of strata.
Known systems for measuring strata movement involve installing a plurality of localised sensors in the strata and manually measuring each sensor. The sensor readings are then sent to a central authority for analysis and to determine the likelihood of a collapse. This method is prone to manual error and delays in processing the readings. It is also open to subjective analysis of the readings.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a system for monitoring movement in strata including:
In some embodiments the analyser generates second signal indicative of a predicted future movement of the strata.
Preferably the at least one sensor generates the first signals at a predetermine time interval. Preferably the at least one sensor generates the first signal in real time. There is no prediction of movement
Preferably the analyser generates the second signal in real time.
Preferably the at least one sensor is in network communication with the storage device. Preferably the network communication is chosen from one or more of the following: Ethernet; wireless; Bluetooth; WIFI; microwave; or the like.
Preferably the analyser is in network communication with the storage device. Preferably the network communication is chosen from one or more of the following: Ethernet; wireless; Bluetooth; WIFI; microwave; or the like.
Preferably a plurality of sensors are embedded in the strata at predetermine points within the strata.
Preferably the analyser includes an alarm that is triggered in the event of a predetermined predicted move of the strata.
Preferably the storage device stores historical data associated with the first signal. Preferably the analyser uses at least a portion the historical data to generate the second signal.
Preferably the storage device stores historical data from other strata and the analyser uses at least a portion of the historical data from other strata to generate the second signal.
Preferably the storage device stores first signals from a plurality of sensors at different locations within the strata. Preferably the storage device stores first signals from a plurality of sensors at different strata.
Preferably the analyser analyses the plurality of first signals and generates plurality of second signals. each second signal indicative of a predicted future movement of relative strata.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method for monitoring movement in strata, the method including the following steps:
In some embodiments the method includes the step of generating a second signal indicative of a predicted future movement of the strata.
According to a third embodiment of the invention there is provided a method of converting a mechanical sensor to an electronic sensor, the method including the steps of:
Throughout the specification and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and other variations such as “comprises” and “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers of steps.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only. with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The preferred embodiment of the invention provides a system for monitoring movement in the stratum or strata of a mine. The strata include the floor and/or ceiling and/or walls or ribs of the mine. The systems includes a plurality of sensor embedded in the strata for detecting movement in the strata and for generating first signals indicative of the movement. A storage device is in network communication with the plurality of sensors for collecting and storing the first signals. An analyser is in network communication with the storage device for analysing the first signals and for generating an alarm in the event that the analysis of the first signals is one of predetermined outcomes. That is, the systems analyses the movement of the strata and will generate an alarm if the movement crosses a threshold value or a predetermined value set by the management of the mine.
In some embodiments the analyser produces a second signal indicative of a predicted future movement of the strata.
In the event that the analyser detects or predicts a significant movement in the strata, such as a collapse or the like, an alarm is triggered and appropriate action can be taken at the mine.
In the event that the analyser detects movement that activates a configured threshold, an alarm is triggered and appropriate action can be taken at the mine.
In the event that the analyser detects a condition that activates a configured alarm, an alarm is triggered and appropriate action can be taken at the mine.
The plurality of sensors generate signals at predetermined intervals every second or minute as required however it is preferred that that the sensors generate signals in real time and that the analyser generate the second signal in real time. Upon the analyser detecting a danger of significant movement or collapse, an alarms is triggered. This ensures that as much time as possible is provided at the mine to take action prior to a collapse or other event. In this way miners, equipment and the like can be moved prior to any actual collapse minimising the loss of life and equipment. In some instances it may be possible to reinforce the particular strata in danger of collapse to prevent such a collapse or weakening.
Any suitable network communication can be used to connect the sensors, the storage device and the analyser with one of the following being preferably Ethernet; wired Ethernet; wireless; Bluetooth; WIFI; microwave; or the like.
In some embodiments the storage server and the analyser are both implement on a single server however in other embodiments they are implemented on separate servers.
The plurality of sensors are embedded in the strata at predetermined strategic points within the strata. The strategic points can be determined by an engineer or other suitably qualified mining personnel.
The storage device stores historical data received from the plurality of sensors and the historical data is used by the analyser to predict the likelihood of future movement of the strata. In some preferred embodiments the storage device stores information from a plurality of strata and from known prior events (including during which strata has collapsed) to provide the analyser with additional data with which to predicts a collapse of the existing strata being monitored.
In some embodiments the storage device receives data from a plurality of sensors each sensor at a different location of the mine and in some embodiments from different mines. In these embodiments the analyser analyses the data from the different locations and different mines. This allows a single monitoring post to monitor movement in many different mines. In other embodiments it may be preferable to have a monitoring station for each mine.
Referring to
An electronic database 104 is in network communication with the sensors 103. In this embodiment the network communication is by way of wired Ethernet but any suitable network means could be used. In some embodiments wireless communications may be preferred. The database 104 collects and stores the plurality of first signals from each of the sensors. The information is stored such that the data from each sensor can be individually recalled.
An analyser in the form of computer 105 is in network communication with the database 104 for analysing the data stores on the database. The analyser 105 uses known and historical data to predict future movement of the strata and generates a second signal indicative thereof. The second signal can be in the form on an alarm, emails, an electronic signal to another device, sms, audible or visual notification, printout and the like. As would be understood the second signal can be in any form as required and suitable to the application.
As would be understood, the system as described above monitors the movement of the strata in real time and allows mine operators to have up to date real time information which allows them to more efficiently manage situations and take preventative measures where possible and to evacuate staff and equipment as deemed necessary.
As would be understood, the plurality of sensors could be spaced evenly apart in the strata or could be strategically placed according to the requirements of the actual mine. Such placement could be determined by an engineer or suitable qualified mining operator.
In the preferred embodiment, the database stores movement data from other mines and historical data from the current strata and uses all available information to calculate the likelihood of a collapse or other danger.
As would be understood the database 104 and analyser 105 can collect and analyse data from a plurality of strata within the same mine or at different mines such as 106 whether close together or far apart. The communication between mines could be through the Internet or through dedicated communications channels.
In some environments, mechanical movement sensors may already be fitted in some locations. These mechanical sensors must be read manually. In these embodiments it is advantageous to retrofit the sensors to convert them into electrical sensors. The conversion kits includes a mechanical to electronic conversion sensor, the conversion sensor capable of transforming a mechanical force into an electrical signal. As would be understood the conversion sensor is retrofitted to the mechanical sensor to convert the output into an electrical output. The sensor can then be connected to the system of the preferred embodiment. In some embodiments new electrical sensors are installed in the strata as described above.
Suitable retrofitting configurations are shown in
Sensor 210 is shown as a retrofitted sensor where retrofit device 211 is fitted to the body 204 of the device. The retrofit device connects to each arm 202 and 203 and converts the mechanical movement into an electrical signal. The signal is then connected to the monitoring system as described above by electrical communications cable 212.
Referring to
Sensor 310 is shown as a retrofitted sensor 301 where retrofit device 302 is fixedly connected on one end 312 to the moveable portion 308 by connector 312 and on the other end to the fixed portion 307 by connector 313. Displacement sensor 314 provides an electronic measurement as the mine shaft moves which is connected through electrical communications cable 311 to the monitoring system as described above.
Embodiments of the present invention provide the following additional advantages:
In the preferred embodiment, the face distance is used as part of the calculation to generate an alarm. The face distance is the front or end of a drift, tunnel or excavation, where the material is being or was last mined. That is, the distance measured between the face and each respective sensor is used at least as a portion of the computation on whether or not to trigger an alarm. The distance between the sensor and the face can be entered manually by a user of the system or calculated automatically using. for example, the length of the conveyor with a Formula such as:
EncoderCircumference/EncoderNumOfTargets*PulseCountsFromEncoder.
In the preferred embodiment the installed support level at the point at which the sensor is installed is taken into account when determining whether or not to trigger an alarm. When a sensor is configuration in software, the software allows the user to select “installed support” at place of sensor installation. As would be understood, the support level is the level of physical support structures installed at the point in the mine at which the sensor is installed. The support is configured with a “strength” value within the software to allow comparisons by the analyser. It is possible for alarms to be configured as follows for example:
If movement>xx and supportlevel>xx then raise alarm.
Another example would be:
If supportlevel=0 (no support) and faceposition<100 M then raise an alarm.
There are hundreds of available computer languages that may be used to implement embodiments of the invention, among the more common being Ada; Algol; APL; awk; Basic; C; C++; Cobol; Delphi; Eiffel; Euphoria; Forth; Fortran; HTML; Icon; Java; Javascript; Lisp; Logo; Mathematica; MatLab; Miranda; Modula-2; Oberon; Pascal; Perl; PL/I; Prolog; Python; Rexx; SAS; Scheme; sed; Simula; Smalltalk; Snobol; SQL; Visual Basic; Visual C++; and XML.
Any commercial processor may be used to implement the embodiments of the invention either as a single processor, serial or parallel set of processors in the system. Examples of commercial processors include, but are not limited to Merced™, Pentium™, Pentium II™, Xeon™, Celeron™, Pentium Pro™, Efficeon™, Athlon, AMD and the like.
Display screens may be segment display screen, analogue display screens, digital display screens, CRTs, LED screens, Plasma screens, liquid crystal diode screens, and the like.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011901462 | Apr 2011 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2012/000375 | 4/12/2012 | WO | 00 | 12/2/2013 |
