Method and system for regulating movement of an entity between zones

1. A method of regulating movement of an entity from a first zone to a second zone adjacent to the first zone, the method comprising:

a) providing a hierarchy of controllers corresponding to a hierarchy of zones in a defined geographical region, the hierarchy of controllers comprising:

a first controller associated with the first zone,

a second controller associated with the second zone, and

a supervising controller operable to supervise the first and second controllers in the hierarchy of controllers, the supervising controller associated with a parent zone encapsulating the first and second zones;

b) the supervising controller seeking clearance from the first and second controllers for the entity to move from the first zone to the second zone;

c) the supervising controller commanding the first controller to instruct the entity to move to a transition zone that spans a boundary between the first zone and the second zone;

d) the supervising controller commanding the second controller to register the entity such that the entity is responsive to supervisory control of the second controller as the entity moves from the transition zone to the second zone; and

e) the supervising controller commanding the first controller to de-register the entity such that the entity is no longer responsive to supervisory control by the first controller.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transition zone includes a first transition zone wherein the entity is responsive to supervisory control of the first controller, and is under secondary control of the second controller, in which the entity receives future control messages from the second controller.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the future control messages include future way-points or trajectories for its future planning before full operational control by the second controller.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the transition zone includes a second transition zone wherein the entity is responsive to supervisory control of the secondary controller and wherein the first controller deregisters the entity when the entity is in the second transition zone.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the defined geographical region contains at least two boundary-defined, contiguous localised zones and wherein a said transition zone intersects a common boundary of the at least two contiguous zones at a required geographical location.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the defined geographical region contains at least two boundary-defined localised zones, said zones being separated and the transition zone interconnecting the separated zones.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the geographical boundaries comprise at least one physical structure.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the geographical boundaries comprises a virtual boundary.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transition zone is bounded at least in part by a physical structure.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transition zone is bounded at least in part by a virtual boundary.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the defined geographical region comprises an open pit mine site and wherein the zones comprise distinct mine operation areas within the mine site.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the mine operation areas include drilling, blasting, loading, haulage and plant areas of the mine site.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 and employed in a mine automation system.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the mine automation system comprises a mine control system integrated with a mine picture compilation system and a mine planning system.

15. A system for regulating movement of an entity between a first zone and a second zone adjacent to the first zone, wherein the first and second zones each have an operation-defined geographical boundary within a defined geographical region, the system comprising:

a hierarchy of controllers corresponding to a hierarchy of zones in the defined geographical region, the hierarchy of controllers comprising:

a) a first controller associated with the first zone:

the first controller adapted to instruct the entity to move into a transition zone that spans a boundary between the first zone and the second zone, wherein the entity while located in the first zone is responsive to supervisory control of the first controller, and

the first controller adapted to deregister the entity from the first controller;

b) a second controller associated with the second zone adapted to register the entity with the second controller to enable the entity to receive forward looking control messages from the second controller while in the transition zone; and

c) a supervising controller operable to supervise the first and second controllers in the hierarchy of controllers, the supervising controller associated with a parent zone encapsulating the first and second zones.

16. A non-transitory computer program product comprising machine-readable program code recorded on a machine-readable recording medium for controlling the operation of a data processing system on which the program code executes to perform a method of regulating movement of an entity between a first zone and a second zone adjacent to the first zone, wherein the first and second zones each have an operation-defined geographical boundary within a defined geographical region, the method comprising:

using a hierarchy of controllers corresponding to a hierarchy of zones in the defined geographical region, the hierarchy of controllers comprising a first controller associated with the first zone, a second controller associated with the second zone, and a supervising controller operable to supervise the first and second controllers in the hierarchy of controllers, the supervising controller associated with a parent zone encapsulating the first and second zones:

a) instructing the entity to move into a transition zone that spans a boundary between the first zone and the second zone, wherein the entity while located in the first zone is responsive to supervisory control of the first controller associated with the first zone;

b) registering the entity with the second controller associated with the second zone to enable the entity to receive forward looking control messages from the second controller while in the transition zone; and

c) de-registering the entity from the first controller.