IP Library Granted Patent US 11,174,731
Granted Patent B2
US 11,174,731 · App. 15/952,567 · Granted Nov 16, 2021

System and method for measuring and aligning roof bolts

Inventor: Wilhelmus Hendrickus Theunissen (Gauteng, ZA)
Assignee: JOY GLOBAL UNDERGROUND MINING LLC
E21D20/00G01C3/08G01C3/14G06K9/3216G06K9/6288G06T7/001G06T7/62G06T7/73B62D11/02E21D20/003G01V1/00G01V8/10G06T2207/30108G06T2207/30164
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,174,731
App. No.
15/952,567
Granted
Nov 16, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A industrial machine including a chassis, a first sensor configured to sense a roof bolt, a second sensor configured to sense the roof bolt, and a controller. The controller configured to receive sensor information from the first and second sensors, and determine a location of the roof bolt based on the sensor information from the first and second sensor.

Claims (39)

1. An industrial machine comprising:

a bolter supported by a chassis;

a first sensor configured to acquire first data relating to a mine surface, wherein the first sensor is a camera and the first data is an image of the mine surface;

a second sensor configured to acquire second data relating to the mine surface; and

a controller connected to the first sensor and to the second sensor, the controller configured to:

analyze the first data and the second data to determine locations of a first bolt and a second bolt on the mine surface; and

determine a new bolt location on the mine surface for a third bolt based on the location of the first bolt, the location of the second bolt, the first data, and the second data.

2. The industrial machine of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is located at a predetermined distance from the second sensor, and wherein the controller is configured to base an identification of a physical distance between the first bolt and the second bolt on the predetermined distance.

3. The industrial machine of claim 1 , wherein the second sensor is a second camera, the second data is a second image of the mine surface, and the second image includes the first bolt and the second bolt.

4. The industrial machine of claim 1 , wherein the second data is a distance from the second sensor to the mine surface.

5. The industrial machine of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the bolter to install the third bolt at the new bolt location.

6. The industrial machine of claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the bolter to install the third bolt based on a bolt plan.

7. The industrial machine of claim 1 , wherein the second sensor is configured to measure distance and the second data is a distance measurement, and wherein the second sensor is an ultrasonic transducer.

8. The industrial machine of claim 1 ,

wherein the mine surface is a roof of a mine, the mine further includes a sidewall, and the image further includes at least a portion of the sidewall, and

wherein the controller is further configured to:

analyze the first data to identify the presence of the sidewall of the mine in the image;

determine a pixel distance between the first bolt and the sidewall in the image; and

identify a physical distance between the first bolt and the sidewall based on the pixel distance and the second data.

9. The industrial machine of claim 1 , further comprising a user-interface for providing feedback to a user,

wherein the controller is further configured to

provide feedback to a user, via the user-interface, based on the new bolt location to enable installation of the third bolt at the new bolt location.

10. An industrial machine comprising:

a bolter supported by a chassis;

a sensor configured to acquire first data relating to a mine surface of a mine, wherein the sensor is a camera and the first data is an image of the mine surface;

an ultrasonic transducer for determining second data, wherein the second data includes a distance from the ultrasonic transducer to a point of the mine surface; and

a controller connected to the sensor and the ultrasonic transducer, the controller configured to:

analyze the first data to identify the presence of a first bolt and a second bolt in the image of the mine surface;

determine a pixel distance between the first bolt and the second bolt in the image of the mine surface;

identify a physical distance between the first bolt and the second bolt based on the pixel distance and the second data;

identify a location of the first bolt and a location of the second bolt; and

determine a new bolt location on the mine surface for a third bolt based on the location of the first bolt, the first data, and the second data.

11. The industrial machine of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to control the bolter to install the third bolt at the new bolt location.

12. The industrial machine of claim 10 , further comprising a user-interface for providing feedback to a user,

wherein the controller is further configured to provide feedback to a user, via the user-interface, based on the new bolt location to enable installation of the third bolt at the new bolt location.

13. The industrial machine of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the new bolt location on the mine surface for the third bolt based on the location of the first bolt, the location of the second bolt, the first data, and the second data.

14. The industrial machine of claim 13 , further comprising a user-interface for providing feedback to a user,

wherein the controller is further configured to provide feedback to a user, via the user-interface, based on the new bolt location to enable installation of the third bolt at the new bolt location.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Sep 17, 2018
From: JOY MM DELAWARE, INC.
To: JOY GLOBAL UNDERGROUND MINING LLC
Reel/Frame 047096/0399 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 13, 2018
From: THEUNISSEN, WILHELMUS HENDRICKUS
To: JOY MM DELAWARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 045534/0098 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62485258 · Apr 13, 2017
Related Publication 20180298756A1 · Oct 18, 2018