Virtual field-based track protection for a mining machine

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for preventing and mitigating collisions between components of an industrial machine. The industrial machine includes an electronic controller, having an electronic processor and a memory, that is configured to receive dipper position data indicative of a position of the dipper and determine a distance between the dipper and tracks of the industrial machine based on the dipper position data. The electronic controller is further configured to set a motion command limit for a dipper motion based on the distance, the dipper motion being selected from a group of a swing motion, a crowd motion, and a hoist motion and control the dipper motion according to a dipper motion command limited by the motion command limit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for preventing and mitigating collisions between a dipper and an exclusionary zone that is taught to a mining machine, the method comprising:
 moving the dipper to a plurality of positions to establish data points defining the exclusionary zone;   generating, a virtual model of the exclusionary zone by extrapolating virtual boundaries of the exclusionary zone from the data points;   receiving dipper position data indicative of a position of the dipper;   setting, based on the dipper position data, a motion command limit for a dipper motion, the dipper motion being selected from a group of a swing motion, a crowd motion, and a hoist motion;   comparing a dipper motion command input to the motion command limit; and   controlling the dipper motion according to a dipper motion command limited by the motion command limit.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the exclusionary zone is based on a physical structure of at least one selected from the group of: tracks of the mining machine; a power cable reel of the mining machine; a power supply station; a hopper configured to receive a load from the dipper; and a truck configured to receive a load from the dipper, and wherein the data points defining the exclusionary zone are established by a one of contacting a surface of the dipper to the physical structure and positioning the dipper at a position offset by a desired distance from the physical structure. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 moving the dipper to a second plurality of positions to establish data points defining a second exclusionary zone, the second exclusionary zone including a power supply line for the mining machine;   generating a second virtual model of the second exclusionary zone by extrapolating virtual boundaries of the second exclusionary zone from the further data points;   receiving further dipper position data indicative of an updated position of the dipper;   updating the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on a distance between the dipper and the second exclusionary zone of the mining machine inferred from the further dipper position data; and   controlling the dipper motion according to a further dipper motion command limited by the motion command limit that was updated based on the distance between the dipper and the second exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 ,
 wherein setting the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the distance includes reducing the motion command limit from an initial value to a reduced value according to a first function that adjusts the motion command limit as the distance is reduced, and   wherein updating the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the distance includes reducing the motion command limit from an initial value to a reduced value according to a second function adjusts the motion command limit as the distance is reduced, wherein the second function is more restrictive to motion than the first function.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, to set the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the dipper position data, the method further comprises at least one selected from the group of:
 (i) calculating a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone and using the distance as an input to a distance-based function that defines the motion command limit based on the distance, and   (ii) using the dipper position data as an input to a position-based function that defines the motion command limit based on the dipper position data, where the position-based function is defined based on relationships between potential dipper positions and associated distances between the potential dipper positions and the exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining a position of a three-dimensional virtual dipper model in a three-dimensional coordinate system for the mining machine based on the dipper position data;   determining a shortest distance between the three-dimensional virtual dipper model and the virtual model of the exclusionary zone, wherein the shortest distance represents the distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the distance is a three-dimensional distance indicating a length across three dimensions of space. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the dipper position data comprises:
 when a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone is below a stop region threshold, setting the motion command limit according to a stop region function, and   when the distance is above the stop region threshold and below a slow region threshold, setting the motion command limit according to a slow region function.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dipper motion is the crowd motion and motion command limit is a crowd motion command limit, the method further comprising:
 setting a hoist motion command limit for the hoist motion based on a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone; and   setting a swing motion command limit for the swing motion based on the distance.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 repeatedly receiving the dipper position data indicative of the position of the dipper over time as the dipper moves; and   updating the motion command limit based on the dipper position data as the dipper position data is repeatedly determined.   
     
     
         11 . A mining machine with a collision prevention and mitigation system, the mining machine comprising:
 a frame;   a dipper supported by the frame;   a dipper drive coupled to the dipper and configured to move the dipper in a dipper motion selected from a group of a swing motion, a crowd motion, and a hoist motion;   a dipper position sensor configured to determine a position of the dipper;   an electronic controller including an electronic processor and a memory, the electronic controller coupled to the dipper drive and the dipper position sensor, the electronic controller configured to:
 move the dipper into a plurality of positions to establish data points defining an exclusionary zone; 
 generate a virtual model of the exclusionary zone by extrapolating virtual boundaries of the exclusionary zone from the data points; 
 receive dipper position data from the dipper position sensor indicative of a position of the dipper, 
 set a motion command limit for the dipper motion based a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone of the mining machine inferred from the dipper position data, and 
 control, via the dipper drive, the dipper motion according to a dipper motion command limited by the motion command limit. 
   
     
     
         12 . The mining machine of  claim 11 , wherein the exclusionary zone is based on a physical structure of at least one selected from the group of: tracks of the mining machine; a power cable reel of the mining machine; a power supply station; a hopper configured to receive a load from the dipper; and a truck configured to receive a load from the dipper, and wherein the data points defining the exclusionary zone are established by a one of contacting a surface of the dipper to the physical structure and positioning the dipper at a position offset by a desired distance from the physical structure. 
     
     
         13 . The mining machine of  claim 11 , wherein the electronic controller is further configured to:
 move the dipper to a second plurality of positions to establish data points defining a second exclusionary zone, the second exclusionary zone including a power supply line for the mining machine;   generate a second virtual model of the second exclusionary zone by extrapolating virtual boundaries of the second exclusionary zone from the further data points;   receive further dipper position data indicative of an updated position of the dipper;   update the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on a distance between the dipper and the second exclusionary zone of the mining machine inferred from the further dipper position data; and   control the dipper motion according to a further dipper motion command limited by the motion command limit that was updated based on the distance between the dipper and the second exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         14 . The mining machine of  claim 13 ,
 wherein setting the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the distance includes reducing the motion command limit from an initial value to a reduced value according to a first function adjusts the motion command limit as the distance is reduced, and   wherein updating the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the distance includes reducing the motion command limit from an initial value to a reduced value according to a second function adjusts the motion command limit as the distance is reduced, wherein the second function is more restrictive to motion than the first function.   
     
     
         15 . The mining machine of  claim 11 , wherein, to set the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the dipper position data, the electronic controller is further configured to at least one selected from the group of:
 (i) calculate a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone and using the distance as an input to a distance-based function that defines the motion command limit based on the distance, and   (ii) use the dipper position data as an input to a position-based function that defines the motion command limit based on the dipper position data, where the position-based function is defined based on relationships between potential dipper positions and associated distances between the potential dipper positions and the exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         16 . The mining machine of  claim 11 , wherein the electronic controller is further configured to:
 determine a position of a three-dimensional virtual dipper model in a three-dimensional coordinate system for the mining machine based on the dipper position data;   determine a shortest distance between the three-dimensional virtual dipper model and the virtual model of the exclusionary zone, wherein the shortest distance represents the distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         17 . The mining machine of  claim 11 , wherein the distance is a three-dimensional distance indicating a length across three dimensions of space. 
     
     
         18 . The mining machine of  claim 11 , wherein, to set the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the dipper position data, the electronic controller is configured to:
 when a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone is below a stop region threshold, set the motion command limit according to a stop region function, and   when the distance is above the stop region threshold and below a slow region threshold, set the motion command limit according to a slow region function.   
     
     
         19 . The mining machine of  claim 11 , wherein the dipper motion is the crowd motion and motion command limit is a crowd motion command limit, wherein the electronic controller is further configured to:
 set a hoist motion command limit for the hoist motion based on a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone; and   set a swing motion command limit for the swing motion based on the distance.   
     
     
         20 . The mining machine of  claim 11 , wherein the electronic controller is further configured to:
 repeatedly receive the dipper position data indicative of the position of the dipper over time as the dipper moves; and   update the motion command limit based on the dipper position data as the dipper position data is repeatedly determined.   
     
     
         21 . A collision prevention and mitigation control system for a mining machine having a frame, a dipper supported by the frame, a dipper drive coupled to the dipper and configured to move the dipper in a dipper motion selected from a group of a swing motion, a crowd motion, and a hoist motion, a dipper position sensor configured to determine a position of the dipper, the control system comprising:
 an electronic controller including an electronic processor and a memory, the electronic controller coupled to the dipper drive and the dipper position sensor, the electronic controller configured to:
 move the dipper to a plurality of positions to establish data points defining an exclusionary zone, 
 generate a virtual model of the exclusionary zone by extrapolating virtual boundaries of the exclusionary zone from the data points; 
 receive dipper position data indicative of a position of the dipper, 
 set a motion command limit for a dipper motion based on a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone of the mining machine inferred from the dipper position data, and 
   control, via the dipper drive, the dipper motion according to a dipper motion command limited by the motion command limit.   
     
     
         22 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the exclusionary zone is based on a physical structure of at least one selected from the group of: tracks of the mining machine; a power cable reel of the mining machine; a power supply station; a hopper configured to receive a load from the dipper; and a truck configured to receive a load from the dipper, and wherein the data points defining the exclusionary zone are established by a one of contacting a surface of the dipper to the physical structure and positioning the dipper at a position offset by a desired distance from the physical structure. 
     
     
         23 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the electronic controller is further configured to:
 move the dipper to a second plurality of positions to establish data points defining a second exclusionary zone, the second exclusionary zone including a power supply line for the mining machine;   generate a second virtual model of the second exclusionary zone by extrapolating virtual boundaries of the second exclusionary zone from the further data points;   receive further dipper position data indicative of an updated position of the dipper;   update the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on a distance between the dipper and the second exclusionary zone of the mining machine inferred from the further dipper position data; and   control the dipper motion according to a further dipper motion command limited by the motion command limit that was updated based on the distance between the dipper and the second exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         24 . The control system of  claim 23 ,
 wherein setting the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the distance includes reducing the motion command limit from an initial value to a reduced value according to a first function adjusts the motion command limit as the distance is reduced, and   wherein updating the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the distance includes reducing the motion command limit from an initial value to a reduced value according to a second function adjusts the motion command limit as the distance is reduced, wherein the second function is more restrictive to motion than the first function.   
     
     
         25 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein, to set the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the dipper position data, the electronic controller is further configured to at least one selected from the group of:
 (iii) calculate a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone and using the distance as an input to a distance-based function that defines the motion command limit based on the distance, and   (iv) use the dipper position data as an input to a position-based function that defines the motion command limit based on the dipper position data, where the position-based function is defined based on relationships between potential dipper positions and associated distances between the potential dipper positions and the exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         26 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the electronic controller is further configured to:
 determine a position of a three-dimensional virtual dipper model in a three-dimensional coordinate system for the mining machine based on the dipper position data;   determine a shortest distance between the three-dimensional virtual dipper model and the virtual model of the exclusionary zone, wherein the shortest distance represents the distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone.   
     
     
         27 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the distance is a three-dimensional distance indicating a length across three dimensions of space. 
     
     
         28 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein, to set the motion command limit for the dipper motion based on the dipper position data, the electronic controller is configured to:
 when a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone is below a stop region threshold, set the motion command limit according to a stop region function, and   when the distance is above the stop region threshold and below a slow region threshold, set the motion command limit according to a slow region function.   
     
     
         29 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the dipper motion is the crowd motion and motion command limit is a crowd motion command limit, wherein the electronic controller is further configured to:
 set a hoist motion command limit for the hoist motion based on a distance between the dipper and the exclusionary zone; and   set a swing motion command limit for the swing motion based on the distance.   
     
     
         30 . The control system of  claim 21 , wherein the electronic controller is further configured to:
 repeatedly receive the dipper position data indicative of the position of the dipper over time as the dipper moves; and   update the motion command limit based on the dipper position data as the dipper position data is repeatedly determined.