U.S. patent application number 10/586043 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-03 for arrangement for data transmission in mine, and cable reel.
Invention is credited to Jukka Kollanus, Timo Niemi.
Application Number | 20070096538 10/586043 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 30129390 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070096538 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Niemi; Timo ; et
al. |
May 3, 2007 |
Arrangement for data transmission in mine, and cable reel
Abstract
An arrangement for data transmission in a mine, and a cable
reel. Data transmission between an information system of the mine
and an information system of a mining vehicle is arranged using two
data transmission cables. The data transmission cables are arranged
in a supply cable that can be stored on a reel in the mining
vehicle. The reel has a rotatable drum on which the supply cable
can be wound. A first end of the drum has a first rotating
connection element for connecting the first data transmission cable
to the information system of the mining vehicle. A second end of
the drum has a second rotating connection element for connecting
the second data transmission cable to the information system of the
mining vehicle.
Inventors: |
Niemi; Timo; (Julkujarvi,
FI) ; Kollanus; Jukka; (Pirkkala, FI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DRINKER BIDDLE & REATH (DC)
1500 K STREET, N.W.
SUITE 1100
WASHINGTON
DC
20005-1209
US
|
Family ID: |
30129390 |
Appl. No.: |
10/586043 |
Filed: |
January 14, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
January 14, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FI05/00022 |
371 Date: |
July 14, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
299/1.05 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 2701/34 20130101;
E21C 35/24 20130101; B60L 2200/40 20130101; E21F 17/06 20130101;
Y02T 10/72 20130101; B60L 9/00 20130101; B60L 2240/70 20130101;
H02G 11/02 20130101; Y02T 90/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
299/001.05 |
International
Class: |
E21C 35/08 20060101
E21C035/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 16, 2004 |
FI |
20040058 |
Claims
1. An arrangement for data transmission in a mine or the like, the
arrangement comprising: a mine information system consisting of at
least a control unit of the mine, a mining vehicle information
system consisting of at least a control unit of the mining vehicle,
at least one supply cable that comprises at least one data
transmission cable and is arranged to transmit data between the
information system of the mine and the information system of the
mining vehicle, and the first end of the supply cable is connected
to the information system of the mine, a reel arranged in the
mining vehicle and having a drum rotatable around its centre axis
for storing the supply cable in the mining vehicle, means for
connecting the second end of the supply cable to the reel drum,
connecting means for connecting the data transmission cable in the
supply cable from the rotating drum to the information system of
the mining vehicle, and wherein the supply cable has at least a
first data transmission cable for transmitting data
unidirectionally from the information system of the mine to the
information system of the mining vehicle, and a second data
transmission cable for unidirectional data transmission from the
information system of the mining vehicle to the information system
of the mine, said connection means comprise a first rotating
connection element on the first end of the drum, and a second
rotating connection element on the second end of the drum, the
rotating connection elements are arranged on the centre axis of the
drum, the rotating connection element comprises a rotor and a
stator, with the rotor arranged to rotate with the drum around the
centre axis and the stator arranged non-rotatable, the rotor of the
first rotating connection element is connected to the first data
transmission cable of the supply cable, and the stator is connected
to the information system of the mining vehicle, and the rotor of
the second rotating connection element is connected to the second
data transmission cable of the supply cable, and the stator is
connected to the information system of the mining vehicle.
2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply cable
comprises more than two one-way data transmission cables, and only
two data transmission cables at a time are connected to transmit
information between the information systems.
3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply cable
comprises at least one electric supply cable, and the drum has
power transmission means for establishing an electric connection
between the electric supply cable and mining vehicle electric
system.
4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data
transmission cables are optical fibre cables, and the rotating
connection elements are rotating optical fibre connectors.
5. A cable reel for storing a supply cable of a mining vehicle, the
reel comprising: a drum on the outer surface of which a supply
cable is wound, a first end and a second end of the drum, a centre
axis around which the drum turns; and, connection means for
connecting the at least one data transmission cable in the supply
cable to an information system external to the reel, and wherein
the supply cable has a first data transmission cable and a second
data transmission cable, on the first end of the drum, there is a
first rotating connection element, on the second end of the drum,
there is a second rotating connection element, the rotating
connection elements are arranged on the centre axis of the drum,
the rotating connection element comprises a rotor and a stator, and
the rotor is arranged to rotate with the drum around the centre
axis and the stator is arranged non-rotatable, the rotor of the
first rotating connection element is connected to the first data
transmission cable of the supply cable, and the stator is connected
to the information system of the mining vehicle, and the rotor of
the second rotating connection element is connected to the second
data transmission cable of the supply cable, and the stator is
connected to the information system of the mining vehicle.
6. A reel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the supply cable comprises
at least one electric supply cable, and the drum has power
transmission means for establishing an electric connection between
the electric supply cable and the electric system of the mining
vehicle.
7. A reel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the data transmission
cables are optical fibre cables; and the rotating connection
elements are rotating optical fibre connectors.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to an arrangement for data
transmission in a mine or the like, the arrangement comprising: an
mine information system consisting of at least a control unit of
the mine; a mining vehicle information system consisting of at
least a control unit of the mining vehicle; at least one supply
cable that comprises at least one data transmission cable and is
arranged to transmit data between the information system of the
mine and the information system of the mining vehicle, and the
first end of the supply cable is connected to the information
system of the mine; a reel arranged in the mining vehicle and
having a drum rotatable around its centre axis for storing the
supply cable in the mining vehicle; means for connecting the second
end of the supply cable to the reel drum; and connecting means for
connecting the data transmission cable in the supply cable from the
rotating drum to the information system of the mining vehicle.
[0002] The invention further relates to a cable reel for storing
the supply cable of a mining vehicle, the reel comprising: a drum,
on the outer surface of which the supply cable can be wound; a
first end and a second end of the drum; a centre axis around which
the drum is rotated; and connection means for connecting at least
one data transmission cable in the supply cable to an information
system external to the reel.
[0003] Both manned and unmanned mining vehicles are used in mines.
Bidirectional data transmission is required between the mining
vehicle and the control room of the mine so as to be able to give
control commands to the mining vehicle and so that mining vehicles
can transmit information on their locations and the tasks they
perform to the control room. The bidirectional data transmission
between the information systems of the mining vehicle and mine can
take place by means of one data transmission cable. However, the
limited data transmission capacity of the data transmission cable
then creates a problem. In addition, bidirectional data
transmission in one cable requires complex devices to arrange.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel
and improved arrangement for data transmission in a mine, and a
cable reel.
[0005] The arrangement of the invention is characterized in that
the supply cable has at least a first data transmission cable for
transmitting data unidirectionally from the information system of
the mine to the information system of the mining vehicle, and a
second data transmission cable for unidirectional data transmission
from the information system of the mining vehicle to the
information system of the mine; that said connection means comprise
a first rotating connection element on the first end of the drum,
and a second rotating connection element on the second end of the
drum; that the rotating connection elements are arranged on the
centre axis of the drum; that the rotating connection element
comprises a rotor and a stator, and the rotor is arranged to rotate
with the drum around the centre axis and the stator is arranged
non-rotatable; that the rotor of the first rotating connection
element is connected to the first data transmission cable of the
supply cable, and the stator is connected to the information system
of the mining vehicle; and that the rotor of the second rotating
connection element is connected to the second data transmission
cable of the supply cable, and the stator is connected to the
information system of the mining vehicle.
[0006] The cable reel of the invention is characterized in that the
supply cable has a first data transmission cable for data
transmission and a second data transmission cable for data
transmission; that the first end of the drum has a first rotating
connection element; that the second end of the drum has a second
rotating connection element; that the rotating connection elements
are arranged on the centre axis of the drum; that the rotating
connection element comprises a rotor and a stator, with the rotor
arranged to rotate with the drum around the centre axis and the
stator arranged non-rotatable; that the rotor of the first rotating
connection element is connected to the first data transmission
cable of the supply cable, and the stator is connected to the
information system of the mining vehicle; and that the rotor of the
second rotating connection element is connected to the second data
transmission cable of the supply cable, and the stator is connected
to the information system of the mining vehicle.
[0007] The essential idea of the invention is that data
transmission between the information system of the mine and the
information system of the mining vehicle is arranged using two
unidirectional data transmission cables. Information is transmitted
from the information system of the mine to the information system
of the mining vehicle over the first cable, and data transmission
in the opposite direction takes place over the second cable. The
data transmission cables are arranged in the supply cable that can
be stored on a reel in the mining vehicle. The reel has a rotatable
drum on which the supply cable can be wound. The first end of the
drum has a first rotating connection element for connecting the
first data transmission cable to the information system of the
mining vehicle. Correspondingly, the second end of the drum has a
second rotating connection element for connecting the second data
transmission cable to the information system of the mining vehicle.
The rotating connection element comprises a rotor and a stator,
with the rotor arranged to rotate with the drum and the stator
arranged non-rotatable. Further, the rotor is connected to one data
transmission cable in the supply cable, and the stator is connected
to the information system of the mining vehicle.
[0008] An advantage of the invention is that bidirectional data
transmission between the information system of the mining vehicle
and the information system of the mine can be implemented using two
unidirectional data transmission cables that can be arranged inside
the supply cable. Because information is transmitted in the data
transmission cable in one direction only, it is possible to
transmit very large amounts of data without problems. Further, when
a reel equipped with the rotating connection elements of the
invention is used, the unidirectional data transmission cables can
be connected in a relatively simple manner to the information
system of the mining vehicle.
[0009] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is to
use two optical fibre cables, a first optical fibre cable to
transmit data from the information system of the mine to the
information system of the mining vehicle and a second optical fibre
cable for data transmission in the opposite direction.
[0010] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that
the rotating connection element is an optical cable connector.
[0011] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that
the supply cable has more than two data transmission cables and
that only two data transmission cables at a time are connected to
the information system. Then the supply cable has extra data
transmission cables in reserve. If one of the used data
transmission cables is damaged, the damaged cable can be replaced
by connecting an inactive extra data transmission cable for
use.
[0012] An essential idea of an embodiment of the invention is that
the supply cable comprises at least one electric supply cable. In
such a case, power transmission means are arranged to the reel drum
to set up an electric connection between the electric supply cable
and the electric system of the mining vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0013] The invention is described in more detail in the attached
drawings, in which
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an arrangement of
the invention in a mine,
[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional representation of a
section of a supply cable,
[0016] FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a cable reel of the
invention, and
[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a rotating connection
element.
[0018] In the figures, the invention is shown in a simplified
manner for the sake of clarity. Where possible, similar parts are
marked with the same reference numbers in the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0019] FIG. 1 shows an arrangement of the invention. The mining
vehicle 1 can be a loading vehicle like the one shown in FIG. 1, or
it may be a rock drilling rig, transport vehicle or the like. The
mining vehicle 1 can be electrically driven, in which case it is
connected by a supply cable 2 to the electrical power network 3 of
the mine. One end of the supply cable 2 can be connected to a
connection unit 4 arranged in the mine, and the other end of the
cable can be connected to a reel 5 in the mining vehicle 1. The
reel 5 is arranged rotatable relative to its axis 6 so that a
required amount of supply cable 2 can be wound around the reel 5.
The reel 5 can have power transmission means, such as slip rings or
the like, by means of which electric conductors in the supply cable
2 can be connected to the electric system 7 of the mining vehicle 1
that conducts electric current on to a motor 8 and other electric
devices in the mining vehicle 1. Means for affecting the rotation
of the reel 5 may belong to it or be arranged to it.
[0020] It should be mentioned that in this application, a mine
refers to both surface and underground mines, quarries and the
like, as well as tunnels and other work sites.
[0021] The mining vehicle 1 may be manned or unmanned. An unmanned
mining vehicle may be arranged to run automatically in the mine by
its own navigation system, or alternatively there may be
identifiers in the mine and the mining vehicle 1 navigates in the
mine by reading them. Further, an unmanned mining vehicle 1 may be
guided by remote control from a control room 9. In such a case, the
mining vehicle 1 has one or more cameras 10 and measuring devices
11 that transmit information to the control room 9. On the basis of
the received information, the operator can give control commands to
the mining vehicle. Two-way data transmission is then required
between the mining vehicle 1 and the control room 9. Two-way data
transmission is also required when using automatic mining vehicles,
because unmanned mining vehicles 1 should transmit information of
their location and the tasks they have performed so that the mining
vehicles 1 can be monitored. In addition, new tasks and updates can
be transmitted to the mining vehicles during operation.
[0022] A mining vehicle I can have an information system that
comprises a control unit 12. The mine further has a control unit 13
that may be part of the information system of the mine. There may
be two-way data transmission between the control units 12 and 13,
based on the utilization of two data transmission cables arranged
for one-way data transmission. The data transmission cables may be
optical fibre cables arranged in the supply cable. Each optical
fibre cable in the supply cable 2 is arranged to transmit data in
one direction only. The first optical fibre cable is then arranged
to transmit data from the control unit 13 of the mine to the
control unit 12 in the mining vehicle, and the second optical fibre
cable is arranged to transmit data in the opposite direction.
Because the optical fibre cable is used in one-way data
transmission only, it may have a high data transmission capacity.
The control unit 13 of the mine may be connected to the connection
unit 4, to which the supply cable 2 can be connected.
[0023] FIG. 2 shows in cross-section a section of a supply cable 2.
The supply cable 2 may comprise a protective cover 14 inside which
an electric supply cable 15 and a first optical fibre cable 16 and
a second optical fibre cable 17 may be arranged. If necessary, the
supply cable 2 may comprise extra optical fibre cables 18 and 19
that may be taken into use if the used optical fibre cable 16 or 17
is damaged. The space between the protective cover 14 and the
cables 15 to 19 can be filled with a suitable protective or
isolation material.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a top view of the reel 5 of the invention. FIG. 3
is simplified for the sake of clarity. The reel 5 may comprise a
drum 20 that is turnable relative to the centre axis 21. The drum
20 may comprise a cylindrical mantle or it may comprise one or more
other surfaces around which the supply cable 2 can be wound and
respectively unwound by turning the drum 20. The opposite ends of
the drum 20 may have end flanges 22. The reel 5 may further
comprise a rotating device 23 that rotates the drum 20 by means of
transmission elements 24 in direction A. When the mining vehicle 1
moves in direction B, the reel 5 may release the supply cable 2 or
store it. The drum 20 may be mounted by bearings 25 on the mining
vehicle 1. The first end of the supply cable 2 may be connected to
the connection unit 4 and the second end may be connected to the
drum 20. Inside the drum 20, the various cables 15 to 17 in the
supply cable 2 can be separated and led to the ends of the drum 20.
At the second end of the supply cable 5, the electric supply cable
15 is connected by means of power transmission means 26 to the
electric system 7 of the mining vehicle 1. The power transmission
unit 26 may comprise a slip ring or the like to enable electric
supply from a rotating drum 20 to the electric system 7. Further,
the first optical fibre cable 16 can be led to a first rotating
connection element 27 at the first end of the drum 20, and
correspondingly the second optical fibre cable 17 can be led to a
second rotating connection element 28 at the second end of the drum
20. By means of the rotating connection elements 27 and 28, the
optical fibre cables 16 and 17 rotating with the drum 20 can be
connected to the non-rotating data transmission cables 29 and 30 or
the like that are in the mining vehicle 1 and are part of the
information system of the mining vehicle. It is also possible to
form one or more connecting cables and parts inside the drum 20
between the second end of the supply cable 2 and the rotating
connection element 27, 28. Correspondingly, in connection with the
drum 20, there may be one or more conductor elements between the
second end of the supply cable and the power transmission means
26.
[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates a rotating connection element 27. The
rotating connection element 27 may comprise a rotor 31 arranged to
rotate in direction A around the axis 21 together with the drum 20.
Further, the connection element 27 may comprise a stator 32
fastened non-rotatably relative to the body 33 of the mining
vehicle 1. The optical light cable 29 leading to the control unit
12 of the mining vehicle 1 can be connected to the stator 32 and
the optical light cable 16 on the drum 20 can be connected to the
rotor 31. The rotating connection elements 27, 28 are arranged
coaxial to the drum 20.
[0026] It should be noted that it is also possible to use any other
data transmission cable intended for one-way data transmission
instead of an optical fibre cable.
[0027] Further, in some cases the cable reel of the invention can
also be used with data transmission cables adapted for two-way data
transmission.
[0028] The drawings and the related description are only intended
to illustrate the idea of the invention. The invention may vary in
detail within the scope of the claims.
* * * * *