Technological Resources Pty. Limited

The University of Sydney

Charles Benjamin McHugh

Eric William Nettleton

Florian Oppolzer

Florian Andreas Oppoizer

Annette Pal

A system for mining material in a seam under an overburden layer using a geological model map of a geological formation, including a desired drilling end point at a predefined position relative to a geological boundary between the overburden layer and seam. A drill controller controls operation of a drill drilling a blast hole. A sensor pack senses, while drilling the blast hole, blast hole drilling operation parameters; and feeds the sensed parameters in real time to the drill controller. A data storage module stores a geological model of the geological formation and sensed parameters data. A processor module generates a geological model map including the desired drilling end point and locates the drill bit position relative to the geological boundary and such end point. The drill controller drills to the desired drilling end point and causes the drill to stop drilling upon reaching such end point.

Method of, and a system for, drilling to a position relative to a geological boundary

A systemfor controlling a drilling operation by a drill rigincludes a receiverfor receiving sensed data related to the drilling operation. A processoris in communication with the receiver, the processorprocessing the sensed data to estimate at least one geological property of interest of a zonein which the drill rigis active. The processoris configured to operate as a decision engineto optimize the drilling operation automatically by changing at least one drilling related parameter during the drilling operation based on the at least one geological property of interest.

Method of, and a system for, controlling a drilling operation

A system for drilling to a position relative to a geological boundary in a geological formation includes a sensor pack for sensing parameters associated with a drilling operation carried out in the geological formation by a drill. A data storage module stores a geological model of the geological formation and data relating to the sensed parameters, including data relating to the geological boundary. A processor module monitors the drilling operation using the sensed parameters data to locate the position of a drill bit of the drill in the geological formation and its corresponding position within the geological model. The processor module generates an end point at a defined position relative to the geological boundary. A drill controller communicates with the processor module, the drill controller controlling operation of the drill to cause the drill to cease drilling when the end point has been reached.

A systemfor controlling operation of a vehiclein a defined areaincludes a perimeterdefining a boundary of the defined area. A user interfaceis provided for at least one of controlling and monitoring movement of the vehicleas it traverses the areaand monitoring the location of the vehiclerelative to the perimeter. The systemfurther includes a controllerto which the vehicleis responsive, the vehiclehaving a plurality of modes of operation, one of which is an autonomous mode and another of which is an operator controlled mode. The controlleris operative, when the vehicleis operating in the autonomous mode and the vehicle comes within a predetermined range of the perimeter, to inhibit the vehiclefrom crossing the perimeterand, when the vehicleis operating in the operator controlled mode or is converted from autonomous mode to operator controlled mode, to permit the vehicleto cross the perimeterunder control of the operator.

System for, and method of, controlling operation of a vehicle in a defined area

A surveying systemincludes a data storage systemcontaining survey data defining a terrain modelof a region. A processor moduleis configured to interrogate the data storage systemautomatically to assess characteristics of the survey data to determine whether or not the survey data require updating and to provide instructions automatically to scanning equipmentto scan the regionto provide updated survey data to the processor moduleto enable the processor moduleto update the terrain model

Method of surveying and a surveying system

System for, and a method of, controlling operation of a vehicle in a defined area

A system () for controlling a drilling operation by a drill rig () includes a receiver () for receiving sensed data related to the drilling operation. A processor () is in communication with the receiver (), the processor () processing the sensed data to estimate at least one geological property of interest of a zone () in which the drill rig () is active. The processor () is configured to operate as a decision engine () to optimize the drilling operation automatically by changing at least one drilling related parameter during the drilling operation based on the at least one geological property of interest.

A system and method for the drilling of ground holes by a track steer drill rig. The system and method include a drilling arrangement that permits the speed of drilling holes to be balanced against the stability of the hole thus formed. The system and method allow for the autonomous drilling of ground holes and, particularly, although not exclusively, for the purposes of exploration, mining, and/or construction. In particular, the system and method relate to the autonomous drilling of ground holes which are used for subsequent blasting.

Growing community of inventors

Kensington, Australia

Charles Benjamin McHugh