Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy

Jarkko Ruokojarvi

Janne Kallio

Antti Lehtinen

A method for a zone passage control system for an underground worksite having a plurality of operation zones for autonomously operating mobile vehicle operations includes the steps of associating a first passage control unit with a first zone and a second zone, detecting state parameter information of the first zone and the second zone, merging the first zone and the second zone into a fusion zone on the basis of the state parameter information of the first zone and the second zone, and adapting the zone passage control system to allow a first autonomously operating mobile vehicle to pass the first passage control unit in the fusion zone without interrupting operation of a second autonomously operating mobile vehicle in the first zone and/or the second zone.

Zone passage control in worksite

A method for zone passage control in an underground worksite having a plurality of operation zones for autonomously operating mobile vehicle operations includes the steps of receiving position information of at least one autonomously operating mobile vehicle in a fusion zone merged of at least a first zone and a second zone associated with a first passage control unit, and in response to detecting a mobile object by a second passage control unit associated with the first zone, performing: checking position of the at least one autonomously operating mobile vehicle, in response to an autonomously operating mobile vehicle being positioned in the second zone, preventing a control command to stop the autonomously operating mobile vehicle in the second zone, and demerging the first zone and the second zone.

A system for zone passage control for a zone of an autonomously operating mobile object includes at least a set of detection units to detect at least one mobile object entering and/or exiting the zone, a set of identification units arranged to identify the mobile object entering and/or exiting the zone, and a central controller being arranged in operational connection with the set of the detection units and with the set of the identification units. An admissibility level for a mobile object to enter the zone is determined and a control signal to stop at least one autonomously operating mobile object existing in the zone is provided in response to the determined admissibility level being negative for the mobile object entered the zone.

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Tampere, Finland

Jarkko Ruokojarvi