Dbt Gmbh

Dbt Automation Gmbh

Caterpillar Global Mining Europe Gmbh

Westfalia Becorit Industrietechnik Gmbh

Reliance Electric Industrial Company

Dbt Deutsche Bergbau-technik Gmbh

Bucyrus Europe Gmbh

Dbh Gmbh

Jens Titschert

Sebastian M Mundry

Wilfried Weigel

Jürgen Tschöpe

Hans-Udo Rheiner

Michael Dettmers

Franz-Heinrich Suilmann

Reiner Frank

Helmut Hermann

Arno Breimhorst

Emmanuel Charruau

Bernd-Christian Pago

Martin Eickhoff

Gerhard Merten

Werner Reinelt

Johannes Wesselmann

Patrick Hantke

Torsten Boldt

Markus Lenzing

Jörg Wagener

Ulrich Ballauf

James Hassell

Achim Sondermann

Ferdinand Uhlendorf

Jurgen Romanski

Horst Wagner

Hemut Hermann

Jorg Wagner

Jeff Travis

Arno Breimhost

Norbert Schwarz

Dan Ferguson

Bernhard Voss

Jochen Mattern

A hydraulic assembly for a mining system is disclosed. The hydraulic assembly may have at least one control valve for controlling a supply of hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic actuator of the mining system. The hydraulic assembly may also have at least one temperature sensor associated with the at least one control valve. The at least one temperature sensor may be configured to measure a temperature of the at least one control valve. In addition, the hydraulic assembly may have a control unit in communication with the at least one temperature sensor. The control unit may be configured to receive the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor. The control unit may also be configured to determine that a leakage has occurred in the at least one control valve based on the temperature.

Hydraulic assembly for a mining system

An intrinsically-safe battery power supply for electrical equipment in underground mining and in other areas exposed to the danger of explosion is disclosed. The power supply includes at least one chargeable storage battery cell disposed in a battery housing. At least one storage battery cell comprises a chargeable lithium storage battery cell and the battery housing is configured to be pressure-resistant and to receive all lithium storage battery cells in a manner so as to be protected from explosion. The pressure-resistant configuration of the battery housing enables the use of lithium storage battery cells in underground mining. Once the battery power supply fulfills all requirements of ignition protection certification, even modern types of lithium storage battery cell can be disposed in the battery housing.

Intrinsically-safe battery power supply for underground mining

A protective circuit () for intrinsically safe electromagnetic actuators operating at the voltage of a power supply approved for underground mining, for switching electrohydraulic valves in underground mining, comprising a coil () connected to a first potential () and a second potential () of the power supply and associated with at least two spaced apart short-circuit means () connected in parallel with the electromagnetic actuator coil () for short-circuiting ting the coil in the event of a reversal of the potential of the coil voltage. In accordance with the present invention the protective circuit comprises a semiconductor switch (T) which is inserted between the coil () and the second potential () and, in the event of a voltage reduction or potential reversal, isolates the coil () from the second potential, so that the discharge from the coil () has no adverse effect on the energy supply system or the intrinsic safety.

Protective circuit for intrinsically safe electro-magnetic actuators, and protective circuit for intrinsically safe energy supply systems

A protection circuit for intrinsically safe electromagnetic actuators operating on the voltage from a power unit () approved for underground mining, for switching electrohydraulic valves () in underground mining, comprising at least two spaced-apart short-circuit means (orA) connected in parallel with the electromagnetic actuator coil () for short-circuiting the coil in the event of a reversal of the coil voltage. According to the invention, at least one of the short-circuit means comprises a short-circuit semi-conductor switch (orA) and a voltage-reversal detecting circuit () for activating the short-circuit semiconductor switch ().

Protection circuit for intrinsically safe electro-magnetic actuators and a protection circuit for intrinsically safe energy supply systems

A housing cover for a solenoid housing operable for accommodating solenoids for switching hydraulic directional valves is disclosed. A housing cover box has a plurality of side walls, a top side, and an open bottom side, with first and second actuating guides for guiding first and second solenoid control push rods being located on the top side. A plug connector is located between the actuating guides. At least one screw clearance hole is located at each corner of the housing cover box for locating a screw for joining the housing cover box to the solenoid housing. A sealing plate is located between the housing cover box and the solenoid housing, and at least one mounting foot is located at a corner and on a bottom surface of the housing cover box. A tubular spigot is aligned with and extends each screw clearance hole.

Housing cover for switching solenoid housing

The present invention is an individual controller for shield support frames in underground mining, having a shallow box-shaped housing for holding microelectronics comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls, a front wall and a back wall, with receptacles for connecting cable plugs from sensors and actuators and with at least one socket for connecting a plug of a cable for communicating with an adjacent individual controller.

Individual controller for shield support frames

The invention relates to a mining electromagnet for the switching of hydraulic pilot valves or main control valves used in underground mining operations, with a coil which can be connected to an intrinsically-safe power unit, with an armature which can be displaced by application of current to the coil and with an electronic control device, by means of which the current which is conducted to the coil can be set during the drawing-in phase of the armature to an excitation current, and in its holding phase can be set to a holding current which is lower than the excitation current. According to the invention, a storage meansis allocated to the mining electromagnet, said storage means being capable of being charged with the power unit voltage of the power unit, and switched in series with the power unit by the initiation of a switching process for the electromagnets, and which, by means of its discharge during the duration of the drawing-in phase, causes an increase in the voltage imposed at the coil of the electromagnet which is to be switched. In preferred embodiments of the invention, twice as many electromagnets can be switched in the same time and supplied with one common power unit.

Mining solenoid

A controller is disclosed for control operations in underground mining, especially for controllers to control support shields. The controller utilizes a central unit with a microprocessor and assigned, programmable memory devices for the storage and processing of software as well as a connector unit with connectors or circuits for communication between the controller and other controllers and/or actuators, sensors or the like, that are to be controlled with the controller. Both the central unit and the connector unit utilize a modular design. A collection of modules with different performances and/or functionalities are provided for both the central unit and the connector unit to form the hardware of a controller. The modules can be combined with one another and coupled together according to a modular concept.

Controller for underground mining

An electro-hydraulic assembly for use in underground mining is disclosed. The assembly includes a hydraulic component, such as a valve block for an underground self-advancing roof support, as well as actuators and/or sensors which have a housing and can be connected or are connected via a data-transmission system to a control unit. A function (e.g. withdrawing the support, setting, advancing, or the like) can be activated at the hydraulic component by each actuator, and/or a hydraulic state associated with a measuring point of the hydraulic component or another measured variable associated with the self-advancing roof support can be measured by each sensor. A reader unit is associated with each actuator and/or sensor in its respective housing, and an information element or transponder is associated with the hydraulic component for each function, each control valve, or each measuring point. The information in the information element or transponder is readable by the reader unit and transmittable to the control unit. All the control valves and sensors are coded for the control unit and the control unit can associate each actuator with its corresponding control valve. In this way, it can be known which actuator is associated with which function of the hydraulic component and connection faults can be avoided.

Assembly for use in underground mining

The pressure cell device according to the invention serves for measuring hydraulic pressures in hydraulic mining devices in an inherently secure service region. It is provided with a connection element which can be connected to a pressure reception connection and with a sensor housing, on the inside of which is arranged a hydroelectric pressure transducer which is pressurised by the hydraulic pressure present at the pressure reception connection and converts this into an electrical signal. So as to ensure high measurement accuracy over a long operating period, without it being necessary to have exchanges of the pressure transducer or its new calibration, it is provided according to the invention that the pressure transducer comprises a ceramic pressure measuring cell.

Pressure cell device for measuring hydraulic pressures

The present invention relates to a method for operation of an electro-magnet () connected to an intrinsically safe direct current circuit which can be switched under control between two positions for the operation of the closing body of a hydraulic valve (), whereby using of an electronic control unit, the coil windings of the electro-magnet () are taken in the pull-in phase of the armature of the electro-magnet to an exciting current and in the retaining phase of the armature to a lower retaining current as opposed to the excitating current, and a device with which the retaining current reduction is realized.

Method and a device for operating an electro-magnet on an intrinsically safe direct current circuit

A method and a circuit arrangement () for the measurement of earth leakage in intrinsically safe current feeds to electronic control units () for underground mining installations and machines, whereby at least one earthed control unit is connected to the two intrinsically safe potentials of an intrinsically safe direct current supply () and at least one earth leakage sensor () is provided for earth leakage measurement with which steps of the periodical application of a test potential (U) from an intrinsically safe switchable test voltage source () to an RC-element (), isolated from earth () by means of decoupling capacitors (C, C), measurement of the charging or discharging current behaviour of the RC-element () after each switching of the test voltage source () and comparison of the measured charging or discharging behaviour with stored reference data.

Method and circuit arrangement for measuring earth leakages in intrinsically safe current feeds

A solenoid operated hydraulic valve for electro-hydraulic controlled underground mining installations such as advancing support frame controllers, with an actuator housing holding coil bodies, an armature, a magnetizable core, and an operating pin of at least two solenoids. The head end for the operating pins of each solenoid has a cut-out for an operating stroke adjuster. A head plate removable from the actuator housing is provided with a manual operating device for each operating pin and is fastened to the head end of the actuator housing with a head seal between them, a removable valve block accepting the hydraulic multi-way valves and an interposed base seal fastened to the actuator housing base. A housing having a socket connects to an intrinsically safe current supply and accepts the operating electronics for the solenoids, and is located on the side of the actuator housing. In each head end cut-out, an electronic protective circuit for the associated coil body is arranged.

Intrinsically safe electrically magnetically operated hydraulic valve

The warning tone transmitter ( ) according to the invention has a piezoelectric horn element ( ) with two input connectors ( ) for the application of the supply voltage at a determined frequency and has a circuit arrangement ( ) fed from the current supply, which generates the supply voltage. In order to be able to receive confirmation that the horn signal is actually generated by the warning tone transmitter ( ) and in order to be able more easily to calibrate the warning tone transmitter ( ) such that it is driven at its resonant frequency the piezoelectric horn element ( ) has an additional output connector ( ), which, when the horn element ( ) is fed with the supply voltage, generates an answering signal taken to the circuit arrangement ( ) if the piezoelement is actually oscillating. The magnitude of the answering signal is a value for the sound volume of the warning tone transmitter ( ).

Warning tone transmitter

A method for controlling the main and auxiliary drives of conveyors, for example, in underground mining. The drives are controlled as a function of the loading of the conveyor in such a way that in a low load range of the conveyor the auxiliary drive produces a higher output (20.sub.I) than the main drives and as the load increases the output advantage of the auxiliary drive in relation to the main drives is reduced. This special load distribution to auxiliary and main drives has the advantage that sagging of the conveyor element, for example the chain of a scraper chain conveyor in the inaccessible and concealed lower strand, close to the main drive, can be prevented. The risk of damage to the machine frame or conveyor chain is thereby reduced.

Growing community of inventors

Lünen, Germany

Jens Titschert