Modular Mining Systems, Inc.

Lyle V Johnson

Jonathan P Olson

Eric S Gustafson

Lee J Smith

An intra-vehicle communications system in a mining vehicle monitoring system. A status sensor, status radio transmitter and power source are located adjacent to a portion or component of the vehicle to be monitored and a status radio receiver is located adjacent to a vehicle-to-base transmitter that receives a status radio signal from the status radio transmitter and forwards that signal to a base station at a central monitoring location. Preferably a plurality of such sensors, status radio transmitters and respective power sources are distributed throughout the vehicle. The status radio transmitters are relatively low power devices which require relatively low power for operation. Preferably the vehicle-to-base radio operates at a different frequency from the intra-vehicle status radios so as to avoid mutual interference. In many cases the power sources obtain their power from the motion of the vehicle itself.

Intra-vehicle communications system in a mining vehicle monitoring system

A slope monitoring device includes a cable anchored at one end to the sloped wall of an open pit mine, dump, or the like. The cable extends over an idler pulley at the top of the sloped wall and passes around a further pulley coupled to an optical shaft encoder which generates a digital signal corresponding to the angular position of the pulley. The cable is engaged by a clutch and is wound about a play-off reel, each secured to a weighted sleeve slidingly extending about a vertical post. The weighted sleeve maintains tension upon the cable, while the clutch allows additional cable to be played off of the reel when tension is increased due to movement of the wall. The shaft encoder information, along with the temperature, battery condition, and cable condition, are transmitted by radio to a remote location for processing.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Lyle V Johnson