#Navigation

The LHD navigation system was first tested on a vehicle operating in a simulated mining tunnel on the QCAT site. Our solution involved placing a number of sensors on the LHD, including high speed scanning lasers, and developing software to control the machine. Unlike competitive systems, our automation system is based upon the principals of reactive navigation and opportunistic localisation - meaning that there is no prescribed path for the vehicle to take, but rather the system continuously reacts to the environment and tunnels walls and decides how to respond. As it drives the loader builds a map of the underground structure and compares it to an abstract mine map, evaluating the information before proceeding. The advantage of this system is that it is able to tolerate errors in position and lack of traction. If the vehicle is slightly off the expected path, it can quickly regain its normal course.

Load Haul Dump (LHD) Automation

An LHD is a mid-sized (up to 60 tonnes) underground mining vehicle that loads, hauls and dumps (hence its name) […]