Overview
Cat® MineStar™ Command for underground enables remote operation of load-haul-dump machines to deliver immediate productivity and efficiency gains to your operation. The system improves safety by removing operators from hazardous environments. It also delivers machine utilization increases over line-of-sight mucking operations by reducing the downtime required for shift changes, blast times, and any other conditions that can remove operators from the face.
Options range from simple line-of-sight to full autonomy. This building block approach allows miners to capture value at their most economic entry point while allowing scalability as technology maturity grows.
Benefits & Features
Safety
- Provides ability to relocate operators to a safe, comfortable location underground or on the surface, increasing safety and reducing fatigue.
- Eliminates exposure to noise, dust, seismic activity and other underground hazards, and reduces the need for air delivery and cooling.
- Decreases potential for injury from slips, trips and falls when climbing on and off machine.
Capabilities
- Combines machine guidance capabilities with mine infrastructure to enable automated tramming through narrow mine drives and provides three levels of operation.
- Teleremote, used for bucket loading and unloading, which enables the machine to be run from a distant location with the operator providing all machine input.
- Copilot semi-autonomous operation, which enables the operator to monitor the machine’s location on a mine plan and use the joysticks to give the machine directional input if necessary; leverages on-board scanners, combined with radio network infrastructure, to ensure the machine self-steers along a safe path.
- Autopilot autonomous machine operation (tramming and dump cycle), which allows the machine to auto tram, dump and return for operator control of the loading process; allows full operator control of the system to be obtained through teleremote mode.
- Provides control of all operational functions utilized in the cab through seat-mounted joysticks in the remote operator station.
- Real-time view of machine location and status through onboard cameras, along with guidance systems.
Scalability
- Ranges from simple line-of-sight to full autonomy, offering scalability that allows mines to build to their desired level of technology.
- Allows you to configure and automate the drilling system to meet needs today, with the ability to easily grow into tomorrow.
- Scalable architecture that allows sites to readily integrate new emerging technologies in the future.
Specifications
Units:
Benefits & Features
Safety
- Provides ability to relocate operators to a safe, comfortable location underground or on the surface, increasing safety and reducing fatigue.
- Eliminates exposure to noise, dust, seismic activity and other underground hazards, and reduces the need for air delivery and cooling.
- Decreases potential for injury from slips, trips and falls when climbing on and off machine.
Capabilities
- Combines machine guidance capabilities with mine infrastructure to enable automated tramming through narrow mine drives and provides three levels of operation.
- Teleremote, used for bucket loading and unloading, which enables the machine to be run from a distant location with the operator providing all machine input.
- Copilot semi-autonomous operation, which enables the operator to monitor the machine’s location on a mine plan and use the joysticks to give the machine directional input if necessary; leverages on-board scanners, combined with radio network infrastructure, to ensure the machine self-steers along a safe path.
- Autopilot autonomous machine operation (tramming and dump cycle), which allows the machine to auto tram, dump and return for operator control of the loading process; allows full operator control of the system to be obtained through teleremote mode.
- Provides control of all operational functions utilized in the cab through seat-mounted joysticks in the remote operator station.
- Real-time view of machine location and status through onboard cameras, along with guidance systems.
Scalability
- Ranges from simple line-of-sight to full autonomy, offering scalability that allows mines to build to their desired level of technology.
- Allows you to configure and automate the drilling system to meet needs today, with the ability to easily grow into tomorrow.
- Scalable architecture that allows sites to readily integrate new emerging technologies in the future.
Productivity & Efficiency
- Increases machine utilization by reducing the downtime required for shift changes, blast times, and other conditions that can remove operators from the face; enables continued use of machine without putting operators at risk.
- Makes it possible to access deeper ore bodies that were previously not extractable.
- Boosts productivity by allowing one operator to control multiple machines.
- Reduces operator fatigue and drives consistent productivity through the shift.
- Enables second-gear tramming for increased efficiency.
Reduced Costs
- Improves accuracy of tunnel navigation, boosting productivity and reducing machine damage caused by contact with drive walls.
- Enables reduced fleet size by making it possible for a single machine to pull from the draw point and tram in second gear to the ore pass, eliminating rehandling and the need for another machine.
- Improves operator comfort, retention and recruitment and helps address the skills crisis.
- Reduces but does not eliminate workforce.
- Improves machine longevity, with machine consistently operating to optimum parameters.
Integration
- Integrates with Cat machine electronic control systems, saving installation time and speeding machine response time compared to aftermarket systems.
- Is designed as part of Cat MineStar, a system that is used and supported around the world on thousands of machines.
- Provides access to all operational features, and notifications of critical machine health parameters.
Sustainability
- Delivers consistent and more efficient operations to reduce fuel usage, which translates to a reduction in emissions.
- Enables higher machine utilization, for reductions in idle time and less wasted fuel.
- Incorporates machine health technologies and data analytics to maximize asset health and performance, reducing waste.
Data not available.