Cable handling system for longwall mining machines

A longwall mining machine, comprising:

• a pan line;
• a shearer configured to move along the pan line to mine material along a mine face;
• a service line configured to carry one or more supply lines to the shearer for facilitating shearer operation;
• a plurality of interconnected trays to accommodate the service line;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• determine a profile of the pan line;
• detect one or more parameters associated with the service line in relation to the profile of the pan line;
• and
• determine a likelihood of at least a portion of the service line dislodging from the plurality of interconnected trays based on one or more value(s) by which the one or more parameters exceed(s) a predefined threshold.

A method for operating a cable handling system of a longwall mining machine having a shearer movable along a pan line to mine material along a mine face, the cable handling system including a service line configured to carry one or more supply lines to the shearer for facilitating shearer operation, and a plurality of interconnected trays to accommodate the service line, the method comprising:

• determining, by a controller, a profile of the pan line based on a position and a movement of the shearer along the pan line;
• detecting, by the controller, one or more parameters associated with the service line in relation to the profile of the pan line;
• and
• determining, by the controller, a likelihood of at least a portion of the service line dislodging from the plurality of interconnected trays based on one or more value(s) by which the one or more parameters exceed(s) a predefined threshold.