Systems and methods for automated control of a beam stageloader bootend
AssigneeJoy Global Underground Mining LLC
InventorBenjamin John Robert Lepre
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Automated control of a longwall stageloader bootend using a plurality of sensors. The sensors include lift sensors, side shift sensors, advance sensors, angle sensors, and conveyor belt sensors. Signals from the plurality of sensors are received by a controller and used to control the operation of the bootend. Controlling the operation of the bootend includes controlling, for example, one or more lift actuators, one or more side shift actuators, one or more advance actuators, and one or more belt actuators. These various actuators can be controlled to, for example, advance the bootend, level the bootend, or match the interfaces between the bootend and a stageloader or a conveyor structure.
Claims20
A beam stageloader bootend comprising:
- at least one side shift actuator configured to laterally move the bootend with respect to a conveyor belt;
- a side shift sensor configured to generate a side shift sensor output signal related to a lateral position of the bootend with respect to the conveyor belt;
- and
- a controller connected to the side shift sensor and the at least one side shift actuator, the controller including a non-transitory computer readable medium and a processor, the controller including computer executable instructions stored in the computer readable medium for controlling operation of the bootend to:
- receive the side shift sensor output signal,
- determine the lateral position of the bootend with respect to the conveyor belt based on the side shift sensor output signal, and
- generate a control signal for the at least one side shift actuator to adjust the position of the at least one side shift actuator based on the lateral position of the bootend with respect to the conveyor belt.
A controller for controlling a beam stageloader bootend, the controller including a non-transitory computer readable medium and a processor, the controller including computer executable instructions stored in the computer readable medium for controlling operation of the bootend to:
- receive a side shift sensor output signal from a side shift sensor;
- determine a lateral position of the bootend with respect to a conveyor belt based on the side shift sensor output signal;
- and
- generate a control signal for at least one side shift actuator to adjust the position of the at least one side shift actuator based on the lateral position of the bootend with respect to the conveyor belt.
A computer-implemented method for controlling a beam stageloader bootend, the bootend including at least one side shift actuator and a side shift sensor, the method comprising:
- receiving a side shift sensor output signal from the side shift sensor;
- determining the lateral position of the bootend with respect to a conveyor belt based on the side shift sensor output signal;
- and
- generating a control signal for the at least one side shift actuator to adjust the position of the at least one side shift actuator based on the lateral position of the bootend with respect to the conveyor belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.