Underground mine energy management system

A controller for an underground mine energy management system that includes a plurality of wireless nodes located at different 3D coordinate positions along travel paths throughout an underground mine, wherein energy zones are defined between respective pairs of the plurality of wireless nodes, the controller comprising:

• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• a processor operatively connected to the memory, the processor configured to execute the instructions to:
• communicate with a central control office for the underground mine and each of a plurality of electric mining vehicles, a plurality of energy storage devices configured to be universally and interchangeably installed on and removed from an associated electric mining vehicle of the plurality of electric mining vehicles, and a plurality of charging stations, all operating within the underground mine, wherein the energy storage devices are configured to be one or more of charged at one of the charging stations or installed on a different electric mining vehicle, depending on mine productivity goals or specific missions or prioritized tasks to be performed in the underground mine, wherein each energy zone corresponds to a tunnel of the underground mine;
• receive data indicative of an energy utilization profile for each of the electric mining vehicles traversing each of the energy zones based on a zone-specific energy utilization efficiency of each respective electric mining vehicle as it travels in one of a loaded or unloaded condition along the energy zone, wherein the zone-specific energy utilization efficiency is based on a terrain of the tunnel and whether the electric mining vehicle is loaded or unloaded;
• receive data indicative of an energy storage profile for each of the energy storage devices available to be installed on an associated electric mining vehicle traversing each of the energy zones based on sensed battery characteristic data including one or more of a State of Charge (SOC), State of Health (SOH), number of charge cycles, or cell temperatures for the energy storage device;
• determine missions and prioritized tasks to be performed by each of the electric mining vehicles and each of the energy storage devices separately from the electric mining vehicles during a predetermined period of time;
• pair each electric mining vehicle with at least one energy storage device based on a determined mission or prioritized task, the energy utilization profile for the electric mining vehicle for energy zones associated with the determined mission or prioritized task, and the energy storage profile for the at least one energy storage device;
• and
• generate travel paths made up of a sequence of the energy zones for the paired electric mining vehicles and energy storage devices to complete the determined missions and prioritized tasks.

A method of managing energy consumption in an underground mine that includes a plurality of wireless nodes located at different 3D coordinate positions along travel paths throughout the underground mine, wherein energy zones are defined between respective pairs of the plurality of wireless nodes, the method including:

• communicating, using one or more controllers, with a central control office for the mine and each of a plurality of electric mining vehicles, a plurality of energy storage devices configured to be universally and interchangeably installed on and removed from an associated electric mining vehicle, and a plurality of charging stations, all operating within the underground mine, wherein the energy storage devices are configured to be one or more of charged at one of the charging stations or installed on a different electric mining vehicle, depending on mine productivity goals or specific missions or prioritized tasks to be performed in the underground mine;
• receiving, by the one or more controllers, data indicative of an energy utilization profile for each of the electric mining vehicles traversing each of the energy zones based on a zone-specific energy utilization efficiency of each respective electric mining vehicle as it travels in one of a loaded or unloaded condition along the energy zone, wherein each energy zone corresponds to a tunnel of the underground mine, and wherein the zone-specific energy utilization efficiency is based on a terrain of the tunnel and whether the electric mining vehicle is loaded or unloaded;
• receiving, by the one or more controllers, data indicative of an energy storage profile for each of the energy storage devices available to be installed on an associated electric mining vehicle traversing each of the energy zones based on sensed battery characteristic data including one or more of a State of Charge (SOC), State of Health (SOH), number of charge cycles, or cell temperatures for the energy storage device;
• determining, using the one or more controllers, missions and prioritized tasks to be performed by each of the electric mining vehicles and each of the energy storage devices separately from the electric mining vehicles during a predetermined period of time;
• pairing, using the one or more controllers, each electric mining vehicle with at least one energy storage device based on a determined mission or prioritized task, the energy utilization profile for the electric mining vehicle for energy zones associated with the determined mission or prioritized task, and the energy storage profile for the energy storage device;
• and
• generating, using the one or more controllers, travel paths made up of a sequence of the energy zones for the paired electric mining vehicles and energy storage devices to complete the determined missions and prioritized tasks.