System and method for controlling roof support
AssigneeJoy Global Underground Mining LLC
InventorsKeith Dodgson, Mark Brocklehurst
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for controlling a roof support, including a canopy for engaging a mine surface, includes a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a position of an end of the canopy, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive the signal and determine whether a portion of a mining machine will contact a portion of the canopy based on the signal. For example, a method for controlling operation of a roof support includes generating a signal indicative of a position of a canopy of the roof support relative to a mine face and determining that a portion of a mining machine will contact a portion of the canopy based on at least the first signal.
Claims16
A system for controlling a roof support including a base, a canopy for engaging a mine surface, and a shield coupled to the canopy and positioned between a rear end of the base and the canopy, the system comprising:
- an actuator operable to extend and retract a link coupled between the base and the shield, wherein extension and retraction of the link generates translational motion of the canopy relative to a mine face while maintaining a height of the canopy relative to the base and a distance between the base and the mine face;
- a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a position of an end of the canopy relative to the mine face;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- receive the signal indicative of the position of the canopy relative to the mine face,
- determine that a portion of a mining machine will contact a portion of the canopy based on the signal, and
- operate the actuator to adjust the position of the canopy relative to the mine face while maintaining the height of the canopy and the distance between the base and the mine face.
A method for controlling operation of a roof support including a base, a canopy for engaging a mine surface, and a shield coupled to the canopy and positioned between a rear end of the base and the canopy, the method comprising:
- generating a signal indicative of a position of the canopy of the roof support relative to a mine face;
- determining that a portion of a mining machine will contact a portion of the canopy based on at least the signal;
- and
- operating an actuator to change a length of a telescopic link coupled between the base and the shield, thereby generating translational motion of the canopy relative to the mine face while maintaining a height of the canopy relative to the base and a distance between the base and the mine face in response to determining that the portion of the mining machine will contact the portion of the canopy.
A roof support for a mining machine, comprising:
- a base;
- a canopy configured to engage a mine roof, an end of the canopy positioned proximate to a mine face, an upper surface of the canopy spaced apart from the base by a height;
- a shield coupled to the canopy, the shield positioned between a rear end of the base and the canopy;
- at least one jack coupled between the base and the canopy;
- and
- at least one actuator coupled between the base and the shield, operation of the at least one actuator adjusting a position of the canopy relative to the mine face while maintaining the height of the upper surface of the canopy relative to the base and a distance between the base and the mine face.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.