Detecting sump depth of a miner

A system for operating a mining machine, the system comprising:

• at least one controller configured to
• obtain first reflection data from at least one radar device,
• determine, based on the first reflection data, a first distance between a point of reference and a stationary object before sumping the mining machine into material,
• obtain second reflection data from the at least one radar device,
• determine, based on the second reflection data, a second distance between a point of reference and the stationary object after sumping the mining machine into the material,
• determine a sump depth of the mining machine based on the first distance and the second distance, and
• perform at least one automatic action when the determined sump depth does not satisfy at least one predetermined sump depth.

A method of operating a continuous miner comprising:

• determining a first distance to a stationary object based on data from at least one radar device;
• after sumping the continuous miner into the material, determining a second distance to the stationary object based on data from the at least one radar device;
• determining, with at least one controller, a sump depth of the continuous miner based on the first distance and the second distance;
• and
• when the determined sump depth does not satisfy a predetermined sump depth, modifying operation of the continuous miner.