Longwall Shearer Positioning Method, Pan for Panline, Longwall Shearer System

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a method for determining a 3D position of a longwall shearer traveling on a panline along a longwall face of an underground coal mining panel, the method comprising the steps of retrieving sensor data indicative of an absolute shearer coordinate and a shearer orientation, retrieving additional sensor data indicative of a relative shearer coordinate; and calculating the 3D position and orientation of the longwall shearer based on the absolute coordinate, the shearer orientation, and the relative shearer coordinate ({right arrow over (y)}). The present invention also pertains to a pan for a panline and a longwall shearer system comprising a longwall shearer and at least one such pan.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.