US 4,379,660 A · Method of and apparatus for applying mat to the roof of a mine working

Abstract

A method of and apparatus for applying a succession of strips of mat to the roof of an underground mine working wherein the strips are applied by an applicator means mounted on a mining machine or other transporter means, and the lateral position of the applicator means is adjustable relatively to the mining machine or transporter means so that, despite lateral deviations of the latter when the mat is undergoing laying, each newly laid strip of mat can be brought into the desired lateral position with the nearer edges of the newly applied strip of mat and the last applied strip of mat is proximate relation. A sensing means providing an electrical output representative of the position of the last applied strip of mat serves through control means to control the operation of a pressure fluid double-acting piston and cylinder forming an actuating means for adjusting the lateral position of the mat applicator. Excessive lateral deviations of the mining machine or transporter means are detected by limit sensing elements and movement of the mining machine or transporter means is then stopped.

Claims14

Dependent claims

In a method of applying a succession of strips to the roof of an underground mine working in a manner such that each successive strip is applied along a previously uncovered zone of the roof bordering the last applied one of the previously applied strips, and with the nearer edges of these two strips in proximate relation to each other, the improvement comprising

a. sensing the lateral position of a previously applied one of said strips,
b. controlling the lateral position of each newly applied strip, as it is undergoing application, in accordance with said sensed lateral position to establish the required proximate relation between the nearer edges of newly applied strip and the last applied strip respectively,
and wherein
c. application of each of said newly applied strips of mat is effected at a lateral position determined by the lateral position of a transporter means on which a mat applying means for applying the strips is carried, and which travels longitudinally of the zone in which the newly applied strip is required to be applied,
d. the position of the mat applying means is laterally adjusted relatively to that of said transporter means in accordance with the sensed lateral position of said previously applied strip, and in a direction and by an amount such as to compensate for lateral deviation of said transporter in travelling along said zone and which would otherwise cause said proximate edges to be spaced apart or to overlap by more than a predetermined amount.

2 more elements

In apparatus comprising applicator means for applying a strip of flexible roof mat to the roof of a mine working, said strip being drawn off from a store, and transporter means for moving said applicator means in a direction longitudinally along a succession of generally parallel paths to enable successive strips of mat to be applied to the roof along respective parallel adjacent zones, the improvement comprising the provision of

a. mounting means operatively connecting said applicator means with said transporter means, and including adjustment means providing for lateral positional adjustment of said applicator means relative to said transporter means,
b. power energised actuating means for effecting said adjustment,
c. sensing means for sensing the lateral position of a previously applied one of said strips of mat, said sensing means providing output varying in dependence upon the difference between said position and the position of the sensing means, and
d. control means operatively connected with said sensing means and responsive to said output thereof to control operation of said actuating means to bring said actuating means into and out of operation as required in a manner such that each newly applied strip of mat is applied in such lateral position as to establish the required proximate relation between nearer edges of the last applied strip and the newly applied strip notwithstanding lateral deviation of said transporter means in moving along each of said paths.

1 more element

a. mounting means operatively connecting said applicator means with said transporter means, and including adjustment means providing for lateral positional adjustment of said applicator means relative to said transporter means,
b. power energised actuating means for effecting said adjustment,
c. sensing means for sensing the lateral position of a previously applied one of said strips of mat, said sensing means providing an output varying in dependence upon the difference between said position and the position of the sensing means,
d. control means for bringing said actuating means into and out of operation as required, and operatively connected with said sensing means and responsive to said output thereof to control operation of said actuating means in a manner such that each newly applied strip of mat is applied in such lateral position as to establish the required proximate relation between nearer edges of the last applied strip and the newly applied strip notwithstanding lateral deviation of said transporter means in moving along each of said paths, and wherein
e. said sensing means is mounted on said transporter means to undergo lateral positional adjustment corresponding to that of said applicator means, and the output provided by said sensing means varies in response to the degree of lateral overlap between said sensing means and the margin of the last applied one of said previously applied strips of mat, and said sensing means includes laterally spaced sensing elements which in a normal position of said sensing means respectively are in overlapping and non-overlapping relation with said margin and provide respectively different values of output in response to maintainance of this relation,
f. said control means responds in a first mode when both of said elements provide outputs corresponding to an overlapping relation and in another mode when both of said elements provide outputs corresponding to a non-overlapping relation, respectively to bring about operation of the actuating means in one lateral direction or the opposite lateral direction to restore the applicator means and the sensing means to a position corresponding to the normal position of the latter.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of and apparatus for applying mat to the roof of a mine working

Life of this patent

Method of and apparatus for applying mat to the roof of a mine working

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14