Making mine sites safer using digital LiDAR
Open voids are a potential hazard in both underground and open cut mines. Jake Hartwig from Custom Mining Solutions has created a solution using digital LiDAR to provide site users with real-time feedback on the status of the void and void face.
In the video below, Alistair and Jake take a look at the setup of the Void Monitor at the base of the pit in Kanmantoo Copper Mine.
Ouster Digital LiDAR
The Void Monitor uses an Ouster OS0 Ultra-Wide View LiDAR Sensor to constantly measure the void and edge area.
These measurements are processed in realtime toclassify the status of the void. The status is communicated through a traffic light system. The traffic light provides four levels of feedback.
- Green Light – The green light represents that the void is structurally sound, and the driver of the vehicle is safe to proceed with unloading.
- Amber Light – If an amber light is displayed, the area has filled to its capacity, and the driver of the vehicle cannot proceed.
- Amber Light Flashing – This appears when material is being tipped into the void.
- Red Light – If the traffic light displays a red light, this represents overbreak (collapse of rock) and the area is not safe to tip.
The 128 channel Ouster digital LiDAR is generating 1.3 million laser pulses per second which can deliver up to 2.6 million 3 dimensional measurements per second.
The intuitive traffic light interface really is a fantastic solution as it translates this data into something very simple to understand.
