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Tough Trucks: Caterpillar improves mine site safety |
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Written by REM Staff
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Caterpillar introduced the Cat Integrated Object Detection System that's designed to enhance mine site safety. The system was developed after extensive research by Caterpillar showed that 70 percent of haulage truck accidents at mine sites occur during initial machine start up and low-speed movement.
The system has been purpose-built to integrate with Cat large mining trucks-models 785, 789, 793 and 797-and is intended to aid an operator when starting to move a truck and during low-speed manoeuvring. It combines cameras, radar and alarms to notify the operator when an object is close to the machine, but not in the operator's field of vision. A display screen in the cab provides visual confirmation of the objects detected by radar, which enables the operator to make informed decisions when moving a truck. The system is integrated with VIMS and other on-board computers, enabling it to switch into camera-only mode when the machine travels beyond 66 feet (20 meters).
Using a combination of short and medium-range radars and four cameras-the system monitors and shows the operator the areas immediately around the truck. The radar information is processed by a new on-board, touch-screen display, which alerts the operator with a visual indication followed by an audible alarm if the truck is put into gear. The cameras enable the operator to identify what the radars detect.
Unlike basic camera systems, the Cat Integrated Object Detection System provides the operator with multiple types of warnings, both audible and visual. Three different levels of alarms indicate the proximity of an object or the urgency of taking action to avoid an object.
The system is wholly contained on the machine and doesn't require any off-board infrastructure. The system is scalable, allowing miners to start with just the four cameras and add radars later. And the touch-screen interface is easy to learn, which minimizes training time.
www.cat.com/miningtechnology
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