Sensors & transducers
SAFETY DRIVEN A
quarry in Devon has introduced the UK's first ADT, marking a significant milestone for the minerals and aggregates industry.
The integration of advanced technologies like radar sensors, high-precision GPS, multi- channel communication systems and on-board processing hardware have created an Autonomous-Ready drive-by-wire option. Drive-by-wire refers to electronic systems that replace or augment traditional mechanical controls in vehicles. Instead of cables or hydraulics, it uses electronics to activate brakes, control steering and manage the engine, ensuring safe and resilient navigation across the quarry.
This comes at a time when the expectations and needs of the industry are changing. Improved efficiency and better safety, along with environmental considerations, are key priorities which require advanced sensor technology.
VISION BEYOND DUST
Autonomous systems rely heavily on sensors. They are installed on several pieces of quarrying equipment for navigation, anti-collision and obstacle detection and stockpile measurement.
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SEEING PAST THE DUST Since transport accounts for 40 per cent of all quarry accidents and 60 per cent of all deaths, the introduction of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in quarries has the potential to significantly improve safety. However, one of the major challenges is designing AVs that can navigate in dusty environments. Here, Tom Cash, director of automation parts supplier, Foxmere, explains why improvements in sensor technology in autonomous driving can tackle the industry’s dust issue following the unveiling of the UK-first autonomous articulated dump truck (ADT).
However, these vehicles still face the challenge of developing a system that can see through dust. Dust is created from various processes on quarry and mining sites while the materials are being sourced, crushed, screened, transported and stored.
Today’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
(ADAS) and autonomous vehicles AVs usually employ radar sensors as fallback sensing technology for visible cameras. Visible cameras, also known as a vision camera or RGB camera, is a type of sensor that captures
August 2024 Instrumentation Monthly
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