GB2254640A - A control system for controlling a collection of mine roof supports - Google Patents

Abstract

A control system is disclosed for controlling a collection of mine roof supports 10 each of which comprises a roof engageable canopy 11, a ground engaging base 14, hydraulic props 15, 16 for raising and lowering the canopy relative to the base, and means 18 for advancing the roof support relative to a conveyor 20 and for advancing the conveyor relative to the roof support. The control system comprises a plurality of control units 31 each associated with a respective roof support. Each control unit 31 includes a control panel 32 provided with a mimic diagram 33 of a roof support and a plurality of control buttons 34 disposed around the mimic diagram. The position of each control button 34 in relation to the mimic diagram, together with any legend provided on the control button, is clearly indicative of the function which the control is to perform. <IMAGE>

Description

A CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A COLLECTION OF MINE ROOF SUPPORTS This invention relates to a control system for controlling a collection of mine roof supports.

Mine face operations are often extremely complex and they have to be carried out in poor and potentially dangerous conditions.

It is therefore important for the control systems to be designed so as to avoid any confusion on the part of the operator and thereby minimise the risk of operator error.

According to the present invention there is provided a control system for controlling a collection of mine roof supports each of which comprises a roof engageable canopy, a ground engaging base, hydraulic prop means for raising and lowering the canopy relative to the base, and means for advancing the roof support relative to a conveyor and for advancing the conveyor relative to the roof support, the control system comprising a plurality of control units each associated with a respective roof support and each including a control panel provided with a mimic diagram of a roof support and a plurality of controls, preferably in the form of control buttons, disposed around the mimic diagram.

The term "mimic diagram" as used herein means a diagram or other representation, either in two dimensions or embossed, more commonly but not necessarily in schematic and possibly disjointed form, but in any event being recognisable by a person in the art as being representative of a mine roof support.

Preferably, the position of each control in relation to the mimic diagram, together with any legend provided on the control, is clearly indicative of the function which the control is to perform.

The controls may be depressible or touch sensitive buttons.

Preferably, each control unit is operable to: (a) prime the roof support with which it is associated for operation under computer control and/or (b) initiate computer controlled operation of another previously primed roof support and/or (c) provide override control of some functions of one or both adjacent roof supports Preferably, the control system also includes a single computer to which the control units are connected. In this case, all remote operations can be controlled by the single computer and this simplifies error checking routines and offers a high level of operational integrity.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing a collection of mine roof supports arranged in a row along a face being worked, Figure 2 is a side view of one of the mine roof supports of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale, and Figure 3 shows a control panel of a control unit forming part of one embodiment of a control system according to the present invention, on an even larger scale.

Referring to the drawings, the control system is for controlling a collection of mine roof supports 10 arranged in a row along a face being worked.

As shown, each roof support comprises a canopy 11, a shield section 12, a lemniscate linkage 13, a base section comprising two parallel spaced apart pontoon members 14, two front hydraulic props 15 and two rear hydraulic props 16.

The shield section 12 is pivotally connected at one end to one end of the canopy 11, and the lemniscate linkage 13, which includes four links 17, is pivotally connected at one end to the other end of the shield section, and at the other end to the pontoon members 14.

The roof support 10 also includes an advancing mechanism which is disposed in the space between the pontoon members 14, and which comprises a relay bar 18, a mounting hook 19 connecting one end of the relay bar to a conveyor 20, and an advancing ram (not shown) pivotally connected at one end to the other end of the relay bar 18 and pivotally connected at its other end to the base section.

The roof support 10 also has a sprag 21 and may also have an extendible/retractable extension (not shown), sometimes referred to as a forepole, and an extendible/retractable side flap or flaps (also not shown).

The roof supports 10 are operated by a control system comprising a central computer 30 located at one end of the face being worked and a control unit 31 mounted on each roof support. The computer 30 and the control units 31 are powered by one or more power supplies and operate solenoid actuated valves on the roof supports 10.

Each control unit 31 is operable to prime its own roof support for subsequent operation, once initiated, under control of the computer 30 and to initiate operation of any previously primed roof support, other than the roof support with which it is associated, within a predetermined range. Each control unit 31 is also operable to provide override control of some functions of each of its two adjacent roof supports, although the control unit 31 on each of the two roof supports 10 at opposite ends of the row of supports will, however, only provide override control of some functions of its one adjacent roof support.

Each control unit 31 has a flat control panel 32, such as the panel shown in Figure 3. The panel 32 is typically of stainless steel plate and includes a mimic diagram 33 both of a roof support and a conveyor etched into the plate. A plurality of control buttons 34 are placed around the mimic diagram and the positions of the control buttons 34 in relation to the mimic diagram and the legends etched therein are clearly indicative of the function which each button will perform. Typically, the control buttons 34 are of the depressible type, but alternatively they may be touch sensitive buttons.

Each control button 34 has an associated indicator light 35 located adjacent to the button 34.

Some of the control buttons 34 of each control unit 31 are operable to prime its own, and initiate other roof supports for operation under control of the face end computer 30 and to provide override control of some functions of each of its two adjacent roof supports. As shown, these buttons have a light coloured background and a shaded legend and include buttons 34a and 34b which control the canopy extension, buttons 34c and 34d which control the sprag, direction buttons 34e and 34f which are contained within a shaded surround, button 34g for advancing the conveyor, button 34h for advancing the roof support and button 34i for sequentially lowering a canopy, advancing the roof support and resetting the canopy against the mine roof.Other buttons are operable only to provide override control of adjacent supports and these include buttons 34i and 34k for respectively raising and lowering a canopy 11, and buttons 341 and 34m for respectively extending and retracting a side flap or flaps. There is also a web select button 34n, a pause button 34O, and a prime/reset button 34p. The control panel 32 also includes an emergency stop switch 36 having an associated indicator light 37, a cluster of indicator lights 38 operable by pressure transducers in the props 15, 16 and the advancing ram, and an indicator light 39 operable by a disable switch (not shown) mounted on the side of the control unit 31 and operable to disable only computer controlled operations on the roof support.

In operation, in order to provide override control of an adjacent roof support, an override sequence is started by pressing and releasing one of the direction buttons 34e and 34f to select the roof support to one or the other side of the operator's roof support. The indicator light 35 associated with the direction button which has been pressed will then flash. Function buttons 34a to 34d and 34g to 34m if pressed while in override mode will operate the appropriate function in the adjacent roof support.

After the last button has been released the control unit 31 will remain in override selected mode for a predetermined period of time and will then return to remote control by the face end computer 30. While a roof support is being controlled using the adjacent override mode all control functions from the face end computer 30 to that roof support will be inhibited.

Computer control of the operator's roof support will also be inhibited until the control unit 31 returns to remote control by the face end computer 30.

Generally, when in adjacent override mode, function buttons that are pressed will operate the function on the adjacent roof support until the button is released. On pressing a function button, the associated indicator light on the operating support will be illuminated and an audible warning will also sound on the operating support.

Automatic sequential lower, advance and reset of an adjacent roof support can be selected in override mode by pressing the button 34i on the operator's control panel, together with the appropriate direction button 34e or 34f.

When operating under control of the face end computer 30, any number of roof supports can be primed to perform selected operations and once initiated the primed roof supports will sequentially perform the selected operations under control of the computer 30.

In order to manually prime a roof support to perform a selected operation, the prime/reset button 34p on the operator's control panel 32 is pressed.

This tells the computer 30 that the sequence of operations begins at this support and the indicator light 35 associated with the button 34p will start to flash. The appropriate direction button 34e or 34f for the direction in which the prime is required to travel along the row of roof supports is then pressed and, while still pressing this button, the appropriate button for the function to be primed is also pressed. The prime is shown as accepted when the indicator lights 35 associated with the function button and the direction button start to flash. At the same time, the indicator light associated will the prime/reset button 34p will be extinguished and an intermittent audible warning will sound.

Other primes may be added at this point in either direction. If primes have been set in both directions then the indicator lights associated with the two direction buttons 34e and 34f will flash.

The indicator lights associated with the direction button(s) and function button will continue to flash until the prime is transferred or terminated.

When the function has been completed the indicator lights will be extinguished and the audible warning silenced.

The roof supports can also be primed by the face end computer 30 either when an adjacent roof support has completed a particular operation or in accordance with a predetermined instruction which allows the operator to remotely prime specific supports for specific operations from within a given range.

A primed roof support can be initiated manually by pressing the appropriate function button on a control panel 32 of another roof support within a predetermined range of the primed support. The primed support will then carry out its primed operation and once this has been completed the face end computer 30 will sequentially prime and initiate all other roof supports in the direction in which the prime is set to travel upto but not including the roof support from where the prime was initiated.

Initiation of the roof supports can also be carried out automatically by the face end computer 30 such as in response to movement of a coal winning machine along the face being worked The web select button 34h can be pressed on each of two spaced roof supports, which have each been advanced by a selected distance using the override mode on the control panel of an adjacent roof support, to signal the face end computer 30 to advance all intermediary roof supports by the required amount to maintain a straight line between the two spaced roof supports.

The pause button 34O can be pressed to suspend all operations on the face and the emergency stop switch 36 can be operated to switch off power to all solenoids and dump the face hydraulic pressure.

The control system described above is given by way of example only and various modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the roof supports to be controlled may have only two props, no sprag and no side flaps and may not even have a lemniscate linkage. In this case the control panel 32 will be appropriately modified but the control unit itself may be common to all types of roof support.

Claims (11)

1. A control system for controlling a collection of mine roof supports each of which comprises a roof engageable canopy, a ground engaging base, hydraulic prop means for raising and lowering the canopy relative to the base, and means for advancing the roof support relative to a conveyor and for advancing the conveyor relative to the roof support, the control system comprising a plurality of control units each associated with a respective roof support and each including a control panel provided with a mimic diagram of a roof support and a plurality of controls disposed around the mimic diagram.

2. A control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of the controls each bear a legend representative of the function which the control is to perform.

3. A control system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the position of each control in relation to the mimic diagram, together with any legend provided on the control, is clearly indicative of the function which the control is to perform.

4. A control system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controls are depressible or touch sensitive buttons.

5. A control system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each control unit is operable to prime the roof support with which it is associated for operating under computer control.

6. A control system as claimed any one of the preceding claims, wherein each control unit is operable to initiate computer controlled operation of another previously primed roof support.

7. A control system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each control unit is operable to provide override control of some functions of one or both adjacent roof supports.

8. A control system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a single computer to which the control units are connected.

9. A control system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each control unit includes a control for initiating a sequence of operations on an adjacent roof support, which sequence comprises lowering of the canopy of the adjacent support, advancing said adjacent support towards a mine face, and resetting the canopy against the mine roof.

10. A control system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A collection of mine roof supports and a control system for controlling the roof supports, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.