AU1949800A - A canopy arrangement for a multiple bolting platform - Google Patents

Description

P/00/01il Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 6 Invention Title: 'A canopy arrangement for a multiple bolting platform' The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: FNP.SYrlCFMNATPffl2A(I\(il6A17.5 CR00368226.3 2 A Canopy Arrangement for a Multiple Bolting Platform Field of the invention The present invention relates to an overhead protection system or canopy system for bolting apparatus which utilise a multiple bolting rigs. However, the invention can be readily applied to other mining apparatus.

Background of the invention Machines which have multiple bolting rigs mounted thereon also have operator platforms to allow operators to work the bolting rigs and install roof bolts.

In many countries it is a requirement that miners work under a canopy to prevent injury S: 10 from falling material dislodged from the roof of a mine entry. These canopies are able to be moved between a raised and lowered position. Such systems require several hydraulic cylinders, usually one on each corner of the canopy to raise and lower it. There has been a general need to improve such canopy systems.

Many bolting rigs also have forward mounted temporary roof supports which consist of hydraulic jacks which extend to floor and/or roof. These are usually mounted at the forward end of vehicles and are mounted to a frame attached to the chassis of the vehicle or directly to the chassis. Such temporary roof supports support the roof above the vehicle at specific locations during the roof bolting operations. Due to their forward mounted location they increase the overall length of the vehicle, which can detrimentally lower the approach angle at the vehicle's 20 front end. This can affect the vehicles manoeuvrability in the confined spaces of a mine entry where the roadway and the ceiling may have dips and humps in their surfaces.

Another difficulty of forward mounted temporary roof supports is that the installation of roof bolts occurs a relatively long distance away from the coal face because one the temporary roof supports make contact with the coal face, further movement towards the coal face is not possible. Even though these relatively long distances are of the order of 12 inches to 15 inches (300mm to 375mm) it can have a detrimental affect on the mining of coal/ore because 12 to inches less cutting that can occur at the next cut, as the roof is not supported for a larger distance once cutting/shearing begins.

CE00368226.3 3 Summary of the invention The invention provides an overhead protection system for a bolting apparatus, said system including: a canopy to cover a work area; a raising and lowering means to raise and lower said canopy; a lemniscate linkage to maintain said canopy parallel relative to said work area when said canopy is raised or lowered; a temporary roof support mounted to said canopy or said lemniscate linkage.

The lemniscate linkage can include a first and second support member pivotally connected to a base or said bolting apparatus, said first and second members each being pivotally connected at their ends opposite said base to a third support member, said ends of first 10 and second members being spaced apart at one end of said first support member.

The third support member can be pivotally connected to said canopy or a fourth support member to which said canopy is attached, at an end of said first support member opposite to where first and second members are pivotally connected.

ooo i The raising and lowering means can include at least one hydraulic cylinder, with at least o 15 one of which is pivotally connected to said base or said bolting apparatus, and is pivotally oooo connected to said canopy or a support which carries said canopy.

Preferably the canopy includes at least one extension portion, which preferably slides into and ort out of said canopy, or alternatively the canopy includes a hinged extension which can be rotated into or outer use.

20 The temporary roof support can be mounted so as to be elevated from or lowered to said canopy or said support member by hydraulic or other motive power means.

The roof support preferably includes an elongated member pivotally attached to said lemniscate linkage. Preferably roof engagement means are pivotally connected said elongated member.

The roof engagement means can be adapted to lay in a generally vertical orientation when in use, whether by powered means or under the influence of gravity.

The lemniscate linkage can be made of two sets of first, second, third and fourth support members with said temporary roof support located and pivotally connected to the two fourth support members.

CE00368226.3 4 Preferably canopy is formed from a first canopy portion extending in one direction from the first of said fourth support members and a second support member extending in an opposite direction from the second of said fourth support members.

In this specification and claims, where the words "comprising" "comprised" or words derived therefrom are used, those terms are to be interpreted inclusively rather than exclusively.

Brief description of the drawings An embodiment of the present invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a roof bolting machine.

10 Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of figure 1 with its canopy in an extended o* position.

Figure 3 illustrates a front perspective view of the temporary roof support and canopy in .oo.oi an extended position.

Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus of figure 3.

ego* Figure 5 is a right side elevation of the apparatus of figure 3 (left side view is mirror image).

oo Figure 6 is a front elevation of the apparatus of figure 3.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus of figure 3 shown in a fully retracted position.

Figure 8 is a front view of the apparatus of figure 7.

Figure 9 is a right side view of apparatus of figure 7 (left side view is mirror image).

Figure 10 is a plan view of the apparatus of figure 3.

Detailed description of the embodiments Illustrated in figure 1 is a mobile bolting machine such as that described in co-pending application PQ1008 filed on 17 June1999. The text and illustrations of which are incorporated hereby reference.

CF,00368226.3 The illustration in figure 1 shows the main features of the bolting machine in a general layout view showing the placement of equipment and some of the major features of the bolting machine.

The bolting machine 10 has a dust collection system 12 located at the rear of the vehicle; three wheels being front wheels 14 and a rear steering wheel 16; storage pods 18 located around the middle of the vehicle the front and rear wheels 14 and 16 being extendable and retractable relative to the vehicle frame or chassis; a canopies 20 and 21 over the work area for the protection operators; a line of bolting rigs 22 with the outboard rigs being extendible from a tramming position as illustrated on the left side of machine 10 to a fully extended position outside the tramming width as illustrated on the right side of the machine *Centrally positioned and at the forward end of the vehicle is a canopy support structure or lemniscate linkage 24 to which is pivotally mounted a temporary roof support structure 26 which carries the temporary roof support 28. At the rear of the machine 10 is a cable reel 28, a starter control box 30, and an electric motor 32 with two driven hydraulic pumps 34 and 36 to S• 15 drive the dust collection system 12, bolting rigs 22, the lemniscate linkage 24 and the temporary S'roof support structure 26.

Illustrated in figures 3 6 is both the lemniscate linkage 24 and the temporary roof support structure 26 in the fully extended position with all components also being in the fully extended position. Whilst in figures 7 10 the same structures are illustrated in the fully 20 retracted positions.

As illustrated in figures 3 6 the lemniscate linkage 24 is made up of bases 40 and 42 (which could also be a simple U-shaped channel) with two first elongate members 44 and 46 which are pivotally connected at 48 and 50 to the bases 40 and 42 at points intermediate the ends of the bases 40 and 42 by a single bolt or other pin means.

At the rear of the bases 40 and 42 second elongate members 52 and 54 are also pivotally connected at 56 and 58 to respective bases 40 and 42 by a single bolt or other pin means.

The other ends of the first and second elongate members 44, 52 and 46, 54 are respectively pivotally connected at 64 and 66 on one side and 68 and 70 on the other to third elongate members 60, 62 by means of bolts or other pin means.

CED0368226.3 6 The first elongate members 44 and 46 are pivotally connected to the third elongate members 60 and 62 intermediate the respective ends of the third elongate members, but closer to the rearward end than the forward end thereof. The second elongate members 52 and 54 are pivotally connected to the members 60 and 62 at their respective rearward ends.

At the forward end of the elongate members 60 and 62 these members pivotally connect to respective uppermost elongate support members 72 and 74 by a bolt or other pin means 76 and 78, as is best illustrated in figure 5. The third elongate members 60 and 62 are pivotally connected to elongate support members 72 and 74 intermediate their respective ends but closer to the forward end than the rear.

The forward most end of bases 40 and 42 pivotally receive a hydraulic cylinder 80 being S a two stage cylinder. A trunnion 82 or bolts or other pin means pivotally hold the base 84 of cylinder 80 in the bases 40 and 42.

The upper end 86 of the second stage of cylinder 80 is pivotally connected by a trunnion, bolt or pin 88 to the forward end of the elongate members 72 and 74.

S15 A rearwardly positioned raising and lowering cylinder, being one or more of the schematically illustrated cylinders 92, 94 and 96, is provided to move the rearward portion of S•the lemniscate linkage 24 in unison with the extension or retraction of the forward two stage cylinder The lemniscate linkage 24 thus formed from the pin jointed elongate members is such S• 20 that the upper most elongate members 72 and 74 move and stay parallel to the bases 40 and 42 as the forward cylinders 80 and one or more of the rearward cylinders 92, 94 and 96 are retracted or extended together at appropriate rates to achieve the required parallel movement.

When cylinders 80 and one or more of the cylinders 92, 94 and 96 are fully extended, the lemniscate linkage 24 assumes the arrangement is shown in figures 7 The canopies 20 and 21 are each attached in a cantilevered to the left and right sides of the uppermost elongate members 74 and 72 respectively.

The canopies 20 and 21 are formed from a generally hollow or box-like construction with the width between the furthest left hand side 20A and the furthest right hand side 21A being approximately the tramming width of the bolting machine CE00368226.3 7 As the outer most bolting rigs 22 and a portion of the work area is able to extend beyond the tramming width of the machine 10, so too the canopies 20 and 21 can extend. The canopies and 21 extend by means by of extension canopies 20B and 21B which are pushed out of the box-like structure of canopies 20 and 21 by internally located hydraulic cylinder assemblies (not illustrated). The extension canopies 20B and 21B both made by from a series of six or seven rectangular hollow sections welded or otherwise joined together.

In figures 3 to 6 the extension canopies 20B and 21B are illustrated at their full extension from their respective canopies 20 and 21, whereas in the figures 7 10 they are illustrated in their fully retracted position.

Attached to the lemniscate linkage 24 is the temporary roof support structure 26, which is pivotally connected by a single shaft 100 at the rear of upper most elongate members 72 and 0% 0 74. The temporary roof support structure 26 is made from an elongate member 102 extending from the pin 100 past the forward most end of members 72 and 74. Below and near to the forward end of members 72 and 74 there is pivotally connected a raising and lowering cylinder 104 to raise and lower the temporary roof support. The distal end of the piston of cylinder 104 is pivotally connected by a pin means 106 to the member 102 of the temporary roof support oo0o structure 26.

o tt It will be noted from the figures that the cross section of the beam 102 increases adjacent to the pin 106 on the forward end side of the pin 106. This increased cross section forms an 20 open box-like portion 107 to enable the member 102 to fully retract below the upper surfaces of :i the members 72 and 74 and not interfere with the upper portions of the cylinder 80 which connect to the members 72 and 74.

When cylinder 104 is extended or retracted the member 102 moves away from or towards the members 72 and 74. In this way the temporary roof support is raised or lowered.

Pivotally connected to the forward end of the member 102 is a laterally extending roof engagement assembly 110, which together with the member 102 forms a generally T-shape structure. The assembly 110 is pivotally connected to member 102 by a ball or pin joint 103 so as to allow the assembly 110 to hang vertically under the influence of gravity, irrespective of the angle that the member 102 makes with a horizontal axis. This is best seen by comparing figures 5 and 9 where in both instances, the assembly 110 is kept in a generally vertical orientation.

CE00368226.3 8 At each end 112 and 114 of assembly 110 there are located roof pad carriages 116 and 118 respectively which carry roof engaging pads 120, 122, 124 and 126. The carriages 116 and 118 are moved by cylinders (not illustrated) that are located inside of the assembly 110 so as to position outermost pads 120 and 126 to approximately the same extended position as the extension canopies 20B and 21B or the outer bolting rigs 22 with respective floor and work area or space extensions.

As illustrated in figures 7 10 the carriages 116 and 118 are shown in their fully retracted position.

In operation, the lemniscate linkage 24 and the temporary roof support structure 26 can be operated in a variety of manners. The preferred operation is to first set the lemniscate linkage 24 to position the canopies 20 and 21 to within a desired distance from the mine entry roof then the cylinder 104 is activated to cause the pads 120, 122, 124 and 126 to engage the mine entry roof.

Ollll These two operations can be performed sequentially or simultaneously in any desired S. 15 order.

••go If desired or necessary, whether performed simultaneously or sequentially, the extension canopies 20B and 21B and the carriages 116 and 118 can be extended to the desired location.

The embodiment above utilises a cylinder 104 and a cylinder 080 to provide the motive force to raise and lower the lemniscate linkage 24 and the temporary roof support structure 26.

.20 However, if desired these two cylinders can be replaced by a single cylinder located in the same location of cylinder 80. Such a single cylinder could have an inner and outer section, the outer section would serve the purpose of cylinder 80, that is to raise and lower the lemniscate linkage 24 whilst the inner cylinder when operated will serve the purpose of cylinder 104, that is to raise and lower the temporary roof support structure 26.

For safety.reasons a shield can be positioned on either side of the lemniscate linkage 24 to prevent operators from inadvertently positioning a limb or part of a limb within the lemniscate structure 24. To this end on either side of the lemniscate linkage 24 expandable webbing product can be fixed between the members 72 and 74 and the irrespective bases 40 and 42.

CE00368226.3 9 The bases 40 and 42 can be attached to the floor of a vehicle or to the work area but most preferably the bases 40 and 42 are a part of the central structure or the chassis of the bolting machine. In use the bases will be positioned lower than the floor of the vehicle.

The spacing between the roof pads 120 and 122 or the pads 124 and 126 is a maximum of 5ft or 1.52 metres in accordance with standards required for the US mining industry.

However, this distance can be varied according to local requirements.

Whilst in the above embodiment the lemniscate linkage 24 is made up of two sets of pinned or pivoted members, these two sets can be replaced by a single member arrangement.

If desired, the slide in or out extension canopies 20B and 21B can be replaced by 10 extensions which are hinged to sides 20A and 21A and are rotated into position as required.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all S alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

S 15 The foregoing describes embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

e•

Claims (14)

1. An overhead protection system for a bolting apparatus, said system including: a canopy to cover a work area; a raising and lowering means to raise and lower said canopy; a lemniscate linkage to maintain said canopy parallel relative to said work area when said canopy is raised or lowered; a temporary roof support mounted to said canopy or said lemniscate linkage.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lemniscate linkage includes a first and second support member pivotally connected to a base or said bolting apparatus, said first and second members each being pivotally connected at their ends opposite said base to a third support member, said ends of first and second S"members being spaced apart at one end of said first support member.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein third support member is pivotally connected to said canopy or a fourth support member to which said canopy is oo•° attached, at an end of said first support member opposite to where first and second members are pivotally connected.

4. A system as claimed in one of the preceding claims wherein said raising and lowering means is at least one hydraulic cylinder. S:

5. A system as claimed in one of the preceding claims wherein said hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected to said base or said bolting apparatus.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected to said canopy or a support which carries said canopy.

7. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said canopy includes at least one extension portion.

8. A system as claimed in one of the preceding claims wherein said canopy includes a hinged extension which can be rotated into or outer use. CE00368226.3 11

9. A system as claimed in one of the preceding claims wherein said temporary roof support is mounted so as to be elevated from or lowered to said canopy or said support member by hydraulic or other motive power means.

A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said roof support includes an elongated member pivotally attached to said lemniscate linkage.

11. A system as claimed in any one of the previous claims wherein roof engagement means are pivotally connected said elongated member.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said roof engagement means is adapted to lay in a generally vertical orientation when in use.

•13. A system as claim in any one of the previous claims wherein said lemniscate *.SS ••linkage is made up of two sets of first, second, third and fourth support members with said temporary roof support located and pivotally connected to the two fourth support members. s

14. A system as claimed in the previous claim wherein said canopy is formed from a first canopy portion extending in one direction from the first of said fourth •,support members and a second support member extending in an opposite 5.55 direction from the second of said fourth support members. S Dated this 25th day of February 2000 Joy MM Delaware, Inc. by its attorneys Freehills Patent Attorneys