AU2002249081B2 - Longwall face control for longwall face working - Google Patents

Description

VERIFICATION OF TRANSLATION Australian application No.: I, Thomas Ermer of Wordmaster Translations P/L, 19 High Road, Camberwell 3124 am the translator of the document(s) attached and I state that the following is a true translation to the best of my knowledge and belief of International patent application PCT/DE02/00639 (WO 02/068798 Al), filed on 21.2.2002.

Australian application for: Dated: 23.10.2002 Signature of translator: Longwall face control for Iongwall face working The invention concerns a longwall face control for longwall face working with a plurality of hydraulically actuated longwalls (shields) according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a longwall face control is known from DE P42 02 246.0 (TBT 9102), 195 15 124.0 (TBT 9401), 195 46 427.3 (TBT 9501), 199 82 113.5-24 (TBT 9805), 100 18 597.5-24 (TBT 9904), 100 18 597.5-24 (TBT 9905).

In this case the shields can be moved automatically or by hand especially in the sense of removal, advancement and jigging as a function of the position of the extracting machine (cutting or planing machine).

Until now the controls were to a great extent of central construction. In particular, the predominantly manually operated control valves of the hydraulic power supply of a shield are combined into blocks and so positioned that they can be operated also by hand (DE P42 02 246.0). Therefore hose connections are necessary to the individual power supplies (DE 195 15 124.0).

The safety requirements of the operating personnel, who should possibly not be active in the immediate vicinity of the longwall face and in the region of the shield, make such solutions necessary.

Moreover, to avoid the safety risks for the operating personnel (operator) connected with the operation, be it the triggering of functions, the progress of functions or operations, or checking and observing the functional performance, as well as the risk of erroneous operation and control, which are intensified by the difficult conditions underground, ways have already been found to make the central control and functional control and/or operating conditions of the longwall face and/or shield control possible (DE 100 18 597.5-24 (TBT 9905).

The object of the invention is to simplify the hydraulic and electric construction of the longwall face control, to reduce the assembly and upkeep expenses and to reduce the danger from injuries and breakdown. The solution is achieved by claim 1.

2 Moreover, by virtue of the refinement of the invention according to claim 2 the operation is also simplified and made safer, the invention also being able to be used advantageously for safety and reliability for all electro-magnetic valves which can be triggered by a code word or a signal or the like.

The refinements according to claims 3, 4 and 5 serve the purpose of simplification of the construction and the robustness and safety of the longwall control and of the extraction.

Above all, the damaging of the hydraulic and electric connections will be avoided, as well as the obstructions caused by these connections.

The refinements according to claims 6 to 8 contribute to that the longwall face control is compact on the one hand without long and strewn about hydraulic and electrical leads immediately at their place of application and consequently the functioning and the reliability of the plant will not only not be impaired but will be increased, as well as a decentralised operation will be made possible thus increasing the personal safety.

The invention is described in the following based on an embodiment. They show in: Fig.1 a diagram of the hydraulic equipment for two power supplies with valve control, Fig.2 the schematic plan of a cutting machine and a group of longwalls, Fig.3 a section through a longwall face with a longwall, Fig.4 a diagram of the longwall control with a plurality of shield controls, a schematic illustration of a control valve.

Fig.3 shows one of the longwall face units 1-18. Fig.2 shows a plurality of longwall face units 1 to 18. The longwall face units are arranged along a seam 20. The seam 20 is mined with a cutting device 23, 24 of an extracting machine 21 in the direction of mining 22. In the embodiment the extracting machine is a cutting machine 21.

The cutting machine 21 can be moved in the direction of cutting 19 by means of a cutting drag cable (not illustrated). The cutting machine has two cutting rollers 23, 24, that are set at different heights and mill the coal face. The broken up coal is loaded on to a conveyor 25 by the cutting machine, also called a "roller loader". The conveyor comprises a trough 25, in which an armoured chain conveyor is moved along the coal front. The cutting machine 21 can be moved along the coal front. The tough 25 is divided into individual units, which, although joined with one another, can execute a movement relative one another in the direction of mining 22. Each of the units is connected with one of the longwall face units 1 to 18 by means of a cylinder/piston unit (stepping piston) 29 as power supply. The purpose of each of the longwall face units is to support the longwall face. For this purpose a further cylinder/piston unit 30 is used, that braces the bed plate against the roof plate. At its front end, which faces the seam, the roof plate has a so called coal face catcher 48. In this case one deals with a flap that can be hinged in front of the extracted coal face. The coal face catcher has to be hinged upward in front of the moving cutting machine 21. A further cylinder/piston unit (not illustrated) is also used for this purpose. These functional elements of the individual longwall faces are illustrated here only in the way of an example. There are further functional elements also; however, reference to them and their description is not necessary for the understanding of the invention.

As has already been mentioned, in the case of each power supply one deals with hydraulic cylinder/piston units. Fig.3 illustrates that a main valve 44 is flange-mounted on the cylinder of these units, by which valve the oil flow into or out of the cylinder is controlled. On the main valve 44 a pilot valve 45 is flange-mounted. The construction of these valves will be explained in detail below. The valve control 40, i.e. a housing with the valve control situated therein, is fastened on the pilot valve.

In Fig.2 the cutting machine moves to the right. Therefore the coal face catcher of the longwall face unit 17 has to be hinged backward. On the other hand the unit of the trough 25 on the longwall face unit 9, that, viewed in the direction of travel 19, is behind the cutting machine 21, is moved forward in the direction of the mined coal wall.

Equally, the following longwall face units 8, 7, 6, 5 and 4 are moving forward in the direction of the longwall face or the mined coal face. The coal face catcher is already hinged downward on these longwall face units. The longwall face units 3, 2, 1 are moved to the ready and remain in this position until the cutting machine approaches from the right.

The control of these movements is carried out partly automatically depending from the movements and the momentary position of the cutting machine, partially manually. For this purpose a shield control 34 is allocated to each longwall face unit 1-18. To each group of longwall faces or shield controls a longwall face control 33 is allocated. Each of the shield control devices 34 is allocated to one of the longwall faces 1-18 and is connected with the pilot valves 45 and main valves 44 of all power supplies of the longwall face unit 1, 2, 3 (up to 18) via a valve control 40 (microprocessor) each.

Each of the longwall face controls serves as a central longwall face control. However, a central longwall face control, connected with the longwall face controls, may be superordinated to a group of several longwall face controls or even the totality of the longwall face controls. The longwall face commands are passed on via all longwall face controls. Certain extraction function, e.g. removal, advancement, jigging, is activated in a specified longwall face by means of the longwall command. This longwall command is received via the cable 58 by all shield controls 34. The cable 58 connects all shield controls 34 with one another. All longwall commands of one of the longwall face controls are conveyed to the shield control directly connected with the longwall face control 33.

The longwall commands travel from this shield control via the cable 58 to all other shield controls 34. However, by means of a predetermined coding only one of the shield controls 1-18 or one group of the shield controls is activated by conveying the relevant longwall face commands. The activated shield control transforms then the longwall command received into valve control commands on the control valves and main valves allocated to the relevant longwalls.

The electric connection between the individual shield control devices 34 and the respective valve controls 40 is carried out via the command cable 46. On this occasion one deals with a preferably only two-wire cable, to which a shield control device 34 each of the shield and all valve controls 40 of the valve allocated to this shield are connected.

Such two-wire cables are nowadays commercially available as flat cables. The contact with (both) terminals of the shield control 34 and the valve controls 40 is carried out by means of a pin each, onto which the cable is pressed, so that the pin penetrates the insulation of the cable to the respective phase of the cable. Then the cable has to be merely fastened on the shield control or the valve control 40 by a clamp or the like.

As described, the shield control devices 34 are connected also with one another. The automatic triggering of the functions and the progress of the functions is described, for example, in DE-A1 195 46 427.3.

It becomes obvious from this that all commands originating from one shield control are always transmitted to all associated valve controls 40 and are present at each valve control 40. Consequently several commands have to be transmitted in series, i.e.

following one another chronologically.

From this results a command, that is directed to one of the valve controls 40, comprising a code word, i.e. a signal sequence characteristic for this valve control 40 and the actual function command (longwall command), that is characteristic for a specific function of the valve or the allocated power supply retract, extend). The valve controls 40 are also provided with a memory 43. The code word, that is characteristic for this valve control, is stored in each of these memories. Only that valve control/microprocessor is activated by a command of the shield control, the code word of which is identical with the code word emitted by the shield control. Therefore in the microprocessor a comparison between the stored code word and the code word contained in the function command of the shield control 34 is carried out. When these code words are identical, the microprocessor evaluates also the function command. For this purpose the function commands occurring and the positioning commands to be triggered by the respective function command which are to be conveyed to the positioning magnets of the respective pilot valve 45, are also stored in the microprocessor. Consequently, when a valve control 40 is activated by virtue of the identical code words, it searches in its data base for the positioning commands corresponding to the transmitted function command and passes them on to the positioning magnets to be activated of the respective pilot valve The positioning commands corresponding to the individual function commands can, however, be stored also in the respective shield control. In this case the function commands are processed into positioning commands for the positioning magnets of the respective pilot valve already in the shield control. In this case the shield control emits already positioning commands connected with a code word, due to which one of the valve controls is activated if the code words are identical.

The control device 37, constructed as a hand-held device, serves the purpose of entering a central manual command and is carried by the operator. To enter commands, the operator can be situated outside of the longwall face or at least at a distance from the momentary position of extraction.

The hand-held device is connected with the radio receivers 38 of the longwall face control devices 33 via radio. The parallelepiped-shaped hand-held device has operating buttons on one side (control side). The code of the respective longwall control (one of the shield controls 34.1, 34.2, to be operated can also be entered by these buttons and a longwall command to activate a desired function or a desired function progress removal or advancement) can be triggered. It has already been described that the shield controls 34 are also connected with one another via the cable 58, having only a few wires and serving for the serial transmission of a code word and the longwall command. Only those longwall controls/shield controls 34 are addressed the stored code word of which is identical with the transmitted code word. The antenna 39, for example, is used for the radio transmission by the hand-held device 39. When the operator turns the hand-held device by 1800, he faces the control side of the hand-held device. This has two diodes, a display as well as further buttons. The operator can illuminate both diodes with his helmet lamp. Only when he covers on this occasion one of the diodes, with a finger for example, is the control function of the hand-held device activated. For the control the operator enters the code of the longwall face to be controlled. By virtue of this the hand-held device will be connected via an infrared transmitter/receiver 35 with a tuned-in infrared transmitter/receiver 36 on the longwall face control 33 addressed by the code. By means of one of the buttons only specified functions or operating conditions can be interrogated. For this purpose a program is stored in the longwall face control, with which a sequence of queries regarding functions, operating conditions and the progress of the functions of a specified shield (longwall face) can be directed to and carried out by the shield control addressed by the code. Thus the data obtained is transmitted by means of the infrared transmitter/receiver 35, 36 to the hand-held device and shown on the display. In this manner the operator can convince himself whether a specified longwall is still fully functional or whether maintenance or a replacement of functional elements or control elements is required.

By virtue of this a safe, trouble-free and robust operation of the cutting machine and of the longwall is possible with simultaneously lower operating costs. It turned out that a safe, trouble-free radio transmission of the required position and direction signals is possible even in underground operations and that the Iongwall face control can be reliably controlled over one or a few radio receivers even when the Iongwall face is considerably long. For this purpose the control device has the peculiarity, that signals, which are transmitted to one or individual control devices, are conveyed to the others and a reliable determination of the longwall face units to be addressed is possible by means of the total capacity of the computer. Incidentally, regarding the technical execution reference is made to DE 195 46 427.3.

The hydraulic controls for a power supply are illustrated in Fig.1 The positioning magnet 47.1 of the pilot valve 45.1 (or the positioning magnet 47.2 of the pilot valve 45.2 for the opposing function of power supply 29) is activated by the valve control 40 when via the command cable 46 the code word transmitted in series together with the positioning command is identical with the code word stored in the memory 43 of the valve control In this case the pilot valve and the main valve are used, each of them allocated to a function (retract or extend) of the power supply 29. In such a case a separate code word is assigned to each of the pilot valves 45.1 and 45.2, so that neither the respective other pilot valve allocated to this power supply nor the pilot valves of all other power supplies are not addressed when transmitting a specific code word.

The reference numeral 51 designates the pressurised line with the higher pressure and 52 the line with the lower pressure. The pilot valves 45.1, 45.2 are actuated by electromagnets 47.1 and 47.2, respectively, to two switching positions corresponding to the commands of the valve control 40.1 with the memory 43.1 and of 40.2 with the memory 43.2, respectively. The pilot valves 45.1, control the main control valves 44.1 and 44.2, respectively, via hydraulic lines 53.1 and 53.2, respectively. The main control valves 44.1 and 44.2, respectively, connect a cylinder space each of the power supply 29 with the pressurised line 51 and the respective other cylinder space with the low pressure line, the return line 52. Non-return valves 54.1 and 54.2 with pressure equalising lines 55 ensure that the piston of the power supply 29 remains continuously tensioned and moves all the time. Pressure limiting valves 56 prevent pressure surges.

Regarding the construction of the valves reference is made also to Fig.4. In addition to that already described, Fig.4 shows that each of the shield controls 34.1, can be connected not only with the valve controls 40.1, 40.2, of the shield via the command cable 46. Rather can the signals of the pressure sensors, assigned for the control and monitoring on each of the power supply and/or valves, be transmitted via the command cable. For this purpose a code word assigned to the valve is also transmitted in series via the radio together with the corresponding interrogation command, so that only the signal of the pressure sensor of this valve is transmitted.

Other sensors 41.1, 41.2, can also be connected in a similar manner with the shield control via a two-wire signal cable. In this case specified code words are assigned also to the sensors 41.1, 41.2, which on the one hand are stored in a microprocessor (not illustrated) assigned to the respective sensor and in the shield control on the other. To interrogate the signal of the individual sensors once again the corresponding code word is transmitted from the shield control via the signal cable and consequently the sensor addressed is activated and the measuring signal is transmitted.

Each shield control is connected to a power pack 42, by means of which the shield control is supplied with a voltage suitable for the signal transmission. What was described here for the shield control 34.1 and shown in Fig.4, also applies to the shield controls 34.2, Before commencing operation, the code word that can be individually entered into and stored for each valve in each microprocessor/valve control 40 and in their memories 43, has to be transmitted also to the superordinated shield control and stored there in the relevant valve and assigned to it. This is described based on Fig.5. As stated, the code word has already been entered into the memory 43 of the relevant valve control 40. The pilot valve 45 is in the neutral position. Consequently, the valve spring 57 presses the pilot piston 49 (only schematically illustrated, i.e. without control edges) and the magnet core of the positioning magnet 47 interacting with it, to an end position. To load the code word the magnet core and the pilot piston 49 is pressed by hand (arrow 50) into the other end position. By virtue of this in the exit/entry of the positioning magnet a voltage is induced, leading to the call up of the code word from the memory in the microprocessor and to the transmit of the code word to the shield control.

Simultaneously the shield control is so adjusted, that this code word is assigned to the relevant valve and is stored in this form. This assignment can be carried out, for example, by that for the manual actuation of the individual valves of a longwall face a specified sequence is prescribed. When, however, the coding contains also a signal sequence that is assigned to the respective valve and/or cylinder function, by centrally entering this cylinder function advancement) into the shield control 34 it can also be recognised as to which valve is designated for this function and accordingly which code word has to be called up from the shield control 34 so that to activate the designated valve or the designated valve control 40. In this refinement of the invention the adjusting work is made much easier on the one hand and made safer on the other.

For this reason this type of coding and the transmission of the coding of a valve to a superordinated control for all by a central control of serially controlled valve controls for electro-magnetically actuated hydraulic valves via a common line is very advantageous.

Reference numerals 1-18 Longwall face units 1 to 18 19. Direction of cutting19 Seam 21. Extracting machine Cutting machine 21 22. Direction of mining 22 23. Direction of cutting of cutting rollers 23, 24 24. Cutting device, cutting roller Conveyor, trough, unit 26. Bed plate 27. Roof plate 28. Wheel 28 29. Cylinder/piston unit, stepping piston, power supply 29 Cylinder/piston unit, power source 31. Computer, microprocessor 31 32. Radio receiver 32 33. Longwall face control, central longwall face control, longwall face control device 34. Control device 34, shield control, shield control device, longwall face control Infrared transmitter/receiver 36. Infrared transmitter/receiver 36 37. Control device, hand-held device 38. Antenna, radio receiver 39. Antenna of the hand-held device Valve control, microprocessor, control device 41. Sensors 42. Power pack 43. Memory 43 44. Main valve, control valve 44 Pilot valve, control valve 46. Command cable 46 47. Positioning magnet 47 48. Coal face catcher 48 49. Pilot pistons 49 11 Arrow 51. Pressurised line 52. Tank line, low-pressure line, return line 53. Line 54. Non-return valve Pressure equalising line 56. Pressure limiting valve 57. Valve spring 58. Cable

Claims (8)

1. Longwall face control for longwall face working with a plurality of longwalls (shields 1- 18), that can be operated in the sense of longwall functions, in particular in the sense of the longwall functions: removal, advancement and jigging, with hydraulically operated power supplies (cylinder/piston units 29, 30), which are allocated to each of the longwalls to carry out the work functions required for the longwall functions, with hydraulic control valves (pilot valves 45 and main valves 44), that can be actuated by positioning commands addressed to their electro-magnets (47) and are allocated to a power supply each for the hydraulic triggering of the work functions of the power supply and are connected hydraulically with it, and with a shield control (34.1, 34.2 each for each of the longwalls (shields) to trigger the positioning commands based on the longwall commands in the sense of the longwall functions that can be entered in the individual shield control. Characteristics: The control valves, including the pilot valves (45) and the main valves are provided in a tight spatial region of their respective power supply, preferably mounted on the power supplies and hydraulically connected with them directly without hoses; each control valve (29, 30) has its own valve control (microprocessor 4) with memory (43) directly allocated to it, while a code word that is characteristic for the control valve is stored in the memory (43); each shield control (34.1, 34.2 comprises a memory for the code words, that are stored in the memories (43) of the valve controls (40) of this shield and are characteristic for each of the control valves of this longwall; each shield control (34.1 34.3 is connected with all valve controls (40.1 of its shield and the valve controls (40) of the shield are connected in series with one another over a common, preferably only two-wire command cable (46); the longwall commands transmitted to a shield control are converted in the shield control into the code word as well as the positioning command for the magnets of the control valve (44, 45) to be addressed; the code word, as well as the positioning command are preferably transmitted in serial sequence via the command cable (46) to all valve controls (microprocessors) allocated to the shield control .34.3 the valve controls (40) are so arranged that only the valve control (40) (that of the microprocessors is addressed by the positioning command and is activated in the sense of the work function to be triggered of the allocated control valve, in the memory (43) of which that code word is stored which is identical with the code word emitted by the shield control

2. Longwall face control according to the preamble of claim 1 or according to claim 1; Characteristics: The pistons, including the magnet core of each control valve, can be manually displaced in the non-activated state in such a manner that a voltage is induced in the activating magnets; due to this the valve control (40) with the microprocessor of the actuated control valve is so addressed, that the codeword assigned to the control valve and stored in the microprocessor is transmitted to the shield control, stored therein and assigned to the control valve.

3. Longwall face control according to claim 1 or claim 2 Characteristics: The shield control is spatially directly allocated to its shield, preferably mounted on the shield.

4. Longwall face control according to any one of claims 1 to 3, Characteristics: The valve controls (40) with the microprocessor are spatially directly allocated to their respective valve, preferably mounted on the valve.

Longwall face control according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Characteristics: Each shield control is connected for the energy supply to its own power pack connected to the central energy supply to produce a rectified low voltage and preferably fitted with it.

6. Longwall face control according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Characteristics: A plurality of shield controls (34.1, is connected with one another by a common cable (58) for the purpose of serial transmission of commands, in particular longwall commands, in the sense of longwall functions and code words, which are fed to one of the shield controls via a longwall face control (33) directly connected with it.

7. Longwall face control according to claim 6 Characteristics: A plurality of longwall control devices (33) are distributed over the length of the longwall face and each longwall control device is directly connected to one of the shield controls (34.1, of the longwall face and preferably tightly spatially closely allocated to it; each of the longwall face control devices serves the purpose of transmitting the longwall commands to the shield control connected with it; over the common cable (58) all shield controls (34.1, of the longwall face can be controlled, however, from the number of the controlled shield controls only the individual shield control (34.1) of that longwall (shield) which is affected by the longwall command or only the shield controls of the group of longwalls (shields 1-18) affected by the longwall command can be selectively activated.

8. Longwall face control according to claim 7 Characteristics: A central control device (hand-held device 37), connected by radio with the longwall control devices is used for the input of the longwall commands.