CA3060792A1

CA3060792A1 - Platform assembly for machines

Info

Publication number: CA3060792A1
Application number: CA3060792A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Christopher J. Adlard
Original assignee: Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-02
Filing date: 2019-10-31
Publication date: 2020-05-02
Also published as: AU2018256662A1

Abstract

A platform assembly for a machine is disclosed. The machine is used for charging a mine face to facilitate removal of mine material from the mine face. The platform assembly includes a link, an arm, and a platform. The link is adapted to be pivotably coupled relative to a frame of the machine. The link is adapted to pivot relative to the frame about a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The arm is pivotably coupled to the link and is adapted to move between a folded state and an unfolded state relative to the link. The platform is adapted to station one or more operators thereon. The platform is rotatably coupled to the arm and is adapted to rotate about a vertical axis.

Description

Description PLATFORM ASSEMBLY FOR MACHINES
Technical Field The present disclosure relates to machines used for charging a mine face to facilitate removal of mine material from the mine face. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a platform assembly having a platform connected to a frame of the machine using a foldable two-piece link.
Background It is common for mine operators to extract mine material, such as limestone, precious metal, copper, salt, nickel, granite, and the like, from a mine face by the use of explosives. For example, holes and/or orifices are drilled into a mine face, and, thereafter, said holes and/or orifices are charged with explosives (i.e., to insert explosives into the holes and/or orifices). Once a charge is properly inserted into the holes and/or orifices, the charge is blasted to expose, and or to extract and remove mine material from the mine face. In conventional practice, a machine, often referred to as a charge rig, is used to charge the mine face. Such a machine includes a platform on which one or more workers may be stationed. During a typical charging sequence, the machine extends the platform, with the workers stationed thereon, up to the mine face. Once the platform is sufficiently close to the mine face, the workers stationed on the platform may insert (e.g., manually) the charge into the holes and/or the orifices formed within the mine face to charge the mine face.
Once a mine face is adequately charged, the machine may move to another room of the associated mine, so as to charge one or more mine faces of the other room. A movement of the machine from one room to another is often referred to as 'tramming'. With the harsh geographical terrain typically found within a mine (e.g., limited space, narrow passageways, etc.), a tramming function becomes an arduous task for an operator/driver of the machine. A

-2- 18-difficulty associated with tramming is aggravated as the operator/driver of the machine also vies to prevent the platform from interfering (e.g., colliding) with the surrounding terrain, during tramming.
Korean Patent Application No. 101029465 relates to a blasting explosive loading apparatus. The blasting explosive loading apparatus includes a crane with a number of booms, and a bucket coupled to a free end of a boom.
Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgment or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant, and/or combined with other pieces of prior art by a skilled person in the art.
As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises"
and "comprised", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.
Summary of the Invention In one aspect, the disclosure is directed towards a platform assembly for a machine used for charging a mine face to facilitate removal of mine material from the mine face. The platform assembly includes a link, an arm, and a platform. The link is adapted to be pivotably coupled relative to a frame of the machine. The link is adapted to pivot relative to the frame about a first axis and a second axis. The second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.
The arm is pivotably coupled to the link and is adapted to move between a folded state and an unfolded state relative to the link. The platform is adapted to station one or more operators thereon. The platform is rotatably coupled relative to the arm and is adapted to rotate about a vertical axis.
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a machine for charging a mine face to facilitate removal of mine material from the mine face.
The machine includes a frame and at least one platform assembly. The platform

-3- 18-assembly is coupled to the frame, and includes a link, an arm, and a platform.

The link is pivotably coupled relative to the frame, and is adapted to pivot relative to the frame about a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The arm is pivotably coupled to the link and is adapted to move between a folded state and an unfolded state relative to the link. Further, the platform is adapted to station one or more operators thereon. The platform is rotatably coupled relative to the arm and is adapted to rotate about a vertical axis.
Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is an exemplary machine including a platform assembly in a contracted state, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is the platform assembly in an expanded state, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a rotary actuator unit coupled between an arm and a platform of the platform assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate an exemplary sequence of movements associated with the platform assembly when moving from the expanded state to the contracted state as viewed from a top of the machine;
FIG. 7 is an exemplary contracted state of the platform assembly as viewed from the top of the machine, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 8 is a machine having two platform assemblies, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Detailed Description Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a machine 100 is illustrated. The machine 100 may be configured to be operated in a mine environment 104. The mine environment 104 may include multiple mine rooms. For example, the mine environment 104 includes a mine room 108 having a ground 112 and a mine face

-4- 18-116 extending generally upright from the ground 112, as shown. Mine materials, such as, but not limited to, limestone, salt, precious metal, copper, nickel, granite, etc., may be obtained from the mine face 116. The mine face 116 may include regions that are generally hard-to-reach, but which may need to be accessed so as to extract mine materials therefrom. As an example, the mine face 116 may include a region 120 that is situated at an elevation from the ground 112, and up to which ready access may be not possible for an operator stationed on the ground 112 (i.e., at ground level). The forthcoming disclosure discusses certain structural and functional aspects of the machine 100, a use of which makes it possible for one or more operators to access the region 120 with relative ease.
The machine 100 may be interchangeably referred to as a charge rig 124, and, for the purposes of the present disclosure, the machine 100/charge rig 124 may relate or correspond to a machine that may be used for charging the mine face 116 to facilitate the removal/extraction of mine material from the mine face 116. The term 'charging' means to insert explosives into holes and/or orifices formed (e.g., by drilling) in the mine face 116. To this end, the machine 100/charge rig 124 includes a frame 128, and a platform assembly 130 that is coupled to the frame 128, as shown.
The frame 128 may be adapted to support a variety of equipment, systems, components, accessories, etc., that may facilitate a movement and/or a functioning of the machine 100 over ground 112. The frame 128 may underlie and support various outer (and inner) structural panels and systems of the machine 100. Further, the frame 128 may extend generally along a length, L, of the machine 100, thereby defining a forward end 132 and a rearward end 136, as shown. It may be noted that terms prefixed with "forward" and "rearward" may be viewed and understood to be relative to a general direction of travel of the machine 100, which is exemplarily represented by arrow, T, in FIG. 1, with said direction of travel exemplarily extending from the rearward end 136 to the forward end 132.

-5- 18-The machine 100 may include a number of wheels 142 adapted to facilitate a movement of the machine 100. Wheels 142 may be supported by the frame 128. For example, the wheels 142 are categorized into a set of forward wheels 146 and a set of rearward wheels 150. Each of the set of forward wheels 146 and the set of rearward wheels 150 may include two wheels that are disposed laterally oppositely to the frame 128 (i.e., along a width, W, of the machine 100) (see FIG. 4) ¨ only one forward wheel 146 and one rearward wheel 150 is illustrated. Furthermore, the machine 100 may include an engine system 154 that may be supported on the frame 128. The engine system 154 may power a movement of the wheels 146, 150 (and thus of the machine 100) over ground 112. Moreover, the machine 100 also includes an operator cab 158 coupled (e.g., immovably) to the frame 128 from which a variety of functions related to the movement and working of the machine 100 may be controlled. The machine 100 further includes a pair of first stabilizer legs 162 (only one first stabilizer leg 162 is shown) coupled to the forward end 132 of the frame 128, while a pair of second stabilizer legs 166 (only one second stabilizer leg 166 is shown) coupled to the rearward end 136 of the frame 128.
The platform assembly 130 facilitates operator access (e.g., physical/manual operator access) to the region 120 on the mine face 116. For example, the platform assembly 130 includes a platform 184 to station one or more workers/operators thereon. The platform 184 may be extended towards the region 120 so as to help the workers/operators, stationed on the platform 184, reach close enough to the region 120 to charge the region 120, during operations.
Although not limited, the platform assembly 130 may be coupled to the forward end 132 of the frame 128, as shown, and, as an example, one or more functions related to the extension of the platform 184 of the platform assembly 130 may be operated and controlled by one or more operators/drivers stationed within the operator cab 158. The platform assembly 130 includes a hinge assembly 188 with a hinge unit 192, a foldable two-piece link including a link 196 and an arm 200, a rotary actuator unit 204, and a set of actuators 208 ¨ a concerted working

-6- 18-of these components facilitates the movement of the platform 184 towards the region 120. Discussions related to each of these components, i.e., a formation and a functioning of the platform assembly 130, will now follow.
The hinge assembly 188 may include a fixture 220 with a pair of co-axially aligned shackles 224, 224' (or simply, shackles 224, 224' hereinafter) fixedly coupled (e.g., by welding or by use of threaded fasteners) to the fixture 220. The fixture 220 may be in turn fixedly coupled (e.g., by welding or by use of threaded fasteners) to the forward end 132 of the frame 128, as shown. The fixture 220 may be coupled to the forward end 132 of the frame 128 such that the shackles 224, 224' are defined vertically (i.e., one above the other along a height, H, of the machine 100).
The hinge unit 192 of the hinge assembly 188 may include a pin 228 and a bracket 232 fixedly coupled (e.g., by welding) to the pin 228. The pin 228 may define a pin axis 236, and may be received (at least in part) into the shackles 224, 224' such that the pin axis 236 may be disposed in line with an axis 240 commonly defined by the shackles 224, 224'. The pin 228 (along with the bracket 232) may be rotatable with respect to the shackles 224, 224', and thus to the fixture 220 and the frame 128 of the machine 100, about the pin axis 236.
It may be accordingly noted that the hinge unit 192 may be pivotably coupled with the frame 128 of the machine 100 about the pin axis 236. Said pivotable coupling between the hinge unit 192 and the frame 128 defines a first axis 244 that may be disposed co-axially with the pin axis 236 (and/or the axis 240).
Further, in some embodiments, the first axis 244 may be defined along the height, H, of the machine 100. Although not explicitly shown, the hinge assembly 188 may include a pivoting mechanism (e.g., having one or more actuators), which may be controllable by an operator stationed within the operator cab 158 so as to power a pivoting motion of the hinge unit 192 about the first axis 244 relative to the fixture 220 (and thus relative to the frame 128).
The pin 228 may define a first end 248 and an axially opposed, second end 252. The second end 252 may be disposed below the first end 248 in

-7- 18-an assembly of the pin 228 with the shackles 224, 224' (i.e., according to the orientation of the pin 228 in FIGS. 1 and 2). The bracket 232 may include dual-hook portions. For example, the bracket 232 includes a first hook portion 256 and a second hook portion 260. The first hook portion 256 may be disposed in proximity to the first end 248 than to the second end 252, while the second hook portion 260 may be disposed in proximity to the second end 252 than to the first end 248.
The link 196 may be a linearly extending elongated member defining a first link end 264 and a second link end 268. The link 196 may be assembled with the hinge unit 192, and, in said assembly, the first link end may be pivotably coupled with the first hook portion 256 of the bracket 232.
Therefore, in an assembly of the link 196 with the frame 128, the first link end 264 may be disposed relatively proximal to the frame 128 (e.g., to the forward end 132 of the frame 128), while the second link end 268 (defined oppositely to the first link end 264) may be disposed relatively distal to the frame 128 (e.g., away from the forward end 132 of the frame 128). A pivotable coupling of the link 196 with respect to the first hook portion 256 (i.e., with respect to the hinge unit 192) defines a second axis 272 (also see FIG. 4). According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the second axis 272 is defined perpendicularly with respect to the first axis 244. With the pivotable coupling of the first link end 264 with the first hook portion 256, in conjunction with the pivotable coupling of the hinge unit 192 with the frame 128, the link 196 may be pivotably coupled relative to both the hinge unit 192 and the frame 128, and may be adapted to pivot relative to the frame 128 about both the first axis 244 and the second axis 272.
Moreover, the link 196 may be moveable between an extended position (FIG. 1 orientation) and a retracted position (FIG. 2 orientation) with respect to the first hook portion 256 (and thus with respect to the hinge unit 192 and with respect to the frame 128), when pivoting about the second axis 272. In some embodiments, the link 196 may be adapted to move between the extended position and the retracted position relative to the frame 128 along a plane 276 (see FIG. 4) that

-8- 18-passes through (and is defined by) the first axis 244 and is perpendicular to the second axis 272.
As with the link 196, the arm 200 may be a linearly extending elongated member, as well, defining a first arm end 280 and a second arm end 284. The first arm end 280 may be pivotably coupled to the second link end 268 (and thus to the link 196) to define a joint 288 between the arm 200 and the link 196. The second arm end 284 may be defined opposite to the first arm end 280 and thus may be disposed remote to the joint 288. The joint 288 may define a joint axis 292 (also see FIG. 4) about which the arm 200 may pivot and may move relative to the link 196 between a folded state (FIG. 1 orientation) and an unfolded state (FIG. 2 orientation) along the plane 276. In some embodiments, the joint axis 292 may be parallel to the second axis 272. In some further embodiments, the arm 200 may be able to also swing laterally (e.g., along the width, W, of the machine 100) relative to the link 196.
It may be noted that in the retracted position of the link 196, the joint 288 may be disposed lower in elevation with respect to the first link end 264 of the link 196. For example, in the retracted position of the link 196 (and optionally, in the folded state of the arm 200, as shown in FIG. 1), the link and the arm 200 may define a generally V-shaped profile with a vertex 296 of the V-shaped profile being directed closer towards the ground 112, while the first link end 264 (and optionally, the second arm end 284) being directed upwards, away from the ground 112. The vertex 296 defines a lowermost point 300 of the joint 288. In some embodiments, in the retracted position of the link 196 (and optionally in the folded state of the arm 200) (FIG. 1), a datum 304 passing through the lowermost point 300 (e.g., the vertex 296) of the joint 288 and tangentially meeting a circular profile 308 of a wheel (e.g., the forward wheel 146) is adapted to define an angle (0) of at least 15 degrees with a third axis 312 defined along the length, L, of the machine 100. Further, in some embodiments, an acute angle (4)) defined between the first axis 244 and the datum 304 may be restricted to a maximum of 75 degrees. In some embodiments, the datum 304

-9- 18-also passes through a lowermost point 316 of a profile of one (or more) of the pair of first stabilizer legs 162 (e.g., a profile 320 of the first stabilizer leg 162) (see FIG. 1).
Referring to FIGS, 1, 2 and 3, the platform 184 is adapted to station one or more workers/operators thereon. For example, the platform 184 includes a flattened surface 324 upon which one or more workers/operators may stand. The platform 184 may also include a railing or a fence portion 328 usable to support the workers/operators stationed on the flattened surface 324. The fence portion 328 may be disposed upright relative to the flattened surface 324, and may be in ready access to the workers/operators stationed on the flattened surface 324. The fence portion 328 may include a gate (not shown) to let in and let out worker/operators from the platform. Further, the platform 184 may accommodate a variety of equipment useable in charging the region 120 on the mine face 116 during a charging operation ¨ details pertaining to such equipment are known in the art and are thus not discussed.
The platform 184 may be rotatably coupled relative to the second arm end 284 of the arm 200 so as to be rotatable relative to the arm 200. For example, the platform 184 may be adapted to rotate up to 180 degrees about a platform axis 332. For discussing certain aspects of the present disclosure, it may be appreciated that the platform axis 332 is defined perpendicularly to the flattened surface 324 upon which one or more workers/operators may stand.
Exemplarily, during operation, the platform axis 332 may be aligned with a vertical axis 336 (that may be defined upright relative to an orientation of the ground 112), and thus the platform 184 may rotate about both - the platform axis 332 as well as the vertical axis 336. Additionally, or optionally, the platform axis 332 may be disposed parallel to the first axis 244 as well, during operations.

Referring to FIG. 4, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the platform 184 may be coupled to the second arm end 284 of the arm 200 by way of the rotary actuator unit 204. The rotary actuator unit may facilitate the rotation of the platform 184 relative to the second arm end

-10- 18-about the platform axis 332 (or the vertical axis 336). The rotary actuator unit 204 may include a housing 340, a transmission arrangement 344 assembled within the housing 340, and a drive actuator 348 adapted to power a working of the transmission arrangement 344.
The transmission arrangement 344 may include a first gear 352 and a second gear 356 meshed with the first gear 352, while the drive actuator 348 may include an electrical motor or a hydraulic motor, for example, having an output shaft 360 that may be powered to rotate about its axis (i.e., shaft axis 364).
Although not limited, the first gear 352 and the second gear 356 may be bevel gears. The output shaft 360 may be coupled (e.g., fixedly) with the first gear 352, and, in that manner, a rotary motion of the output shaft 360 may be transferred to the first gear 352. In other words, the first gear 352 may rotate in response (and in sync) with the rotation of the output shaft 360. An axis of rotation (e.g., a first gear axis 368) defined by the first gear 352 may be disposed co-axially with the shaft axis 364.
Since the first gear 352 is meshed with the second gear 356, a rotary movement of the first gear 352 is further transmitted to the second gear 356, resulting in a rotation of the second gear 356 about a second gear axis (defined by the second gear 356). The second gear axis 378 may be disposed perpendicular to the first gear axis 368. In an embodiment, the second gear axis 378 may be in line with (or may be one and the same as) the platform axis 332 about which the platform 184 may rotate with respect to the arm 200.
The rotary actuator unit 204 may exemplarily include a beam 382 that may be fixedly coupled to the second gear 356. In so doing, as the second gear 356 may rotate about the second gear axis 378, the beam 382 may rotate along with the rotation of the second gear 356 about the second gear axis 378, thereby facilitating the beam 382 to execute an angular movement about the second gear axis 378. The beam 382 may extend out of the housing 340, and may define an end 386 to which the platform 184 (e.g., fence portion 328 of the platform 184) may be coupled (e.g., fixedly) to. To enable an extension or

-11- 18-passage of the beam 382 out of the housing 340, the housing 340 may include a cutout 342, which may accommodate the swing (i.e., rotation) of the beam 382 about the second gear axis 378 (or about the platform axis 332 or the vertical axis 336). Effectively, a rotary movement of the beam 382 is further transferred to the platform 184, thus facilitating the platform 184 to rotate about the second gear axis 378 (or the platform axis 332 or the vertical axis 336), as well.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, it may be noted that the rotary actuator unit 204 is adapted to move the platform 184 between a 'swerved position' and an 'out-position' relative to the arm 200. According to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5, in the swerved position, the platform 184 may be rotated away either to the left side or to the right side of the frame 128, thus defining two swerved positions - for example, a first swerved position 390 and a second swerved position 390'. The first swerved position 390 may correspond to a movement of the platform 184 towards a left side of the frame 128 (see arrow, K) (also see FIG. 6 to exclusively view the platform 184 moved to the first swerved position 390). Alternatively, the second swerved position 390' may correspond to a movement (see arrow, M) of the platform 184 towards a right side of the frame 128. In an out-position 394, the platform 184 is located foremost of the machine 100 without any deviation either to the left side or to the right side of the frame 128.
In one example, the beam 382 (along with the platform 184) is adapted to rotate up to 180 degrees about the platform axis 332 (or the vertical axis 336). According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, such rotation means that the platform 184 may rotate up to a maximum of 90 degrees from the out-position 394 towards the first swerved position 390, and also that the platform 184 may rotate up to a maximum of 90 degrees from the out-position 394 towards the second swerved position 390', cumulatively defining a total of a 180 degree sweep about the platform axis 332 (or the vertical axis 336) between the first swerved position 390 and the second swerved position 390'.

-12- 18-Although the present disclosure discusses the rotary actuator unit 204 to include a transmission arrangement 344 to attain a rotary motion of the platform 184 about the platform axis 332, it will be appreciated that a variety of other methods of achieving a rotary motion of the platform 184, for example, by use of a linear actuator in which a to-and-fro motion may be converted into a rotary motion, may be contemplated. Accordingly, a structure, arrangement, and a working of the rotary actuator unit 204, need to be viewed as being purely exemplary.
The set of actuators 208 will be discussed now. The set of actuators 208 are adapted to be used to move the arm 200 and the link 196 with respect to each other (and with respect to the frame 128), thereby enabling a movement of the platform 184 relative to the frame 128. The set of actuators may include three actuators, namely a first actuator 208', a second actuator 208", and a third actuator 208". For example, each of the first actuator 208', second actuator 208", and the third actuator 208", may include a cylinder-rod based arrangement, where a cylinder is pressurized, and an associated rod is either telescopically extended or retracted relative to the cylinder as a result of the pressurization. For ease, references related to the cylinder and the rod, as applicable for each of the first actuator 208', second actuator 208", and the third actuator 208'", have been annotated similarly. For example, the first actuator 208' includes a cylinder 398' and a rod 402', the second actuator 208"
includes a cylinder 398" and a rod 402", and the third actuator 208" includes a cylinder 398" and a rod 402". Although the cylinder-rod based arrangement discussed above, use of other actuator types (such as electrical actuators) are also contemplated.
The first actuator 208' may be coupled between the hinge unit 192 and the link 196, and may be adapted to move the link 196 with respect to the hinge unit 192 (and the frame 128). For example, the cylinder 398' of the first actuator 208' may be pivotably coupled to the second hook portion 260 of the bracket 232, while the rod 402' of the first actuator 208' may be pivotably

-13- 18-coupled to a portion 406 (defined relatively closer to the second link end 268 than to the first link end 264) of the link 196, as shown. An extension/retraction between the cylinder 398' and the rod 402' of the first actuator 208' may cause the link 196 to be moved or pivoted (between the extended position and the retracted position) with respect to the second hook portion 260 (and the hinge unit 192), in turn also facilitating a movement of the link 196 with respect to the frame 128 of the machine 100, about the second axis 272.
The second actuator 208" may be coupled between the link 196 and the arm 200, and may be adapted to move the arm 200 between the folded state (FIG. 1) and the unfolded state (FIG. 2) relative to the link 196. For example, the cylinder 398" of the second actuator 208" may be pivotably coupled to the link 196 (e.g., to a portion 410 relatively closer to the first link end 264 than to the second link end 268), while the rod 402" of the second actuator 208" may be pivotably coupled to the arm 200 (e.g., to a portion 414 relatively midway between the first arm end 280 and the second arm end 284), as shown.
An extension/retraction between the cylinder 398" and the rod 402" of the second actuator 208" may cause the arm 200 to be moved between the folded state and the unfolded state relative to the link 196.
Further, the third actuator 208" may be adapted to move the platform 184 relative to the arm 200. For example, the cylinder 398" of the third actuator 208" may be pivotably coupled to the arm 200 (e.g., to a portion same as or close to the portion 414), while the rod 402" of the third actuator 208" may be pivotably coupled to a portion 418 of the housing 340 (or, in some cases, to the platform 184). An extension/retraction between the cylinder 398' and the rod 402' of the third actuator 208' may cause the housing 340 (and thus the platform 184) to be moved or pivoted relative to the arm 200. It may be noted that while the rod 402" of the third actuator 208" may be coupled to only one of the housing 340 or the platform 184, in either case, an extension of the rod 402" (of the third actuator 208") relative to the cylinder 398" (of the third

-14- 18-actuator 208'") may cause both the rotary actuator unit 204 and the platform to move as one unit relative to the arm 200.
It may be noted that a concerted movement between each of the first actuator 208', the second actuator 208", and the third actuator 208", may facilitate an extension/retraction of the platform 184 away from/towards the frame 128. When the platform 184 is extended, workers/operators stationed on the platform 184 may attain closer access to the region 120 on the mine face 116, helping them charge the region 120 on the mine face 116. Controls related to the actuation of each of the first actuator 208', second actuator 208", and the third actuator 208" may be customary, and may be facilitated through one or more systems available within the operator cab 158.
Referring to FIG. 3 again, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the platform assembly 130 includes an orientation mechanism 420 by which the platform 184 may be maintained (e.g., constantly) at a desired orientation during operations. For example, the desired orientation means that the flattened surface 324 of the platform 184 may be horizontally oriented/aligned or may be disposed parallel to the orientation defined by the ground 112. This desired orientation may be maintained during transit of the platform 184 towards the region 120, during the subsequent charging operation of the region 120, and during return of the platform 184 from the region 120, and may be maintained to support the workers/operators appropriately - i.e., to make the platform 184 (e.g., the flattened surface 324 of the platform 184) well suited to serve as steady base for the workers/operators to stand upon, throughout the operation. It may be noted that the present disclosure discusses the orientation mechanism 420 solely as one among the many possible methods that may help maintain the platform 184 at the desired orientation. Several other methods of maintaining the platform 184 at the desired orientation (such as by use of a directional positioning system) (not shown) may be contemplated as well, but without departure from the scope and spirit of the aspects described in the present

-15- 18-disclosure. The orientation mechanism 420 may include a sensor 424 and a control unit 428.
The sensor 424 may be configured to detect a variation in an orientation (i.e., tilt, incline, etc.) of the platform 184 (or of the platform axis 332) with respect to the vertical axis 336. For example, the sensor 424 includes a tilt sensor 424'. The tilt sensor 424' may include one or more of an inclinometer, accelerometer, and the like, that may be coupled to the housing 340 (or to the platform 184), and which may generate signals pertaining to the orientation of the housing 340 (or the platform 184) relative to the vertical axis.
The control unit 428 may be communicably coupled to the sensor 424 to receive the signal(s) from the sensor 424. The control unit 428 may also be communicably coupled to the third actuator 208" to control a working of the third actuator. According to an exemplary operational scenario, upon receipt of the signal(s) from the sensor 424, if the control unit 428 determines that the variation in the orientation of the platform 184 has exceeded a predefined threshold, the control unit 428 may control the third actuator 208" (i.e., to pressurize/de-pressurize the cylinder 398") to move the rod 402". Since the rod 402" is coupled to the platform 184, a movement imparted to the rod 402"
may be further transferred to the platform 184, in turn moving the platform relative to the arm 200, and thereby orienting the platform 184 relative to the vertical axis 336. For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase "orient the platform 184 relative to the vertical axis 336" (and similar such phrases) means to move the platform 184 such that the flattened surface 324 is aligned perpendicularly with respect to the vertical axis 336 (and/or that the platform axis 332 is aligned in line with the vertical axis 336).
With various movements of the link 196, arm 200, and the platform 184 discussed above, it may be noted that the platform assembly 130, as a whole, may be moved between a contracted state and an expanded state. The contracted state of the platform assembly 130 is assumed when the machine 100 may be travelling or tramming through various passageways of the mine

-16- 18-environment 104, whereas the expanded state of the platform assembly 130 may be assumed when the machine 100 may be deployed for charging regions, such as region 120, on the mine face 116. A state in which the platform assembly 130 is deployed, as exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 1, is the contracted state, while the state in which the platform assembly 130 is deployed, as exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 2, is the expanded state. It may be noted that in the contracted state, the link 196 is in the retracted position, the arm 200 is in the folded state, and the platform 184 is in the first swerved position 390, while in the expanded state, the link 196 is in the extended position, the arm 200 is in the unfolded state, and the platform 184 is in the out-position 394. Optionally, the platform 184 may move to the second swerved position 390' (FIG. 5) in the contracted state of the platform assembly 130. Also, it is possible for the platform 184 to swerve to the left side and the right side (i.e., move to either towards the first swerved position 390 or towards the second swerved position 390') about the platform axis 332 (or the vertical axis 336) even when the platform assembly 130 is in the expanded state.
Referring to FIG. 8, an embodiment of the machine 100, as machine 800, is illustrated. The machine 800 includes a frame 828, similar to the frame 128. The machine 800 includes two platform assemblies 880', 880 as opposed to the one platform assembly (i.e., platform assembly 130) discussed for the machine 100 above. For example, the two platform assemblies 880', 880"
are categorized as a first platform assembly 880' and a second platform assembly 880". Other components, systems, and structure of the machine 800, may be similar to those described for the machine 100, and thus, said components, systems, and structure, are neither referenced, nor annotated.
The first platform assembly 880' may be coupled closer towards a left-sided edge 950 of the frame 828 than to a right-sided edge 954 of the frame 828, while the second platform assembly 880" is coupled closer towards the right-sided edge 954 of the frame 828 than to the left-sided edge 950 of the frame 828. It may be noted that a formation and functioning of each of the first

-17- 18-platform assembly 880' and the second platform assembly 880" may remain similar to the formation and functioning of the platform assembly 130, as has been discussed above. Further, it is contemplated that the machine 800 may include additional platform assemblies, similar to the platform assembly 130, disposed at various locations of the frame 828.
Industrial Applicability During operation, various regions, such as region 120, on the mine face 116 may be first drilled to form holes and orifices. As an example, machines with appropriate equipment and systems may be brought into the mine room 108 and be deployed for drilling holes and orifices into the mine face 116 (i.e., into the region 120 of the mine face 116). Once the holes and orifices are drilled into the mine face 116, said machines may be moved out of the mine room 108 to make way for the entry of the machine 100 into the mine room 108. Once the machine 100 enters the mine room 108, the machine 100 may be suitably deployed (i.e., stabilized) on and relative to the ground 112. For this purpose, the pair of first stabilizer legs 162 and the pair of second stabilizer legs 166 may be extended and brought into engagement with the ground 112.
At this stage, the platform assembly 130 of the machine 100 may be in the contracted state (FIG. 1). Once the machine 100 is stabilized, one or more workers/operators may climb into the platform 184. Thereafter, one or more operators stationed within the operator cab 158 may actuate the platform assembly 130 such that the platform assembly 130 moves from the contracted state to the expanded state (FIG. 2). Additionally, or optionally, various controls for the actuation and the movement of the platform assembly 130 may be provided within the platform 184 itself, so as to allow the workers/operators stationed on the platform 184 to be in control of their travel. During the movement of the platform assembly 130 from the contracted state to the expanded state, first the rotary actuator unit 204 may power a rotation of the platform 184, such that the platform 184 moves from the first swerved position

-18- 18-390 to the out-position 394. Thereafter, both the first actuator 208' and the second actuator 208" may work in tandem (or in sequence) to respectively move the link 196 to the extended position (FIG. 2) and the arm to the unfolded state (FIG. 2). Simultaneously, the control unit 428 may help maintain an orientation of the platform 184 relative to the vertical axis 336 during the movement by controlling the third actuator 208" based on the signals (e.g., inclination data and/or a variation in orientation of the platform 184) provided by the sensor 424.
Once the platform assembly 130 has attained the expanded state, operators stationed within the operator cab 158 (and/or the workers/operators on the platform 184) may optionally need to adjust (e.g., minimally) a position of the platform 184 such that the platform 184 attains a position that is closest and/or most accessible to the region 120. To enable such adjustments, each of the first actuator 208', second actuator 208", and the third actuator 208" may be individually and/or independently controlled, as well. Further, with the platform assembly 130 having attained a desired position, the operators stationed on the platform 184 may insert and fill the holes and/or orifices with explosives to charge the region 120 on the mine face 116.
Once a charge is properly inserted and filled into the holes and/or orifices, the platform assembly 130 may be brought back to the contracted state by controlling each of the first actuator 208', second actuator 208", and the third actuator 208'. For example, during the movement of the platform assembly 130 from the expanded state to the contracted state, both the first actuator 208' and the second actuator 208" may work in tandem (or in sequence) to respectively move the link 196 to the retracted position (FIG. 1) and the arm 200 to the folded state (FIG. 1). Simultaneously, the control unit 428 may help maintain an orientation of the platform 184 relative to the vertical axis 336 during the movement by controlling the third actuator 208'.
It may be noted that the contracted state (FIG. 1) also involves a movement of the platform 184 either to the left side or to the right side of the frame 128 (as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6). For example, once the arm 200 is

-19- 18-brought/returned to the folded state and the link 196 is brought/returned to the retracted position, the platform 184 may be moved or rotated either to the left side or to the right side of the frame 128. According to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 6, the platform 184 is moved or pivoted to the left side of the frame 128 to the first swerved position 390. According to a further option, and with reference to FIG. 7, once the arm 200 is in the folded state (FIG. 1), the link 196 is in the retracted position (FIG. 1), and the platform 184 is in the first swerved position 390, an assembly formed by the link 196, the arm 200, and the platform 184, may be further rotated about the first axis 244 (see arrow, N, FIG.
7) so as to center the platform 184 relative to the forward end 132 of the frame 128. A centering of the platform 184 relative to the forward end 132 of the frame 128 enables the platform assembly 130 to be packaged well with the remainder of the machine 100, attaining a lateral footprint (defined generally along the width, W, of the machine 100) that is considerably shorter than the width, W, itself, in turn helping the machine 100 during tramming.
With the platform 184 in the contracted state, the link 196 and the arm 200 are disposed relatively close to each other, as depicted in FIG. 1.
Therefore, the contracted state is one in which the machine 100 may perform tramming. Also, since in the contracted state, the platform 184 may be moved to the first swerved position 390, the platform 184 is brought further closer to the frame 128 (and to the operator cab 158), thus helping an operator/driver of the machine 100 (within the operator cab 158) perceive more clearly and accurately of the platform 184's proximity/distance with respect to a surrounding terrain during tramming, and further estimate if the proximity/distance is sufficient for the platform 184 (and the machine 100) to safety clear and pass through an associated passageway without interfering and/or colliding with the surrounding terrain of the passageway. Such modularity offered by the platform assembly 130 helps improve work safety and operational efficiency of the machine 100, while also prolonging the platform 184's life and usability.

-20- 18-It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the system of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the system disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalent.

Claims

1. A platform assembly for a machine used for charging a mine face to facilitate removal of mine material from the mine face, the platform assembly comprising:
a link adapted to be pivotably coupled relative to a frame of the machine, the link adapted to pivot relative to the frame about a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;
an arm pivotably coupled to the link and adapted to move between a folded state and an unfolded state relative to the link; and a platform to station one or more operators thereon, the platform being rotatably coupled relative to the arm and adapted to rotate about a vertical axis.

2. The platform assembly of claim 1, wherein the platform is adapted to rotate up to 180 degrees about the vertical axis.

3. The platform assembly of claim 1, wherein the arm is moveable to the folded state and the unfolded state relative to the link along a plane passing through the first axis.

4. The platform assembly of claim 1, wherein the link defines a first link end adapted to be disposed proximal to the frame, and a second link end adapted to be disposed distal to the frame, the second link end being coupled to the arm to define a joint therebetween, wherein the link is moveable to an extended position and a retracted position about the second axis with respect to the frame, and in the retracted position, the joint is disposed lower in elevation with respect to the first link end.

5. The platform assembly of claim 4, wherein the machine includes a wheel adapted to facilitate a movement of the machine, and wherein in the retracted position, a datum passing through a lowermost point of the joint and tangentially meeting a circular profile of the wheel is adapted to define an angle of at least 15 degrees with a third axis defined along a length of the machine.

6. The platform assembly of claim 1 further including a hinge unit pivotably coupled to the link and adapted to be pivotably coupled relative to the frame, wherein the first axis is defined by a pivotable coupling of the hinge unit with the frame, and the second axis is defined by a pivotable coupling of the hinge unit with the link.

7. The platform assembly of claim 6 further including a first actuator coupled between the hinge unit and the link, and adapted to move the link with respect to the frame about the second axis.

8. The platform assembly of claim 1 further including a second actuator coupled between the link and the arm, and adapted to move the arm to the folded state and to the unfolded state relative to the link.

9. The platform assembly of claim 1 further including:
a third actuator adapted to move the platform relative to the arm;
a sensor configured to detect a variation in an orientation of the platform with respect to the vertical axis; and a control unit communicably coupled to the sensor and the third actuator, and configured to control the third actuator to move and orient the platform relative to the vertical axis if the variation exceeds a predefined threshold.

10. The platform assembly of claim 1 further including a rotary actuator unit adapted to facilitate a rotation of the platform with respect to the arm about the vertical axis.

11. A machine for charging a mine face to facilitate removal of mine material from the mine face, the machine comprising:
a frame; and at least one platform assembly coupled to the frame, the at least one platform assembly including:
a link pivotably coupled relative to the frame, the link adapted to pivot relative to the frame about a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;
an arm pivotably coupled to the link and adapted to move between a folded state and an unfolded state relative to the link; and a platform to station one or more operators thereon, the platform being rotatably coupled relative to the arm and adapted to rotate about a vertical axis.

12. The machine of claim 11, wherein the platform is adapted to rotate up to 180 degrees about the vertical axis.

13. The machine of claim 11, wherein the arm is moveable to the folded state and the unfolded state relative to the link along a plane passing through the first axis.

14. The machine of claim 11, wherein the link defines a first link end disposed proximal to the frame, and a second link end disposed distal to the frame, the second link end being coupled to the arm to define a joint therebetween, wherein the link is moveable to an extended position and a retracted position about the second axis with respect to the frame, and in the retracted position, the joint is disposed lower in elevation with respect to the first link end.

15. The machine of claim 14 further including a wheel to facilitate a movement of the machine, and wherein in the retracted position, a datum passing through a lowermost point of the joint and tangentially meeting a circular profile of the wheel defines an angle of at least 15 degrees with a third axis defined along a length of the machine.

16. The machine of claim 11 further including a hinge unit pivotably coupled to the link and pivotably coupled relative to the frame, wherein the first axis is defined by a pivotable coupling of the hinge unit with the frame, and the second axis is defined by a pivotable coupling of the hinge unit with the link.

17. The machine of claim 16 further including a first actuator coupled between the hinge unit and the link, and adapted to move the link with respect to the frame about the second axis.

18. The machine of claim 11 further including a second actuator coupled between the link and the arm, and adapted to move the arm to the folded state and to the unfolded state relative to the link.

19. The machine of claim 11 further including:

a third actuator adapted to move the platform relative to the arm;
a sensor configured to detect a variation in an orientation of the platform with respect to the vertical axis; and a control unit communicably coupled to the sensor and the third actuator, and configured to control the third actuator to move and orient the platform relative to the vertical axis if the variation exceeds a predefined threshold.

20. The machine of claim 11 further including a rotary actuator unit adapted to facilitate a rotation of the platform with respect to the arm about the vertical axis.