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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7695071 | Automated excavation machine The present invention is directed to an excavator that is operable in manual and automatic modes and uses state machines to effect unit operations, rotationally offset swing actuators to rotate boom and cutter head, a fail safe hydraulic system to maintain gripper p... | 04/13/2010 |
| 7677672 | Depth detecting assembly In one aspect of the invention, a milling machine for milling a paved surface comprises milling tools connected to an underside of a body of the machine and also a depth probe comprising a base end opposite a distal end. The probe is connected to a front end of the ... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7431401 | Slide shoe for mining winning machine A slide shoe for a mining winning machine is disclosed. The slide shoe includes a slide shoe body attached to the mining winning machine, a sliding area located on the slide shoe body and including a wear thickness, and at least one sensor. The sensor is scannable b... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7416258 | Methods of using a laser to spall and drill holes in rocks Apparatus and methods of using lasers are provided for spalling and drilling holes into rocks. A rock removal process is provided that utilizes a combination of laser-induced thermal stress and laser induced superheated steam explosions just below the surface of the... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7302359 | Mapping systems and methods Improved systems and methods for mapping are provided. In one embodiment, a system for mapping is provided. The system comprises a rangefinder adapted to output range measurements; an inertial sensor adapted to capture inertial measurements including inertial forces... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7262694 | Multifunctional, intelligent power and communication device The current invention is a device connected to the power grid in order to perform beneficial functions for the end user and/or utility company such as backup power, power quality improvement, peak shaving of the electrical load, etc. Inside the device would be energ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7128375 | Method and means for recovering hydrocarbons from oil sands by underground mining The present invention is directed generally to the combined use of slurry mining and hydrocyclones to recover hydrocarbons, such as bitumen, from hydrocarbon-containing materials, such as oil sands, and to selective mining of valuable materials, particularly hydroca... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7097255 | Method and means for processing oil sands while excavating The present invention is directed to the separation of bitumen, such as by the Clark process or by a countercurrent de-sander, in an underground excavation machine, such as a tunnel boring machine. ... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7069124 | Robotic modeling of voids Robotic systems for modeling, mapping and exploring subterranean void spaces such as mines, caves, tunnels, bunkers, and conduits. Robotic modeling of subterranean voids is generally enabled by a procedural system consisting of preprocessing, ingress, void modeling,... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7064677 | Method of monitoring service operations of a service vehicle at a well site A method monitors servicing operations of a vehicle capable for example of pumping various fluid treatments down into a well being serviced at a well site. The method records the vehicle's engine speed and the values of one or more service-related variables, such as... | 06/20/2006 |
| 7014271 | Apparatus for detecting the state of rotation of cutting rollers of a shield tunneling machine An arrangement for detecting the state of rotation of cutting rollers (2) of a shield tunneling machine has at least one cutting roller (2) comprising a generator unit (12) that generates electrical energy when the respective cutting roller (... | 03/21/2006 |
| 6945738 | Method and apparatus for safety protection of temporary roof support Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and apparatus for safety protection control of temporary roof support. In one embodiment, a temporary roof support has a load sensing member. In another embodiment, a beam structure of temporary roof supp... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6929330 | Method and system for mining hydrocarbon-containing materials The present invention is directed, inter alia, to devices and methods for excavating valuable materials, particularly soft ores such as oil sands, oil shales, and the like, that use one or more of a number of features, including backfilling for ground support, a sma... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6761415 | Trailer for a tunnel borer follower train A trailer for a tunnel borer follower train comprises a chassis provided with a plurality of wheels, the chassis at rest presenting a longitudinal axis and a longitudinal plane of symmetry that is vertical. The trailer also comprises at least two tanks mounted on th... | 07/13/2004 |
| 6666521 | System for controlling cutting horizons for continuous type mining machines A control system for continuous mining machine to control the mining horizons of roof and floor horizons relative to the rock boundaries of an underground coal seam or ore vein. The mining machine is provided with a cutting drum mounted on a pivoted arm t... | 12/23/2003 |
| 6616244 | Method and arrangement for determining position of unmanned mining vehicles A method of determining the position of unmanned mining vehicles. According to the method, control marks are provided in the mine, for positioning mining vehicles in production use by means of a marking device, such as a paint sprayer (14), provided in a ... | 09/09/2003 |
| 6509842 | Control system for a longwall support A longwall control system controls a longwall support and facilitates the remote inspection of the longwall support. The longwall support comprises a plurality of hydraulically operated supports. The longwall control system comprises a plurality of shield... | 01/21/2003 |
| 6460936 | Borehole mining tool A borehole mining tool comprising a drill string having an inner pipe column and an outer pipe column. Water is forced under high pressure down an annulus between the outer pipe and inner pipe. A hydromonitor is attached to the end of the drill string. A ... | 10/08/2002 |
| 6435619 | Method for sensing coal-rock interface An armored detector assembly, a mining system, and methods of using it are described. The armored detector assembly consists of a main assembly and a hatch assembly. The hatch assembly is welded onto mining equipment, and the main assembly is removably at... | 08/20/2002 |
| 6296317 | Vision-based motion sensor for mining machine control A mining machine having a position sensing and control apparatus is claimed. The mining machine has a vehicle body having forward and rearward ends and movable along a mine floor. A cutter head is mounted on the forward end of the mining machine for upwar... | 10/02/2001 |
| 6203111 | Miner guidance using laser and image analysis A mining machine comprising a vehicle body having forward and rearward ends, the vehicle body being movable along a mine floor, a cutter head mounted on the forward end of the vehicle body, and a position sensing and control apparatus including first and ... | 03/20/2001 |
| 6132005 | Detecting seam boundary using pick sound A mining machine (4) has a vertically movable jib (6) mounted in front of it and carrying a drum shaped drilling head (12) at its forward end. The drilling head is provided with radially projecting picks which rip coal out of a coal seam (1) located betwe... | 10/17/2000 |
| 6094986 | Acoustic navigation aid for autonomous coal miner An apparatus for determining thickness of a wall or coal seam includes a ice for measuring the time of sound travel through the thickness; a flexible isolation bellows that mechanically supports the device for measuring the time of sound travel; and a re... | 08/01/2000 |
| 5999865 | Autonomous vehicle guidance system A system guides self-propelled equipment through passageways, such as underground mine corridors. The vehicle contains a signal generator for bouncing signals off the walls of the passageways. A receiver collects the signals bounced off of the passageways... | 12/07/1999 |
| 5881832 | Method of controlling interlinked vehicles in mining and tunnelling as well as arrangement for carrying out this method A method of controlling interlinked vehicles in mining and tunnelling operations with at least one of the vehicles having a travelling mechanism is disclosed. Distance measurements to adjacent wall surfaces which define a path of movement are taken on opp... | 03/16/1999 |
| 5363095 | Downhole telemetry system A downhole telemetry system is described for optically communicating to the surface operating parameters of a drill bit during ongoing drilling operations. The downhole telemetry system includes sensors mounted with a drill bit for monitoring at least one... | 11/08/1994 |
| 5330292 | System and method for transmitting and calculating data in shield machine The present invention discloses a system and a method for transmitting data in a shield machine and for calculating the filling amount of a void by detecting the distance to the natural ground. The system and the method are capable of transmitting analogu... | 07/19/1994 |
| 5312163 | System for aiding operation of excavating type underground advancing machine A system for supporting the drive of an excavating type underground advancing machine is provided to lighten the operator's burden so that an unskilled operator can perform operation comparable to that of the skilled operator. In this system for supportin... | 05/17/1994 |
| 5293944 | Method of automatically controlling impact ripper An impact ripper (2) mounted on the rear portion of a construction machine, such as a bulldozer (1), for digging a hard soil layer is automatically controlled to reduce the operator's fatigue, to improve operability with regard to the posture of the impac... | 03/15/1994 |
| 5185935 | Method and apparatus for separation measurement and alignment system The method and apparatus for controlling the displacement of a steerable driven trailing machine with respect to a leading machine by measuring the separation between the machines and inputting such measurement to the trailing machine drive control, and m... | 02/16/1993 |
| 5106162 | Method of steering a mining machine A method of steering a double-ended ranging drum mining machine includes the steps of positioning two previous cut roof followers spaced apart longitudinally of the machine, measuring machine tilt using a second means, estimating coal thickness using thir... | 04/21/1992 |
| 5090775 | Method of monitoring and controlling mining operations The noise spectrum in a mining chamber is captured by at least one microphone and is digitized and filtered to separate an operation-typical pattern from an operation atypical pattern. The operation atypical pattern is compared with reference patterns to ... | 02/25/1992 |
| 4884847 | Apparatus and method for mapping entry conditions in remote mining systems The method and apparatus for mapping mine excavation or tunnel entry conditions by mounting an array of sensors on a vehicle some of which provide knowledge of the vehicle location in the entry and others of which provide knowledge of entry conditions and... | 12/05/1989 |
| 4870697 | Two-way communication system for winning machines in underground mining A two-way communication system for transmitting command signals to and receiving operating data from a winning machine utilized in underground mining operations. The system includes a send-receive facility positioned remote from the winning machine for tr... | 09/26/1989 |
| 4754142 | Gas detector and mining machine A gas detector (1) to detect a predetermined gas of interest within an air sample, the detector (1) comprising a sampling tube (12), an infra-red radiation source (13) located at one end of the tube (12), an infrared sensing means (17) located at the othe... | 06/28/1988 |
| 4733915 | Device for supplying fluid at tools for breaking solid material A device for supplying fluid at a socket for axial not displaceably mounted tools for breaking of solid material, fluid is arranged to be supplied to a nozzle adjacent to the tool when a working tool is subjected to a counteracting force.... | 03/29/1988 |
| 4722574 | Personnel detection and protection systems for use in underground mines A personnel detection and protection system comprises sensor means for detecting the presence of personnel in a prohibited operational zone, and for deriving signal means indicative of such a detected presence, and control means responsive to the deriving... | 02/02/1988 |
| 4721339 | Rock crushing device and a method thereof A rock crushing device which crushes a rock by an expandable member which is, after being inserted into a borehole formed in the rock, expanded by pressure of a liquid material injected thereinto, including a liquid pressure measuring device provided in a... | 01/26/1988 |
| 4708395 | Remotely sensing of excavation cavity during mining Method and apparatus for hydraulically mining a location using a hydraulic monitor which has horizontal and vertical positionable control apparatus. The hydraulic monitor is connected to a source of high pressure water. Distance and direction measuring eq... | 11/24/1987 |
| 4649288 | Pre-start warning system and machine incorporating such system A power supply system for supplying electrical energy at an I.S. level to an electrical machine e.g. of a mineral mining machine, comprises two low speed generators A and B mechanically coupled together at coupling 3 and rotatable by means of a drive shaf... | 03/10/1987 |
