US 12,229,896 B2
Modelling of underground worksite
Pekka Martikainen, Tampere (FI)
Assigned to Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy, Tampere (FI)
Appl. No. 17/761,362
Filed by SANDVIK MINING AND CONSTRUCTION OY, Tampere (FI)
PCT Filed Sep. 17, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/076041
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 17, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/053112, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 25, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 19198780 (EP), filed on Sep. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0292782 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. G06T 19/00 (2011.01); G01C 21/34 (2006.01); G06T 17/05 (2011.01)
CPC G06T 19/003 (2013.01) [G01C 21/3407 (2013.01); G06T 17/05 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
receive a three-dimensional input model of an underground tunnel system of a worksite;
determine an initial first location in the input model for a virtual probe comprising a software entity configured to analyse the three-dimensional input model;
perform casting a set of rays from the first location of the virtual probe in multiple directions;
determine distances between the first location and tunnel walls based on measuring for each ray a distance to a ray intersection point in the input model;
determine a tunnel heading based on comparing the determined distances between the first location and the tunnel walls such that a ray direction providing a highest distance to a respective tunnel wall is selected as the tunnel heading;
relocate the virtual probe at a second location in the input model along with the determined tunnel heading;
detect a tunnel branch in response to determining two or more tunnel headings based on a length of a ray for branch detection exceeding a branch threshold value at a third location of the virtual probe;
store an indicator of the tunnel branch for the third location in a logical tunnel model;
detect an end of a tunnel based on processing determined distances to the tunnel walls from a fourth location of the virtual probe in the input model;
store an indicator of the end of the tunnel in the logical tunnel model;
relocate, in response to detecting the end of the tunnel, the virtual probe at a previously detected tunnel branch in the logical tunnel model;
generate a logical tunnel model indicative of a path of the virtual probe travelling in the input model based on determined locations of the virtual probe being relocated in the input model; and
apply the logical tunnel model to determine, based on path locations of the virtual probe, a route between a start point and an end point for navigating a mine vehicle in the tunnel system of the worksite.