US 12,344,127 B2
Method and arrangement for controlling electric current in tether cable of mining vehicle
Samuli Verho, Tampere (FI); Harri Vatanen, Tampere (FI); Tommi Tiihonen, Tampere (FI); Mikko Kouvo, Tampere (FI); Raimo Juntunen, Tampere (FI); and Mikko Kitula, Tampere (FI)
Assigned to Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy, Tampere (FI)
Appl. No. 17/612,490
Filed by SANDVIK MINING AND CONSTRUCTION OY, Tampere (FI)
PCT Filed May 20, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/064097
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 18, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/234366, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 19175916 (EP), filed on May 22, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0242249 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. B60L 9/00 (2019.01); B60L 50/53 (2019.01); B60L 53/18 (2019.01); B60L 53/302 (2019.01); E02F 9/00 (2006.01)
CPC B60L 9/00 (2013.01) [B60L 50/53 (2019.02); B60L 53/18 (2019.02); B60L 53/302 (2019.02); B60L 2200/40 (2013.01); B60L 2240/12 (2013.01); B60L 2240/36 (2013.01); B60L 2260/50 (2013.01); E02F 9/00 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for controlling electric current in a tether cable of an electrically driven mining vehicle, the method comprising:
determining an indicator of an equivalent cycle current that flows through said tether cable, wherein said indicator of an equivalent cycle current comprises an indicator of future equivalent cycle current that is expected to flow through said tether cable during a future duration of time, wherein the indicator of future equivalent cycle current is based, at least in part, on at least one of an indicator of a driving speed of the mining vehicle, an indicator of an estimated length of a working cycle of the mining vehicle, and an indicator of an estimated length of an idle cycle of the mining vehicle;
obtaining one or more descriptors of an actual state of dynamically changing conditions of the tether cable;
determining a current limiting value on the basis of said indicator of an equivalent cycle current and said descriptors; and
limiting a total amount of current that said mining vehicle draws through said tether cable to a value smaller than or equal to said determined current limiting value.