US 12,475,595 B2
Navigation of an underground mining machine
Kevin Saric, Australian Capital Territory (AU); Mark Dunn, Australian Capital Territory (AU); Peter Reid, Australian Capital Territory (AU); Jeremy Thompson, Australian Capital Territory (AU); and John Malos, Australian Capital Territory (AU)
Assigned to COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION, Australian Capital Territory (AU)
Appl. No. 18/009,848
Filed by COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION, Australian Capital Territory (AU)
PCT Filed May 28, 2021, PCT No. PCT/AU2021/050528
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 12, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/253068, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 23, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020902027 (AU), filed on Jun. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0260153 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. G06T 7/73 (2017.01); E21C 35/00 (2006.01); G01S 17/08 (2006.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G06T 3/20 (2006.01); G06T 3/60 (2006.01); G06T 7/33 (2017.01)
CPC G06T 7/74 (2017.01) [E21C 35/302 (2023.05); G01S 17/08 (2013.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); G05D 1/024 (2013.01); G05D 1/0251 (2013.01); G06T 3/20 (2013.01); G06T 3/60 (2013.01); G06T 7/33 (2017.01); G06T 2207/10028 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for navigation of an underground mining machine, the method comprising:
capturing a first 3D point cloud of a first part of an underground mine from a first position of the mining machine;
determining a first set of candidates for rock bolts as point feature objects from the first 3D point cloud by detecting first apex shapes in the first 3D point cloud, the first apex shapes being created by laser light scattering on edges of the rock bolts;
capturing a second 3D point cloud of a second part of the underground mine from a second position of the mining machine, wherein the first part and the second part overlap;
determining a second set of candidates for rock bolts as point feature objects from the second 3D point cloud by detecting second apex shapes in the second 3D point cloud, the second apex shapes being created by the laser light scattering on the edges of the rock bolts;
determining an alignment between first shapes defined by at least two of the first set of candidates for rock bolts and second shapes defined by at least two of the second set of candidates for rock bolts;
determining relative location information between the first position of the mining machine and the second position of the mining machine based on the alignment.