瑞典专利SE1451530A1 Method of applying a thin spray-on liner and robotic applicator therefor

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专利摘要:
A method and system for applying a liner material to a contoured surface, such as an exposed rock face in an underground hard rock mine, is disclosed. Locations of a plurality of spatially distributed surface grid points on the contoured surface may be detected so as to generate a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface. Based on the plurality of surface grid points, a spray path for a liner application device configured to emit a spray of the liner material may be determined. In some cases, the spray path may have a trajectory that follows the topographical profile of the contoured surface offset therefrom within a spray range of the liner application device. Liner material may then be sprayed onto the contoured surface while controlling the liner application device to undertake at least one pass of the spray path.
公开号:SE1451530A1
申请号:SE1451530
申请日:2013-06-05
公开日:2014-12-12
发明作者:Brian J Bond；Abel J Elias；Aaron J Elliott；Seth Galipeau；Mark Greaves；Stephen M Kelly；Nick Mcdonald；Brian W Richardson；Steven F Simpson
申请人:Abb Inc；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

[4] [0004] shotcrete or gunite, TSL's may offer a number of advantages. For example, spray- Compared to cementitious ground support materials, such as on liners may offer superior tensile strength (eg, up to or above 2.5 MPa) with significantly shorter cure times (eg, as little as 20 seconds) and with thinner resulting material layers. Application of TSL materials to excavated rock surfaces may also be greatly simplified due to reduced material bulk, which may be up to an order of magnitude less volume than shotcrete. Elimination of wire meshing that is commonly used in conjunction with shotcrete or gunite may also confer benefits in its own right, for example, because corrosion of wire meshing is no longer of concern. Handling large sheets of wire mesh is eliminated in confined underground spaces. Further benefits of TSL materials include that its finished surface is usually smoother than shotcrete and therefore less likely to hold mine dust, which may lead to a cleaner and safer working environment. Commonly TSL materials are also manufactured to have a bright color making the liner highly visible and contributing to a brighter mine environment that can reduce lighting requirements and improve safety conditions.
[5] [0005] applying liner material to a contoured surface. According to the disclosed method, ln at least one broad aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of locations of a plurality of surface grid points on the contoured surface may be sensed, with the plurality of surface grid points being spatially distributed so as to provide a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface. Based on the plurality of surface grid points, a spray path for a liner application device configured to emit a spray of the liner material may be determined. Such spray path may have a trajectory that follows the topographical profile of the contoured surface offset therefrom within a spray range of the liner application device. The contoured surface may then be sprayed with the liner material while controlling the liner application device to undertake at least one pass of the spray path. _2_ [oooe] for applying liner material to a contoured surface. The system may comprise a ln at least one other broad aspect, the disclosure relates to a system sensor, a liner application device, and a controller coupled to the sensor and the liner application device. Within the system, the sensor may be configured to locate surface grid points on the contoured surface. The liner application device may be controllable for movement in at least two dimensions and may include a spray nozzle fluidly coupled to a reservoir of the liner material for emitting a spray of the liner material. The controller may include a data processor and device memory on which are stored instructions that are executable by the data processor. When the stored instructions are executed, the controller may be configured to receive sensor data from the sensor representing a plurality of located surface grid points on the contoured surface that are spatially distributed so as to provide a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface. The controller may also thereby be configured to determine a spray path for the liner application device based on the plurality of located surface grid points, with the spray path having a trajectory that follows the topographical profile of the contoured surface offset therefrom within a spray range of the liner application device. The controller may also thereby be configured to control the liner application device so as to spray the contoured surface with a spray of the liner material while undertaking at least one pass of the spray path.
[7] [0007] transitory computer-readable storage medium on which are stored instructions that ln at least one other broad aspect, the disclosure relates to a non- are executable by one or more data processors. When the stored instructions are executed, the one or more processors may be programmed to perform a method of applying liner material to a contoured surface. According to the method, sensor data may be received from a sensor representing a plurality of located surface grid points on the contoured surface that are spatially distributed so as to provide a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface. A spray path for a liner application device may then be determined based on the plurality of located surface grid points, with the spray path having a trajectory that follows the topographical profile of the contoured surface offset therefrom within a spray range of the liner application device. The liner application device may then be controlled so as to spray the contoured surface with a spray of the liner material while undertaking at least one pass of the spray path. _ 3 _
[8] [0008] embodiments will be apparent from the detailed description below.
[9] [0009] Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[10] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic side view of a rubber tired mine truck equipped with a robotic arm configured for application of a thin spray-on liner material;
[11] FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a head assembly for mounting on the robotic arm shown in FIG. 1;
[12] Shaft or tunnel shown in a transverse sectional view; FIG. 3 illustrates survey, scan and spray paths for an excavated
[13] Tunnel surface shown in perspective view; FIGS. 4A-4D illustrates spray paths for a segment of an excavated
[14] Spray-on liner material to a contoured surface; FIG. 5 illustrates a process flow for a method of applying a thin
[15] Grid points on a contoured surface; and FIG. 6 illustrates a process flow for a method of detecting surface
[16] Path for application of a thin spray-on liner material.
[18] Equipped with a liner application device 20. In the embodiment shown, rig 10 may Reference is initially made to FIG. 1, which illustrates a rig 10 be a truck or other vehicle capable of transporting liner application device 20 from the surface down underground into a hard rock mine so as to provide access to a drift face (shown in FIG. 3). For example, rig 10 may be a custom designed transport vehicle or a retrofit vehicle made to satisfy at least one specification of a liner application device 20, for example, including a weight or reach requirement. In some embodiments, liner application device 20 may alternatively be self-transported. The benefit of a truck mounted device 20 is that ancillary equipment, such as liquid storage tanks, pumps, hoses, electrical power generators, communication and monitoring equipment etc. can be mounted on the chassis of a rubber tired truck to form a single mobile unit .
[19] [0019] robotic or other controllable arm 22 that is capable of movement in at least two, but in some embodiments, liner application device 20 may comprise a more preferably, three free-space dimensions with multiple degrees of freedom.
[20] Plane and a base joint 26 that is pivotable in a second, orthogonal plane. ln some Arm 22 may be supported on a base 24 that is pivotable in a first cases, base 24 may be pivotable in a generally horizontal (ie, side-to-side) plane _5_ and basejoint 26 in a generally vertical (ie, up -and-down). The combined effect of base 24 and base joint 26 may be to provide arm 22 with capability to be oriented in any arbitrary three-space vector or direction. [oo211 controllability in three dimensions, arm 22 may be comprised of two or more jointed ln some embodiments, to provide a greater range of movement and portions. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, arm 22 may comprise a lower arm 28 and an upper arm 30 that may be controllable independently or essentially independently of each other. Lower arm 28 may be coupled proximally to base joint 26 and distally to an elbowjoint 32. Upper arm 30 may be connected proximally to elbow joint 32 and distally to a head assembly dock 34. As is shown in more detail below in FIG. 2, a head assembly including one or more sensors and / or one or more spray applicators may be detachably secured to head assembly dock 34 using a swivel joint 36, and such head assembly may be used in different embodiments for application of a TSL material to excavated rock faces and other contoured surfaces, eg, for provision of ground support. [oo221 base 24 and base joint 26, the embodiment of liner application device 20 shown in ln addition to the two degrees of freedom provided respectively by FIG. 1 may be capable of an additional four degrees of freedom for a total of six degrees of freedom overall. For example, in some embodiments, upper arm 30 may be configured for torsional or rotational movement about its axis. Elbow joint 32 may also be pivotable in a corresponding plane, similar to the pivoting basejoint 26 may be capable of. Two more degrees of freedom may be provided by swivel joint 36, including pivoting movement relative to head assembly dock 34 and torsional movement (similar to upper arm 30) about an axis defined by swivel joint 36. As used within the present disclosure, terms such as “degrees of freedom” or “degrees of movement” may be used to indicate unique axes or ranges through liner application device 20 is capable of moving. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment of liner application device 20, each of the base 24, base joint 26, upper arm 30, elbow joint 32, and swivel joint 36 define one (or, in the case of swivel joint 36, two) corresponding unique range (s) of movement forming a constituent part of the overall controllability of arm 22.
[23] [0023] coordinates through which the corresponding part of arm 22 may be controlled. The _5_ Each degree of freedom in arm 22 may define a range of control overall setting of arm 22 may then be determined as a control vector formed out of the control coordinates from each controllable part of arm 22. For N degrees of freedom, each overall setting of arm 22 may be given by a vector š = (c ,, c2, ..., cN), where each c ,, í = 1 ... N represents the control coordinate for a different degree of freedom within arm 22 .
[24] [0024] dimensions using one or more available degrees of freedom, each setting of arm Assuming that arm 22 has full maneuverability in three free-space 22 may include both a position and orientation component. For example, arm 22 may be controllable so that a head assembly, or some specific point or location on such head assembly, secured to head assembly dock 34 may be moved into an arbitrary point in space F = (x, y, z), defined by corresponding spatial coordinates along three orthogonal axes x, y, z. However, it may also be possible to control arm 22 so that the approach of the head assembly into a given point in space follows an arbitrary trajectory or orientation Ö = (6 , inclination and fp represents an angle in azimuth. As will be appreciated, other coordinate systems may alternatively be employed so as to describe a position and orientation component of arm 22. [oo251 controllable with some inherent redundancy. Such redundancy, alternatively With as many as six or more degrees of freedom, arm 22 may be referred to within the present disclosure as a “singularity” or ”singularities” in the plural sense, may arise where, for example, more than one control vector of arm 22 maps onto the same po sition and orientation in free-space. Thus, singularities may arise where there is no single, unique way of controlling arm 22 to a given position and orientation and it is therefore necessary to arbitrate between different possible coordinate control vectors that would have the equivalent effect of controlling arm 22 to move to the same point in free-space and with the same approach or orientation. As will be explained further below, such control singularities may be detected and resolved in real or near real-time during operation of liner application device 20. [oo2e1 which arm 22 is configured to move may provide liner application device 20 with While in some cases the available degrees of freedom through sufficient reach and maneuverability for an assigned task, additional degrees of _ 7 _ freedom that are external to arm 22 may optionally be incorporated into liner application device 20 as well. For example, in some embodiments, liner application device 20 may be mounted on a support structure 15 on rig 10 that is enabled for movement in one or more additional directions to provide further degrees of freedom. However, it is also possible for liner application device 20 to be mounted directly to rig 10 by omission of support structure 15.
[27] Algorithms for arm 22 may be designed to operate based on a fixed reference point As explained further below, in some embodiments, control for rig 10. Accordingly, once rig 10 has been positioned and a suitable reference point adopted, it may be convenient when controlling liner application device to keep rig 10 stationary so as to not be required to “re-locate” liner application device within a drift advance. However, the reach of arm 22 alone may not be sufficient to cover all exposed rock faces. The reach of arm 22 may therefore be extended in some cases by provision of additional, “external” ranges of movement. Such additional movement may be effectively utilized to provide arm 22 with sufficient reach to cover all exposed rock surface in a drift advance without having to reposition rig 10 and consequently re-initialize corresponding control algorithms for liner application device 20.
[28] Movement in three free-space directions, namely within a horizontal plane and As shown in FIG. 1, support structure 15 may be operative for vertically. For example, support structure 15 may support liner application device 20 on a pair of tracks running lengthwise and widthwise along rig 10, respectively, so as to provide movement in two orthogonal directions (i.e., x and y) within a horizontal plane. Movement in a vertical (i.e., z) direction may then be provided by provision of a lift which supports liner application device 20. While this configuration of a support structure 15 provides one possibility, other alternative configurations may be possible as well. For example, it may be possible to provide movement in the horizontal plane using one or more swing pivots or the like, either in replacement of or combination with one or more tracks. One or more external degrees of freedom may also be included in a head assembly (FIG. 2), as explained further below.
[29] [0029] containing one or more different types of fluid liner materials for a three-Rig 10 may also be equipped with one or more fluid reservoirs dimensional contoured surface, such as an exposed rock face in an underground _ 8 _ mine. In some embodiments, rig 10 may be equipped with reservoirs 38 containing constituent elements for a TSL material, such as a primer, a resin and a hardener as is commonly used in polyureas and other curable copolymers. For example, two reservoirs 38 may be installed on rig 10, one of which contains a quantity of reactive polyurethane or other suitable polymeric material, and the other of which contains a polymerizable diluent. A feed hose (not shown) may be used to fluidly couple liner application device 20 to each reservoir (s) 38. ln some cases, a mixing valve (not shown) may also be installed on rig 10 so that the liner materials housed in reservoirs 38 may be mixed together en route to or within liner application device. Such mixing valve may conveniently, although not necessarily, be located within a head assembly (FIG. 2) of liner application device 20 so that component mixing may occurjust prior to emission. [ooao] installed on rig 10 and used to house raw materials for a base under layer. For ln some embodiments, two further reservoirs 40 may also be example, constituent materials for a foam primer that is applied under a TSL material may be housed in reservoirs 40. ln some cases, the base under layer may be a foaming material, such as a suitable polyurea, formed out of two mixed constituents. However, other types of foam underlay that may effectively be applied to wet surfaces (common in underground hard rock mines) are possible as well. A feed hose (not shown) and optional mixing valve (not shown) may also be used to couple reservoirs 40 fluidly with the liner application device 20. Such mixing valve may again conveniently, although not necessarily, be located within a head assembly of arm 22 so that component mixing may occur immediately prior to emission.
[31] [0031] necessary or desirable to provide a more conducive surface for application of TSL ln some embodiments, application of a base under layer may be material. For example, a quick drying base under layer may be useful for providing a dry layer on which to apply a TSL material. In many underground mining operations, following a round of rock blasting, high pressure water may be used to scale excavated rock surfaces so as to remove loose rocks and other fractured material. Rather than wait for the scaled rock surfaces to dry, a quick drying hydrophilic foam layer or primer may be spray applied and used to prime the rock surfaces for a coating of TSL material thereby improving the bonding of the TSL while filling in smaller recesses in the rock surface to reduce voids or air pockets.
[32] [0032] and, if such use is omitted, reservoir (s) 40 for housing base under layer may be re- Use of a base under layer may be optional in some embodiments purposed to house additional quantities of a TSL material instead. Because access to a mine drift may be limited or restricted, providing enough TSL material on rig 10 so as to cover an entire advance (or perhaps more than one) can greatly increase the speed of operations and therefore provide significant cost efficiencies.
[33] [0033] control of liner application device 20 and, in particular, of arm 22 on which a head A controller 45 may be used to effect robotic or other automated assembly (FIG. 2) may be installed. For such purpose, controller 45 may include one or more different elements, components or modules using any industrially convenient or expedient and, without limitation, techno | ogy (ies) may be implemented using any combination of software component (s), hardware component ( s), and / or firmware component (s). In some embodiments, controller 45 may include one or more microprocessors, central processing units (CPU), digital signal processors (DSP), arithmetic logic units (ALU), physics processing units (PPU), (FPGA), application specific integrated circuits ( ASIC), or the like, which are all general purpose processors (GPP), field-programmable gate arrays generally referred to herein as “data processor (s)” or simply “processor (s)”.
[34] [0034] stored as program instructions or other code within controller 45, any or each of the So as to execute one or more different control algorithms or routines above-noted processors may be linked for communication with one or more different computer readable media on which are such program instructions or other code may persistently, even if only temporarily, be stored. Such computer readable media may include program and / or storage memory, including volatile and non-volatile types, such as type (s) of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory. For greater certainty, in some embodiments, such computer readable media may include any type of non-transitory storage media, although it may be possible in some cases to utilize transmission-type storage media as well.
[35] [0035] configured to operate in association with one or more different logic or processing _10- Any or each of the above-noted processors may also be equipped or modules for executing such program instructions or code, as well as other types of on- or off-board functional units. For example, such processors may be coupled to one or more analog to digital converters (ADC), digital to analog converters (DAC), transistor-to-transistor logic (TTL) circuits, or the like, which may be used to interface with one or more peripheral devices, such as sensor (s) and / or actuator (s), which may be included in liner application device 20.
[36] Assembly 50 for liner application device 20 shown in FIG. 1. Head assembly 50 Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an embodiment of a head may fixedly or detachably secure to head assembly dock 34 of liner application device 20 and, in some embodiments, may generally be operable under the exertion of controller 45 (FIG. 2) to perform both a scanning function and a spraying function. Those familiar with robots will recognize that interchangeable tools or head assemblies are commonly used so that a robot can choose from several different tools from a tool storage tray or carousel where all tools are attachable to a single tool interface on the robot's head assembly dock 34.
[37] [0037] head assembly 50 may be operable to scan a three-dimensional contoured As explained in more detail below, according to a scanning function, surface, such as an exposed rock face in an underground hard rock mine, so as to generate a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface. The head assembly 50 may then be operable, according to a spraying function, to deposit a coating of a TSL or other type of material onto the contoured surface following a trajectory that is defined based on and in relation to the representative topographical profile of the contoured surface. Through precise control over the position, orientation and boom speed of the head assembly 50, as well as stand-off distance, TSL material may be sprayed onto the contoured surface in some cases so as to provide a contiguous and / or uniform-thickness coating of a contoured surface
[38] [0038] frame 52 having an end mount 54 which is securable to swivel joint 36 of the head ln some embodiments, head assembly 50 may include a chassis or assembly dock 34. Swivel joint 36 may provide one of the above-noted degrees of freedom of liner application device 20 through pivot movement in a plane, eg, a generally vertical plane, which contains upper arm 30. As mentioned, a further degree of freedom may be provided through torsional rotation of, ie, which is _11- translated into rotation of end mount 54. Chassis 52 may be formed into any suitable shape for mounting one or more sensor (s), one or more spray app | icator (s), and associated actuator (s) for each active element mounted to chassis 52. For example, chassis 52 may include a spine 56 extending outwardly from end mount 54, and a cross plate 58 joined to the spine 56 proximal to end mount 54. Spaced-apart side arms 60 may be supported on cross plate 58 extending therefrom generally parallel to spine 56. However, it will be appreciated that the configuration of chassis 52 shown in FIG. 2 is exemplary only and that other types, shapes and configurations of a chassis 52 may be possible as well.
[39] For example, as shown in FIG. 2, at respective distal ends of side arms 60. Each spray A pair of spray applicators 62 may be mounted onto chassis 52, for applicator 62 may be fluidly coupled to respective reservoir (s) of liner material (TSL or base under layer), such as by way of the above-mentioned feed nose (s), and configured to emit spray (s) of such material. For example, one of the two spray applicators 62 shown may be configured to emit a spray of a TSL material, while the other of the two spray applicators 62 may be configured to emit a spray of a foam primer for a TSL material. In some embodiments, a foam primer should not be required or utilized, one of the spray applicators 62 may be removed from head assembly 50 or otherwise deactivated. [oo4o1 example, as shown in FIG. 2, on laterally opposed edges of spine 56 distally of One or more sensors 66 may also be mounted onto chassis 52, for cross plate 58. Sensor (s) 66 may be any suitably configured sensor or detection device which is capable of determining positions of , or distances, to objects in three-dimensional space. For example, sensor (s) 66 may include configurations of optical sensors, such as lasers or infrared sensor devices, as well as configurations of capacitive, photoelectric, ultrasonic, or any other suitable type of position sensor without limitation. Under the exertion of controller 45, sensor (s) 66 may be capable of detecting surface points on a contoured surface, such as exposed rock faces in underground hard rock mines, from which a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface may be generated. [oo411 detecting locations of one or more points on the contoured surface in a grid-like Such representative topographical profi | e (s) may be generated by formation using sensor (s) 66. Once generated, the representative topographical _12- profi | e (s) may thereafter be used to control liner application device 20 and, in particular head assembly 50, so that spray nozzle (s) included in spray applicator (s) 62 trace along the contoured surface, in some cases a pre-determined stand -off distance from the contoured surface, and while applying one or more coatings of liner material, such as a TSL material or a foam primer. Further description of processes for applying liner material, locating surface grid points, and determining a spray path to follow during such application is provided below with reference to FIGS. 5-7, respectively.
[42] Includes sensor (s) 66 mounted to spine 58 and spray applicators (s) 62 mounted to While the embodiment of head assembly 50 shown in FIG. 2 spaced-apart side arms 60, other configurations of a head assembly 50 may be possible as well in variant embodiments without loss of generality.
[43] [0043] external to arm 22 (FIG. 1) may be provided by inclusion of additional components in some embodiments, an additional degree of freedom that is in head assembly 50. For example, a suitably configured rotary actuator may be interposed between swivel joint 36 and end mount 54 so that chassis 52 may be rotated in a generally orthogonal (eg, horizontal) plane to that through which swivel joint 36 moves. Thereby it may be possible to control the angle of chassis 52 relative to upper arm 30 (FIG. 1), which may advantageously allow greater control over the angle between head assembly 50 and a surface to be coated. For example, it may be required or convenient while coating a contoured surface to maintain a pre-determined angle relative thereto, such as head-on (i.e., 90 degrees) or some other lesser angle.
[44] [0044] of an advance 100 in an underground mine shaft or drift. Advance 100 may be Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic representation representative of any three-dimensional space from which rock has been removed within an underground mine, such as but not limited to a mine shaft or drift, which is excavated by drilling, blasting, excavating (mucking) or other mining techniques known in the art. Accordingly, drift 100 may have uneven (ie, surface-contoured) side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 (sometimes referred to as the “back” of the drift) that may need to be reinforced against rock bursts and / or falls using one or more forms of ground support, for example, including a coating of a TSL material. _13- [oo451 advance 100, the described embodiments may equally be applicable (either with or While reference may for convenience be made herein primarily to without modification or alteration) to other shapes or configurations of contoured surfaces. For example, the described embodiments may also be applicable to "T" or "Y" junctions (sometimes referred to as a "nose" or "nose pillar") within an Underground hard rock mine, as well as to safety bays and other recesses or formations cut into side walls 102, 104. The described embodiments may also be applicable to transition areas between horizontal tunnels and vertical shafts.
[46] [0046] application of such a TSL material to side walls 102, 104 and / or top wall 106 of ln some embodiments, it may be necessary or desirable to control advance 100 in one or more different respects. For example, to increase the efficacy of a TSL material as a ground support material, it may be necessary or desirable to provide one or all of side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 with a substantially contiguous, ie, unbroken, coating of TSL material with no substantial expanses of underlying rock face exposed. Portions of side walls 102, 104 and / or top wall 106 that are left uncoated with TSL material (and which therefore expose underlying rock face) may tend to Weaken the tensile strength of the entire coating of TSL material and therefore provide less overall effective ground support. [oo411 mining industry it may also be necessary to ensure that the coating of TSL material To comply with applicable local safety standards or regulations in the applied to side walls 102,104 and / or top Wall 106 provides a minimum tensile strength in resistance to rock bursts and / or falls. Accordingly, in some cases, so as to comply with such minimum tensile strength requirement (s), it may also be necessary to ensure that any coating of TSL material applied to an exposed rock face in advance 100 exhibits at least a required minimum thickness, ie, which generally correlates to the minimum tensile strength requirement. lt may further be necessary to ensure that such minimum thickness is achieved across the whole of a coating of TSL material, again to ensure that no localized weaknesses develop that may tend to Weaken the entire coating of TSL material and provide less effective overall ground support.
[48] [0048] be the case that tensile strength may be affected by provision of too thick a ln some cases and / or for certain types of TSL material, it may even material layer (not just provision of too thin a material layer). For example, certain _14- TSL materials may be more likely to develop small cracks or fissures as layer thickness is increased (e.g., due to increased shear forces within the layer when flexed). Accordingly, it may further be necessary so as to comply with tensile strength requirements to provide a layer of TSL material having a thickness within a pre-determined range defined by both a maximum and minimum thickness.
[49] [0049] invention provide a system and method for application of a liner material (eg, a As described herein throughout, embodiments of the present TSL material) to a contoured surface (eg, exposed rock faces of an advance 100 excavated in an underground hard rock mine), which may enable precise, accurate, and reproducible control over such application. Such method (s) and system (s) in some cases may involve one or more passes of a sensor (eg, as included in liner application device 20 shown in FIG. 2) along survey and / or scan paths defined in relation to advance 100 in order to generate representative topographical profile (s) of exposed rock faces. One or more passes of a spray applicator (eg, as included in liner application device 20) along the contoured surface following a spray path may subsequently be undertaken so as to effect controlled application of liner material thereto, which may be utilized effectively, in at at least some cases, for provision of ground support against rock falls.
[50] 100 for the purpose of generating topographical profile (s) may be undertaken in ln some embodiments, scanning of exposed rock faces in advance multiple phases or stages. For example, scanning may be undertaken in two separate passes, including an initial pass along a survey path 110, before or after the rig 10 has been secured in a stable and stationary position, followed by a subsequent pass along a scan path 120. ln the survey path 110, sensor (s) 66 of liner application device 20 may be controlled to follow a pre-programmed, in some cases piecewise straight-line path, which is generally restricted to a central area of advance 100. Survey path 110 may be used in some cases for liner application device 20 to acquire positioning bearings within advance 100 in relation to one or more of side walls 102, 104 and / or top wall 106. Such bearing (s) may, when acquired, be defined in relation to an arbitrarily chosen reference origin within a suitable coordinate system. Because liner application device 20 may, upon entry into advance 100, not initially have ascertained its position relative to obstacles, such as side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106, survey path 100 may be effectively _15- utilized by liner application device 20 to acquire bearings while staying a safe distance away from such obstacles. This may ensure that liner application device does not thereby inadvertently strike into one of side walls 102, 104 or top wall 106, or any other obstacle or impediment.
[51] [0051] has been located and physically stabilized with outrigger support arms (not shown) Scan path 120 may be followed after the liner application device 20 within advance 100 using the initial survey path 110. Accordingly, during one or more passes of scan path 120 , sensor (s) 66 of liner application device 20 may sense locations of a number of different points on the three-dimensional surface profiles of side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106. Each location on a three-dimensional surface may be determined in three-dimensions using any suitable coordinate system for specifying relative or absolute position. For example, sensor (s) 66 of liner application device 20 may be used to detect the locations of such surface points as vectors defined in relation to the origin of whichever coordinate system is being utilized.
[52] [0052] determined in part by estimating a vector (i.e., distance and angle) from sensor (s) ln some embodiments, the locations of surface points may be 66 to such surface points. By continuously tracking the position of sensor (s) 66 within the chosen coordinate system, locations for surface grid points on side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 may then be determined as a vector sum of the distance from the sensor (s) 66 to the corresponding surface point (s) on side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 combined with the known distance from the origin to the sensor (s) 66.
[53] [0053] surface contours of side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 spaced apart a suitable The scan path 130 may be defined so as to generally follow the distance or range therefrom (referred to herein sometimes as a “stand-off” or “ back off ”distance), as indicated in FIG. 3. In some cases, the stand-off distance to side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 may lie within a range of distance selected so as to provide precise and accurate measurements, while still maintaining a safe distance from side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 to reduce the likelihood of inadvertently striking such surfaces. The separation between sensor (s) 66 and side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 while following the scan path 130 may be relatively or approximately constant in some cases, although this is not necessary. _16-
[54] [0054] on a plurality of different landmark reference points 115 located on the surface ln some embodiments, the scan path 130 may be determined based contours of side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106. Based upon such landmark reference points, it may be possible to ascertain the general topography of side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 with at least sufficient detail so as to define a suitable scan path 130. Accordingly, in at least some cases, a scan path 130 may be determined based on the plurality of landmark reference points 115 to provide close proximity to side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 for precise and accurate scanning, but without inadvertently contacting any surfaces that could damage one or more components of liner application device 20 or that cause measurement error, such as by introducing instrument drift or displacement. [oo551 been determined by sensor (s) 66 during the initial pass along survey path 110, at The one or more different landmark reference points 115 may have the same time as liner application device 20 was attempting to ascertain its position within advance 100. The reference landmark points 115 may in some cases include points of local maximum height, ie, points on the three-dimensional surface profiles of side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 that project inwardly into the interior space of advance 100 further than all or most other points in an immediate vicinity.
[56] [0056] points 115 may further include a number of base points located at or near to the ln addition to points of local maximum height, reference landmark foot of each side wall 102, 104. Because advance 100 may be blasted or excavated, the floor 108 of advance 100 may not be entirely even and instead may also exhibit surface irregularities (eg, as shown in FIGS. 4A-4D). So that liner application device 20 may also ascertain the profile of each transition from side wall 102, 104 to floor 108, and therefore estimate where each side wall 102, 104 terminates, one or more base points may also be determined. As explained further below, the number and density of such base points is variable depending on a _17- desired spray resolution and, in some embodiments, may be used further in defining a spray path 130 for liner application device 20.
[51] [0051] surface contours of side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 and, in some cases, may Spray path 130 for liner application device 20 may closely track the be determined based on the representative topographical profile determined for such surface contours. Spray path 130 may define a general trajectory along which spray applicator (s) 66 may follow during, and so as to control, application of a liner material to a contoured surface. Although spray path 130 is shown in FIG. 3 being closer to side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 than scan path 120, in some embodiments, spray path 130 and scan path 120 may approximately overlie one another.
[58] [0058] layer of TSL material, the spray path 130 may be determined maintaining an offset ln some embodiments, so as to control the thickness of an applied relationship with side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106. For example, as explained in more detail below, the efficacy of material mixing in a composite TSL material may depend on a number of different factors, such as a spray distance of the TSL material, ie, the distance between the origin of the spray (eg, spray nozzle (s) included in spray applicator (s) 62) and the surface being coated. Accordingly, spray path 130 may be determined so as to maintain, to the extent possible, a constant, and in some cases pre-specified, stand-off distance from the contoured surface.
[59] Explosive techniques, side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 usually present very As noted previously, being excavated through blasting or other uneven surfaces or discontinuities. In some cases, side walls 102, 104 and / or top wall 106 may define a cavity or other recess, such as recess 135 in FIG. 3, which is not navigable by a liner application device 20. While spray path 130 may generally maintain a constant stand-off distance from side walls 102, 104 and top wall 106, straight line approximations may be used on occasion to bypass un-navigable recesses 135. Such recess (es) 135 may further be filled, wholly or partially, with an under layer of foam or other material, as explained further below. [ooeo1 walls 102, 104 and top wall 106 so as to fall within a spray range of a liner _ 18 _ The spray path 130 may further be determined in relation to side application device 20. Limits on the spray range may be imposed by the nature of the liner material being sprayed. For example, it may be necessary to maintain a minimum distance to a contoured surface, such as side walls 102, 104 and / or top wall 106, in order to provide the constituent elements of the liner material with sufficient time to mix in the air before impacting on the rock surface. However, too great a distance may result in premature curing of liner material before deposition onto the contoured rock surface, which can be undesirable in some cases.
[66] [0066] components in arm 22 may be handled also by adjustment to one or more non- ln some cases, operational limit (s) reached by one or more limited components. For example, it may be possible to determine a new segment of spray path 130 when an operational limit is reached, at least in part, by backing the limited component off from its maximum (or minimum) and adjusting coordinates of additional component (s) in such manner that the desired position and orientation of arm 22 is recreated using an equivalent control vector to the one initially prevented from being computed due to component limiting. For example, if swivel joint 36 reaches an operational limit, it may be possible to re-compute coordinates for base joint 36 and / or elbow joint 32 to provide equivalent trajectory of arm 22.
[67] [0067] different passes of a spray path 130 may be undertaken so as to provide a Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4D, in some embodiments, multiple contiguous, constant thickness coating of TSL material to a contoured surface, such as side wall 102 or advance 100. Each of FIGS. 4A-4D illustrates one example pass that may be undertaken in combination with any or each other example pass illustrated. While four different passes are illustrated, in various embodiments, a greater or fewer number of passes may be undertaken depending on use and / or application. Moreover, FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate side wall 102 for convenience only, and could equivalently refer to side wall 104 or to top wall 106.
[68] [0068] explosive techniques, side wall 102 (also side wall 104 and top wall 106) may have Because advance 100 may be formed through blasting or other rough or uneven surface contours that include different nooks, crevasses or other types of recesses formed thereon and that further has a rough or uneven transition to floor 108. Accordingly, TSL material may be sprayed onto the same point or area on such uneven surface contours from multiple different directions or angles. As _21- compared to single pass spraying, use of multiple spray passes and spray angles may result in more complete penetration of TSL material into such nooks, crevasses and / or recesses and thereby achieve an overall more contiguous coating of TSL.
[69] [0069] along side wall 102 (and which may extend continuously into top wall 106 and in FIG. 4A, a first leg 130a of spray path 130 follows a first trajectory opposite side wall 104). According to the first leg 130a, each point on side wall 102 is sprayed with liner material while a liner application device (e.g., liner application device 20) is moving with a certain, although not necessarily consistent, trajectory.
[70] Along side wall 102 that results in advance 100 being sprayed with a second layer in FIG. 4B, a second leg 130b of spray path 130 follows a trajectory of liner material following a side-to-side spray trajectory. However, each row on side wall 102 is sprayed in second leg 130b with a spray trajectory that is opposite to the spray trajectory used for that row in first leg 130a. Accordingly, rows on side wall 102 that are sprayed in first leg 130a with a left-to-right trajectory are now sprayed in second leg 130b with a right-to-left trajectory, and vice versa for rows sprayed in the first leg 130a with a right-to-left trajectory. [oo111 applied to each point on side wall 102, a further two passes of spray path 130 may To increase the number of different spray trajectories or angles be utilized, as in the illustrated embodiment. Whereas legs 130a and 130b divide up advance 100 into a number of different rows for spraying, additional layers of material may be applied by further dividing up advance 100 into a number of different columns. In either case, the number of different rows and columns may be varied deepening on a desired spray resolution. For finder resolution, a greater density of rows and / or columns may be utilized. In some cases, the row and column density may be approximately equal, although this is not a requirement. [oo121 third trajectory by dividing side wall 102 up into columns. Thus, some columns on _ 22 _ For example, in FIG. 4C, a third leg 130c of spray path 130 follows a side wall 102 are sprayed in third leg 130c while the liner application device 20 is being controlled to move from top-to-bottom, while other columns on side wall 102 are sprayed while liner application device 20 is being controlled to move from bottom-to-top. ln this manner, each point on side wall 102 may generally be sprayed with liner material from a third trajectory different from that utilized in either first leg 130a or second leg 130b.
[73] Trajectory that results in side wall 102 being sprayed according to different columns Similarly in FIG. 4D, a fourth leg 130d of spray path 130 follows a exhibiting an up-and-down spray trajectory. Again, each column on side wall 102 is sprayed in fourth leg 130d with a spray trajectory that is opposite to the spray trajectory used for that column in third leg 130c. Columns on side wall 102 that are sprayed in third leg 130c with a top-to-bottom trajectory are now sprayed in fourth leg 130d with a bottom-to-top trajectory, and vice versa for column sprayed in the third leg 130c with a bottom -to-top trajectory.
[14] [0014] side wall 102 (also side wall 104 and top wall 106) being sprayed with liner material ln the aggregate, spray paths 130a-d may result in each point on originating from four different spray trajectories, ie, left-to-right , top-to-bottom, right-to-left, and bottom-to-top. In each case, the angle of the spray trajectory relative to the contoured surface being sprayed, i.e., side wall 102, may be configurable depending on context or use. However, in some cases, a spray angle equal to or about 30-degrees may be appropriate, although other spray angles may be suitable as well in variant embodiments.
[75] Detecting both surface grid and intermediate points on a contoured surface. As ln some embodiments, spray path 130 may be determined by used throughout the disclosure, “surface grid points” may refer to points on a contoured surface that are used directly to determine the trajectory of the spray path 130. On the other hand, “ intermediate points ”may refer to additional points on a contoured surface, other than surface grid points, which may be used to resolve possible measurement and / or instrumentation errors during detection of surface grid points. Surface grid points are shown in solid black in FIGS. 4A-4D, while example intermediate points are shown in white outline.
[76] [0076] formations may be present that cause a potentially very sudden deviation in three- _ 23 _ On a rough or uneven surface, such as side wall 102, one or more dimensional surface profile of the contoured surface. For example, a very sudden projection, such as a spire or a finger, may be formed in side wall 102. Additionally, in some cases, a very sudden recess or fissure may be formed. When scanning a contoured surface and one of the plurality of surface grid points used to generate a representative topographical profile happens to coincide with one of these surface formations, the measurement may deviate from levels set by adjacent or neighboring measurements and therefore appear, without further information , as possible instrumentation or measurement error. So as to properly detect these such formations in side wall 102, it may sometimes be necessary to eliminate the possibility of instrumentation or measurement error and thereby verify the accuracy of each surface grid point that is determined. [oo111 detected on side wall 102 deviates from adjacent or neighboring surface grid Accordingly, in some embodiments, when a surface grid point points by more than a preset amount, one or more intermediate points on side wall 102, interspersed among the surface grid points, may additionally be detected. The potentially erroneous surface grid point may be evaluated against the additionally detected intermediate points in order to form a determination as to its measurement accuracy. lf the additionally detected intermediate points are consistent with a sudden formation in side wall 102, then the potentially erroneous surface grid point may be accepted as genuine; otherwise the potentially erroneous surface grid point may be discarded and / or re-measured. [oo1a1 divided up into to a number of different columns and / or rows and sprayed with liner As noted previously, in some embodiments, an advance 100 may be material on a per-row and per-column basis using leading spray angles. For example, FIGS. 4A and 4B show portions of four different rows, while FIGS. 4C and 4D show portions of six different columns, although these numbers are exemplary only. When spraying liner material on a per-column and per-row basis, to ensure continuity between adjacent columns and rows and, therefore, an overall contiguous coating of liner material, some measure of overlap between adjacent rows and columns may be provided. Surface grid points may therefore also be utilized to mark boundaries between adjacent columns and / or rows for affecting overlap. Ascertaining boundary points between adjacent columns or rows may allow for a spray of liner material onto one column or row to overlap with an _24- adjacent column or row and vice versa by a sufficient or pre-determined amount so as to ensure continuity. As an example, columns of between about 10-40 cm, or more particularly 20-30 cm, with a 50% overlap may be suitable in some cases to provide adequate continuity, although other column sizes and percentage overlaps may be suitable as well in alternative embodiments. Similar widths and corresponding percentage overlaps may also be utilized for any rows defined in spray path 130. [oo191 200 of applying liner material (s) to a contoured surface. For example, the Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated, in a flow chart, a method contoured surface may be an exposed rock face in a drift or advance excavated in an underground hard rock mine and the liner material (s) may include a thin spray- on liner (TSL ) material and in some cases a foam primer. Method 200 may be performed, either wholly or in part, by a suitably configured liner application device, such as liner application device 20 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, description of method 200 may be abbreviated for clarity and further details may be found above with reference to any preceding figure. [ooso1 blasted or otherwise excavated within an underground hard rock mine. Some time At step 205, a new advance such as advance 100 in FIG. 3 may be after blasting and other Intermediate action (such as water scaling) is taken, a liner application device such as liner application device 20 in FIG. 1 may be maneuvered into a suitable position within an advance, which may be a generally central position within the advance. Once positioned the liner application device may be secured through any suitable restraints or support features provided with the liner application device. This way the position of a liner application device within an advance may be ascertained with reference to a suitable reference coordinate. [oos11 contoured surface may be detected, for example, by suitably configured sensor (s) At step 210, a plurality of reference landmark points on the following a survey path 110 defined in relation to the contoured surface. The sensor may be an optical sensor such as a laser or the like. In some embodiments, the reference landmark points may include local maxima, i.e., points of local maximum elevation on the contoured surface. However, the reference landmark points may also include a number of base points located at the foot of the _25- contoured surface. In this case, each base point may be located at the foot of a corresponding column into which the contoured surface has been divided. [ooa21 determined reference landmark points. The scan path may define a trajectory in At step 215, a scan path may be computed based on the previously related to the contoured surface and along which the sensor (s) may be followed so as to determine a more comprehensive topographical profile of the contoured surface. The scan path may generally follow along the contoured surface offset by some distance, which may be predetermined, but this is not necessarily the case.
[85] Loop 230 in FIG. 5 indicates that steps 220 and 225 may be performed repeatedly and alternately in a loop so that a spray path may be determined segment-by-segment in real or near real-time (ie, on the fly) as surface grid points are being detected . Accordingly, by not having to complete a scan of an advance before a spray path is determined, in some cases considerable time savings may be realized, which in mining operations may have significant cost implications. Further details of steps 220 and 225 are explained below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively.
[86] [0086] more iterations of steps 220 and 225, a contoured surface may be coated with a At step 235, after having computed a spray path through one or base or under layer, which may be a foam primer in some embodiments. For example, coating the contoured surface with a foam under layer may be useful to wholly or partially fill crevasses and other difficult to navigate (e.g., due to small size) recesses that are present in contoured surface. Application of a hydrophilic foam primer may also effectively provide a dry surface for subsequent application of a TSL material. In some cases, a two-part foam material may be utilized. Step 235 may be optional and omitted in some embodiments. [ooa11 material while controlling the liner application device to follow the previously At step 240, the contoured surface may be sprayed with liner determined spray path. One or more passes of the spray path may be undertaken depending on how the spray path has been defined. For example, the spray path may comprise multiple different legs or segments, e.g., 4 segments, each of which corresponds to a different pass along the contoured surface with a leading spray angle for liner application device. In such cases, each segment of the spray path may be followed with the liner application device at least once.
[88] [0088] be coated with liner material and optional foam under lay, the liner application Following step 240, at which point the entire contoured surface may device may be removed for further excavation into a mine shaft or tunnel of an underground hard rock mine. [ooa91 surface is mapped (e.g., using iterations steps 220 and 225) before any liner As illustrated in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the entire contoured material is sprayed. Accordingly, branch 230 is defined between steps 220 and _27- 225. However, in alternative embodiments, surface contour mapping and spraying may be alternated, in which case only a section of contoured surface may be sprayed with liner material after that portion has been surface mapped, but prior to a next portion of the contoured surface being mapped and sprayed. Each such embodiment, as well as others still, is possible.
[90] 250 of detecting surface grid points on a contoured surface. For example, method Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated, in a flow chart, a method 250 may be employed in some cases as part of or in conjunction with step 220 of method 200 shown in FIG. 5. (As step 220 may be performed repeatedly and alternately with step 225, it Will be understood that the steps illustrated in FIG. 6 are not necessarily performed each iteration of step 220 and instead may represent the overall result of repeated performance of step 220 as part of method 200).
[1] [0001] grid points on a contoured surface by dividing up the contoured surface into an Embodiments of method 250 may be useful for detecting surface plurality of columns and scanning on a per-column basis until the entire contoured surface is scanned. The number of columns is variable and may depend on a desired scanning resolution, with a greater number of columns equating to finer resolution. To assist with division into columns, a number of base points may be pre-determined with each such base point marking the foot of a corresponding column.
[92] [0092] example, but not necessarily, at the base point detected for the given column.
[93] [0093] contoured surface to which the sensor device is generally oriented.
[94] Column to be scanned. For example, this determination may be made by checking In step 265, it is checked whether there are additional points in the whether the sensor device has been advanced to a previously determined terminal point in the column, which may be a base point or may be a point located at an opposite end of the column to the base point. If it is determined that additional points in the column remain to be detected, method 250 may branch to step 270 _28- where the sensor device is advanced to a next point to be detected. Following advancement of the sensor device, method 200 may return to step 260 for detection of a new surface grid point.
[95] [0095] has been reached, then it is determined in step 275 whether there are additional However, it is determined in step 265 that the end of the column has columns within the drift advance to be scanned. Similar to step 265, this determination may be made using previously determined points on the contoured surface, such as base points or other terminal points that may indicate additional columns to be scanned. lf it determined that additional columns are to be scanned, method 250 branches to step 280 where the sensor device is advanced to the next column. After advancement of the sensor device, method 250 returns to step 255 for initialization of the sensor device within the column, if necessary. For example, this may involve re-acquiring a previously determined base point in the column into which the sensor device has been advanced. Otherwise if it is determined in step 275 that no further columns remain, then method 250 may terminate in step 285 with the scan path fully determined. Preparation for spraying the contoured surface may then commence.
[96] [0096] and an “outer loop” formed by the branch which includes step 280, the entire Using an “inner loop” formed by the branch which includes step 270 contoured surface may be scanned point-by-point on a per-column basis . However, this is only one example order that may be followed and in various embodiments the order of scanning may be varied.For example, as noted below, in some cases additional intermediate grid points may be determined for such reasons as error-checking. In this case, deviations to the order presented in Fig. 6 may be permissible.
[97] 300 of determining a spray path for a liner application device. For example, method Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated, in a flow chart, a method 300 may be employed in some cases as part of or in conjunction with step 225 of method 200 shown in FIG. 5. (As step 225 may be performed repeatedly and alternately with step 220, it will be understood that the steps illustrated in FIG. 7 are not necessarily performed each iteration of step 225 and instead may represent the overall result of repeated performance of step 225 as part of method 200). _29- Accordingly, description of method 300 may be abbreviated for clarity and further details may be found above with reference to FIG. 5. [ooes] against one or more previously detected surface grid points. For example, each At step 305, a newly detected surface grid point may be compared against newly detected surface grid point may be compared against one or more neighboring surface grid points, either in the same column as the newly detected point or in adjacent columns, if any have been detected. Generally, as the scan path may follow along the contoured surface in a linear fashion, at least one neighboring surface grid point may already have been detected, i.e., the previously detected surface grid point in the same column. Additional neighboring points may also be available from neighboring columns starting with the second column scanned.
[99] Grid points have been detected. Anomalies may correspond to erroneous At step 310, it is determined whether any anomalies in the surface measurements and / or detection errors that appear as a particular surface grid point being far out of line with its neighbors and therefore possibly erroneous. lf it is determined at step 310 that anomalous measurements have been detected, method 300 may branch to step 315 where one or more intermediate surface grid points on the contoured surface are additionally detected. Based on the additionally detected intermediate surface grid points, it may be determined whether the surface grids are accurate or were, in fact, erroneous. In the latter case, new surface grid points may optionally be detected and the method branches to step 320. Otherwise if no anomalous surface grid points were identified in step 310, method 300 may branch directly to step 320 bypassing step 315.
[100] Computed based on the previously detected surface grid points. The incremental At step 320, an incremental segment of a spray path may be segment may reflect control coordinates for a liner application device to move from a previous position in relation to the contoured surface to a new position, eg, which may be determined based on the newly detected (and in some cases validated) surface grid points. Accordingly, a new control vector for liner application device that will move from such previous position to the new position may be computed. _30- [oo1o11 will cause the liner application device to reach any operational limits. For example, at 325, it is determined whether the newly computed control vector the liner application device may be capable of two or more different degrees of freedom, each of which corresponding to movement within a range along a different axis. lf it is determined that any axis has reached a limit on its range of movement, method 300 may branch to step 330, wherein a new control vector for liner application device may be computed in which one or more control coordinates have been backed off operational limits and / or reset to baseline values. After computation of a new control vector, method 300 may advance to step 335.
[103] Various modifications may be made to either or both in different embodiments. For The process flows illustrated in FIGS. 5-7 are exemplary only and example, in some cases, one or more of the illustrated steps may be performed in a different sequence than what is illustrated or, alternatively, not at all. ln other case, one or more additional steps not explicitly illustrated may also be included.
Additionally, certain of the illustrated steps may be shown as discrete elements, but such presentation is for convenience only and does not necessarily (unless context dictates othenNise) reflect a particular temporal or causal relationship between the illustrated elements. The particular presentations are merely illustrative. [oo1o41 skilled in the art will recognize that changes or variations may be made without The above description is meant to be exemplary only, and one departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein. Still other modifications which fall within the scope of the described embodiments may be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of a review of this disclosure, and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims. _31-

权利要求:
Claims (20)
[1]
1. A method of applying liner material to a contoured surface, the method comprising: sensing locations of a plurality of surface grid points on the contoured surface, the plurality of surface grid points being spatially distributed so as to provide a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface; based on the plurality of surface grid points, determining a spray path for a liner application device configured to emit a spray of the liner material, the spray path having a trajectory that follows the topographical profile of the contoured surface offset therefrom within a spray range of the liner application device; and spraying the contoured surface with the liner material while controlling the liner application device to undertake at least one pass of the spray path.
[2]
The method of claim 1, wherein the locations of the plurality of surface grid points are sensed while scanning the contoured surface with a sensor along a scan path that generally follows the topographical profile of the contoured surface.
[3]
The method of claim 2, further comprising while controlling the liner application device to follow the scan path, computing control vectors for the liner application device to follow along the spray path, each control vector specifying both a position and orientation for the liner application device at a given point on the spray path.
[4]
4. The method of claim 2, further comprising: sensing locations of a plurality of reference landmark points on the contoured surface; and determining the scan path based on the plurality of reference landmark points.
[5]
The method of claim 4, wherein the scan path is determined so as to maintain a minimum distance between the sensor and the contoured surface during scanning. _32-
[6]
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the locations of the plurality of reference landmark points are sensed during a pre-scan of the contoured surface performed by the sensor prior to the scanning.
[7]
7. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of reference landmark points comprise local maxima in the topographical profile of the contoured surface.
[8]
The method of claim 1, wherein the liner material is sprayed onto the contoured surface as a substantially constant-thickness surface layer.
[9]
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the liner material is sprayed onto the contoured surface in multiple passes of the liner application device along the spray path, during each of which the liner material is sprayed onto the contoured surface at a different angle of incidence .
[10]
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the contoured surface comprises an exposed rock face, and wherein the liner material comprises liquid polymer.
[11]
11. A system for applying liner material to a contoured surface, the system comprising: a sensor configured to locate surface grid points on the contoured surface; a liner application device that is controllable for movement in at least two dimensions, the liner application device comprising a spray nozzle fluidly coupled a reservoir of the liner material for emitting a spray of the liner material; and a controller coupled to the sensor and the liner application device, the controller comprising a data processor and device memory on which are stored instructions that, when executed by the data processor, configure the controller to: receive sensor data from the sensor representing a plurality of located surface grid points on the contoured surface that are spatially distributed so as to provide a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface; determine a spray path for the liner application device based on the plurality of located surface grid points, the spray path having a trajectory that follows the topographical profile of the contoured _33- surface offset therefrom within a spray range of the liner application device; and control the liner application device so as to spray the contoured surface with a spray of the liner material while undertaking at least one pass of the spray path.
[12]
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor is controllable for movement in at least two dimensions, and wherein the controller is further configured to control the sensor so as to sense the locations of the plurality of surface grid points while scanning the contoured surface with the sensor along a scan path that generally follows the topographical profile of the contoured surface.
[13]
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured while controlling the liner application device to follow the scan path to compute control vectors for the liner application device to follow along the spray path, each control vector specifying both a position and orientation for the liner application device at a given point on the spray path.
[14]
14. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to: control the sensor to sense locations of a plurality of reference landmark points on the contoured surface; and determine the scan path based on the plurality of reference landmark points.
[15]
The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the scan path so as to maintain a minimum distance between the sensor and the contoured surface during scanning.
[16]
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to control the sensor so as to sense the locations of the plurality of reference landmark points during a pre-scan of the contoured surface performed by the sensor prior to the scanning.
[17]
17. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is configured to detect local maxima in the topographical profile of the contoured surface to serve as the plurality of reference landmark points on the contoured surface. _34-
[18]
18. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to control the liner application device so as to spray the contoured surface with the liner material in multiple passes of the liner application device undertaken along the spray path, during each of which the liner application device is controlled so as to spray the liner material onto the contoured surface at a different angle of incidence.
[19]
19. The system of claim 11, wherein the contoured surface comprises an exposed rock face, and wherein the liner material comprises liquid polymer.
[20]
20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which are stored instructions that, when executed by one or more data processors, program the one or more data processors to perform a method of applying liner material to a contoured surface, the method comprising : receiving sensor data from a sensor representing a plurality of located surface grid points on the contoured surface that are spatially distributed so as to provide a representative topographical profile of the contoured surface; determining a spray path for a liner application device based on the plurality of located surface grid points, the spray path having a trajectory that follows the topographical profile of the contoured surface offset therefrom within a spray range of the liner application device; and controlling the liner application device so as to spray the contoured surface with a spray of the liner material while undertaking at least one pass of the spray path. _35-

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法律状态:

优先权:

申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

US13/494,464|US20130330467A1|2012-06-12|2012-06-12|Method of applying a thin spray-on liner and robotic applicator therefor|

PCT/CA2013/000552|WO2013185206A1|2012-06-12|2013-06-05|Method of applying a thin spray-on liner and robotic applicator therefor|

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