Implementation of explosion safety regulations in design of a mobile robot for coal mines

The article focuses on specific challenges of the design of a reconnaissance mobile robotic system aimed for inspection in underground coal mine areas after a catastrophic event. Systems that are designated for these conditions must meet specific standards and regulations. In this paper is discussed primarily the main conception of meeting explosion safety regulations of European Union 2014/34/EU (also called ATEX-from French "Appareils destines a etre utilises en ATmospheres Explosives") for Group I (equipment intended for use in underground mines) and Category M1 (equipment designed for operation in the presence of an explosive atmosphere). An example of a practical solution is described on main subsystems of the mobile robot TeleRescuera teleoperated robot with autonomy functions, a sensory subsystem with multiple cameras, three-dimensional (3D) mapping and sensors for measurement of gas concentration, airflow, relative humidity, and temperatures. Explosion safety is ensured according to the Technical Report CLC/TR 60079-33 "s" by two main independent protections-mechanical protection (flameproof enclosure) and electrical protection (automatic methane detector that disconnects power when methane breaches the enclosure and gets inside the robot body).Web of Science811art. no. 230

Dimensional optimization of the robotic arm to reduce energy consumption

This study examines selected components of the optimization function, used to evaluate the optimal kinematic structure of a robot for a given task. Automated generation of the kinematic structure is based on scalable drive modules of the joints and modules of the carrying arms with a check on the permissible torque of the drive and bending moment of the carrier element. An optimization algorithm is used to generate variations of kinematic structures, the base requirement of the fitness function is the ability to traverse a given trajectory with a defined orientation of the tool. The suitability of a given kinematic structure is evaluated further by a set of evaluation functions such as a check for spatial collisions, energy consumption, minimization of total weight, minimization of degrees of freedom for a given task and several other criteria. Two of these criteria - evaluation of the total weight of a robotic arm with drives in joints and evaluation of power consumption for a defined handling task are examined here.Web of Science20203753374

Initial Study into the Possible Use of Digital Sound Processing for the Development of Automatic Longwall Shearer Operation

Competition on the local and global market forces enterprises to implement modern solutions and adapt to technological changes. Applying modern solutions allows an increase in the quality of the product and reduces production costs. The acoustic sensor, as a relatively cheap solution, allows signals to be obtained which, after appropriate processing, can be used to develop an automatic control of the longwall shearer, together with the recognition of the type of shale. This paper presents an introductory research, the goal of which has been to check whether acoustic signals carry useful information on what kind of material–shale or coal–is being cut by the cutting head of a longwall shearer. For this purpose, the fast Fourier transform and short-time Fourier transform functions implemented in MatLab were used. The results of the analysis are presented in the form of three-dimensional graphs and spectrograms. To sum up, the research carried out so far justifies the need for continuation in the form of systematic experiments, the results of which could be incorporated into the control system of an unmanned combine

Implementation of Explosion Safety Regulations in Design of a Mobile Robot for Coal Mines

The article focuses on specific challenges of the design of a reconnaissance mobile robotic system aimed for inspection in underground coal mine areas after a catastrophic event. Systems that are designated for these conditions must meet specific standards and regulations. In this paper is discussed primarily the main conception of meeting explosion safety regulations of European Union 2014/34/EU (also called ATEX—from French “Appareils destinés à être utilisés en ATmosphères Explosives„) for Group I (equipment intended for use in underground mines) and Category M1 (equipment designed for operation in the presence of an explosive atmosphere). An example of a practical solution is described on main subsystems of the mobile robot TeleRescuer—a teleoperated robot with autonomy functions, a sensory subsystem with multiple cameras, three-dimensional (3D) mapping and sensors for measurement of gas concentration, airflow, relative humidity, and temperatures. Explosion safety is ensured according to the Technical Report CLC/TR 60079-33 “s„ by two main independent protections—mechanical protection (flameproof enclosure) and electrical protection (automatic methane detector that disconnects power when methane breaches the enclosure and gets inside the robot body)

Telerescuer - reconnaissance mobile robot for underground coal mines

The paper describes conception of a reconnaissance mobile robot TELERESCUER for inspecting underground coal mine areas affected by catastrophic events. The introduction describes the whole project background and the following sections deal with the design of the control system and communication between individual subsystems. The subsystems described include the motion subsystem, the sensory subsystem (temperatures, gas concentration, air flow, navigation and cameras), the subsystem for 3D map data acquisition and the communication subsystem. Mentioned also is the ATEX implementation (where the robot can safely operate in an environment with dangerous concentrations of methane)