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Autonomous Haulage System—Komatsu's Pioneering Technology Deployed at Rio Tinto Mine in Australia |
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Komatsu's Autonomous Haulage System, FrontRunner, is being deployed at Rio Tinto's West Angelas Mine, East Pilbara operation, in Western Australia. This is the second deployment of the proprietary system following delivery of the first fleet to Codelco's copper mines in Chile.
The FrontRunner system is comprised solely of Komatsu mining equipment, specifically, five units of autonomous dump trucks that use the 930E electric drive dump truck as a base machine, as well as a super-large PC5500 hydraulic excavator, D475A bulldozer, WD900 wheel dozer and GD825 motor grader.
The autonomous trucks navigate in the complex mining environment and can haul a 290-tonne (320-U.S.-ton) payload of overburden and ore without a driver. At the West Angelas Mine, the trucks are operated and controlled entirely using a supervisory computer at an operations center. In the future, the trucks will be controlled 24 hours a day from a remote operations center located more than 1,000 km (621 mi) away in Perth. All data from the trucks in use at the mine, including information on the location of the vehicles and their running status, can be verified via the supervisory computer. This is expected to contribute to a significant increase in productivity at the mine where it is difficult to secure sufficient manpower.
Outline of Autonomous Haulage System
Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) is a comprehensive fleet management system for mines. The dump trucks, which are equipped with vehicle controllers, a high-precision global positioning system (GPS), an obstacle detection system and a wireless network system jointly developed by Komatsu Ltd., Komatsu America Corp. and Modular Mining Systems, Inc., are operated and controlled via a supervisory computer, enabling them to be unmanned. Information on target course and speed is sent wirelessly from the supervisory computer to the driverless dump trucks, while the GPS is used to ascertain their position. When loading, the dump trucks are automatically guided to the loading spot after computing the position of the bucket of the GPS-fitted hydraulic excavator or wheel loader. The supervisory computer also sends information on a specific course to the dumping spot.
From a safety perspective, the fleet control system prevents collisions with other dump trucks, service vehicles or other equipment at the mining site. In case an obstacle detection system detects another vehicle or person inside the hauling course under AHS operation, the vehicles will reduce speed or stop immediately, making the system extremely safe and reliable.
In addition, AHS enables stable operation under grueling conditions such as at high altitudes or in sparsely populated, arid desert areas. At the same time, by optimizing operations, the system contributes to reducing maintenance costs, conserving energy and curbing CO2 emissions.
How AHS Works
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Terms and Conditions