Abstract
The continued high number of fatalities associated with Trackless Mobile Machines (TMMs) in South Africa have led to the introduction of Collision Avoidance System (CAS) regulations in the Mine Health and Safety Act in 2015. This has lead to the profusion of technologically-immature CASs from third-party vendors, all of which are centered on automatic stopping and braking systems. These braking systems often result in trivial or ineffective solutions, proving costly to mining operations. The combination of braking and steering control in CASs may substantially increase the solution space and provide far safer and more efficient manoeuvres. A recursive non-linear collision prediction estimator and optimal trajectory generation model was developed to evaluate the potential contribution of the addition of steering to CASs. Three independent optimal trajectory generation models are proposed to compete against one another in an attempt to synthesize the safest, most predictable, and efficient trajectory. A deep reinforcement learning, lattice optimization and Monte Carlo hyper sampling path planning model’s trajectories are evlauated using the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT) interaction scenarios. Initial results indicate increased CAS solution spaces in collision-avoiding scenarios, providing safer and more effective solutions in high velocity vehicle interactions.
Highlights
The field of autonomous mobility has experienced radical expansion in recent years, with implementations progressing in commercial, industrial and passenger vehicles
The Department of Mineral Resources’ Occupational Health and Safety 2017 annual safety report recorded that 30-40% of mining industry fatalities were caused by mobile equipment, while 9% of the fatalities were caused by Trackless Mobile Machines [2], [3]
In the South African mining industry, all current Collision Avoidance System (CAS) developed by third party vendors make exclusive use of Collision Avoidance By Braking (CABB) systems due to the requirement by the matecconf/202134700032Health and Safety Act (MHSA) legislation
Summary
The field of autonomous mobility has experienced radical expansion in recent years, with implementations progressing in commercial, industrial and passenger vehicles. The Department of Mineral Resources’ Occupational Health and Safety 2017 annual safety report recorded that 30-40% of mining industry fatalities were caused by mobile equipment, while 9% of the fatalities were caused by Trackless Mobile Machines [2], [3] These concerning statistics lead to the amendment of the South African Mine. In the South African mining industry, all current CASs developed by third party vendors make exclusive use of Collision Avoidance By Braking (CABB) systems due to the requirement by the MHSA legislation. These systems are often insufficiently tested or developed to address the significant and unique challenges associated with the practical implementation of such systems in mining environments [5]. By introducing steering control as an additional DOF to the system, the solution space will be expanded significantly, potentially providing far safer and more efficient manoeuvres [7]
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