Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for controlling operation of a drilling machine includes determining a rock-coal transition and enabling both the real-time control of the blasthole drilling operation of the drilling machine responsive to the determination of the rock-coal transition or using the rock-coal transition information for mine planning in a post-processing application. Such controlling can include stopping the drilling operation of the drilling machine prior to or upon reaching the coal. Mine planning allows for more efficient removal of the exploitable coal. The determining and controlling can be performed in real time based on specialized transformation of Monitor-While Drilling (MWD) data from one or more sensors of the drilling machine while the drilling machine is drilling. The mine planning application is based on processing the Monitor-While Drilling (MWD) data from one or more sensors of the drilling machine after the drilling machine has completed the drilling of a blasthole or blastholes.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for determining intact versus fractured rock zones based on performance monitoring of an electric drilling machine when drilling a blasthole. The determination can be based on a calculation of compensated blastability index (“CBI”) values using transformed performance monitoring data collected in real-time as the drilling machine drills the blasthole.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for determining intact versus fractured rock zones based on performance monitoring of an electric drilling machine when drilling a blasthole. The determination can be based on a calculation of compensated blastability index (“CBI”) values using transformed performance monitoring data collected in real-time as the drilling machine drills the blasthole.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for leveling a borehole or blasthole drilling machine, or portion thereof, provided over a drilling site can implement a ground contact detect phase or operation, a first coarse leveling phase or operation, a lowering phase or operation, and a fine leveling phase or operation. The phases or operations can be based on or responsive to signals from sensors of the drilling machine. The phases or operations can involve changing length of one or more of the jacks of the drilling machine when the drilling machine is positioned over the drilling site.

Abstract: An advanced real-time drilling control system can comprise circuitry configured to continuously monitor, in real time, drilling performance of an electric drilling machine as the electric drilling machine drills a blasthole using a rotary tricone drill bit. The continuous monitoring can include continuously collecting, according to a predetermined sampling rate, drill performance data from one or more sensors of the electric drilling machine in real time. The circuitry can also be configured to adjust, in real time, pulldown pressure/rate and rotary speed of the rotary tricone drill bit of the electric drilling machine to optimize penetration rate of the rotary tricone drill bit based on the drill performance data and output of one or more machine learning operations applied to the drill performance data.

Abstract: An advanced real-time drilling control system can comprise circuitry configured to continuously monitor, in real time, drilling performance of an electric drilling machine as the electric drilling machine drills a blasthole using a rotary tricone drill bit. The continuous monitoring can include continuously collecting, according to a predetermined sampling rate, drill performance data from one or more sensors of the electric drilling machine in real time. The circuitry can also be configured to adjust, in real time, pulldown pressure/rate and rotary speed of the rotary tricone drill bit of the electric drilling machine to optimize penetration rate of the rotary tricone drill bit based on the drill performance data and output of one or more machine learning operations applied to the drill performance data.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for determining intact versus fractured rock zones based on performance monitoring of an electric drilling machine when drilling a blasthole. The determination can be based on a calculation of compensated blastability index (“CBI”) values using transformed performance monitoring data collected in real-time as the drilling machine drills the blasthole.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for controlling operation of a drilling machine includes determining a rock-coal transition and enabling both the real-time control of the blasthole drilling operation of the drilling machine responsive to the determination of the rock-coal transition or using the rock-coal transition information for mine planning in a post-processing application. Such controlling can include stopping the drilling operation of the drilling machine prior to or upon reaching the coal. Mine planning allows for more efficient removal of the exploitable coal. The determining and controlling can be performed in real time based on specialized transformation of Monitor-While Drilling (MWD) data from one or more sensors of the drilling machine while the drilling machine is drilling. The mine planning application is based on processing the Monitor-While Drilling (MWD) data from one or more sensors of the drilling machine after the drilling machine has completed the drilling of a blasthole or blastholes.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and method for augmenting the 3 dimensional position information obtained from the NAVSTAR satellite-based global positioning system (“GPS”) system. Such systems can be impacted by physical obstacles that prevent the receipt of the satellite signals or as a result of sun spot activity that introduces noise into the signals thus causing them to become intermittently unavailable and/or making them less accurate in the course of normal operation. Therefore, an improved positioning solution that can operate under such poor GPS operational conditions is needed. The apparatus and method of the invention augments GPS with dead reckoning techniques when GPS signals are unavailable or inaccurate. The apparatus and method of the invention demonstrates highest value when applied to blasthole drill positioning applications in open-pit mines.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for leveling a borehole or blasthole drilling machine, or portion thereof, provided over a drilling site can implement a ground contact detect phase or operation, a first coarse leveling phase or operation, a lowering phase or operation, and a fine leveling phase or operation. The phases or operations can be based on or responsive to signals from sensors of the drilling machine. The phases or operations can involve changing length of one or more of the jacks of the drilling machine when the drilling machine is positioned over the drilling site.

Abstract: Known georeferencing techniques require input in the form of manually-chosen anchor points or dense surveyed data. The present invention is an improved method and system for georeferencing underground geometric data. The method comprises (a) visiting at least two control points; (b) obtaining information about each of the at least two control points using scanning means; (c) recording the information about the at least two control points into a computer processor; and (d) performing a best-fit transformation to the recorded information. Preferably, the scanning means comprises laser scanners and at least two radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. However, other technologies, such as retro-reflective LIDAR targets, Wi-Fi access points or bar codes and a bar code reader may also be used. In addition, sonar, radar, flash LIDAR, MEMS LIDAR, or any other similar technology could be used.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and method for augmenting the 3 dimensional position information obtained from the NAVSTAR satellite-based global positioning system (“GPS”) system. Such systems can be impacted by physical obstacles that prevent the receipt of the satellite signals or as a result of sun spot activity that introduces noise into the signals thus causing them to become intermittently unavailable and/or making them less accurate in the course of normal operation. Therefore, an improved positioning solution that can operate under such poor GPS operational conditions is needed. The apparatus and method of the invention augments GPS with dead reckoning techniques when GPS signals are unavailable or inaccurate. The apparatus and method of the invention demonstrates highest value when applied to blasthole drill positioning applications in open-pit mines.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and method for augmenting the 3 dimensional position information obtained from the NAVSTAR satellite-based global positioning system (“GPS”) system. Such systems can be impacted by physical obstacles that prevent the receipt of the satellite signals or as a result of sun spot activity that introduces noise into the signals thus causing them to become intermittently unavailable and/or making them less accurate in the course of normal operation. Therefore, an improved positioning solution that can operate under such poor GPS operational conditions is needed. The apparatus and method of the invention augments GPS with dead reckoning techniques when GPS signals are unavailable or inaccurate. The apparatus and method of the invention demonstrates highest value when applied to blasthole drill positioning applications in open-pit mines.