Abstract: A method is provided to coordinate loading of a material in an operational area by machine actors including haul trucks and loading vehicles. The method implements quick and efficient loading of trucks with the material in order to ensure that they are highly utilized. A vehicle coordination assembly is provided to establish data communications with vehicle sensing systems of the haul trucks and of the loading vehicles and determine load-ready haul trucks. For each load-ready haul truck, a loading task is assigned to two or more of the loading vehicles for loading of the load-ready haul truck. Each task specifies a respective safe operating space in which a loading vehicle is restricted to operating. The assigned loading vehicle with a safe operating space extending over a side of the haul truck can only perform a dumping operation to the haul truck at any one time.

Abstract: There is provided a material categorisation and transportation system including a plurality of mine vehicles for transporting material within a mine site from a first location in the form of a blast site to a second location. The system includes a sensing device for actively sensing chemical property characteristics of raw blasted mined material such that the raw material can be categorised into a plurality of material categories based on the sensed characteristics. The system further includes a loading device located at blast site for loading the raw material into a predefined one of the mine vehicles based on material category for transportation to the second location. The system is such that each of the mine vehicles only carries raw material of a predetermined one of the material categories.

Abstract: Mined material is transported within and outside a mine (10) in containers (26) that are fixed. discrete load units. namely containers that define a fixed maximum volume that can be carried in each container. The containers can be carried on or coupled to and then removed from vehicles (16) or other transport options. such as flatbed trucks. flatbed rail carriages or overhead suspension units. The containers can be stored at designated container storage facilities (28) in the mine. The container storage facilities are holding areas for loaded containers at mines until decisions are made to transport the containers to mineral processing plants (30) in the mine or to end-use customers. for example via rail to a shipping port (24).

Abstract: Methods and systems for efficiently operating haulers of varying sizes for transporting mined material at a mine site. The haulers can include “right-sized haul trucks (RSATs)”. Methods and systems for efficiently using containers for mined material, including loading, handling and transporting mined material within a mine or from a mine. The containers can be carried on haulers such as “movable units” and “moving units”.

Abstract: Method and system for detecting magnetic contaminants in products (160). The product (160) is transported past magnetic sensors (170, 180) which return a first sensed signal S1 (172) and a second sensed signal S2 (182) being time-spaced received versions of the source signal produced by the product (160). From the sensed signals (172, 182) it is determined whether a magnetic contaminant has been detected. Gradiometry may be applied between the signals (172, 182). A so-called auto-cross-correlation comprising +/?(CC1+CC2?AC1?AC2) derived from the cross-correlation (CC1) of S1 with S2, the cross-correlation (CC2) of S2 with S1, the autocorrelation (AC1) of S1 and the autocorrelation (AC2) of S2, may be used to improve signal recovery from noise. The auto-cross-correlation may be applied in other applications.