Patents by Inventor Hannu Mäkelä

Hannu Mäkelä has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20060195237
    Abstract: A method and system for stopping an unmanned mine vehicle in a predetermined position. The mine vehicle is driven at a low speed towards a physical. When the mine vehicle encounters the obstacle (7, 7a, 7b), a speed difference greater than a predetermined limit value is generated between the speed of the mine vehicle and the driving power transmission. The control system of the mine vehicle detects the exceeding of the limit value and stops the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Publication date: August 31, 2006
    Inventor: Hannu Mäkelä
  • Publication number: 20060190124
    Abstract: A mine vehicle and a method of preventing a mine vehicle from colliding. The mine vehicle (1) includes at least one scanner (13, 14) to scan the environment in front of the vehicle. On the basis of the scanning, an obstacle-free route is determined whose outermost points in a sideward direction are stored as memory points (21). At least one sideward safe area (15b) has been predetermined around the vehicle (1). A control system checks that no memory point (21) resides within the safe area (15b).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventor: Hannu MÄKELÄ
  • Patent number: 6898503
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining the position of a mining machine as its wheels skid with respect to the underlying surface. In the method, at least one detector detecting the operation of transmission detects skidding of at least one wheel with respect to the underlying surface, whereupon determination of the position by means of the rotation of the wheels and the direction of travel is interrupted. The apparatus includes at least one detector for detecting the operation of the transmission, the detector detecting the skidding of at least one wheel with respect to the underlying surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: Sandvik Tamrock Oy
    Inventors: Hannu Mäkelä , Thomas Von Numers