Telematics data: Simply no longer sufficient for today's requirements!

The overall economic success of a construction materials company is directly linked to the efficiency and productivity of the extraction processes. Especially in times of rising energy costs. For this reason, quarry and gravel pit operators are increasingly focusing on measures to optimize extraction processes based on machine data.

The extraction of mineral raw materials is carried out in several energy-intensive sub-processes using mobile mining machines, which are mainly powered by diesel engines. This concerns both the loosening and loading as well as the internal transportation of the rock masses. In addition, electrical energy is required to operate the downstream processing and refining plants. Previous concepts for reducing energy consumption and more efficient use of mobile equipment have focused primarily on converting machine and plant technology and on replacement investments in equipment with lower consumption values (BHM (2016) Vol. 161: 488-493, Th. Skrypzak and A. Henning, p. 489)

However, investigations with the aim of achieving a more efficient interaction of operating points (e.g. blasting fields and crushers as well as machines and plants) require a continuous recording of performance data of the extraction and transportation process and measurements of the energy consumption of the equipment used. This is the only way to determine and implement measures to optimize the extraction process

Telematics data is simply not enough

Machine manufacturers of drilling rigs, wheel loaders, hydraulic excavators or heavy-duty trucks focus on machine operation, maintenance and predictive maintenance. Telematics portals are used to provide machine status and telematics data that is limited to a few data points (standard: AEMP or ISO 15143-3). However, data that takes into account external factors influencing the machine is not recorded.

As a rule, no homogeneous machine fleets are used in opencast mining operations and on construction sites, which means that the different data variety and quality of the machine data from the telematics portals are of greatly reduced significance. The data silos of the machine manufacturers are not suitable for the desired uniform view of the extraction processes.

Standardized process data acquisition

Only the availability of standardized movement data from mobile devices and influencing factors from the machine environment enables a reliable analysis of the processes.

abaut GmbH offers a retro-fit system (Figure 1) that can be integrated into any mobile device, regardless of manufacturer, type or age. The system consists of an edge device for recording the machine's movement data and other relevant physical information. An optional camera is also available to visually record the machine environment from the machine operator's perspective.

Image 1: abaut`s Retro-fit System

The system can be installed quickly and easily in around 30 minutes by your own operating personnel. No specialist knowledge is required.

The system is immediately ready for use and the movement data of the mobile device is recorded every second. Images, on the other hand, are generated by intelligent algorithms depending on the respective process.