Bosch Engineering presents modular assistance system for deep and open cast mining machinery

Jul 07, 2023

Working with mining machinery is associated with a wide variety of hazards. Collisions between excavators, dump trucks, or caterpillar trucks and people or obstacles are a common cause of accidents. To avoid accidents the drivers must always have the entire area surrounding the vehicle in view. This causes constant stress and leads to physical strains.

Electronic assistance systems such as those from Bosch Engineering can help to alleviate this: when they identify persons or objects within the detection area around the vehicle, they issue corresponding warnings and show the exact position on the display, thus allowing the machine operator to keep a close eye on any blind spots.

Bosch Engineering has therefore developed a modular system with tailor-made systems and sensors for extensive assistance functions especially for particularly demanding mining applications.

The sensor concept includes a variety of ultrasonic and radar systems, as well as a camera system, that can be configured flexibly, allowing them to be tailored to the requirements of the specific application and assistance function.

Bosch Engineering draws on its expertise and proven key solutions from the passenger car domain and adapts these technologies specially for use in the off-highway segment. The result is that the systems combine a high level of functional safety with exceptional robustness, even under the toughest of operating conditions.

Due to the connectivity with the vehicle electronics required for reliable functioning, the assistance systems from Bosch Engineering are designed as a solution for original equipment (OE). The exception is the camera system, which is also available as a retrofit kit. This includes all of the components for retrofitting, including the wiring harness, display, and camera mount. The system features a display with intuitive operation and easy commissioning even in existing vehicles.

On the way to fully automated mining. Modern driver assistance functions (ADAS) are generally designed to warn the driver about hazards. The advanced ultrasonic system from Bosch Engineering goes one step further. If obstacles are detected in the vehicle’s path, the system will be able to trigger a stop signal to the vehicle control system in the future, bringing the machinery to a stop in dangerous situations.

Machine manufacturers can thus integrate a sophisticated emergency braking assistance function into their application as a proven and reliable “plug-and-play” solution without having to use their own development capacities.

Bosch Engineering is also already working today on the automated and connected mining machinery of the future, which performs its work fully automatically without any manual intervention required on the part of the machine operator. The second-generation off-highway robotic controller (ORC2) provides high-performance control unit hardware for partial and full automation.

The system offers high computing and storage capacity, with sufficient capacity for demanding automation functions. Standardized interfaces allow for quick and easy integration into the vehicle electronics, and preinstalled drivers make it easy to integrate the sensors.

Posted on 27 August 2023 in Driver Assistance Systems, Heavy-duty, Market Background, Mining, Off-road | Permalink | Comments (0)