Caterpillar has announced the availability of Cat® MineStar™ Detect object detection systems for additional Cat machines and virtually all brands of mobile surface mining equipment. Previously unsupported Cat machines as well as other brands of machines can now be equipped with the cameras, radars and in-cab displays that deliver increased site awareness to mobile equipment operators.
Object detection kits are available with one to four cameras and as many as eight radars for applications ranging from small auxiliary equipment to ultraclass mining trucks. Functionality remains the same as the proven Object Detection system equipping Cat mining trucks from the factory and available as a factory option on several Cat wheel loaders and wheel dozers.
The expanded line of retrofit kits enables enhancing safety and standardizing mixed fleets for the benefit of operators and maintenance technicians. Object Detection is wholly contained on the machine and does not require the installation or operation of any off-board infrastructure. The system is fully supported by Cat dealers.
Detect Object Detection is designed to work during machine startup and when a machine is travelling at low speeds. The system employs radar capabilities to automatically detect hazards such as other equipment or vehicles within critical zones around the machine—in front, at the rear and each side. The system also presents specific camera views to show the operator where potential hazards are detected. A proximity bar on the in-cab display flashes yellow or red, depending on the distance of the detected object.
Caterpillar has also introduced a new collision avoidance system, Proximity Awareness, for surface vehicles. Part of the Cat MineStar Detect capability set, the new system uses the latest peer-to-peer communications leveraged by the automotive industry. The system delivers fast and reliable communications between vehicles and presents collision avoidance information to operators without the need for a robust radio network covering the site.
The onboard hardware can be fitted to light vehicles and to any brand of surface mining equipment. Fewer components are required compared to the previous Cat Proximity Awareness system, which uses a WiFi network. The result is reduced space required onboard vehicles, fast installation and lower cost.
The onboard display can store up to 24 hours of incident data. This data is sent to the office for storage and analysis by using strategically located communications hot spots on site. Incident capture, playback and reporting are independent of MineStar Fleet.
Cat MineStar Fleet, Proximity Awareness and Object Detection can run on a single, in-cab display. The new Proximity Awareness system also features alarm tones that operators can easily distinguish from alerts delivered by other systems. When combined with Fleet in the office, enhanced reporting includes operator performance as related to the number of safety incidents. The new system retains the many features provided by the previous system, such as avoidance zones, speed zones, highly configurable machine envelopes and projected paths, operator notifications, incident capture and playback for training or incident reconstruction.
Like the previous system, the new system is easy for operators to use. The Proximity Awareness system presents information to the operator via an intuitive graphic display in the cab. The system provides three onboard alarming levels. The zones, which define alarming, are customer configurable. Alarming priority ranges from low to critical. Low priority indicates the projected path of a machine is on course to collide with another machine, or it’s following another machine too closely. Critical alarms occur when two or more machines have their closest zones intersect. If machines routinely are in close proximity, such as loading and hauling vehicles, alarm filters can be implemented between machines classes to silence non-critical warnings.