GIS Mode and Material Design Mode
There are two mining modes, GIS mode, and the older Material Design mode.
Existing users of Terrain currently use Material Design Mode.
In this mode Terrain uses Material Design files, *.cat files sent to the machine from Terrain office software, to show material and mining status. The information about the materials in the design file is stored in 2 dimensional (2D) material polygons.
Polygons have colors which represent materials. Text located within the polygon provides more information about the material, such as polygon ID and name. The polygons are 2D and are not associated with an elevation (level/bench). To associate a polygon with a level, the site must use groups and / or AOSM.
Terrain detects the dig state of the machine while in the material polygon. If Digging, then this material appears in the bucket and in reports. The DipperLoadReport also lists the extended material text and other information. The software accumulates dipper information until the operator selects Send Truck, at which stage the software sends the report to the office.
The operator relies on the office providing updated Material Design files for the working area, but can override the material while digging.
Applies to all machine types.
Large mines divide the site into small 3 dimensional (3D) units of resource information. These small units are joined into a larger unit to create a grade block. Surveyors, geotechnicians, and pit bosses talk about the site in terms of blocks, with the 3D blocks served up by the Cat® MineStar Geographic Information System (GIS) being used in the mine. Grade blocks have many GIS parameters, including a material (called the primary material), a block ID, a block name, a floor elevation, and some names of alternative materials. The main parameter Terrain uses is the floor elevation.
MineStar GIS maintains the ore body information for the mine site. The on-board software accesses GIS data by polling GIS every 300 seconds (5 minutes) and receiving information about the material in the area the machine is working.
The grade block polygons from the GIS database are stored in JavaScript Object Notation JSON files on-board so that the on-board software can easily access the data. The polygons usually do not overlap because blocks and stockpiles usually do not overlap.
The on-board software uses the group number associated with the grade block, and the floor levels in the block, to assign a material to the bucket.
Terrain automatically detects the dig state and associates "Digging" with the grade block over which it is working. The operator can override the block name and/or the material name
Grade blocks will always be associated with a group and have a grade block group number (ID). A group is a number assigned to a part of the mine site. If more than 1 bit of information has the same group number, then these things will be similar in some way.
When moving between benches, the on-board software selects the appropriate grade block by choosing the group with the block floor elevation that closely matches the current elevation of the machine. The software checks for flags in the block data that say whether the machine is allowed into the block, or not. If the block can be used (flag = "not in use"), the software notes the grade block group ID and automatically assigns this ID to the material the machine is moving
Applies in Terrain v5.3 to wheel loaders, and to front shovels and excavators from v6.0.
Reference: For more information, search the MCU Help file for "GIS mode" or "Material Design mode".
Material designs define the limits of different materials. The limits of the different materials must form polygons. The material polygons define the extents of the different materials.
Reference: For additional information on Material Designs, refer to "DXF File Convention for Material Grade Design" section of this manual or the MCU Help file, "Identifying Material - Reference".
There are two methods, the on-board software uses to determine the percentages of different materials in both bucket loads and in truck loads.
The default method is the recommended method. This method assumes that each bucket is full. The percentages of the different materials in each bucket load are accumulated. The percentages are then averaged for the truck load. The second method may be useful when the amount of material in each bucket load varies.
Table 1 defines a load of material that is made up of three buckets. The table also lists the number of cells of different materials and the percentages of those materials.
Following this table is an explanation as to how the material loads would be calculated for both methods.
Bucket | Ore 1
cells (%) |
Ore 2
cells (%) |
Total
cells (%) |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | (37.5%) | 5 | (62.5%) | 8 | (100%) |
2 | 3 | (75%) | 1 | (25%) | 4 | (100%) |
3 | 5 | (83.3%) | 2 | (16.7%) | 6 | (100%) |
Load | 11 | 7 | 18 |
The default method, which is used for full bucket loads, reports the following material percentages for the truck load:
- Ore 1 makes up (37.5+75+83.3)/3 = 65.3% of the truck load.
- Ore 2 makes up (62.5+25+16.7)/3 = 34.7% of the truck load.
The second method, which is enabled with the following setting, is used when the bucket loads vary.
"Use Dipper Cell Count" - Used to determine the composition of the material in a truck load based on the cells that are swathed in each bucket load
This method counts the number of cells of different materials that are in each bucket load. The number of cells of each material are accumulated for the truck load. The percentages of the different materials are then determined. The cell size is typically
Reference: For additional information about "updateable layers", search "Data File Param" in the MCU Help file.
This method reports the following material percentages for the truck load:
- Ore 1 makes up 11/18 x 100 = 61.9% of the truck load.
- Ore 2 makes up 7/18 x 100 = 38.9% of the truck load.
The operator selects the "Send Truck" command to send trucks. The on-board software accumulates the percentages of materials as the buckets are loaded into the truck. When the command is applied, the percentages of materials in the truck load are reported.
The Send Truck command is not completed until the current bucket is loaded into the truck.
The following settings are used with truck loading:
"No Bucket Dump On Send Truck" - This setting is used to disable the Send Truck default behavior. When this setting is used, the Send Truck command will be completed before the current bucket load is loaded into the truck.
"Max Bucket Log Count" - This setting is used to apply the Send Truck command automatically after a specified number of bucket loads. By default, trucks are sent after 20 buckets have been loaded.
Illustration 1 | g03396114 |
Ore status Plan view (1) Area not mined (2) Mining in progress (3) Mined fully |
Plan views displaying the ore status use a specific format for the view. If an area has not been mined (1), there is no change to the original material color. If an area is still being mined (2), a crosshatch shading will be applied over the original material color. Once the area has been mined fully (3), the original color is replaced by a solid gray color.
The following setting is used to set up the on-board software to display ore status information for the cells.
"Swath Option" - This setting can be configured for marking a cell as "Mined out" when the wheels or tracks of a machine pass over the cell. The setting can also be configured for marking a cell as "Mining in Progress" when the cutting edge of the machine passes over the cell.
Reference: For information describing the Ore Status Update setup, refer to "Material Status As-Built Surface" section of this manual or the MCU Help file, "Ore Status Maintenance - Reference".
The following setting is used to set up extra marking options for excavators and for front shovels that utilize dual receiver positioning.
"Excavator Mined Out" - This setting allows one of two configurable offsets to be specified. The first configurable offset is when the bucket tip digs below the Elevation Design. The second configurable offset is when the bucket digs below the track elevation. These additional options are possible because the elevation of the bucket tip is always known.
The three options available for marking a cell as mined out based on an offset are relative to:
- The Elevation Design when the bucket tip digs below the Elevation Design
- The machine track when the bucket tip digs below the elevation of the track of the machine on the ground
- An elevation when the bucket tip digs below the specified elevation
Ore status information is automatically stored to a default material status file. The default file uses default block sizes and cell sizes.
The following settings are used with material status files:
"Data File Param" - Sets up new material status files: This setting specifies the material status filename, and both the block size and the cell size.
"Ore Status Maint Enable" - Specifies different material status files for either different ranges of elevation, or else for different groups: For example, material status files can be set up for different benches.
"Elevation Level" - Defines the specific elevation for each status file
"Elevation Level Range" - Specifies the range for each level
Reference: For additional information on these settings, refer to "Automatic Ore Status Maintenance" section of this manual or the MCU Help file, "Auto Ore Status Maintenance - Reference".
Mined Out Material Identification
Material that is removed from an area that has been mined fully is identified as "Mined Out" material. The following settings are used with mined out material identification.
"No Last Material" - Specifies that the material removed from outside of the material design must be identified as "unidentified"
"Unknown Material Time" - If this setting is enabled, then the "Material Selection" dialog appears when the operator sends a truck that is loaded with unidentified material. The dialog switches to count-down mode and is automatically closed if the operator does not select one of the materials in the dialog within the time specified.
The operator may need to override the material that is identified by the on-board software. The operator can manually select a material to override the material identified by the on-board software. The override must be applied prior to the Send Truck command.
The "Material Selection" dialog displays one of the following three material lists. The "Material List" button on this dialog is used to cycle through the lists.
"All Materials" - Allows selection of a material from all the materials that are known to the on-board software
"Recent Materials" - Allows selection of a material from the list of materials that have been recently identified by the on-board software
"Overrides" - Allows selection of a material from the list of recently applied overrides
Illustration 2 | g03384258 |
"Select Data Files" window |
Illustration 2 shows a listing of files by "File Type" in the "Select Data Files" window
The on-board software creates the list by pulling data from two files:
- Current "Material Grade" file selected as "Prime" as shown in Illustration 2
- mach_cfg.txt file DXF color keys
The Material Design file, for example "cwk trackore1.cat" in Illustration 2 includes name, color, and extended material identifier.
Illustration 3 | g03384259 |
List sourced from mach_cfg.txt file |
With no Material Design file selected as "Prime", the mach_cfg.txt file includes the name and color only and creates a much simpler list as shown in Illustration 3.
Material Selection - Opens the "Material Selection" dialog |
Manual Dig State - Overrides the dig state of an excavator that has been set by an external switch |
Menu - Opens the main menu |
To override the material that is identified by the on-board software, complete these steps:
- Open the "Material Selection" dialog using one of the following methods:
Manual Dig State - Touch the button.
Main Menu - Open the main menu and select "Ore Control" > "Material Selection".
The on-board software creates the material list.
Show/hide tableIllustration 4 g03382161 "Material Selection" dialog - Press the "Material List" button to cycle through the following material list options:
- "All Materials"
- "Recent Materials"
- "Overrides"
The current list is displayed in the header of the "Material Selection" dialog.
- Select a material from one of the lists and press the "OK" button.
The override is applied. The override for the load is reported when the truck is sent. The material override is removed after the truck is sent.
Illustration 5 | g03382162 |
"Material Toolbar" dialog |
The "Material Toolbar" dialog allows a rapid override of the material that has been identified for a load. A Material toolbar can be configured in one of the following three ways.
"Fixed Materials" - Materials are manually selected.
"Recent Overrides" - Materials are automatically added as the operator applies an override to a truck load.
"Recent Materials" - Materials are automatically added as the materials are identified by the on-board software.
Reference: For instruction on creating a Material toolbar, refer to the MCU Help, "Material Overrides - Reference".
Limited Material Selection Lists
By default, the list of materials that the operator can select for override includes:
- All materials that have a description in the machine configuration file
- All the extended materials from all the files that have been primary since the machine was started
The list of material available to the operator can be limited.
"Material Selection Type" - Use this setting to limit which materials are available for selection by the operator. Each time the "Material Selection" dialog opens or the Material List button is pressed, the materials in the materials list are checked against the materials that are allowed by this setting. Materials that are not allowed are removed from the list (and from the Materials toolbar).
When the operator changes a Material Grade file to "Prime", the "Material Selection" dialog does not change unless either the operator selects a different list or the operator closes, then opens, the dialog. The material toolbars are not updated until the current truck is sent.
Reference: For additional information, refer to the MCU Help file, "Material Selection Type".
A "Permanent Material Override" is an override that applies to all truck loads. Two dialogs, the "Materials Warning" dialog and the "Material Selection" dialog, are associated with permanent material overrides.
Illustration 6 | g03396115 |
"Materials Warning" dialog. |
Each time a truck is sent, a "Materials Warning" dialog appears. Also, an optional annunciator, if equipped, can be activated while the dialog is open to alert the operator.
When the "Materials Warning" dialog appears, one of two buttons can be selected.
"Use Override" - Selected to confirm that the override still applies
"Use CAES" - Selected to use the material that is identified by the on-board software
Note: If the material in the load is identified as "Mined Out", then the "Materials Warning" dialog does not appear and the on-board software assumes that the override is correct.
The following two settings are used with the "Materials Warning" dialog:
"Material Warning Time" - This setting specifies the length of time that the dialog is displayed. If no button is selected within the time period specified in this setting, then the dialog is automatically closed. Then, the override material is applied. This setting is found in the machine configuration file.
"Material Warn Colors" - Causes the "Material Warning" dialog to flash with specific colors
The Material Selection dialog is used to specify the override action that occurs.
"Hold" - Selecting the "Hold" check box in the "Material Selection" dialog causes the override to become a permanent override.
"Clear" - Pressing the "Clear" button in the "Material Selection" dialog removes the current override. When the button is selected, then the material in the load is identified by the on-board software.
The dialog can also be used with the following setting.
"No Permanent Override" - When enabled, the "Hold" check box is removed from the dialog and overrides cannot be permanently applied.
Material designs provide the on-board software with a map of the extents of different materials. Each material is contained within a polygon. Text strings within the polygons provide the on-board software with an extended material identity for each material.
Reference: For information on both material designs and extended material identities, refer to "DXF File Convention for Material Grade Design" section of this manual or the MCU Help file.
The extended material identity can contain Material Parameters which contain additional information about the base material. The on-board software can be configured for extraction of these parameters from the extended material identity.
Material Parameters provide a detailed description of the contents of both the bucket load and the truck load. Materials are still identified as described in previous sections. Material Parameters are reported in addition to the normal information for materials.
The parameters can describe the percentages of materials in a truck load and can also be used to control the content of truck loads. The parameters are common to different materials.
The common parameters for the different materials within an individual bucket are combined, and then the combined parameters for the bucket are reported. The common material for the different materials in the truck load is combined. When the truck is sent, the parameters for the truck load are reported.
Material Parameter Configuration
The Material Parameters are contained in text strings that are located within the polygons of the material design. This section explains how to configure the on-board software to interpret the information from the text strings.
Table 2 contains text strings for three different types of ore materials. The table also contains the number of bucket loads of each type of ore in the truck load. The data in the table will be used within this section to discuss the configuration of the on-board software and the interpretation of the Material Parameters.
Base Material | Text String
(extended material identity) |
Bucket Loads |
---|---|---|
Ore 1 | Hi in Gold,0.3,0.2,0.7,101 | 1 |
Ore 2 | Med in Gold,0.2, 0.1,0.6,102 | 2 |
Ore 3 | Lo in Gold,0.1,0.3,0.5,103 | 3 |
The on-board software assumes that a maximum of five Material Parameters will be interpreted from the text string. Table 2 is configured for the standard five parameters.
The following settings are used with Material Parameters:
"Material Max Parameters" - Configures the maximum number of Material Parameters to interpret.
"Material Parameter Delimiter" - This setting, which is set in the machine configuration file, specifies the character that is used to separate information in the text string.
For instance, to use commas to separate individual pieces of information in the text string, the code for the setting would be:
- Material Parameter Delimiter =,
"Material Parameter Index" - This setting is used to map the order of the parameters. The parameters listed in the on-board software are mapped to the order in which the parameters are listed in the Load and Dippers report sent to Cat MineStar System.
Table 3 provides an example of how this setting would be used.
Material Parameter Index Settings |
---|
Material Max Parameters =4
Material Parameter Index 0 =3 Material Parameter Index 1 =2 Material Parameter Index 2 =1 Material Parameter Index 3 =0 |
This example reverses the order in which the parameters are reproduced for the Load and Dippers Report. These parameters can be modified as required for your application.
"Material Parameter Use" - Specifies material parameter reporting
Table 4 outlines the five options that are available for reporting the parameters.
Use Value | Description |
---|---|
0 | Calculates a weighted average of the parameter based on the percentage of each type of material |
1 | Reports the minimum value of this parameter from the list of materials in the truck or bucket |
2 | Reports the maximum value of this parameter from the list of materials in the truck or bucket |
3 | Reports the value from the predominant material type as an integer |
4 | Reports the value from the predominant material type as a string |
The "Material Parameter Use" machine configuration settings are configured as shown in 5.
Material Parameter Use Settings |
---|
Material Parameter Use 0 =4
Material Parameter Use 1 =0 Material Parameter Use 2 =1 Material Parameter Use 3 =2 Material Parameter Use 4 =3 |
The Material Parameters in Table 5 are reported as follows:
- The first parameter in the text string is interpreted as the description. In the example from Table 2, the first parameter is reported as: "Lo in Gold".
- The second parameter in the text string is interpreted as an average value for the materials in the load. The second parameter from table 2 is reported as: ((1 x 0.3) + (2 x 0.2) + (3 x 0.1))/6 = 0.167
- The third parameter in the text string is interpreted as the minimum value. The third parameter in table 2 is reported as: "0.1".
- The fourth parameter in the text string is interpreted as the maximum value. The fourth parameter in table 2 is reported as:"0.7".
- The fifth parameter in the text string is interpreted as the integer value for the material that is predominant in the load. The fifth parameter in table 2 is reported as: 103.
"Material Parameter Description" - As shown in Table 6, this setting specifies a description for each Material Parameter.
The descriptions are used in reports and messages. The descriptions are also used as the headings for columns in Material windows. A list of the "Material Parameter Descriptions" is available in the dialog that is used for the configuration of Material windows.
Material Parameter Description | |
---|---|
Material Parameter Description 0 =Description
Material Parameter Description 1 =Gold Material Parameter Description 2 =Silver Material Parameter Description 3 =Copper Material Parameter Description 4 =Material Code |
"Material Parameter Format" - Sets the number of significant digits for the value that is reported for the Material Parameter
For example, to display results to the nearest .001 percent, three significant digits would be required. The code for the setting would be:
Material Parameter Format =3
Table 7 shows the Material Parameters that are reported for the configuration in Table 6. The values are reported to the .001 percent.
Description | Gold | Silver | Copper | Material Code |
Lo in Gold | 0.167 | 0.100 | 0.700 | 103 |