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The Portable Unit has a lot of extra electronic circuitry which
measures the strength of the electromagnetic field generated by the MF4 Antenna and
calculates the distance between the MF4 (LHD) and the Operator's Portable Control Unit. This distance is used to determine whether or not
the operator is a safe distance away from the LHD.
Warning Distance (W.D.)
The W.D. can be adjusted in a few seconds by an authorized mine safety
person who knows the security access code. No tools or extra equipment is
needed to do this. A typical W.D. would be 6m. Whenever the LHD moves to
within 6 metres of the operator:
The front and rear lights will flash on and off
The horn will beep
The Radio Control Unit's display will show:
If the operator doesn't move
away from the LHD (or vice-versa) the Buddy System should automatically stop
the LHD as described below.
Shut-Down Distance (S.D.D.)
The S.D.D. can be adjusted by an authorized safety person in just a few
seconds to suit the specific application, size of the LHD etc. Remember
that the Buddy System can detect an operator even if he is underneath the LHD,
there is no place that the operator can hide and not be detected. A
typical S.D.D. would be 4.5m. Whenever the LHD moves to within 4.5 metres of the operator the:
Engine should shut down
The Service Brakes should be applied
The throttle should go to idle
The transmission should go to neutral
Half a second later the Park Brake should be applied
Once the Buddy System has shut down the LHD, the operator must move away
from the LHD, outside the W.D. (>6m) and restart the engine. The
difference between the W.D. (6m) and the S.D.D. (4.5m) is 1.5m. Since the LHD
travels at approx. 1m per second in radio control mode, the operator will
have 1.5 seconds of flashing lights and a beeping horn to warn him to stop
the LHD. If this is not enough time for the operator to react and
stop the LHD (or move away) then the W.D. of 6m must be increased. In a
very short time the operator will realize that it is annoying to have to
keep restarting the engine and he will automatically stay outside the S.D.D., i.e., the Buddy System will train him to become a safe operator. |
